England smashed their highest Twenty20 score on home soil in six years at Southampton on Saturday – 197 for three – before restricting New Zealand to 138 for nine to win by 59 runs.
With only three months to go until the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, this was a statement innings from an England side whose confidence is currently sky-high; admittedly against a team who are unlikely to be World Cup challengers in October, especially if they bat like they did at Southampton.
First, Georgia Plimmer was unnecessarily run out for the third time in four matches – this time by a superb direct hit from Nat Sciver-Brunt on the ring. Then came the archetype of the horror collapse: five wickets lost for four runs in the space of 14 balls, including a three-wicket over for Sarah Glenn, who said her focus had been on “being able to repeat the simple things over and over again”.
This was a big chase under pressure, but the decision-making of the New Zealand batters was nonetheless questionable. Suzie Bates played on trying out the reverse sweep, Maddy Green came down the track and somehow missed a straight one, while New Zealand’s best batters, Amelia Kerr and Sophie Devine, both sent up catches to long-on.
“What’s most disappointing is the nature of some of those wickets – we really want to be positive with our cricket and perhaps didn’t quite commit to those shots,” Bates said. At the end of it all, the White Ferns were 64 for five and the rest was mere formality.
Earlier, the England openers Danni Wyatt and Maia Bouchier had pummelled the New Zealand bowlers in a 52-run, wicketless powerplay, setting the platform for England’s mammoth total by pouncing on wide offerings from Devine, Jess Kerr and Lea Tahuhu.
New Zealand’s young spinners Eden Carson and Fran Jonas then looked well out of their depth against the quality and class of Wyatt and Sciver-Brunt, while Freya Kemp – promoted up the order to bat at No 4 – kept up the pressure in the final few overs, lofting Amelia Kerr over the top for six in her usual effortless style.
New Zealand’s only inroads came when the England batters were trying to accelerate – Bouchier, Sciver-Brunt and Wyatt all caught in the deep attempting big shots. And though Tahuhu denied Wyatt a third T20 international hundred when she holed out on 76, England’s coach, Jon Lewis, will be well satisfied with the selfless approach of his big hitters and their more-than-healthy strike rates.
Heather Knight had built expectations with her claim on the eve of the game that England would be “trying things out” with one eye on the World Cup. But even so, it was something of a surprise to see England playing four frontline spinners – Linsey Smith joining the usual trio of Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean and Glenn. All four were utilised within the opening eight overs, with varying levels of spin and bounce, which helped stymie the New Zealand response.
It was the return from injury of the all-rounder Kemp, originally slated to bat at No 7 while providing a seam option, which facilitated this luxury. Kemp made a five-over return for Southern Vipers against Western Storm at Hove last weekend – her first professional spell since the recurrence of the stress fracture in her back in January. While she is clearly not yet back to pre-injury levels of pace, the fact that she was able to bowl her full allocation of four overs for England, picking up the wicket of Tahuhu into the bargain, was an important hurdle overcome, as well as one more puzzle piece in place ahead of the World Cup.
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