White Ferns dismiss England for 252 as they attempt to draw series
England have beaten New Zealand by 56 runs to win the second ODI in Hamilton and with it the series to go with their comprehensive T20I series win.
Chasing 253 at Seddon Park, the White Ferns were bowled out for 196 in the 45th over, with Brooke Halliday’s 57 and Izzy Gaze’s 47 off 48 balls the only innings of substance along with opener Suzie Bates’s 28.
Unfortunately for New Zealand and Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Bates’s regular opening partner did not bat after pulling a hamstring in the field earlier.
Bates and stand-in opener Georgie Plimmer began the chase brightly but once Plimmer was out caught behind for 7 and the total 33, the wickets kept tumbling.
First drop Amelia Kerr was out for 11 and Maddy Green LBW for 9 before Halliday and Gaze put on a partnership of exactly 100.
Gaze was run out before Halliday was stumped. Another calamity befell Hannah Rowe when she was run out for 16 and once Fran Jonas was caught in front LBW first ball it was all over.
A victory would have squared the series and the White Ferns may have felt relatively confident after dismissing England for 252 with one over to spare, apart from Bezuidenhout’s misfortune.
England won the toss and elected to bat and were quickly in a commanding position via openers Tammy Beaumont and Maia Bouchier.
However, a vastly improved fielding performance from the White Ferns restricted the tourists, with dangerwoman Bouchier out for 20 thanks to a brilliant catch by Rowe at mid on off Lea Tahuhu’s bowling.
But Beaumont, eventually out for an excellent 81 off 96 balls, and England skipper Heather Knight put on 70 for the second wicket and would have had visions of threatening 300 before the White Ferns put the brakes on.
Knight was out LBW for 37 to Jess Kerr thanks to a successful review, and with four of the next five batters falling cheaply – England lost 5-59 – New Zealand would have hoped to dismiss their opponents for less than 200.
Alas for them, Amy Jones hit an excellent 48 as England mounted a rearguard effort with New Zealand’s slow bowlers more expensive towards the end.
With Amelia Kerr again captaining the side in the absence of Sophie Devine, New Zealand were far more aggressive with their field placements compared to their defeat in the first ODI in Wellington.
There were a couple of fielding errors but no dropped catches – an improvement on their performances during their recent T20I series defeat to England.
However, it finished in the same result. The final ODI of the series is on Sunday and also in Hamilton.
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