New Zealand and England took on each other at Eden Park on Sunday (March 20) where Frances Mackay's four-fer went in vain as England reached the finish line with only one wicket in hand.
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The ICC Cricket World Cup has seen a lot of nail-biting finishes so far and today’s game was one of them. New Zealand and England took on each other at Eden Park on Sunday (March 20) where Frances Mackay’s four-fer went in vain as England reached the finish line with only one wicket in hand. Meanwhile, Nat Sciver (61) scored her slowest half-century but successfully stabilized the ship in the middle to find momentum in the 204-run chase as well.
However, England were on the back foot early in the chase with Danni Wyatt (12), who had smashed three boundaries in six balls, was caught at mid-off in the third over. Tammy Beaumont (25) soon followed her opening partner back in the hut in the last over of the powerplay, getting removed by Lea Tahuhu.
With the pitch assisting the spinners, New Zealand used their spin duo – Amelia Kerr and Frances Mackay (4/34) till the 18th over but by then both Heather Knight and Sciver had set their eyes in. While the latter was struggling to find gaps, Knight quite efficiently managed to score. The duo added a 45-run stand for the third wicket before Knight was trapped before the stumps by Mackay as well.
However, by then, New Zealand were looking to lose the grip as Sophie Devine, who was carrying a niggle couldn’t take the field in the second innings as well. On the other hand, Tahuhu sprained her hamstring while bowling the fifth over and went out too. Brooke Halliday, however, found success as in her first full over, she delivered a wicket maiden – with Amy Jones (1) giving a catch to the mid-wicket fielder.
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However, with only four bowling options available and constant drizzle made things worse and Amelia couldn’t do well, alongside other bowlers as they failed to put England under pressure. After a slow start, Natalie Sciver (61) used the width of the crease well to take on the bowlers around the park. Later, Sciver and Sophia Dunkley (33) added a 70-run partnership in 14.3 overs to bring England close to victory. However, Frances Mackay returned for her second spell and dismantled England’s batting order.
Soon, Nat Sciver was removed by Jess Kerr while playing the wrong line and later a risky double saw the run out of Katherine Brunt (6). And, they slipped from 176 for 4 to 196 for 9, leaving the last two batters to score the last eight runs to reach the finish line. With no other options left in hand, Amy Satterthwaite (24) – the stand-in skipper – gave the ball back to Brooke Halliday in the 48th over. While a cover drive by Anya Shrubsole (7) levelled the scores, she took a single off the second ball and registered a comfortable victory. With this win, their hopes remain alive for a place in the semifinal, while the hosts find themselves in a tough situation.
Earlier in the day, New Zealand could only manage 203 after being put in to bat first. All the top four batters managed to get starts but couldn’t utilise it properly. Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine put on a 61-run stand for the opening wicket, but Bates’ dismissal in the 12th over and Devine’s sore back which forced her to retire soon after couldn’t help the team as well.
Kate Cross and Charlotte Dean then dismantled the middle overs to reduce the hosts from 134 for 2 to 161 for 8 in the 41st over as well and Sophie Ecclestone picked up three wickets towards the end. However, Maddy Green (52*) single-handedly tried with her fourth ODI fifty which helped her side cross the 200-run mark. But she didn’t get any help from the tailenders and they could manage only 204 runs.
