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WICKET! Kemp c Plimmer b Tahuhu 14 (England 148-6)
Kemp has to go for it, but can only find Plimmer teetering just the right side of the rope at
19th over: England 147-4 (Kemp 14, Jones 1) England need 24 from 6 balls Nasser on comms says that Kemp is the best in England and hitting down the ground. New Zealand stop her doing that but she does pick up four square into the legside. Illing responds with a snorting bouncer. On the balcony, Edwards itches her ear.
WICKET! Gibson b Illing 12 (England 141-4)
Gibson empties the fridge and attempts to jetison it all overr the rope. Misses and a delighted Illing hits the top of leg stump.
18th over: England 141-4 (Kemp 9, Gibson 12) England need 30 from 12 balls Melie Kerr backs herself, bowls tantalisingly wide. Kemp manages to get bat on one, woofing it to the rope but the equation looks nasty for England now.
17th over: England 134-4 (Kemp 3, Gibson 11) England need 37 from 18 balls Not Devine’s finest. Starts with a wide, then bowls two short ones, Gibson whips on a napkin and tucks in – fours to midwicket and backward point. Fourteen from a fruitful over for England.
16th over: England 120-4 (Kemp 0, Gibson 1) England need 51 from 24 balls Advantage New Zealand as England lose both their set batters.
WICKET! Bouchier c Plimmer b Patel 38 (England 119-4)
Two in two as Bouchier hits out in anger – elegantly on one knee – but doesn’t have the ooomph and is caught at long on.
WICKET! Knight run out (Patel) 25 (England 119-3)
Ooof, out by a whisper, Knight fires into a second run but is sent back by Bouchier who has eyes just on one. Knight dives for her crease – like an escaping squirrel – but is a frame short.
15th over: England 116-2 (Bouchier 38, Knight 22 ) England need 55 from 30 balls Tahuhu’s third over. Three dots. Four. There’s the boundary as Knight says thanks very much to a legside lolly and hauls it for four.
14th over: England 107-2 (Bouchier 36, Knight 15 ) England need 64 from 36 balls The hundred comes up with a forceful cover drive from Knight for four. Three dots from Melie Kerr, but Bouchier breaks the drought with a huge stride and a stretched sweep for another boundary.
13th over: England 98-2 (Bouchier 32, Knight 10 ) England need 73 from 42 balls Enter Devine – can she perform the same magic with ball as with bat? England are very grateful for a wide that misses Knight and keeper and rolls to the rope.
12th over: England 89-2 (Bouchier 30, Knight 7 ) New Zealand are forcing England to run singles here on a broiling day. Bouchier grabs two from a slog-sweep off Patel’s final ball. The required rate hits ten.
11th over: England 82-2 (Bouchier 27, Knight 3 ) Tahuhu with her second over, slingy right arm at 45 degrees. Six singles from the over. The cameras pan over to the gorgeous Canterbury trees standing tall over the ground in their leafy glory.
10th over: England 76-2 (Bouchier 24, Knight 0 ) Melie Kerr wheels in, keeping the ball clutched tightly to her body. England can’t get her away as they’d like and … there’s the wicket. As Knight replaces Capsey, the required run rate sits at 9.34 at the half way stage.
WICKET! Capsey b Kerr 22 (England 76-2)
Clever bowling! A fuller ball, pushes a frustrated Capsey back on her stumps and the ball shimmies off her inside thigh for a death rattle.
9th over: England 74-1 (Capsey 21, Bouchier 23) Jess Kerr returns. England work her around but no boundaries.
8th over: England 68-1 (Capsey 17, Bouchier 21) Kerr and Patel have a chat at the top of her mark. Capsey drives through mid-off and it unspools like a ribbon to the rope. A handful of singles. England making this look not too tricky at the moment.
7th over: England 59-1 (Capsey 11, Bouchier 18) Time for some Melie Kerr. A super wristy sweep by Bouchier, down the hill, too quick for the diving fielder. A wide. On their camping chairs around the boundary the spectators look happy, but hot. Kerr beats the sweeping Bouchier with her penultimate ball.
6th over: England 49-1 (Capsey 10, Bouchier 10) Tahuhu, headband. Bouchier tickles one on leg stump down to the rope. This and that. At this stage, New Zealand were 29-4.
5th over: England 41-1 (Capsey 10, Bouchier 3) Capsey gets in on the act now, driving Illing sweetly through the covers for four. Another boundary is cut off by a energetically chasing Tahuhu who splays over the boundary after stopping the ball.
4th over: England 31-1 (Capsey 3, Bouchier 1) The change of bowling does it, Nensi Patel successfully tempting Bouchier.
WICKET! Dunkley c Kerr b Patel 26 (Engand 31-1)
Drills a full ball directly to Kerr at mid off, who barely has to move a toe.
3rd over: England 27-0 (Dunkley 25, Capsey 1) Another booming four, this time over Illing’s head. Then a lucky outside edge for another. Dunkley takes off her helmet and adjusts her bun, a smiling Devine trots onto the field. Excellent start this by England on a fantastic surface.
2nd over: England 16-0 (Dunkley 15, Capsey 0) There have been whispers about Dunkley’s WC place, she starts to make her case here. Cuts Kerr for four, splices her for four more through the covers, then a jackabox six.
1st over: England 2-0 (Dunkley 1, Capsey 0) The left-arm Illing starts with a wide. Red hair in a pony tail, wrist bands on her arms. On target. Devine is still in the dugout, gulping water and reading a scrap of paper.
England need 171 to win
No time to spare, the players are back on, Dunkley and Capsey at the crease.
WICKET! Devine run-out (Bouchier) 87 New Zealand 170-5 after 20 overs
The weary end to a top-notch innings that lifted New Zealand from flop to punchy. Turns for the second run but has no puff left and is easily run out
20th over: New Zealand 170-5 (Green 56) Devine bulldozes Smith’s first ball for four. Lofts the next but Bouchier running in lets it through her fingers. Then six, glorious, almost with one hand, a double 99 in a caramel cone. Great innings, great partnership, and now a great chase in store.
19th over: New Zealand 155-4 (Devine 74, Green 55) Devine shuffles here, shuffles there, is so off putting that that Jones – after four byes shrill to the boundary -stands back. A fumble in the outfield allows Devine to get back on strike for the final over. Great bowling by Bell.
18th over: New Zealand 146-4 (Devine 72, Green 52) Devine is alight. Flannels Kemp for back to back sixes, hooping over the deep midwicket boundary.
Fifty for Maddy Green!
17th over: New Zealand 130-4 (Devine 57, Green 51) What a way to finish a fruitful over as Devine cuts Gibson for four while toppling over and ends up on her knees as if digging a sandcastle in the incoming tide. Also includes a huge six over midwicket by Green.
Fifty for Sophie Devine
16th over: New Zealand 114-4 (Devine 51, Green 43) A fabulous hundred partnership and fifty for Devine off just 39 balls. Devine who has a swish at Kemp, misses, and the ball passes just over the stump. Deine is then done by the lack of pace and is hit as she twirls to pull.
15th over: New Zealand 105-4 (Devine 49, Green 41) Four. Bang. Four Bang. A dot ball then four byes past the unsighted Jones’ left. Green sends Gibson skywards but it lands in the middle of the prairie.
14th over: New Zealand 97-4 (Devine 49, Green 32) A missed run out chance as Devine has a moment of madness and charges off for a single htat was never there. Smith fields off her own bowling and throws in a hurry that she didn’t need to be. Devine would have been out, but Smith misses. She can’t believe she fluffed her lines.
13th over: New Zealand 92-4 (Devine 47, Green 29) Wong bolds wide, and wider, Devine shuffles with her. Four from Green to the midwicket boundary.
12th over: New Zealand 85-4 (Devine 46, Green 23) Green gives herself some room and spoons Kemp high and straight down the ground for six. She wristily directs a few more balls. I don’t know if this is getting dangerous for England yet, but it at least promises the sweltering Canterbury crowd a decent match.
11th over: New Zealand 75-4 (Devine 45, Green 15) Devine is given out lbw on the field to Gibson, but immediately send it upstairs where the decision is overturned because of an inside edge. Her riposte to the indignity is a flame-grilled square drive to the rope. .
10th over: New Zealand 67-4 (Devine 40, Green 13) Dean brings herself on, with that familiar whippy right arm, but Devine is getting into her work and brings up the half way stage by delicately swatting the last two balls for six. Drinks! A moderately successful rebuild by NZ.
9th over: New Zealand 53-4 (Devine 27, Green 12) The commentators spot that Wong has a slower start to her run-up than she used to, to try and control the pace. An over of plenty for New Zealand as Devine tucks into a half volley and Green jettisons Wong through midwicket. NZ steal a spare run too when Bouchier, who made a stunning stop earlier, fumbles in the deep.
8th over: New Zealand 40-4 (Devine 21, Green 5) Dean ringing the changes, as Freya Kemp gets the ball. Devine is itching to attack, chasing boundaries, but can’t cross the rope.
Sciver-Brunt, out of all these games with injury until the World Cup, and Ecclestone sit and chat on the subs bench. Ecclestone chews her nails. I wonder how much of a strategic “quad strain,” she has. Her having to fight for her place is a real subplot to the WC build-up.
7th over: New Zealand 35-4 (Devine 17, Green 4) A double change as Gibson replaces Bell, incidentally one of the six players featured in Vogue this month. Great pics and all in their England kit too, which wouldn’t have happened 20 years ago. Anyway, six from the over including four leg byes.
6th over: New Zealand 29-4 (Devine 16, Green 3) Issy Wong replaces Smith for her first bowl of the summer, and wheels out a pretty tidy over, hitting 70mph.
5th over: New Zealand 25-4 (Devine 14, Green 1) Devine goes on the charge, perhaps she has to, flaying Bell for six, and then follow up with a stylish upper cut for four, just past the chasing Issy Wong on the rope.
4th over: New Zealand 13-4 (Devine 3, Green 1) The wicket-taking Linsey Smith machine rolls on, she now has three for six in her two overs. New Zealand continue their dribbling start.
WICKET! Halliday c Bouchier b Smith 3 (New Zealand 11-4)
Halliday attempts to deposit Smith into the crowd, which turns out to be a terrible idea as she instead dollies the ball straight to Bouchier at long off.
3rd over: New Zealand 9-3 (Devine 1, Halliday 2) Bell wipes her forehead on her shirt and races in. Fast and on the money.
And a first email drops gently into my inbox, hello David Harris!
”Baking doesn’t quite describe it in Canterbury. Sadly I couldn’t get a ticket today (but hurrah that the women’s games are selling out), but, from a mile or so from the ground, sweltering, tropical, oven-like might be more applicable.
“Good to see Issy Wong back in the side, fingers crossed for her.
“The commentary team are talking a lot about the slope (hospital side to Dover Road), and it is significant, but with this weather, at least there’s no danger of the drainage issues I’ve mailed you photos of previously. (ah yes, thank you, ed)
“And there’s Lauren’s first :o) Stuey himself would be proud of that one.”
2nd over: New Zealand 6-3 (Devine 1, Halliday 1) Amazing start for England, a dismal one for New Zealand. And a stunned silence at Canterbury.
WICKET! Kerr lbw Smith 0 (New Zealand 5-3)
Kerr reviews, grudgingly and without much confidence, after she drops to her knees to sweep Smith and is thwonked on the back pad. And the off-field umpire agrees with on-field Sue Redfern, and off she must trudge.
WICKET! Plimmer c and b Smith 0 (New Zealand 4-2)
Yikes, Plimmer won’t want to watch that replay, gets a warm-up dolly from Smith’s first ball and hits it straight back to her. Two in two for England.
WICKET! Gaze b Bell 4 (New Zealand 4-1)
Gaze has a hasty heave and loses her middle stump to a cracking ball that nudges in.
1st over: New Zealand 4-1 (Plimmer 0) Bell, blond hair in an immaculate bun, hoop earrings in each ear, starts with a perky away swinger. Four dots to start then Gaze pulls a short ball whippily to the rope. But that’s her lot.
Here come the players, Lauren Bell has the ball. We’re on!
It really does look baking in Canterbury – have big parasol envy looking at a gorgeous yellow one in the crowd. A little boy shades himself under his T-shirt and everyone is in sunglasses.
I’ve just tweaked the email address at the top of the page, if you did write in the last half hour I won’t have got it, apologies, so do try again.
“The ground announcer has just declared over the PA system: “I am very sweaty,” says Raf. Quite thankful right now to be on my sofa in the shade.
New Zealand XI
Two changes for New Zealand – Susie Bates is replaced by Nensi Patel and Lea Tahuh is in for Rosemary Mair.
New Zealand: Georgia Plimmer, Isabella Gaze (wk), Melie Kerr (c), Sophie Devine, Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Izzy Sharp, Jess Kerr, Nensi Patel, Lea Tahuhu, Bree Illing
England XI
England omit Sophie Ecclestone (right quad, precautionary) and replace her with Izzy Wong.
England XI: Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Danielle Gibson, Amy Jones (wk), Charlie Dean (c), Issy Wong, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell.
New Zealand win the toss and will bat
Charlie Dean flicks the coin and Melie Kerr calls correctly.
More on Ecclestone, in Raf’s report from the last game.
“The oddest thing of all, though, was that Ecclestone, the world No 2, finished up by far the most expensive of the six bowlers. It feels sacrilegious, but if Edwards is really serious about getting Corteen-Coleman into her XI, it may be that she has to do the unthinkable and omit Ecclestone.”
Team news shortly.
Raf Nicholson is in situ at a full to the rafters Canterbury, where she reports that it is sweltering and they’re doing a roaring trade in iced coffee.
She’s also been talking to Kent’s resident women’s cricket historian, Rosemary Piddock, “who tells me that the first women’s match at this ground was 1959.”
Preamble
Hello! The circus moves to Canterbury today where England and New Zealand meet for their second T20 and fifth warm-up before the Big Top opens on June 12. The record so far? England win; NZ win; washout; England win.
Switch on the television to catch the postmortem at the last match – Ian Ward and Simon Doull saying Sophie Ecclestone is no longer a shoo-in for an England place with Linsey Smith undroppable and Tilly Corteen-Coleman coming up on the inside. Fascinating stuff ahead of the World Cup.
Play starts at 2.30 and we’ll have team news and toss news, shortly. Do join us.
