ENG v NZ (W) 2024, ENG-W vs NZ-W 4th T20I Match Report, July 13, 2024

England 104 for 3 (Dunkley 26, Wyatt 26) beat New Zealand 103 for 8 (Gaze 25, Green 24, Glenn 4-19) by seven wickets

The fight New Zealand showed in the third match at Canterbury, where England won by six wickets with four balls to spare for a 3-0 lead was lost in this dead rubber. Despite a spirited start by Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer, who has only twice reached double figures in six innings on this tour, the White Ferns managed 33 in the powerplay, albeit without loss. But Glenn entered the attack in the seventh over and made an immediate impact, sparking a devastating collapse. Having swept the ODI series 3-0, England now lead the T20I leg 4-0 ahead of the final game at Lord’s on Wednesday.

Glenny doing Glenny things

When Dani Gibson cut Sophie Devine in half with a stunning inswinger that crashed into middle and off, New Zealand were 40 for 3 and the batting struggles which have plagued them this series looked set to continue. Their prospects worsened when Ecclestone set Bates up with a couple of slower balls before pushing one through faster and rattling the stumps. After 10 overs, the White Ferns were 46 for 4 and had scored just three boundaries as stemming the flow of wickets became a priority. Ecclestone claimed her second when Brooke Halliday spooned a simple catch to Gibson at mid-off to put New Zealand into freefall. Another double-wicket over sealed Glenn’s four-wicket haul as Maddy Green chipped to mid-on and Jess Kerr was bowled by one that skidded through with plenty of top-spin. Izzy Gaze, the White Ferns’ top-scorer with 25, was run out off the last ball of the innings to leave England facing a modest run chase.

Dunkley, Wyatt break target’s back

Eden Carson couldn’t hold on to a difficult chance at point off Wyatt, on 2, in the second over. Meanwhile, Wyatt’s opening partner Dunkley was finding the boundary with ease, picking off four fours, three of them in a row off Lea Tahuhu, through backward square leg, over mid-off and pulled through square. Amelia Kerr put down another tough chance running round from midwicket off her sister, Jess, when Dunkley was on 19. By the time Dunkley pulled Tahuhu high to Bates at cover for a 15-ball 26, she and Wyatt had mowed down more than half the target with 50 more runs to get and all the time in the world. Capsey fell cheaply on this occasion, bowled by Amelia Kerr for just 9, and Wyatt holed out to Fran Jonas off Carson next ball. But by that stage England needed just 31 runs off 77 balls. Nat Sciver-Brunt brought up the winning runs with back-to-back fours off Amelia Kerr to ram home England’s strength.