Key events
Oh that’s lovely. The three legends, Devine, Tahuhu, Bates, walk through a long guard of honour made up of both teams and backroom staff, into their retirement. Devine turns and looks and waves to the record crowd, and all three remove their caps and doff them all around.
England win by nine wickets and New Zealand are eliminated!
18th over: England 164-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 89, Dunkley 49) Tahuhu’s final over is not treated with dignity. Dunkley threads four through the covers, and the end comes with a wide.
17th over: England 159-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 89, Dunkley 45) DWH is in the zone – just the most delicate twist and lock for four down to third off Kerr. Two more sumptuous strokes deserve four but bring two each. And, this is just showing off now, – a wristy pick up for six to bring the target to single figures! Five runs needed.
Today’s attendance is also the biggest attendance ever for a women’s T20 group game.
16th over: England 145-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 76, Dunkley 44) Beautiful skies, navy blue all around apart from the apricot shades of the west. DWH cuts Devine like a French nobleman curling his butter: four.A handful of singles follow.19 needed.
15th over: England 138-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 70, Dunkley 43) Kerr, who has gone at more than ten an over so far, is back. DWH fancies more and duly slams front foot forward and swipes four down the ground. Dunkley has a go now, throwing her weight onto her back foot and sweep a wide ball for another boundary. 26 needed.
14th over: England 127-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 64, Dunkley 38) Ones made into twos with determination and gumption. Charlotte Edwards wasn’t messing about when she said England needed to work on their fitness – they’re pretty transformed in the field and between the wickets. 37 needed.
13th over: England 122-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 63, Dunkley 34) Oh that’s the softest of hands, DWH directs Kerr between point and third and they watch it rumble over the rope. There are so many little girls and teenagers in the crowd tonight watching their heroes – and tonight is the biggest crowd of the tournament – over 21,000. High five to the organisers.
12th over: England 116-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 58, Dunkley 33) Kerr plays her Illing card with a breakthrough needed desperately. Dunkley manoeuvres like nimble forklift – forward, back – thwack past point for four. A couple of wides from a disillusioned bowler, then DWH powers her back over her head for four more.
11th over: England 101-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 50, Dunkley 28) Tahuhu, does she have magic in her fingers? Well, the first ball is invitingly wide and Dunkley needs no invitation – four. A wide adds to their woes, as does a last ball flourish over the covers by DWH for four more. Bell and Ecclestone watch with the relaxed posture of women who are pretty sure they’re not going to have to bat.
Fifty for Wyatt Hodge!
10th over: England 95-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 50, Dunkley 23) We have pictures! Patel to stem the flow, navy blue towel bouncing like a tail as she skips in. DWH – a lofted drive with panache for four to bring up the fifty partnership. And then brings up her own fifty with a screaming outside edge – 33 balls. At the halfway stage, England need 69.
9th over: England 83-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 39, Dunkley 22) Still no pictures. Kerr. A full toss smashed for four. Another four. Super excited crowd noises and bursts of pop music. And a third four. Sounds like Kerr is having a shocker.
8th over: England 70-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 26, Dunkley 22) I’m not sure whats going on as we’ve lost pictures from The Oval temporarily. Illing is bowling. Four dot balls, a single, a four from Dunkley.
The covers are coming off
And the spectators perched on the top stand seems pretty perky. I can’t see New Zealand coming back from this perilous position but we’ve been here before. A rainbow arches over the pavilion where Mickey Stewart is chatting away. We’re about to restart.
Rain stops play
7th over: England 65-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 25, Dunkley 18) I think the teams just took drinks, but I didn’t see it. The captain brings herself on with New Zealand in real trouble. Her first ball won’t win any prizes either and is also dispatched, by Dunkley, through the covers for four. It’s starting to rain now and with five overs gone, DLS will come into play. Another powerful four thuds through the covers as Dunkley frees the bat and then the players trot off. We’ll get a short break.
6th over: England 57-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 25, Dunkley 10) Sophie Devine offer a gravy-filled pie to DWH who dispatches it with glee. A similar pastry is gobbled up by Dunkley with the same result. And a third four as Dunkley steps outside off stump and sweeps away. In the crowd, a man in a red England shirt, with plans for later, jiggles with excitement.
5th over: England 43-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 20, Dunkley 1) Tahuhu, for one last stint. Iconic headband, narrowed eye. DWH slides a wide one between backward point and deep third for four.
WICKET! Jones c Kerr b Patel 17 (England 36-1)
Delight for New Zealand as Jones chips limply straight to mid off.
4th over: England 36-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 14) Kerr turns to Patel. She immediately slows things down and then draws DWH forward who dances into the danger zone, but keeper Gaze misses her cue behind the stumps. Jones goes next ball.
3rd over: England 31-0 (Jones 16, Wyatt-Hodge 10) Jones gets in on the act, clonking Illing’s first two balls for four, through midwicket, then backward point, then square-driving the fifth for another.
2nd over: England 19-0 (Jones 4, Wyatt-Hodge 10) Kerr bustles in. DWH continues her excellent work in the tournament with the innings’ first boundaries off the bat, two of them, as she cuts, boots in the air, then pings over off side like a ping-pong player.
1st over: England 8-0 (Jones 2, Wyatt-Hodge 1) The lights are on, the south London skies start, slowly, to dim. Illing with the first over – fast and accurate. Just a single off the first three balls but the fourth ball wobbles legside for five wides. Illing hits 119.4kph.
Right! Here we go. New Zealand need the win to avoid elimination.
At the break, England are on top but New Zealand have a squirrel of a chance. Time to grab a quick drink of water.
WICKET! Bates run out 19 (New Zealand 163-6) England need 164 to win!
20th over: New Zealand 163-6 ( Green 17) A gold final over from Bell. Two singles – Green can’t cash in on a full toss – then a bouncer passes a swivelling Bates. New Zealand squeeze another three and then Bates is run out flat out on her belly sprinting a bye off the last ball which is a cracking bouncer.
19th over: New Zealand 158-5 ( Green 14, Bates 17) Three singles and leg bye – England unusuccesfully review an lbw against Bates – then Green steers behind square, screaming past a diving Bell for four.
18th over: New Zealand 148-5 ( Green 6, Bates 16) Dunkley cuts a finger in the field and jogs off the field to get taped up. Three singles mellows the mood but then Bates strikes the phosphorus. Finds the rope with an oopla sweep over her shoulder for four and ends up on her bum. She reverses, somewhat inelegantly, woodcutter-style, over the fielder for four more. Then a third successive four to finish the over, settles outside her stumps and flames legside.
17th over: New Zealand 133-5 ( Green 4, Bates 3) When you want quick runs, you don’t want to face Linsey Smith and miserly left arm. She rubs her fingers in the dirt. Five singles from it and a quarter-chance for Kemp in the field who chases a sweep from Green a square leg but can’t get there.
16th over: New Zealand 128-5 ( Green 1, Bates 1) Another two-wicket over for England! A double change with Bell replacing Dean. Some great hands from Kemp on the boundary who took that smashing catch in the last game. Then the wickets just as New Zealand got spikes on the track.
WICKET! Devine lbw Bell 30 (New Zealand 126-5)
Devine takes guard a metre inside off stump and Bell hones in on the pads. Devine swings, misses and is sent on her way both by the on pitch ump and after a review. Bell is surrounded in huge hugs. Sophie, we salute you.
WICKET! Halliday run out (Dean) 20 (New Zealand 124-4)
Halliday drives, calls, sprints, but can’t beat a pin point direct hit from Charlie Dean! The balloon bursts.
15th over: New Zealand 122-3 (Devine 28, Halliday 18) Back to Ecclestone, whose two overs have only cost seven runs. Ha, Devine has something to say about that – drops to her knee and slog-sweeps six more.
14th over: New Zealand 113-3 (Devine 21, Halliday 17) Charlie Dean. Halliday reverse-sweeps four past backward point. Then Devine one step, two -swings SIX, massive, over long on. And another one next ball, bigger even with a not done yet stamp. Seventeen from the over as they take DRINKS
13th over: New Zealand 96-3 (Devine 9, Halliday 12) Gibson again. In the dugout Edwards has her leg crossed, lounging. Some great fielding on the boundary by DWH (I think) stops four, but Devine finds the boundary next ball, swivelling with glee. Four legside wides follow.
12th over: New Zealand 80-3 (Devine 2, Halliday 8) Halliday plumps her leg forward and crabs four off Dean through mid-off. New Zealand, I am told, have now played the equivalent of five overs of dot balls. In 12!
11th over: New Zealand 74-3 (Devine 1, Halliday 3) New Zealand have dropped purse, keys and novel into the mire. Devine now has her work cut out in her final (possible) appearance. Great over by Gibson.
WICKET! Sharp b Gibson 0 (New Zealand 70-3)
Two in two for Gibson now, three in four for England! Sharp eyes the off side but instead gets a thick edge and turns her head to see stumps akimbo.
WICKET! Kerr b Gibson 42 (New Zealand 70-2)
Two in two for England! Kerr tries to scoop again, but this time clangs it into her stumps
WICKET! Gaze c Capsey b Kemp 28 (New Zealand 70-1)
A slower ball and Gaze doesn’t spot it, tries to clear the rope but Capsey is waiting and doesn’t put a foot or finger wrong.
10th over: New Zealand 70-1 (Kerr 42, Devine 0) Dean brings on Kemp and Gaze is lucky with an outside edge that flies away for four. The next shot is more deliberate as she quick-steps down the pitch and splurts four more past mid on . A chance then – a possible chance – but it chance goes to Ecclestone at mid off who isn’t the most agile, and she’s nowhere near. But Kemp gets her reward at the end of the over.
9th over: New Zealand 59-0 (Kerr 41, Gaze 18) England burn a review going upstairs for a caught behind off Ecclestone as Gaze sweeps and misses. Was it glove? It was not. Next ball Gaze punts down the ground just over a reaching Ecclestone arm. Four from the over.
8th over: New Zealand 55-0 (Kerr 40, Gaze 15) Dean brings herself on to replace Gibson, and Kerr immediately crashes her past mid off for four. Ecclestone claps vigorously in the field shouting encouragement. There is plenty of firepower in the bank for NZ, they probably need to go for broke quite soon.
7th over: New Zealand 47-0 (Kerr 33, Gaze 14) The rain is starting to fall in Manchester, but I don’t think it will make it down to The Oval in three hours. The power play ends but Sophie Ecclestone begins. The replays are showing that Kerr got an edge to the last ball of the last over which Jones lost track of – very hard though. Just three singles from the over.
6th over: New Zealand 44-0 (Kerr 31, Gaze 13) The final over of the power play is handed to Dani Gibson. Kerr is starting to motor. Four through the covers, four more scooped like a blissed out graduate flicking tie over shoulder at the end of a midsummer ball.
5th over: New Zealand 34-0 (Kerr 22, Gaze 12) Kerr sweeps Smith legside for four. And then Gaze does the same two balls later, with a huge elaborate stride of the front leg. A bird’s eye view of the ground shows a very pretty picture, London stretching behind, azure skies.
4th over: New Zealand 22-0 (Kerr 15, Gaze 7) Bell, hoppety, skip, strides in. A better, neater, over. Gaze tries to pull a bouncer but misses, by a fingernail. Just two runs from it. New Zealand might need to step on it here.
If you’re at The Oval, do let me know what the atmosphere is like – looks great.
3rd over: New Zealand 20-0 (Kerr 14, Gaze 6) Smith is so rapid through her overs, no time for the batters to prep. Three singles keeps things ticking over then Gaze takes a large step down the pitch and sweeps her backward of square for four.
2nd over: New Zealand 12-0 (Kerr 12, Gaze 0) It looks pretty full at The Oval, spectators baking in the late afternoon sun, clad in sunglasses and wafting vigorously. A big round of applause for Lauren Bell. Her third ball is pretty short and Kerr duly finds her fighting stance and pulls her uppish and square for four. Four more comes through deep third. They run a quick single off the last – too risky? we’ll never know as Ecclestone fumbles in the field.
1st over: New Zealand 1-0 (Kerr 1, Gaze 0) Linsey Smith with the new ball. Tosses it from hand to hand, collar buttoned up to the top, white suncream smeared in a stripe across her nose and cheeks. Just a single from the over as Smith is on the money straight away.
The commentators are all very interested in the “greenish tinge” on the pitch.. Manna for Lauren Bell perhaps. Did Melie Kerr make the wrong choice at the toss? We will soon find out – Kerr and Gaze gallop onto the pitch.
The flags have been unfurled and we await the anthems. This match could mark the end of an unbelievable era for New Zealand cricket with Sophie Devine, Lea Tahuhu and Susie Bates all hanging up their boots at the end of this competition. The New Zealand women look quite emotional actually, England relaxed.
Raf is at The Oval, laptop read. “ It’s lovely here now – cooler than yesterday with sunshine and an evening breeze. Mid warm up, some of the NZ players gathered round the TV in their changing room to watch the denouement of Ireland v Windies. Lots of dancing and jumping up and down before resuming their warm up!”
Lovely stuff, as Nasser says, there is now real tension in this match.
Nasser Hussain is excited about this game for England. “It is going to be virtually a sell out, The Oval is a ground they like, and it is now a live game. It is perfect preparation for the semi final coming up, and will focus the mind.”
England XI
England are unchanged, Nat Sciver-Brunt is “not far off” says Charlie Dean.
England: Amy Jones (wk), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Dani Gibson, Charlie Dean (capt), Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell.
New Zealand XI
New Zealand: Melie Kerr (c), Izzy Gaze (wk), Izzy Sharp, Sophie Devine, Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Suzie Bates, Jess Kerr, Nensi Patel, Lea Tahuhu, Bree Illing.
Nw Zealand win the toss and bat
“Runs on the board and scoreboard pressure,” says NZ captain Melie Kerr. “We have been supporting Ireland and now it’s in our hands, we’re in a privileged position. It’s a must-win match and …we haven’t been near our best yet, this is the day to do it.”
Both sides are unchanged.
Today’s action is at The Oval, where the temperatures are not quite as dastardly as they have been. Ah, they’re out in the middle, here comes the toss…
Preamble
Hello! It’s been a topsy-turvy few days – first Ireland’s men beating India, then Ireland’s women turning over West Indies by six wickets to celebrate the first T20 World Cup win in their history. Now New Zealand have a chance to turn the tables and secure a semi-final place ahead of the West Indies by beating England (who are already through). It should be intriguing – join us to see how the plates land.
