Sciver, Ecclestone star in crucial England win

Sophie Ecclestone's four-wicket haul and Natalie Sciver's half-century helped England Women bounce back from their loss to South Africa Women earlier in the day with a comprehensive 54-run rout of New Zealand Women in the fourth match of the T20I tri-series on Sunday, 24 June.

After opting to bat, England were powered by Sciver's 37-ball 59, which helped them post a competitive 172/8 in Taunton. Ecclestone then returned 4/18 to help bundle out New Zealand for 118 in 18.3 overs.

New Zealand lost their first wicket in the second over of their innings, Sophie Devine being castled by Tash Farrant for a 7-ball 13. Suzie Bates, the New Zealand captain, tried to steady the ship, but fell four overs later when Katherine Brunt had her trapped in front for a 17-ball 23.

Maddy Green and Katey Martin then stitched together a crucial 30-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Ecclestone sparked a middle-order collapse.

Martin fell into the left-arm spinner's trap after an assiduous 21-ball 16, and Ecclestone then scalped all of Bernadine Bezuidenhout (5), Anna Peterson (7) and Leigh Kasperek (0) to wrap up the New Zealand innings in no time, despite the best efforts of Green, who scored a 17-ball 23 before being sent back by Heather Knight.

Earlier, England’s openers got them off to a brisk start, with Danielle Wyatt (15) and Tammy Beaumont (23) putting on 37 for the opening wicket.

Kasperek, the off-spinner, broke the stand with the dismissal of Wyatt and Hayley Jensen ran Sarah Taylor out in the sixth over, reducing the hosts to 39/2 at the end of the Powerplay.

Jensen then had Tammy Beaumont bowled for a 25-ball 23 to further hinder England, but Knight, the captain, took charge in a 37-run stand with Sciver.

Their partnership revived the innings, and though Knight then became Kasperek’s second victim, falling for a 15-ball 19, Sciver added 39 with Katherine Brunt for the fifth wicket to power the total.

Devine intervened in the 17th over with crucial blows – she had both Brunt (14) and Amy Jones (0) bowled in consecutive deliveries.

Sciver fell in the next over, having scored her third T20I half-century, but Anya Shrubsole’s ballistic 11-ball 22 helped England to a daunting total. It proved more than enough.