Key events
Simon Doull asks if England are trying to win the game or trying to work out their World Cup XI. I guess Raf might find that out in the press conference afterwards. Some questions to mull over for England, who were outfielded and out hit – out Devined – by New Zealand today.
Join us for for the final game of this series on Monday at Hove. Till then, thanks for your company. Bye!
Captain talk
Charlie Dean: “Losing from such an great position always hurts, but all credit to Sophie and Maddy. I thought we were in a good position to chase it down but lost crucial wickets at crucial times.”
Melie Kerr: “When you’re four down like that you’re not in a good position at all, but that partnership was incredible to watch.” She goes on to say that they have been really working on their fielding under coach Craig Macmillan.”
Player of the match – Sophie Devine
No surprises after that fabulous innings. “England bowled fantastic up front, but ….the partnership with Maddy was outstanding, she absorbs pressure really well. (What to do at 11-4?) I don’t really like sitting back, it’s a battle of the mind. I’m just enjoying my cricket and what I’ve got left on the international scene.”
A really great fightback by New Zealand there from the depths of 11 for four. Tash Farrant thinks England should have brought Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson in sooner – Bouchier and Knight left them too much to do.
New Zealand beat England by 14 runs to level the T20 series 1-1
20th over: England 156-6 (Jones 1, Wong 8) Tahuhu – last over perfection. A wide slow yorker that Kemp can do nothing with. Nothing off the second either. The third is called wide which Tahuhu objects to. Kemp fails to get enough welly on the fourth. Wong manages a two and a satisfying six to finish, but that is a good win for New Zealand and it ends a eight-match streak of defeats by England.
WICKET! Kemp c Plimmer b Tahuhu 14 (England 148-6)
Kemp has to go for it, but can only find Plimmer teetering just the right side of the rope at
19th over: England 147-4 (Kemp 14, Jones 1) England need 24 from 6 balls Nasser on comms says that Kemp is the best in England and hitting down the ground. New Zealand stop her doing that but she does pick up four square into the legside. Illing responds with a snorting bouncer. On the balcony, Edwards itches her ear.
WICKET! Gibson b Illing 12 (England 141-4)
Gibson empties the fridge and attempts to jetison it all overr the rope. Misses and a delighted Illing hits the top of leg stump.
18th over: England 141-4 (Kemp 9, Gibson 12) England need 30 from 12 balls Melie Kerr backs herself, bowls tantalisingly wide. Kemp manages to get bat on one, woofing it to the rope but the equation looks nasty for England now.
17th over: England 134-4 (Kemp 3, Gibson 11) England need 37 from 18 balls Not Devine’s finest. Starts with a wide, then bowls two short ones, Gibson whips on a napkin and tucks in – fours to midwicket and backward point. Fourteen from a fruitful over for England.
16th over: England 120-4 (Kemp 0, Gibson 1) England need 51 from 24 balls Advantage New Zealand as England lose both their set batters.
WICKET! Bouchier c Plimmer b Patel 38 (England 119-4)
Two in two as Bouchier hits out in anger – elegantly on one knee – but doesn’t have the ooomph and is caught at long on.
WICKET! Knight run out (Patel) 25 (England 119-3)
Ooof, out by a whisper, Knight fires into a second run but is sent back by Bouchier who has eyes just on one. Knight dives for her crease – like an escaping squirrel – but is a frame short.
15th over: England 116-2 (Bouchier 38, Knight 22 ) England need 55 from 30 balls Tahuhu’s third over. Three dots. Four. There’s the boundary as Knight says thanks very much to a legside lolly and hauls it for four.
14th over: England 107-2 (Bouchier 36, Knight 15 ) England need 64 from 36 balls The hundred comes up with a forceful cover drive from Knight for four. Three dots from Melie Kerr, but Bouchier breaks the drought with a huge stride and a stretched sweep for another boundary.
13th over: England 98-2 (Bouchier 32, Knight 10 ) England need 73 from 42 balls Enter Devine – can she perform the same magic with ball as with bat? England are very grateful for a wide that misses Knight and keeper and rolls to the rope.
12th over: England 89-2 (Bouchier 30, Knight 7 ) New Zealand are forcing England to run singles here on a broiling day. Bouchier grabs two from a slog-sweep off Patel’s final ball. The required rate hits ten.
11th over: England 82-2 (Bouchier 27, Knight 3 ) Tahuhu with her second over, slingy right arm at 45 degrees. Six singles from the over. The cameras pan over to the gorgeous Canterbury trees standing tall over the ground in their leafy glory.
10th over: England 76-2 (Bouchier 24, Knight 0 ) Melie Kerr wheels in, keeping the ball clutched tightly to her body. England can’t get her away as they’d like and … there’s the wicket. As Knight replaces Capsey, the required run rate sits at 9.34 at the half way stage.
WICKET! Capsey b Kerr 22 (England 76-2)
Clever bowling! A fuller ball, pushes a frustrated Capsey back on her stumps and the ball shimmies off her inside thigh for a death rattle.
9th over: England 74-1 (Capsey 21, Bouchier 23) Jess Kerr returns. England work her around but no boundaries.
8th over: England 68-1 (Capsey 17, Bouchier 21) Kerr and Patel have a chat at the top of her mark. Capsey drives through mid-off and it unspools like a ribbon to the rope. A handful of singles. England making this look not too tricky at the moment.
7th over: England 59-1 (Capsey 11, Bouchier 18) Time for some Melie Kerr. A super wristy sweep by Bouchier, down the hill, too quick for the diving fielder. A wide. On their camping chairs around the boundary the spectators look happy, but hot. Kerr beats the sweeping Bouchier with her penultimate ball.
6th over: England 49-1 (Capsey 10, Bouchier 10) Tahuhu, headband. Bouchier tickles one on leg stump down to the rope. This and that. At this stage, New Zealand were 29-4.
5th over: England 41-1 (Capsey 10, Bouchier 3) Capsey gets in on the act now, driving Illing sweetly through the covers for four. Another boundary is cut off by a energetically chasing Tahuhu who splays over the boundary after stopping the ball.
4th over: England 31-1 (Capsey 3, Bouchier 1) The change of bowling does it, Nensi Patel successfully tempting Bouchier.
WICKET! Dunkley c Kerr b Patel 26 (Engand 31-1)
Drills a full ball directly to Kerr at mid off, who barely has to move a toe.
3rd over: England 27-0 (Dunkley 25, Capsey 1) Another booming four, this time over Illing’s head. Then a lucky outside edge for another. Dunkley takes off her helmet and adjusts her bun, a smiling Devine trots onto the field. Excellent start this by England on a fantastic surface.
2nd over: England 16-0 (Dunkley 15, Capsey 0) There have been whispers about Dunkley’s WC place, she starts to make her case here. Cuts Kerr for four, splices her for four more through the covers, then a jackabox six.
1st over: England 2-0 (Dunkley 1, Capsey 0) The left-arm Illing starts with a wide. Red hair in a pony tail, wrist bands on her arms. On target. Devine is still in the dugout, gulping water and reading a scrap of paper.
England need 171 to win
No time to spare, the players are back on, Dunkley and Capsey at the crease.
WICKET! Devine run-out (Bouchier) 87 New Zealand 170-5 after 20 overs
The weary end to a top-notch innings that lifted New Zealand from flop to punchy. Turns for the second run but has no puff left and is easily run out
20th over: New Zealand 170-5 (Green 56) Devine bulldozes Smith’s first ball for four. Lofts the next but Bouchier running in lets it through her fingers. Then six, glorious, almost with one hand, a double 99 in a caramel cone. Great innings, great partnership, and now a great chase in store.
19th over: New Zealand 155-4 (Devine 74, Green 55) Devine shuffles here, shuffles there, is so off putting that that Jones – after four byes shrill to the boundary -stands back. A fumble in the outfield allows Devine to get back on strike for the final over. Great bowling by Bell.
