England reclaimed Fortress Chelmsford with a vengeance, posting their highest T20 score against New Zealand – 184 for four – before bowling out the visitors for 138 in 18.5 overs to secure a comprehensive 46-run victory.
Tammy Beaumont was the star of the show, smashing 97 from 65 balls, her fourth half-century of the international summer. She fell agonisingly short of a second T20I hundred, caught attempting a ramp shot off Hayley Jensen from the penultimate ball of the innings. “It would have been nice to pass a personal milestone, but that’s my highest T20 score in a long time,” Beaumont said. “I felt in good form in the Hundred but felt like I kept giving my wicket away. I wanted to make sure I batted through a bit longer but once I got to 50, I just started having fun.”
New Zealand’s chase faltered early as Sophie Devine fell leg-before to Tash Farrant, and Suzie Bates, playing her first international innings since October 2020, lasted just five balls before Katherine Brunt’s cross-seamer removed her leg stump, leaving the Kiwis at four for two in the third over. Amy Satterthwaite fought valiantly, but when she fell to a brilliant diving catch by Mady Villiers at deep midwicket in the 13th over for 43, the match was effectively over.
England were without captain Heather Knight, who sat out with a hamstring injury, but her absence was scarcely felt. Stand-in skipper Nat Sciver (14 off 16) lofted the first six of the match over long-off in the eighth over, before Amy Jones (31 off 15) joined Beaumont to propel a flurry of boundaries, with the 12th and 13th overs going for 18 runs apiece. Jones was stumped by Katey Martin in the next over, but Sophia Dunkley, promoted in Knight’s absence, continued the onslaught with 23 off 17 balls. Debutant Emma Lamb did not get to face a ball.
New Zealand captain Sophie Devine conceded 12 runs from her opening three overs but also handed England several lives, including dropping Beaumont on 26 off her own bowling and shelling Dunkley at cover. “We were probably a little bit rusty,” Devine said of her team’s performance.
