England’s chase begins
England began their chase of 164 runs after New Zealand concluded their innings at 163 for six. The lights were on at The Oval as Illing bowled the first over. Early in the innings, Danni Wyatt-Hodge continued her strong form, hitting the first boundaries for England. Jones also contributed, scoring fours through midwicket, backward point, and square-driving off Illing’s bowling.
By the third over, England had reached 31 without loss, with Jones on 16 and Wyatt-Hodge on 10. However, the partnership was broken when Jones was dismissed. Nensi Patel then came on to bowl, slowing the scoring rate. Wyatt-Hodge danced into the danger zone, but Gaze missed a chance behind the stumps. Jones was out on the next ball.
Tahuhu bowled for one last stint in the fifth over, during which Wyatt-Hodge slid a wide delivery for four. New Zealand found delight when Jones chipped the ball to mid off. The sixth over saw Sophie Devine bowl, with Wyatt-Hodge dispatching a delivery for four, and Sophia Dunkley also scoring a four. Dunkley then swept for another four, bringing England to 57 for one.
Rain began to fall during the seventh over, and with five overs completed, the DLS method came into consideration. Dunkley dispatched a delivery through the covers for four, and then hit another powerful four before the players left the field for a short break. Play resumed, and by the eighth over, England had reached 70 for one, with Wyatt-Hodge on 26 and Dunkley on 22. The crowd was excited, and bursts of pop music were heard.
In the ninth over, Kerr bowled, conceding several fours. Wyatt-Hodge and Dunkley continued to build their partnership, reaching a fifty-run stand. Wyatt-Hodge brought up her own fifty off 33 balls. At the halfway stage, England needed 69 runs to win.
New Zealand’s innings
New Zealand’s innings began with Kerr and Gaze opening. In the fifth over, Kerr swept Smith legside for four, and Gaze followed suit. The final over of the power play was bowled by Dani Gibson, with Kerr hitting fours through the covers and scooping another. By the end of the power play, New Zealand were 44 without loss, with Kerr on 31 and Gaze on 13. Sophie Ecclestone then began bowling, and the replays showed Kerr had edged a ball in the previous over.
Dean replaced Gibson in the eighth over, and Kerr immediately crashed a ball past mid off for four. Ecclestone clapped in encouragement. In the ninth over, England reviewed an lbw decision against Gaze off Ecclestone’s bowling, but it was not a glove. Gaze then punted the ball down the ground. In the tenth over, Dean brought on Kemp, and Gaze was fortunate with an outside edge that went for four. She then hit another four past mid on. Kemp eventually got her reward at the end of the over, dismissing Gaze, who tried to clear the rope but was caught by Capsey.
New Zealand reached 74 for three in the eleventh over, with Devine on one and Halliday on three. Halliday then scored four off Dean through mid-off. In the thirteenth over, Gibson bowled again, and Devine found the boundary. Four legside wides followed. Devine then slog-swept six runs off Ecclestone’s bowling in the fifteenth over. In the sixteenth over, England took two wickets, with Bell replacing Dean. Bell dismissed Devine, who swung and missed, being sent on her way by the umpire and after a review.
In the eighteenth over, Dunkley cut a finger in the field and left to get taped up. Bates then hit an oopla sweep for four and followed it with two more successive fours. The nineteenth over saw three singles and a leg bye, and England unsuccessfully reviewed an lbw against Bates. Green then steered the ball for four. In the twentieth over, Bell bowled a gold final over, with two singles. Green could not capitalise on a full toss, and Bates was run out off the last ball, a bouncer, sprinting a bye.
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Source: bbc.com
