New Zealand lost to the home side each time in the triangular Twenty20 International series also involving South Africa, and have since conceded a 2-0 lead in the one-day internationals.

In the T20Is, New Zealand topped South Africa both the times they faced off, but lost twice to the 50-over world champions in the group stage and then again in the final, never quite managing to put enough runs on the board.

That trend has continued in the ODIs, where, chasing on both occasions, New Zealand have put up just 148 and 118, lasting 35.3 and 38 overs respectively, in the two ODIs. That gave England wins by 142 and 123 runs in the two games.

Holly Huddleston, the 30-year-old pacer, didn’t play the T20Is, but did all right in the second ODI, returning 1/40 in England’s 241.

“It’s definitely been a challenge, they play a 360-degree game,” she said ahead of the third and final game as part of the ICC Women’s Championship. “It’s about making sure we are really strong in our plans and make sure we adapt quickly on our feet and hopefully we can do it again tomorrow.

“We set the tone a little bit better (in the second game). It allowed our spinners to come in and really take the pace off the ball and dry up a few runs, which then created a bit of pressure for us, and then further on we got a few more wickets.”

The losses have seen New Zealand drop to No.3 on the championship table.

“Everyone’s still really positive about the next game. We’ve got things we really want to work on and we’ve got a chance to really prove to ourselves that we can do this,” said Huddleston.

“It (a win in the last ODI) will mean a lot, we’re going to set the tone for the next couple of months. Coming up for training, and the vibe in the team is still quite positive. We just need to get a win under our belt and stick forward and finish the tour on a high.”

On her own bowling, Huddleston said, “Definitely nice to be out there. No one likes missing a game, but at the same time, good to get a good start on the board and hopefully we can improve that for the next game. I’ve worked a lot on my upfront bowling and working on trying to take that leadership role and it’s been great.”

The final ODI will be played in Leicester on Friday, 13 July.