Good fightback. The hosts weren’t happy with their poor showing earlier today but bounced back really well in this second rubber to land an important blow against New Zealand in their first head-to-head contest of the summer. Ecclestone was brilliant with her four wickets, effective and efficient each time she was brought on. The captain Knight also picked up a couple. Clinical and convincing, England have won two of three games in this tournament. Mathematically, they could still miss the final but in all reality, they are in very good shape. With that, I’ll bid you farewell. Thanks for your company throughout this doubleheader. I’ll be back with you again tomorrow from Manchester for the men’s ODI between England and Australia. Until then, go well.
18th over: New Zealand 113-9 (Jensen 10, Tahuhu 5) Target 173 Knight racing through her final over and nearly slips through Tahuhu’s defences for a third scalp, just missing off-stump. 2/17 taken from her four, picking up wickets twice as soon as she brought herself on. That feels good as a skipper.
17th over: New Zealand 107-9 (Jensen 9, Tahuhu 0) Target 173 Great day at the office for Ecclestone - perhaps her best yet in England colours - 4-1-18-4 her return in this second game after a couple of clutch wickets in the first.
WICKET! Petersen c Sciver b Ecclestone 7 (New Zealand 106-9)
A fourth wicket for the teenager! Petersen got down on one knee and tried to take her over midwicket but Nat Sciver was there waiting and took the chance with ease. Ecclestone has two balls left to finish this off herself and grab five.
16th over: New Zealand 102-8 (Petersen 6, Jensen 6) Target 173 Jensen brings up the NZ 100 hitting Hazell down the ground, finding the rope. The spinner makes an athletic stop next ball in her follow through, warmly applauded by the healthy crowd who are staying to the end. They have been very good.
15th over: New Zealand 93-8 (Petersen 4, Jensen 0) Target 173 Big shout from the last Ecclestone ball but it is turned down. She has another over to go and with three wickets already in her kit bag she is a decent chance for five, I reckon.
WICKET! Kasperek st Taylor b Ecclestone 0 (New Zealand 92-8)
There’s Sarah Taylor! To be fair, the easiest stumping she’ll get in her career after Kasperek goes for a dance and misses a good couple of metres out of the crease. Ecclestone has had an outstanding day.
WICKET! Bezuidenhout b Ecclestone 5 (New Zealand 91-7)
For the third time across the two games today, Ecclestone slips through the gate at right-handers and into their woodwork. She’s a gun. Would you believe (I barely can) it came the ball after Sarah Taylor missed a stumping! But it didn’t matter.
14th over: New Zealand 87-6 (Kerr 3, Bezuidenhout 4) Target 173 Knight goes again and does it perfectly, cramping both players from round the wicket, conceding just the three singles. 14.33 an over needed from here, for what it is worth.
13th over: New Zealand 84-6 (Kerr 3, Bezuidenhout 1) Target 173 Should be another! Petersen miscues down the ground and Brunt makes wonderful ground running in off the long-on rope and gets there in time before spilling the diving chance. Full points for effort. With just four runs from the successful over, this game is as good as done.
WICKET! Kerr c Farrant b Sciver 2 (New Zealand 80-6)
Sciver gets one first ball! A tame drive from the youngster, a thick outside edge landing with Farrant at backward point who takes the regulation catch.
12th over: New Zealand 80-5 (Kerr 2, Bezuidenhout 0) Target 173 Knight closes out a fine over, just three from it. Feel a bit for Dani Hazell, deserves to be cashing in with the other spinners. Needs a bit of luck. But she’s not the type to complain.
WICKET! Green c Shrubsole b Knight (New Zealand 79-5)
Shrubsole takes it this time! Green had a crack but trying to make room for herself gave a catch to cover, Knight into the book for a second time in the space of nine balls. England well on their way now.
That’s why Ecclestone is so good. Earlier in the over, she was taken for consecutive boundaries across the line to midwicket by Green. But she held her nerve, slipping her quicker one through the gate of Martin from round the wicket, crashing into leg stump.
10th over: New Zealand 68-3 (Martin 16, Green 14) Target 173 Knight keeps swinging to changes with her spinners, going back to Hazell from the Botham Stand end. She deserves better from Shrubsole on the long-on rope, missing a regulation stop to concede a boundary. Taylor makes a great take/whip of the bails later in the over but Green is safe then keeps the strike down the ground. At the halfway mark, New Zealand need more than ten an over from here. Hard yards.
9th over: New Zealand 61-3 (Martin 16, Green 7) Target 173 Farrant is back and returns with a half-tracker that is creamed by Martin to the midwicket boundary. I’m sure they will go after the junior seamer here - makes sense. Nice cut from the same player later in the set but to the sweeper, Green then picking out the fielder at backward square leg. Nice change of pace to finish to beat the bat. That’ll help with confidence.
8th over: New Zealand 53-3 (Martin 10, Green 5) Target 173 Nothing wrong with this successful Knight over until the final delivery, and even that isn’t a poor ball as much as it is confident batting from Green who comes down the track and successfully beats mid-off with a well-struck drive. With it, New Zealand’s 50 is up.
WICKET! Satterthwaite c&b Knight 2 (New Zealand 47-3)
Great catch! Satterthwaite smacked that back at the England captain and she took it close to her body. Second ball into the attack and she’s into the book. New Zealand in some strife with their most experienced trio already back in the shed.
7th over: New Zealand 47-2 (Martin 9, Satterthwaite 2) Target 173 Dani Hazell on for her first bowl of the innings. Martin immediately goes after her, smashing on one knee over midwicket and into the rope. They are asking on telly why Ecclestone has been taken off after such a high-quality maiden. Maybe with the left-hander Satterthwaite walking out? Plenty of runs throughout the over, every ball scored off.
“Pure pressure from England,” says Charlotte Edwards and that’s spot on. A string of dots broken only by a couple of singles into the deep, then Brunt slips one back towards the brilliant visiting captain and it’s an easy decision for the umpire. Very out. Huge wicket.
6th over: New Zealand 37-2 (Martin 2, Satterthwaite 0) Target 173 And that’s the end of the power play.
5th over: New Zealand 37-1 (Bates 22, Martin 2) Target 173 Time for spin with Sophie Ecclestone. The tall left-armer is immediately asking questions of Martin then one of the umpire with a very good leg before shout but it is sliding down. Mark Butcher on telly is comparing her action to Monty Panesar, which isn’t a bad call if you ask me. Another lbw shout next ball! A carbon copy, beating her on the inside edge but not quite straightening. Martin can’t lay a bat on her here. Classy bowling from the teenager. A maiden! She is quite outstanding.
4th over: New Zealand 37-1 (Bates 22, Martin 2) Target 173 Brunt replaces Farrant. The leader of this attack knows the drill, having played so much cricket with and against Bates over the journey. Respect shown from the White Ferns captain until she is given a bit of width, carving hard to deep backward point and getting a boundary with Farrant unable to make a tough stop.
3rd over: New Zealand 32-1 (Bates 18, Martin 1) Target 173 Shot! Shrubsole just a tad short and Bates has enough time to turn her wrists through midwicket. Then another boundary to finish the over with a neat little tuck that beats the short fine leg. Now she’s cooking.
2nd over: New Zealand 23-1 (Bates 10, Martin 0) Target 173 Bates strikes back to back fours to end the over, jumping on a short ball then leaning into a full toss, beating mid-off inside the circle. Into double figures. It isn’t overstating it to say that if Suzie Bates an be there for the full 20 overs, the visitors will more than likely win. She’s in that kind of form. It makes the next few overs very important for England.
WICKET! Devine c Wyatt b Farrant 13 (New Zealand 15-1)
Caught on the midwicket boundary by Wyatt! That’s a crucial moment in the game for the hosts, coming just a couple of balls after Devine hit her second six, lifting Farrant behind square with ease. But the bowler, into the team for Gunn, held her nerve and Devine picked the wrong delivery to swing at.
1st over: New Zealand 8-0 (Devine 7, Bates 1)Target 173 Right, Sophie Devine. She waits two balls before putting Shrubsole over the ropes at midwicket. She is in outrageous form since going to the top of the list in both 20 and 50 over cricket, forming a perfect partnership with her skipper Bates, who is off the mark with a single to keep the strike.
20th over: England 172-7 (Ecclestone 9, Hazell 7) Dani Hazell! A wonderful little two-ball cameo to finish! She hits to long-off and with just enough spin to deny Tahuhu who misfields on the rope. She then adds three more out to cover with some desperate running with Ecclestone. 19 from the final over. Considering the stumble they had losing three wickets about three-quarters of the way through their innings, it is a fantastic effort from the hosts. Plenty to bowl at. Back with the NZ reply at 7:10pm.
WICKET! Shrubsole c Kerr b Kasperek 22 (England 165-8)
Caught at cover with a couple of balls to go but Shrubsole more than did her job. Her feet were fantastic to begin this final over dancing at Kasperek twice in a row for four then six! Through cover then over long-off! That pushed the hosts beyond the 160 they made earlier in the day.
19th over: England 153-7 (Shrubsole 10, Ecclestone 9) Shot! Ecclestone pulls Devine hard through midwicket for four. Her first ball in Test cricket in Sydney last year went for six if memory serves me correct (it usually does) so she can hold a stick. The 150 up later in the over as they strive to find the ropes again. They don’t quite manage that but the running is committed, Shrubsole turning one into two at cover. She keeps the strike for the final over as well. They did a good job taking ten runs from that set.
18th over: England 143-7 (Shrubsole 7, Ecclestone 2) Just four singles from the over. A lot of work for the bowlers with bats in their hands for England to now to stick the landing.
WICKET! Sciver c Jensen b Petersen 59 (England 140-7)
A fine innings comes to an end, Nat Sciver getting outside the line of off-stump in order to profit down with the slog sweep but instead she picks out the fielder on circle at short fine, Jensen taking a nice catch. It is apart a bit for England here at the death.
17th over: England 139-6 (Sciver 59, Shrubsole 5) Devine’s hat-trick ball was a missed yorker, Shrubsole clipping the low full-toss, her first ball, for four. Seven runs and two wickets from the Devine over. She has one more up her sleeve for the death.
