New Zealand staged a miraculous comeback to win the second T20 at Canterbury after collapsing to 11 for four. Their recovery came by virtue of a 159-run partnership from 98 balls between Sophie Devine and Maddy Green – a record against England in T20 internationals.
The partnership rollicked along so quickly that the team of Kent scorebox operators struggled to keep up, with the numbers in the manual scoreboard repeatedly getting stuck due to the 28C heat.
Set 171 to win, England’s nerves got the better of them. Sophia Dunkley started with aggressive intent, but got tangled up against young off-spinner Nensi Patel and was caught at mid-off. A promising 43-run partnership between Maia Bouchier and Heather Knight for the third wicket ended in disaster when Knight ran halfway down the pitch, was sent back by her partner and fell victim to a throw-in by Devine from midwicket.
Bouchier, clearly unsettled by events, chipped the next ball up to long-on leaving England still needing 52 from 27 balls. Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson have been touted by Charlotte Edwards, England’s head coach, as aggressive finishers in T20, but Melie Kerr and Patel kept things tight through the middle. With scoreboard pressure telling, Gibson swung at a straight one from Bree Illing in the 19th and was bowled.
Kemp attempted to take on Lea Tahuhu in the final over, but was caught in the deep, handing the bowler her 99th wicket in T20 internationals. The series is level at 1-1, with the decider at Hove on Monday.
“It’ll be a few what-ifs tonight,” Charlie Dean, England’s acting captain, said. “We lost wickets at really important times, just as we were starting to gain momentum.”
She added that England had felt the absence of the regular leader, Nat Sciver-Brunt, who was ruled out of the series with a calf injury. “It’s a missing cog for us. We’re playing in games that really challenge us.”
Devine and Green reached half-centuries within consecutive overs, but Devine accelerated rapidly at the death as the last four overs cost England 56 runs, including 16-run overs apiece from Gibson and Kemp in the 17th and 18th. Devine’s six-striking was as effortless as ever in her 87 from 57 balls, though the heat took its toll and she missed the first two overs of England’s run-chase “stuck in the ice bath trying to cool down”.
Green said: “Soph being Soph, she just keeps going – she smokes it down the ground and it helps me relax.” Devine, who is retiring from internationals after the World Cup, said: “Cricket’s a bloody fickle game. You ride the highs and the lows, and when you’re in form, you’ve got to take the most out of it.”
Intriguingly, Sophie Ecclestone was omitted from the England XI at Canterbury, apparently nursing a quadriceps niggle, paving the way for Issy Wong’s return to the fray a matter of weeks before the World Cup begins. If Wong did little to harm her case for inclusion during that tournament, she perhaps also did little to advance it, bowling a consistent line outside off-stump, but finishing wicketless.
Instead it was Linsey Smith who once again made herself undroppable, with an opening spell of 2-0-6-3. The left-arm spinner took out Georgia Plimmer and Kerr for golden ducks, showcasing the tight line and low bounce that makes her such a dangerous option in the powerplay.
Lauren Bell had started the collapse by bowling Izzy Gaze and Smith picked up her third of the day as Brooke Halliday tried to take her on and was caught by Bouchier at mid-off. It looked like a disaster for the visitors – until Devine and Green came to the rescue.
