140/3 (17.2)
CR : 8.08
136/7 (20.0)
CR : 6.80
England Women won by 7 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Alice Capsey
74(51)*
Over 18
England Women 140/3
Alice Capsey74(51)
Freya Kemp31(20)
Rosemary Mair0-23(2.2)
ENG-W won by 7 wickets
1:39 AM IST, 9:09 PM Local Time: That’s it. England Women start their home T20 World Cup preparations on a winning note. They beat New Zealand Women by seven wickets to go 1-0 up in the three-match T20I series. It was a solid all-around performance from them and they complete outplay the White Ferns tonight.
Chasing 137, England Women lost Sophia Dunkley (8) and Maia Bouchier (5) inside the powerplay. Alice Capsey looked solid at the top of the order and played some beautiful strokes. She received good support from Heather Knight as both kept the White Ferns at bay in the middle overs, putting 43 between them before the latter fell on 19.
Capsey brought up her fifty in 43 balls. Freya Kemp at five started positively. Both Capsey and Kemp scored at a brisk rate and kept the required run rate under control. The visitors failed to strike as the unbeaten 64-run stand between Capsey (74*) and Kemp (31*) took England Women across the line in just 17.2 overs with seven wickets in hand.
Earlier, England Women opted to bowl first. Lauren Bell gave her side a dream start, dismissing Georgia Plimmer (0) on the very first ball. Isabella Gaze (12) and skipper Amelia Kerr (8) were sent packing cheaply. Sophie Devine at four came out all guns blazing. She hit four fours and as many maximums to score 45 off 22 before getting cleaned up in the ninth over.
Devine’s dismissal allowed the hosts to pull back things. They kept things tight in the second half. There were contributions from Booke Halliday (14), Maddy Green (23) and Izzy Sharp (26*) but some fine death bowling from the hosts denied the White Ferns a strong finish as they posted 136/7 on the board.
For England Women, Lauren Bell (2/23) and skipper Charlie Dean (2/29) picked up two wickets each whereas Linsey Smith (1/10) and Danielle Gibson (1/21) grabbed a scalp apiece. Capsey then led the charge with the bat and guided her side home along with Kemp with a solid fourth-wicket stand.
Stick around for the post-match presentation.
Chasing 137, England Women lost Sophia Dunkley (8) and Maia Bouchier (5) inside the powerplay. Alice Capsey looked solid at the top of the order and played some beautiful strokes. She received good support from Heather Knight as both kept the White Ferns at bay in the middle overs, putting 43 between them before the latter fell on 19.
Capsey brought up her fifty in 43 balls. Freya Kemp at five started positively. Both Capsey and Kemp scored at a brisk rate and kept the required run rate under control. The visitors failed to strike as the unbeaten 64-run stand between Capsey (74*) and Kemp (31*) took England Women across the line in just 17.2 overs with seven wickets in hand.
Earlier, England Women opted to bowl first. Lauren Bell gave her side a dream start, dismissing Georgia Plimmer (0) on the very first ball. Isabella Gaze (12) and skipper Amelia Kerr (8) were sent packing cheaply. Sophie Devine at four came out all guns blazing. She hit four fours and as many maximums to score 45 off 22 before getting cleaned up in the ninth over.
Devine’s dismissal allowed the hosts to pull back things. They kept things tight in the second half. There were contributions from Booke Halliday (14), Maddy Green (23) and Izzy Sharp (26*) but some fine death bowling from the hosts denied the White Ferns a strong finish as they posted 136/7 on the board.
For England Women, Lauren Bell (2/23) and skipper Charlie Dean (2/29) picked up two wickets each whereas Linsey Smith (1/10) and Danielle Gibson (1/21) grabbed a scalp apiece. Capsey then led the charge with the bat and guided her side home along with Kemp with a solid fourth-wicket stand.
Stick around for the post-match presentation.
It's time for the post-match presentation.....
Player of the Match: Alice Capsey
Alice Capsey (POTM): "[What pleased you the most about that innings?] I guess it’s a completely new role for me. With this England team at the moment, there’s so much competition for places that whenever you get an opportunity, it’s nice to make the most of it. Yeah, it’s a completely new role and it’s all about embracing the opportunity. I’ve had some really good conversations with Sophia Dunkley over the last couple of days, and she’s definitely helped settle the nerves. And look, it’s always nice to get that first win on the board.
[On Surface] Anything where the slower balls were used seemed to grip a bit. Melie Kerr got a few deliveries to hold up as well, and those felt like the harder balls to hit. But anything with pace on was lovely to bat against, and anything with width was even better.
[Preparation in the last 5-6 months?] Yeah, it’s been a lot of hard work. I think that three-month block at the beginning of the year was amazing because it gave me the chance to properly develop my skills, which I probably hadn’t been able to do over the last couple of years. I worked on quite a few areas of my game, and now I just feel really comfortable and calm at the crease, and I think that showed today. I was 2 off 8 at one stage, but I had the composure to know I could catch up, and more importantly, I genuinely believed that as well. I’ve been incredibly well supported by the staff here, and it was really nice to put all that hard work into practice today.
[Brand new bat tonight?] Yeah, it was my first game with that bat, so I think I’ll be sticking with it for the rest of the series."
[On Surface] Anything where the slower balls were used seemed to grip a bit. Melie Kerr got a few deliveries to hold up as well, and those felt like the harder balls to hit. But anything with pace on was lovely to bat against, and anything with width was even better.
[Preparation in the last 5-6 months?] Yeah, it’s been a lot of hard work. I think that three-month block at the beginning of the year was amazing because it gave me the chance to properly develop my skills, which I probably hadn’t been able to do over the last couple of years. I worked on quite a few areas of my game, and now I just feel really comfortable and calm at the crease, and I think that showed today. I was 2 off 8 at one stage, but I had the composure to know I could catch up, and more importantly, I genuinely believed that as well. I’ve been incredibly well supported by the staff here, and it was really nice to put all that hard work into practice today.
[Brand new bat tonight?] Yeah, it was my first game with that bat, so I think I’ll be sticking with it for the rest of the series."
Amelia Kerr (New Zealand Women Captain): "[Were they short on runs?] Yeah. Probably, not enough. 140 would have given us with a chance. When Sophie got out, it looked hard for our group. We would have liked 150-160.
[What's Suzie Bates' role in the side?] I guess we have got a long batting order with her batting at nine. Her experience and overs that she can bowl but with also in the death as well, to bowl in the blockhole. She didn't get the overs but on the other days, she will get 4 overs. With the match experience and the skills she has, she is ready to take on that role.
[On Bree Illing] It's nice to have a left-armer in your side. She swings the ball upfront. She is a wicket-taker. I think batters look a bit wary while facing her. It's exciting to have someone like her in the squad.
[Things to work on before the next match] More runs will help. But the way Sophie played was good. She cleared the ropes. And after losing two in the powerplay, we did well to rebuild. Izzy played a great knock in the end. We strung some good overs but let it off. We have to play our best game now. This loss hurts. We were nowhere near our best. Looking forward to the next game."
[What's Suzie Bates' role in the side?] I guess we have got a long batting order with her batting at nine. Her experience and overs that she can bowl but with also in the death as well, to bowl in the blockhole. She didn't get the overs but on the other days, she will get 4 overs. With the match experience and the skills she has, she is ready to take on that role.
[On Bree Illing] It's nice to have a left-armer in your side. She swings the ball upfront. She is a wicket-taker. I think batters look a bit wary while facing her. It's exciting to have someone like her in the squad.
[Things to work on before the next match] More runs will help. But the way Sophie played was good. She cleared the ropes. And after losing two in the powerplay, we did well to rebuild. Izzy played a great knock in the end. We strung some good overs but let it off. We have to play our best game now. This loss hurts. We were nowhere near our best. Looking forward to the next game."
Charlie Dean (England Women Captain): "[Thoughts on that entire performance?] Yeah, I mean, it’s brilliant to start the series like that. With the ball up front, Lauren Bell was exceptional, as was Linsey Smith, and everyone chipped in in the field as well. It actually wasn’t a tricky surface to field on, so to put in a performance like that in the field is something we can be really proud of. Then with the bat, the game looked evenly poised for a long time, but the girls stuck at it. And to finish with two batters not out — Alice Capsey and Freya Kemp were exceptional.
[On Freya Kemp] Yeah, you know, as a bowling all-rounder, she brings so much to our team. For her to contribute with both bat and ball today hopefully gives us a lot of confidence going forward.
[Is this the kind of combination we can expect going forward — multiple spin options with two all-rounders and Lauren leading the pace attack?] Yeah, I think it’s a great position to be in, having so many quality bowlers to choose from. It allows us to adapt to the conditions and what’s working on a particular surface, which maybe we haven’t been able to do before when going in with just five bowlers. So yeah, it’s a nice position to be in, and it’ll be interesting to see how the team dynamic evolves as the series goes on.
[Talk about the competition at the top of the order] Yeah, Alice Capsey put in a fantastic performance today, and I think our batting in this T20 format just keeps getting stronger and stronger. It’s brilliant to have that level of competition for places. I guess it makes the selection decisions tougher, but that’s exactly what you want as a team."
[On Freya Kemp] Yeah, you know, as a bowling all-rounder, she brings so much to our team. For her to contribute with both bat and ball today hopefully gives us a lot of confidence going forward.
[Is this the kind of combination we can expect going forward — multiple spin options with two all-rounders and Lauren leading the pace attack?] Yeah, I think it’s a great position to be in, having so many quality bowlers to choose from. It allows us to adapt to the conditions and what’s working on a particular surface, which maybe we haven’t been able to do before when going in with just five bowlers. So yeah, it’s a nice position to be in, and it’ll be interesting to see how the team dynamic evolves as the series goes on.
[Talk about the competition at the top of the order] Yeah, Alice Capsey put in a fantastic performance today, and I think our batting in this T20 format just keeps getting stronger and stronger. It’s brilliant to have that level of competition for places. I guess it makes the selection decisions tougher, but that’s exactly what you want as a team."
That brings an end to our coverage of this game. Do join us for the 2nd T20I on Saturday which will be played in Canterbury. For now, this is Akshay Bhide, signing off, on behalf of my co-commentator Deepak Prakash and scorer Zeeshan Naiyer. Bye bye.