Maia Bouchier comes of age as maiden century gives England ODI series win over New Zealand

Maia Bouchier recorded her maiden international century as England wrapped up their one-day international series over New Zealand with a match to spare after cruising to a resounding eight-wicket win.

In another ruthless performance with bat and ball, there was a theatrical feel to the way the hosts closed out proceedings to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

Needing five runs to reach her hundred – and with England needing five to win – Bouchier was helped out by Nat Sciver-Brunt, who sportingly coughed up a flurry of dot balls and proved a safe pair of hands at the crease to allow her partner to close in on her three-figure milestone off 88 balls.

“They call them the nervous nineties for a reason,” said Bouchier after her coming-of-age performance. “I tried not to think too far ahead and it was nice having Nat as that calm voice. I’m just glad I came through.

“I didn’t really know what Nat was thinking in terms of just getting the runs for the team, but when she started blocking them I kind of knew. It was an unspoken communication that we both agreed on.”

The relief was telling as Bouchier completed her race against time but her joy was even more obvious when she was reminded in the post-match presentation that she had chalked up her first century in all forms of cricket since playing for Middlesex under-13s in 2012.

Having previously struggled to hold down a spot in England’s batting order, the 25-year-old is fast becoming a valuable asset and the expectation is that this milestone could help unlock another level of her game.

Her clean shot-making added extra gloss to a dominant performance in Worcester where, fresh from their seven-wicket demolition job last week in Durham, Sophie Ecclestone laid the groundwork for another landslide victory over the tourists.

England’s spin queen lit up a grey day with her all-encompassing performance, producing career-best figures of five for 25 from nine overs which moved her up to fourth on England women’s list of all-time leading ODI wicket-takers.

She orchestrated a monumental collapse from New Zealand, who were trundling along at 114-3 before losing four wickets without scoring a run and subsequently slipped to 124-9.

It is not that the White Ferns are shorn of fine strikers – in skipper Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Amelia Kerr they possess a dangerous trio – but they certainly looked shorn of confidence on a day when they struggled to problem solve their way past England’s supreme spin.

Delivering a display that was as eye-catching as the Rainbow Laces neatly intertwined throughout her plaited hair, Ecclestone masterfully manipulated the line and length, drift and turn of her deliveries with composure that underlined her world-class status.

New Zealand, who were restricted with the bat before their middle order fell like dominoes, simply had no answer to her. Their final total would have been less had it not been for patches of rustiness from England in the field, which was arguably the only blot on their copybook.

It was Kate Cross, an absentee in Durham last week due to an abdominal injury, who set the tone for her side’s impressive performance. Her one wicket and three maidens in her opening five overs certainly made up for lost time and was a microcosm of the hosts’ relentless pressure over the visitors.

Georgia Plimmer was the first to fall victim to her aggressive bowling, while Charlie Dean continued to prove why she is such a prized possession in England’s spin attack, extracting Kerr with an alert catch following her own delivery.

The day, however, belonged to Ecclestone – and latterly Bouchier – both of whom preyed on New Zealand’s vulnerabilities. The two sides meet again on Wednesday in Bristol before embarking on a five-match T20 series which both teams will look to use as vital preparation for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in October.