Key events
19th over: New Zealand 124-5 (Halliday 20, Kerr 6, ) Miracle needed for New Zealand now.
18th over: New Zealand 109-4 (Halliday 11) Halliday picks up four off Dean, but the wicket of Greig more than makes up for it.
WICKET! Greig run-out 0 (New Zealand 114-5)
Aw, what a sham on debut, yes, no yes and out by a mile.
WICKET! Bates c Dunkley b Bell 65 (New Zealand 109-4)
17th over: New Zealand 109-4 (Halliday 11) Oh dear, mid-on flicks the ball over the boundary for four to give Bates what she wants. But she throws herself at one too many and the ball is collected safely by Dunkley. Main woman gone, England can nearly relax.
15th over: New Zealand 102-3 (Bates 60, Halliday 9) Bates breaks the shackles! Two successive fours off Gibson.
16th over: New Zealand 102-3 (Bates 60, Halliday 9) Bates breaks the shackles! Two successive fours off Gibson.
Fifty for Susie Bates!
15th over: New Zealand 90-3 (Bates 51, Halliday 6) A 28th T20 international century for Suzie Bates, and her first fifty against England since July 2010. She’ll need to get a wriggle on here though if she wants to take New Zealand over the line.
14th over: New Zealand 84-3 (Bates 49, Halliday 2) New Zealand need 78 off 36 balls.
WICKET! Green run out (Dean) (New Zealand 77-3)
13th over: New Zealand 77-3 (Bates 42,) Still singles, when New Zealand need big bounty and then I make the mistake of resting my eyes for literally five seconds and Green is out. Ah, on replay, she advances down the wicket, hits straight and the ball passes through the hands of Dean and hits the non-striker’s stumps.
12th over: New Zealand 72-2 (Bates 42, Green 4) Super pace variation by Gibson. On comms they say that working out how to accelerate through the middle overs has been a problem for New Zealand recently.
11th over: New Zealand 68-2 (Bates 40, Green 3) Five singles off the economical Glenn, and New Zealand now need ten an over – as well as the highest score ever made in women’s T20 internationals in New Zealand.
Raf again – as she is the expert and, let’s face it, no-one else is awake. “ This shows England’s weakness in seam bowling,” she says. “Lots of injuries (Kemp etc), poor form (Wong dropped) & questionable selections (Davies dropped).”
10th over: New Zealand 63-2 (Bates 37, Green 1) Knight brings herself on: three dots, three singles.
9th over: New Zealand 60-2 (Bates 35) Glenn, so near, so far, to zipping into Bates’s stumps – but picks up her sweeties with the last ball as Plimmer fails to make enough contact to evade the fielder.
WICKET! Plimmer c Bell. Glenn 21 (NEw Zealand 60-2)
Nice try, but no cigar for Plimmer, who makes space but can only usher the ball high and into the hands of the waiting Bell
8th over: New Zealand 56-1 (Bates 33, Plimmer 19) Filer tumbles to the ground with the first ball of her second over – just as she did in her first over. And again in the follow through of her second delivery. Third ball she stays upright and Bates throws the bat, an edge that just evades the gloves of a diving Jones. She does it again next ball and an outside edge picks up four .
7th over: New Zealand 46-1 (Bates 26, Plimmer 17) It’s wrist spin from Sarah Glenn. Bates picks up a single, but Plimmer, who is up for attack, gets stranded for three dots, before picking up a single with a sweep.
6th over: New Zealand 44-1 (Bates 25, Plimmer 16) There’s a little hill on the side of the boundary, where spectators lounge in the sun. A second over for Charlie Dean, nicely worked away by New Zealand.
5th over: New Zealand 38-1 (Bates 23, Plimmer 12) Lauren Filer’s first ball in T20’s is briskly dispatched by Bates through mid-on for four. Had forgotten about her Charlie Chaplain 50km walk approach to the crease. Four more from a flying outside edge. And wow, Bates flat-bats her for four more – absolutely not in the mood to let Filer settle here.
4th over: New Zealand 26-1 (Bates 11, Plimmer 12) Charlie Dean wiht her trademark sunnies. Plimmer averages six against off-sinners apparently, let’s see how this goes. She gets off strike asap, but only for a ball as she and Bates rotate the strike. The dog snores next to me.
3rd over: New Zealand 22-1 (Bates 9, Plimmer 10) Bell with her high=kneed approach. The baby faced Plimmer picks up a single, later four down the ground.Bates, in her 310th international game, just behind Mithali Raj, doles out encouragement.
2nd over: New Zealand 13-1 (Bates 7, Plimmer 4) Gibson opens the bowling at the other end. A super bit of fielding on the rope cuts off a four, but Bates picks up a boundary with a typically stylish cut.
1st over: New Zealand 4-1 (Bates 2, Plimmer 1) Super over from Bell, nervy start from the White Ferns. “No way are New Zealand chasing this,” says Raf, from a sofa at the other end of the country.
WICKET! Gaze c Heath b Bell 0 (New Zealand 1-1)
Not the best start. Gaze just avoids being run out off the second ball, only to fall to the next, getting a leading edge to Heath who has to trot backwards.
New Zealand need 161 to win
20th over: England 160-4 (Bouchier 43, Gibson 1) A full toss evades Plimmer at midwicket, then the runout and just a handful of singles in a super last over from Mair. England will be happy with that I’d think – “a good score,” says Bouchier, “ we were thinking 150 plus, a nice pitch.” I’m just off to douse my face with water at this extremely unkind hour.
England 160-4 in 20 overs.
20th over: England 160-4 (Bouchier 43, Gibson 1) A full toss evades Plimmer at midwicket, then the runout and just a handful of singles in a super last over from Mair. England will be happy with that I’d think – “a good score,” says Bouchier, “ we were thinking 150 plus, a nice pitch.” I’m just off to douse my face with water at this extremely unkind hour.
WICKET! Jones run out (Plimmer) 2 (England 157-4)
calls for review but the cameras send her on her way despite a heroic dive
19th over: England 154-3 (Bouchier 38, Jones 2) Another catch goes a-missing, as Suzie Bates of all people can’t hold on, but Knight must be on her way shortly afterwards. Sweet gem of an innings.
WICKET! Knight stumped Gaze b Kerr (England 152-3)
Knight wanders out to Kerr, is beaten, and Gaze flicks off the bails.
18th over: England 149-2 (Bouchier 37, Knight 61) Knight pulls Tahuhu behind for four. Reaches fifty next ball with a grin and a wristy glance – off just 33 balls, incredibly her first fifty against New Zealand. Polishes the over off with a six, eggs over easy.
18th over: England 149-2 (Bouchier 37, Knight 61) Knight pulls Tahuhu behind for four. Reaches fifty next ball with a grin and a wristy glance – off just 33 balls, incredibly her first fifty against New Zealand. Polishes the over off with a six, eggs over easy.
17th over: England 131-2 (Bouchier 36, Knight 44)
16th over: England 124-2 (Bouchier 32, Knight 41) Susie Bates brings herself on and nearly makes an immediate breakthrough – an lbw given out on the field but Knight looks confident and appeals straight away. The cameras show she’s right, bat in on the action. Picks up four after her reprieve, ain’t that always the way. Bates nearly gets her reward when Bouchier is beaten, but the stumping is missed. Knight playing with real aplomb here.
16th over: England 124-2 (Bouchier 32, Knight 41) Susie Bates brings herself on and nearly makes an immediate breakthrough – an lbw given out on the field but Knight looks confident and appeals straight away. The cameras show she’s right, bat in on the action. Picks up four after her reprieve, ain’t that always the way. Bates nearly gets her reward when Bouchier is beaten, but the stumping is missed. Knight playing with real aplomb here.
15th over: England 114-2 (Bouchier 29, Knight 35) Three dots from Jonas, who is better able to turn the screw this over but can’t keep Knight quiet.
15th over: England 114-2 (Bouchier 29, Knight 35) Three dots from Jonas, who is better able to turn the screw this over but can’t keep Knight quiet.
15th over: England 114-2 (Bouchier 29, Knight 35) Three dots from Jonas, who is better able to turn the screw this over but can’t keep Knight quiet.
