Lynn McConnell
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24th Match: England Women v New Zealand Women at Lincoln, 14 Dec 2000 Lynn McConnell |
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New Zealand Women innings:
England Women innings: |
England got close to stemming the New Zealand batting during the middle stages of their innings, but the middle order still managed to carry New Zealand to 238/8.
They started their own innings in positive mode but once the breakthrough came at 27, the momentum fell away and even from that stage it was apparent that England's campaign was at a sorry end.
Some lower order resistance from Melissa Reynard (20), Sarah Collyer (19) and Clare Connor (17) maintained some interest but it was really a poor effort in a poor campaign by England.
Katrina Keenan took her 68th ODI wicket in a haul of 3-16 while Catherine Campbell extended her world record of wickets to 76.
Haidee Tiffen may have had a quiet day with the bat but picked up two vital wickets for 28 runs and held a steaming catch at square leg to remove Claire Taylor, Engalnd's best batsman.
The unbeaten run by the CLEAR White Ferns against England has been extended to 13 since England won the World Cup in 1993, while the win is the ninth by New Zealand over England this year.
England attempted to mount a bold chase for the 239 required to win the game, putting on 27 runs in good time before the first wicket fell.
When Kathryn Leng was caught by wicker-keeper Rebecca Rolls from Katrina Keenan's bowling for 13, the decline, and the roll to fifth place in the eight team tournament.
After 30 overs, the asking rate was 7.30 an over with the score 93/5.
New Zealand captain Emily Drumm decided to bring the heavy artillery back in to make a breakthrough and had almost instant success when Keenan dismissed Jane Cassar for eight, caught by Rolls. England was 88/5, a position which was lifted to 93/5 at the 30-over mark.
Arran Thompson and Kathryn Leng put on 27 for the first wicket from seven overs, but then Katrina Keenan had Leng caught at the wicket by wicket-keeper Rebecca Rolls for 13.
Kathryn Ramel then struck, in her second over, to remove Barbara Daniels when taking her middle stump before she had scored.
In the 10th over England was 36/2. Thompson continued to play a leading hand as England fashioned a recovery.
After 15 overs, England had advanced to 53/2 with thompson on 19 and Claire Taylor on eight.
England left itself knowing that if it could produce its best batting performance of the CricInfo Women's World Cup it had every chance of pulling off a sensational win.
After a rollicking start to the innings from Rebecca Rolls and Anna O'Leary which saw 45 runs in 10 overs England did well to hold New Zealand to 238/8 in 50 overs.
O'Leary was out for 12 but that merely invited Rolls to get on with the job and she raced through to her third One-Day International half century off 42 balls.
Sharing centre stage with skipper Emily Drumm, they took the score to 107 in the 21st over when Rolls went leg before wicket to left-arm slow bowler Dawn Holden. She scored 65 from 58 balls and seemed to have the English bowling at her mercy.
It wasn't to be and while Drumm and Debbie Hockley made it through to 145 before Hockley was out for 22 in the 32nd over, the loss of Drumm in the next over for 53, necessitated a slowing in the run chase as the side consolidated.
Nicky Payne joined up with Haidee Tiffen but she departed for five in the 39th over. Tiffen was forced to take a much quieter role than usual.
The extent of New Zealand's forced change in approach was seen with the first 100 runs took 110 balls and the second 164. At the same time, when Tiffen pulled a ball from Connor for four through mid-wicket in the 47th over it had been 90 balls since a boundary had been scored.
Kathryn Ramel was run out in the 48th over for 26 off 27 balls with New Zealand 217/6. Tiffen followed in the 49th over when run out for 28 off 53 balls, a reflection of the greater need for defensive play in her innings.
By the time of her dismissalin the 21st over New Zealand was 107/2, a rocket-like start which set up the chance for the first CricInfo Women's World Cup 300 runs total.
Rolls' innings lasted 58 balls and included eight boundaries. She took on the highly-regarded English opening attack of Lucy Pearson and Clare Taylor and emerged triumphant.
However, the success of her sweeping Dawn Holden to successive boundaries in her first over proved her downfall.
She attempted to repeat the manouevre but was out leg before wicket when a three-figure score was potentially hers for the taking.
But if England thought they had made a significant breakthrough, the sight of Debbie Hockley using her feet to get down the pitch to Holden to loft the ball to the boundary high over Holden's head should have been a warning.
After 30 overs, New Zealand was superbly-placed at 137/2 with Emily Drumm unbeaten on 38 and Hockley on 20.
Conditions were hot and muggy, the outfield was lighting fast and New Zealand's top-order was on fire.
Rebecca Rolls, who, in her last outing against South Africa, found the sort of touch New Zealand wanted from her as a pinch-hitting opener, showed that she had adapted her lasers and was more consistently on target.
Although New Zealand lost opener Anna O'Leary for 12 in the 10th over, it was 45/1 and on the way to a sizeable innings score.
Rolls brought up her 50 in the 15th over with the first two balls from England left-arm slow bowler Dawn Holden swept for four.
She took 40 balls for the half-century which included seven boundaries. It was her third international half-century.
After 15 overs, New Zealand was 77/1 with captain Emily Drumm 11 not out.
England again left Charlotte Edwards out of its team and decided not to play young off-spinner Laura Harper, despite her fine showing in Tuesday's win over Sri Lanka.
Conditions were humid and very warm when play started at 10.30am.
The teams are:
New Zealand - Emily Drumm (captain), Catherine Campbell, Debbie Hockley, Katrina Keenan, Anna O'Leary, Rachael Pullar, Kathryn Ramel, Rebecca Rolls, Haidee Tiffen, Helen Watson, Nicky Payne.
England - Clare Connor (captain), Kathryn Leng, Claire Taylor, Barbara Daniels, Sarah Collyer, Dawn Holden, Lucy Pearson, Clare Taylor, Arran Thompson, Melissa Reynard, Jane Cassar.
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 14 Dec2000 - 15:43