In a spine-chilling contest at Eden Park, Auckland, England Women defeated New Zealand Women by one wicket in the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022.
New Zealand set a below-par target of 204 for England Women, but the Blackcaps bowlers bowled exceptionally well to stretch the match until the very last wicket of England.
Here’s how the match progressed:
England Women won the toss and invited New Zealand Women to bat first. The Blackcaps started positively with a 61 runs stand for the first wicket between the openers Bates and Devine. The threatening partnership for England was broken by Kate Cross, who was responsible for removing both the openers of New Zealand in the game.
After the fall of the first wicket, New Zealand kept losing wickets at regular intervals. The top four Kiwis got the starts but could not convert them into big ones. Bates scored 22, Devine 41, Kerr 24 and Satterthwaite 24 for the Kiwis. Maddy Green notched up unbeaten 52* off 75, but she did not get the support from the other end. At last, the Blackcaps were bundled out in 48.5 overs for 203 runs.
For England Women, both Cross and Eccelstone accounted for three wickets each, while Charlotte Dean sent two batters back to the dressing room.
Chasing 204, England did not have the greatest of start, losing Danielle Wyatt early in the innings. Both English openers failed to score anything of substance in the match. However, Heather Knight and Natalie Sciver played well in the middle to keep England Women on track to chase down the total.
Natalie Sciver scored 61 off 108, while Knight made 42 off 53. However, the duo’s dismissal opened up the doors for New Zealand as they grabbed some quick wickets to drag the match until the last English pair. England Women found themselves precarious at 196-9 in the 46th over. Anya Shurbsole held her nerves to get England over the finish line to register their second win of the tournament. Hannah Rowe took a fifer for the Kiwis, and Natalie Sciver was named player of the match for her vital knock.
Also Read: IPL 2022: Delhi Capitals Aspiring Playing X1