England Women Win T20 Series In Auckland

England Women Win T20 Series In Auckland

Jenny Gunn (centre) played a key role with the bat for England as they beat New Zealand by 10 runs in Auckland.

©Action Images / Andrew Couldridge

England Women 108-6 (Gunn 30no) beat
New Zealand Women 90-7 (Hazell 2-22) by 10 runs (D/L)
Third Twenty20 International, Auckland
Scorecard

England Women went three up with two to play and thus secured a series victory in their five-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand Women following a rain-assisted win in the third match in Auckland.

The visitors struggled early on after being asked to bat by the White Ferns’ captain Suzie Bates, and lost Charlotte Edwards, Laura Marsh, Sarah Taylor and Arran Brindle – two of them to run-outs – with only 12 on the board. Nonetheless, Lydia Greenway and Tamsin Beaumont rebuilt the innings with a determined partnership of 46 before Beaumont became the next women to go, bowled by Lea-Marie Tahuhu for 15, with the score on 58.

Greenway followed soon afterwards for a 42-ball 26, but Jenny Gunn gave the visitors the catalyst they needed with an unbeaten 30 from 26 balls at the end, and, in partnership with Susie Rowe (15 not out from 14 balls), lifted them up to a competitive 108 for six from their 20 overs.

The home side got off to a good start and had reached 60 in the 12th over for the loss of only one wicket thanks to innings of 19 from Frances Mackay and Suzie Bates, as well as one of 20 from Sara McGlashan, before they lost the latter two in quick succession to Brindle (one for 11) and Danielle Wyatt (two for 25) respectively. 

They remained in the hunt, however, right up until the point when Danielle Hazell took the wickets of Katey Martin and Rachel Candy from consecutive deliveries to effectively end the home side’s hopes of victory.

The rain came with New Zealand needing 19 runs from the remaining seven balls of their innings, and Duckworth-Lewis declared England to be the victors by ten runs.

Gunn was named as Player of the Match thanks to her vital innings at the death of England’s innings, and paid tribute to her side’s depth in batting that had enabled her to play such an attacking innings, saying, “We all bat right down the order so it takes the pressure off when you come in needing runs. It was great to score runs in a game like that and it was really good to get a partnership going with Susie Rowe, hit a few boundaries, and get some momentum to take into our bowling.”

© Cricket World 2012