11th over: New Zealand 75-4 (Devine 45, Green 15) Devine is given out lbw on the field to Gibson,. immediately send it upstairs where the decision is overturned because of an inside edge. Her riposte to the indignity is a flame-grilled square drive to the rope.
10th over: New Zealand 67-4 (Devine 40, Green 13) Dean brings herself on, with that familiar whippy right arm, but Devine is getting into her work. brings up the half way stage by delicately swatting the last two balls for six. Drinks! A moderately successful rebuild by NZ.
9th over: New Zealand 53-4 (Devine 27, Green 12) The commentators spot that Wong has a slower start to her run-up than she used to, to try. control the pace. An over of plenty for New Zealand as Devine tucks into a half volley and Green jettisons Wong through midwicket. NZ steal a spare run too when Bouchier, who made a stunning stop earlier, fumbles in the deep.
8th over: New Zealand 40-4 (Devine 21, Green 5) Dean ringing the changes, as Freya Kemp gets the ball. Devine is itching to attack, chasing boundaries, but can’t cross the rope.
Sciver-Brunt, out of all these games with injury until the World Cup,. Ecclestone sit and chat on the subs bench. Ecclestone chews her nails. I wonder how much of a strategic “quad strain,” she has. Her having to fight for her place is a real subplot to the WC build-up.
7th over: New Zealand 35-4 (Devine 17. Green 4) A double change as Gibson replaces Bell, incidentally one of the six players featured in Vogue this month. Great pics and all in their England kit too, which wouldn’t have happened 20 years ago. Anyway, six from the over including four leg byes.
6th over: New Zealand 29-4 (Devine 16, Green 3) Issy Wong replaces Smith for her first bowl of the summer,. wheels out a pretty tidy over, hitting 70mph.
5th over: New Zealand 25-4 (Devine 14, Green 1) Devine goes on the charge, perhaps she has to, flaying Bell for six,. then follow up with a stylish upper cut for four, just past the chasing Issy Wong on the rope.
4th over: New Zealand 13-4 (Devine 3. Green 1) The wicket-taking Linsey Smith machine rolls on, she now has three for six in her two overs. New Zealand continue their dribbling start.
Halliday attempts to deposit Smith into the crowd. which turns out to be a terrible idea as she instead dollies the ball straight to Bouchier at long off.
3rd over: New Zealand 9-3 (Devine 1, Halliday 2) Bell wipes her forehead on her shirt and races in. Fast and on the money.
And a first email drops gently into my inbox, hello David Harris!
”Baking doesn’t quite describe it in Canterbury. Sadly I couldn’t get a ticket today (but hurrah that the women’s games are selling out). but, from a mile or so from the ground, sweltering, tropical, oven-like might be more applicable.
“Good to see Issy Wong back in the side, fingers crossed for her.
“The commentary team are talking a lot about the slope (hospital side to Dover Road),. it is significant, but with this weather, at least there’s no danger of the drainage issues I’ve mailed you photos of previously. ( ah yes, thank you, ed)
“And there’s Lauren’s first:o) Stuey himself would be proud of that one.”
2nd over: New Zealand 6-3 (Devine 1, Halliday 1) Amazing start for England, a dismal one for New Zealand. And a stunned silence at Canterbury.
Kerr reviews, grudgingly. without much confidence, after she drops to her knees to sweep Smith and is thwonked on the back pad. And the off-field umpire agrees with on-field Sue Redfern, and off she must trudge.
Yikes, Plimmer won’t want to watch that replay, gets a warm-up dolly from Smith’s first ball. hits it straight back to her. Two in two for England.
Gaze has a hasty heave and loses her middle stump to a cracking ball that nudges in.
1st over: New Zealand 4-1 (Plimmer 0) Bell. blond hair in an immaculate bun, hoop earrings in each ear, starts with a perky away swinger. Four dots to start then Gaze pulls a short ball whippily to the rope. But that’s her lot.
Here come the player s, Lauren Bell has the ball. We’re on!
It really does look baking in Canterbury – have big parasol envy looking at a gorgeous yellow one in the crowd. A little boy shades himself under his T-shirt and everyone is in sunglasses.
I’ve just tweaked the email address at the top of the page. if you did write in the last half hour I won’t have got it, apologies, so do try again.
“The ground announcer has just declared over the PA system: “I am very sweaty,” says Raf. Quite thankful right now to be on my sofa in the shade.
Two changes for New Zealand – Susie Bates is replaced by Nensi Patel. Lea Tahuh is in for Rosemary Mair.
New Zealand: Georgia Plimmer. Isabella Gaze (wk), Melie Kerr (c), Sophie Devine, Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Izzy Sharp, Jess Kerr, Nensi Patel, Lea Tahuhu, Bree Illing
England omit Sophie Ecclestone (right quad, precautionary) and replace her with Izzy Wong.
England XI: Sophia Dunkley. Alice Capsey, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Danielle Gibson, Amy Jones (wk), Charlie Dean (c), Issy Wong, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell.
Charlie Dean flicks the coin and Melie Kerr calls correctly.
More on Ecclestone, in Raf’s report from the last game.
“The oddest thing of all. though, was that Ecclestone, the world No 2, finished up by far the most expensive of the six bowlers. It feels sacrilegious, but if Edwards is really serious about getting Corteen-Coleman into her XI, it may be that she has to do the unthinkable. omit Ecclestone.”
Raf Nicholson is in situ at a full to the rafters Canterbury, where she reports that it is sweltering. they’re doing a roaring trade in iced coffee.
She’s also been talking to Kent’s resident women’s cricket historian. Rosemary Piddock, “who tells me that the first women’s match at this ground was 1959.”
Hello! The circus moves to Canterbury today where England. New Zealand meet for their second T20 and fifth warm-up before the Big Top opens on June 12. The record so far? England win; NZ win; washout; England win.
Switch on the television to catch the postmortem at the last match – Ian Ward. Simon Doull saying Sophie Ecclestone is no longer a shoo-in for an England place with Linsey Smith undroppable and Tilly Corteen-Coleman coming up on the inside. Fascinating stuff ahead of the World Cup.
Play starts at 2.30 and we’ll have team news and toss news, shortly. Do join us.
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