England put on a professional performance in all facets of the game to thrash New Zealand by 8 wickets with more than 20 overs to spare to spoil the farewell of Sophie Devine. England came out all guns blazing and were determined to win the game. They lost the toss and were asked to bowl first and put in an all-round bowling display led by Linsey Smith’s 3-wicket haul to keep New Zealand down to 168 in 38.2 overs.
In reply, chasing 169 for the win, England rode on a batting masterclass from keeper batter Amy Jones as she scored an unbeaten 86 off 92 balls with useful contributions from Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight who made 40 and 33 respectively as England cruised to the target in 29.2 overs with Wyatt-Hodge remaining unbeaten on 2. England finished with 11 points and in second place in the table and will play South Africa in the first semi-final in Guwahati.
All-Round Bowling Performance restricts New Zealand to 168 in 38.2 overs
Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer came out to bat for New Zealand while Lauren Bell had ball in hand for England. Bates started on the right note as she leant into the drive past Capsey and Ecclestone for a boundary. Ecclestone hurt her knee and shoulder as well. Bates hit the next ball by pulling it behind square in the leg side to beat long leg for a boundary. Linsey Smith took the ball from the other end and she bowled a miserly over. Ecclestone walked off the field as well as a precaution.
Bell continued and bowled a quiet over. Smith too kept things under check. Plimmer broke the shackles by hitting Bell for consecutive boundaries through square leg and then beat mid-on as well. Smith continued and got rid of Bates for 10 off 16 balls via a full toss as she had two boundaries to her name.
Smith bowled a juicy full toss outside off-stump. Bates stayed leg side of it and looked to slam it over mid-off but failed to get the required elevation. She hit it straight to Lamb who took a simple catch on the edge of the ring. Bates was asked to wait as the TV umpire checked the height of the ball and deemed it fair in the end. Amelia Kerr came out to bat in the middle and got off the mark soon.
Bell continued and bowled a miserly over. Smith continued as Amelia rocked back and cut it square of the wicket to beat the diving backward point for a boundary. Smith then again lost control and bowled a waist high full toss which Amelia pulled it easily over backward square leg region for a boundary. The free hit yielded a boundary as Amelia danced down the track and took it on full and drilled it through covers for a boundary. Amelia was on a roll as she picked up the length quickly to transfer her weight on the back foot and punched it between covers and cover point for a boundary.
Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt came into the attack next. Plimmer took the attack to her by smashing her for back-to-back boundaries as she pulled it hard in front of square and then the thick outside edge ran away past backward point for a boundary. Charlie Dean came into the attack to bowl the final over of powerplay. Kerr welcomed her with a boundary as she got down on one knee and slog swept it powerfully to the right of deep midwicket for a boundary. At the completion of 10 overs and at the end of powerplay, New Zealand were 57/1 and well-placed at this stage.
Sciver-Brunt continued and bowled a quiet over. Dean too bowled a decent over. Plimmer broke the shackles as she picked up the length early and pulled it hard past the diving fielder for a boundary at midwicket. Dean kept things tight at one end. Plimmer then decided to take the aerial route and lofted Nat straight over mid-on as the ball ran away to the fence. The 50-run stand came up between the two players. Dean bowled a quiet over.
Alice Capsey came into the attack next. Plimmer welcomed her by looking to cut it away and get a thick outside edge that ran away to the short third fence. New Zealand were 81/1 in 17 overs when we paused for the first Drinks Break. Dean continued after the break and bowled a decent over. Capsey continued and removed Amelia for 35 off 43 balls with 5 fours to her name.
Capsey tossed it up nicely outside off-stump. Kerr got down on one knee and went for a slog sweep but got it off the toe end of the bat. She hit it aerially wide of long-on. Dean out on the boundary moved swiftly and took a good catch. Captain Sophie Devine came out to bat next. Dean then dismissed Plimmer for 43 off 57 balls with 7 fours to her name.
Dean from over the wicket bowled a short of a length delivery around off-stump got it to spin in. Plimmer hung back and looked to flick it but missed as she wore it on the front pad right in front of the stumps and the finger was raised. Plimmer had a chat with Devine and opted against the review. Brooke Halliday came out to bat next.
She got off the mark soon and so did Devine after a while. After 20 overs, New Zealand were 91/3. Capsey continued and bowled another miserly over. Dean also kept things under check. Sophie Ecclestone came into the attack next. Ecclestone struggled with her injury as the 100 came up for New Zealand in 22.3 overs. She managed to remove Halliday for 4 off 14 balls. She flighted it up fuller outside the off-stump. The batter got down on one knee and slog swept it but mistimed the stroke to deep midwicket. Dunkley in the deep settled underneath it and pouched it safely. Ecclestone struck and then with an injured shoulder walked off the field. Maddy Green came out to bat next while Sophia Dunkley was tasked to complete the over. Green got off the mark straightaway.
Capsey changed ends and bowled a decent over. Dunkley continued and bowled a good over as New Zealand at the halfway stage of the innings were 111/4 in 25 overs. Capsey continued as Green drove it through covers for a boundary. Dunkley continued as Green cut it away nicely past backward point for a boundary. Capsey continued and finally broke the budding stand as she removed Maddy Green for 18 off 19 balls with 2 fours to her name.
Capsey bowled a flighted delivery fuller in length just outside off-stump. Green pressed forward to drive and got the cue end of the bat on it and spooning the ball towards the bowler. Capsey dived to her left and took a good low catch. Isabella Gaze came to the crease and got a reprieve as Capsey dropped her of her own bowling. Capsey then overstepped. The Free Hit went for the maximum as Gaze came down the track and smashed it over the bowler’s head. Smith continued and bowled another miserly over. Bell returned to the attack and bowled a decent over. At the completion of 30 overs, New Zealand were 139/5.
Linsey Smith continued and bowled a tight over. Bell continued as Devine got down on one knee and swept hard towards deep fine leg for a boundary. Gaze managed to get a top edge over the keeper and away for a boundary. Drinks was taken at the score of 153/5 in 32 overs. Smith continued after the Break and kept a lid on the scoring rate. Nat Sciver-Brunt came back into the attack and she removed Sophie Devine for 23 off 35 balls with a boundary to her name.
Nat bowled a good length delivery that pitched outside the off-stump and nipping back in. Devine leaned forward to drive but got beaten on the inside edge. The keeper whipped off the bails in a flash. There was an appeal for caught behind as the umpire said no. DRS was used and there was a clear spike on Ultra Edge when ball hit the bat. The decision was overturned to OUT as Devine had to walk back to the hut. Jess Kerr came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Smith then removed Gaze for 14 off 24 balls with one four and one six to her name.
Smith bowled fuller and on the off-stump line. Gaze got down on a knee and swept at it but missed it completely. The ball went onto hit the off-stump. Rosemary Mair came out to bat next. Jess Kerr bowled fuller on the fourth stump line. Kerr went low and square drove it behind point for a boundary. Nat then got rid of Mair for a bronze duck thanks to good usage of DRS. Nat bowled a length delivery that pitched on the off-stump line and nipped into the batter. Mair closed the bat face and looked to tuck across the line but missed it below knee roll on the back pad. There was a clear gap between the bat and pad. Ball Tracking showed three reds and the decision was overturned to OUT. Lea Tahuhu came out to bat next.
Smith continued and bowled a decent over. Then we had a run out of Jess Kerr who made 10 off 12 balls with a boundary to her name as there was a mix-up between the batters as the run out was completed at the striker’s end. Eden Carson came out to bat at the end and got off the mark straightaway. Linsey Smith picked up the last wicket to fall as she dismissed Tahuhu for 2 off 8 balls.
Linsey bowled fuller in length around off-stump slightly quicker one. Tahuhu pressed forward and played a lofted drive but got it from the cue end of the bat. Dean from mid-off ran to her back and took the catch. Carson remained unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball as New Zealand were skittled out for 168 in 38.2 overs. 8 extras given by the fielding side.
All the English bowlers bowled well with Linsey Smith leading the way with 3/30 in 9.2 overs. Nat Sciver-Brunt chipped in with 2/31 in 7 overs. Alice Capsey finished with 2/34 in 6 overs. Charlie Dean chipped in with 1/21 in 7 overs. Sophie Ecclestone chipped in with 1/4 in 4 balls. Lauren Bell chipped in with 0/35 in 6 overs while Sophia Dunkley finished with 0/12 in 2.2 overs. England’s target was set at 169 in 50 overs to go second in the points table.
Amy Jones’ masterful unbeaten 86 takes England over the line inside 30 overs.
Chasing a paltry 169 for the win, Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont came out to bat for England. Rosemary Mair had ball in hand for New Zealand. Jones survived a close LBW appeal as umpire’s call saved the batter. Jones then got the first boundary away as she stayed back and crisply punches it through covers for a boundary. Jess Kerr took the ball from the other end. She bowled a decent first over. Mair too kept things tight. Jess also kept things tight from one end.
Tammy Beaumont broke the shackles as she went deep in the crease and cut it past diving backward point fielder for a boundary. Beaumont then took the attack to Jess Kerr by reaching out and piercing the gap through cover and extra cover for a boundary. Jess overstepped and then the free hit yielded a boundary as Beaumont lunged forward and whipped it away over midwicket for a boundary. Beaumont was all over Jess as she hit her for two more boundaries through deep backward point and then through the point region again.
Captain Sophie Devine came into the attack now. She bowled a quiet over. Amelia Kerr came into the attack from the other end. Jones survived a LBW appeal while facing Amelia as the impact was outside off-stump as New Zealand lost the review. Devine continued as Jones drilled her through wide long-on by whacking it down the ground for a boundary. Amelia continued as Jones smashed her over mid-on by whacking it over mid-on for a boundary. The 50 came up and of the partnership between the two openers.
At the completion of 10 overs and first powerplay, England were 50/0 in 10 overs. Devine continued after the powerplay and bowled a decent over. Amelia Kerr bowled a decent over as well. Lea Tahuhu came into the attack next. She too bowled a nice over as England were happy to milk the bowling. Beaumont took the attack to Amelia by hitting her for back-to-back boundaries through covers and through deep fine leg as well. England were 74/0 in 14 overs as we paused for the Drinks Break.
Tahuhu continued after the break and got rid of Beaumont for 40 off 38 balls with 7 fours to her name. Tahuhu bowled fuller and on the stumps. Beaumont prodded forward to defend but missed it onto the front pad’s knee roll. There was no bat involved and ball tracking showed three reds. Beaumont reviewed in hope and burnt the review for England. Heather Knight came out to bat next and got off the mark with a boundary by cutting it to deep backward point for a boundary.
Eden Carson came into the attack next. She bowled a decent first over. Tahuhu bowled a maiden. Knight broke the shackles as she got down on one knee and swept it past short fine leg for a boundary. Jones then joined the party as she stayed deep in the crease and pulled it behind square for a boundary at the fine leg region. Tahuhu continued and bowled a tight over. Amelia Kerr returned to the attack as England reached 100 in 19.3 overs. Amelia thought she had gotten rid of Heather Knight as the umpire gave it OUT. But Knight reviewed and saw the wickets were missing and the decision was overturned to NOT OUT. England were 101/1 in 20 overs.
Suzie Bates came into the attack and was welcomed with a boundary by Amy Jones. The flighted ball was on the pads as Jones got down on one knee and swept it along the carpet behind square for a boundary to deep square leg. Amelia continued as Knight launched her by dancing down the track to get to the pitch of the ball and smashed it over long-on for the maximum. Bates continued as Jones stayed deep in the crease and pulled it high and handsomely over midwicket for the maximum as she got to her fifty in 71 balls. Her 16th fifty in ODIs and the 50-run stand came up between the two players.
Mair returned to the bowling crease and bowled a decent over. Jess Kerr returned to the bowling crease as well as England milked him for ones and twos. At the end of 25 overs at the halfway stage of the innings, England were 136/1. Mair continued as Jones took her on for consecutive boundaries first a smash through wide mid-on and then punched it over midwicket for a boundary. Jones made it a hat-trick of boundaries by leaning forward and driving through covers for a boundary. The 150 came up for England in 25.5 overs.
Jess Kerr continued as Jones punished her for the wrong line and helped it on its way through fine leg region for a boundary. Sophie Devine got a breakthrough for New Zealand as she removed Heather Knight for 33 off 40 balls with 2 fours and a maximum to her name. Devine from over the wicket bowled a good length delivery on the stumps and got it to nip back a fraction, Knight planted her front leg and looked to defend it in the on side but got beaten and wore it on the front pad. The finger was raised and Knight walked off without reviewing. Danielle Wyatt-Hodge walked out to bat next.
Suzie Bates came back into the attack. She bowled a decent over. Jones then decided to finish things off by hitting Devine for consecutive boundaries one over midwicket and the winning runs was hit between cover and mid-off for a boundary to seal the deal with 8 wickets and 20.4 overs to spare. Amy Jones was unbeaten on 86 off 92 balls with 11 fours and a maximum to her name. Wyatt-Hodge remained unbeaten on 2 off 7 balls. 11 extras given by New Zealand.
A hard day for the New Zealand bowlers with Sophie Devine picking up 1/20 in 4.2 overs and Lea Tahuhu picked up 1/9 in 4 overs. The rest of the bowlers went wicketless and went for runs as well. So, England win by 8 wickets and Amy Jones was awarded the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead
It’s a double-header Super Sunday and the final match of the league stage has gotten underway between India and Bangladesh in Navi Mumbai. That is a rain affected game and has been reduced to 43 overs a side already. Let’s see how that match shapes up as we have the semi-finals coming up soon.
Also Read: ICC Women’s ODI WC 2025: England Spinners Skittle New Zealand