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New Zealand staged a miraculous comeback to win the second T20 at Canterbury having begun the game by collapsing to 11 for four. Their recovery came by virtue of a 159-run partnership from 98 balls between Sophie Devine and Maddy Green – a record against England in T20 internationals.
The partnership rollicked along so quickly that the scorebox operators struggled to keep up, with the numbers repeatedly getting stuck due to the 28C heat.
Set 171 to win, England’s nerves got the better of them: openers Sophia Dunkley and Alice Capsey could only manage bits-and-pieces contributions, while a promising 42-run partnership between Maia Bouchier and Heather Knight for the third wicket ended in disaster when Knight ran halfway down the pitch, was sent back by her partner and fell victim to a throw-in by Sophie Devine from midwicket.
Bouchier, clearly unsettled, chipped the next ball up to long-on leaving England still needing 52 from 27 balls.
Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson have both been touted by head coach Charlotte Edwards as aggressive finishers in T20 but it proved too big an ask, and with scoreboard pressure telling, Gibson swung at a straight one from Bree Illing in the 19th and was bowled.
Kemp smashed two sixes in the final over, taking on Lea Tahuhu, but it was all too little, too late. The series is now level at 1-1, with the decider at Hove on Monday.
Devine and Green had reached half-centuries within consecutive overs, but Devine accelerated rapidly at the death as the last four overs cost England 56, including 16-run overs apiece from Gibson and Kemp in the 17th and 18th. Devine’s intense desire to accumulate runs, combined with the heat, led to contortions at the crease so acute that she fell over multiple times. She was run out from the final ballwith her six-striking was as effortless as ever in her 87 from 57 balls, helped along by a DRS reprieve immediately after drinks.
Sophie Ecclestone had been omitted from the England XI, apparently nursing a quad niggle, paving the way for Issy Wong’s return a matter of weeks before the World Cup begins. If Wong did little to harm her case for inclusion in that tournament, she perhaps also did little to advance it, bowling a consistent line outside off stump, but finishing wicketless.
It was Linsey Smith who once again made herself undroppable, with an opening spell of 2-0-6-3. The left-arm spinner took out Georgia Plimmer and Melie Kerr for golden ducks, showcasing the tight line and low bounce that makes her such a dangerous option in the powerplay.
Lauren Bell had opened the innings by bowling Izzy Gaze and Smith picked up her third as Brooke Halliday and was caught by Maia Bouchier at mid-off. It looked like a disaster for the visitors, until Devine and Green came to the rescue.
Perhaps the only worry for the reigning T20 world champions will be that the rescue effort came from one batter who is 33 and another (Devine) who will be retiring from internationals after the World Cup.
