ENG-W vs NZ-W: Capsey's career-best knock guides England to 7-wicket win in 1st T20I

England women took a 1-0 lead in the T20I series against New Zealand women, with a seven-wicket win in the first match on Wednesday, May 20, at County Ground, Derby. After being put in to bat first, New Zealand were restricted to a low score of 136/7 in their allotted 20 overs. 

Only Sophie Devine (45 off 22) put up a strong fight for the white ferns, while Izzy Sharp (26* off 20) also made a valuable contribution at the end. For England, Lauren Bell (2/23) and Charlotte Dean (2/29) scalped two wickets each.

In reply, England women chased down the target in 17.2 overs, courtesy of a splendid innings from Alice Capsey. She was well-supported by Freya Kemp (31* off 20) as the duo took England over the line comfortably.

Meanwhile, following England's commanding win, the two teams will next lock horns in the second T20I of the three-match series on Saturday, May 23, at St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury. 

Top run-scorer of the Match

Top wicket-taker of the Match

Player of the Match

Alice Capsey was adjudged Player of the Match for her career-best innings. She opened the innings alongside Sophie Dunkley (8 off 8) and held one end. Capsey remained till the end and played a match-winning innings of 74* (51), laced with seven fours and three sixes.

Capsey stitched crucial partnerships with Heather Knight (19 off 17) of 43 off 38 balls for the third wicket. She later added another 64 runs off 35 balls for the fourth wicket with Freya Kemp to take England over the line.

Turning Point

Sophie Devine was breathing fire at the crease, batting at a strike rate of over 200. She looked set for a big score and kept the run rate in check during her stay at the crease. However, Devine was cleaned up by Danielle Gibson in the ninth over, which became a major turning point of the match. Following her dismissal, New Zealand had to stagger their way to a below-par score of 136/7.

What did the captains say:

Winning Captain, Charlotte Dean (England Women):

"[Thoughts on that entire performance?] Yeah, I mean, it’s brilliant to start the series like that. With the ball up front, Lauren Bell was exceptional, as was Linsey Smith, and everyone chipped in in the field as well. It actually wasn’t a tricky surface to field on, so to put in a performance like that in the field is something we can be really proud of. Then with the bat, the game looked evenly poised for a long time, but the girls stuck at it. And to finish with two batters not out — Alice Capsey and Freya Kemp were exceptional.

[On Freya Kemp] Yeah, you know, as a bowling all-rounder, she brings so much to our team. For her to contribute with both bat and ball today hopefully gives us a lot of confidence going forward.

[Is this the kind of combination we can expect going forward — multiple spin options with two all-rounders and Lauren leading the pace attack?] Yeah, I think it’s a great position to be in, having so many quality bowlers to choose from. It allows us to adapt to the conditions and what’s working on a particular surface, which maybe we haven’t been able to do before when going in with just five bowlers. So yeah, it’s a nice position to be in, and it’ll be interesting to see how the team dynamic evolves as the series goes on.

[Talk about the competition at the top of the order] Yeah, Alice Capsey put in a fantastic performance today, and I think our batting in this T20 format just keeps getting stronger and stronger. It’s brilliant to have that level of competition for places. I guess it makes the selection decisions tougher, but that’s exactly what you want as a team."

Losing Captain, Amelia Kerr (New Zealand Women):

"[Were they short on runs?] Yeah. Probably, not enough. 140 would have given us with a chance. When Sophie got out, it looked hard for our group. We would have liked 150-160.

[What's Suzie Bates' role in the side?] I guess we have got a long batting order with her batting at nine. Her experience and overs that she can bowl but with also in the death as well, to bowl in the blockhole. She didn't get the overs but on the other days, she will get 4 overs. With the match experience and the skills she has, she is ready to take on that role.

[On Bree Illing] It's nice to have a left-armer in your side. She swings the ball upfront. She is a wicket-taker. I think batters look a bit wary while facing her. It's exciting to have someone like her in the squad.

[Things to work on before the next match] More runs will help. But the way Sophie played was good. She cleared the ropes. And after losing two in the powerplay, we did well to rebuild. Izzy played a great knock in the end. We strung some good overs but let it off. We have to play our best game now. This loss hurts. We were nowhere near our best. Looking forward to the next game."