Danni Wyatt-Hodge put on a batting masterclass to help England remain unbeaten and send defending champions New Zealand home with a brilliant win at The Oval.
Melie Kerr (40) and Sophie Devine (30) helped the White Ferns to put on a score of 163-6 after their 20 overs as they looked to seal the win which would send them into the semi-finals at the expense of West Indies.
Despite a short rain delay, England were brilliant with the bat in their chase and will play Australia or India in the semi-finals at The Oval on Tuesday or Thursday.
After losing the early wicket of Amy Jones (17), Wyatt-Hodge and Sophia Dunkley produced a devastating display for England as they made it five wins from five matches in the group stage.
Wyatt-Hodge – playing at her home ground – clattered a glorious 89 runs, with Dunkley adding 49 from her bat as England galloped to victory by nine wickets with 16 balls remaining.
Already guaranteed top spot in Group B, the pair’s unbroken 128-run stand in front of a bumper 21,018 crowd at The Oval helped England equal the previous best tournament run chase, when they beat Australia in the 2009 semi-finals en route to their first and only T20 title and Wyatt-Hodge said: “T20 cricket is a fickle game isn’t it, you’ve got to start again every time and it’s always a beauty of a pitch here at The Oval. I really enjoyed batting out there with my mate Sophia Dunkley.
“Once the rain came down it was getting on quite nicely. We tried to back ourselves, hit our strengths and bat with intent and try to enjoy it out there.”
Reflecting on her shot-making, she said: “I fell out of a tree when I was 10 and my wrist has actually grown a weird way that enables me to hit over there. If the balls there I’ll try to hit the gaps, but I’ll keep going.
“Suzie Bates was one of my idols growing up. Sophie Devine and Lea Tahuhu, as well, have had amazing careers over the years. They’ve been outstanding. Really sad to see them go.”
And looking ahead to the semi-finals, Wyatt-Hodge added: “We don’t know who we’re playing yet or when [for the semis] but we’ll sit tight, watch the football tonight and be ready for whoever it is.”
A fifth win from five tournament matches for England – and a seventh in a row in all in T20s – handed an early exit to the 2024 winners, with West Indies claiming second spot in the group.
How England dominated New Zealand
The defeat brings an abrupt end to the international careers of veteran trio Devine, Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu, who take a combined 448 T20 caps with them, but England can now look forward to the semi-finals, where they will return to The Oval on either Tuesday or Thursday.
Devine did not go quietly with 30 off 14 balls, while fellow all-rounder Bates made a canny 19 off 13 but they lacked support in New Zealand’s 163-6, where runs and wickets arrived in clusters.
Their efforts were soon put into the shade as Wyatt-Hodge was allowed to tuck into the off-side with cuts and drives while Jones flickered for 17 before failing to loft over mid-off off Nensi Patel.
Two balls earlier, Wyatt-Hodge had advanced to the wrist-spinner and missed a heave but wicketkeeper Isabella Gaze failed to gather cleanly and a stumping chance when the in-form opener was on 13 went begging.
It was a costly miss as Wyatt-Hodge continued to feast on anything short and wide as the boundaries piled up alongside Dunkley, once again standing in for injured England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt.
Whether Dunkley has done enough to retain her place remains to be seen but she was an excellent foil for Wyatt-Hodge, the duo unperturbed by a 20-minute rain delay on a sultry evening in south London.
Wyatt-Hodge, averaging 94 in five tournament knocks, moved seamlessly to a 33-ball half-century on the resumption and she and Dunkley hardly looked back.
A century was not in the offing for Wyatt-Hodge but she hit a six off Jess Kerr to go with 15 fours while Dunkley looked odds-on for a second 50 in three innings but the winning moment was anticlimactic as, with the scores level, Tahuhu ended her New Zealand career by sending down a wide.
New Zealand’s openers were earlier pedestrian when they needed dynamism, putting on 70 in 60 balls before Gaze shovelled straight to Alice Capsey for 28 as she sought a third four off Freya Kemp.
Melie Kerr missed a scoop and was castled for 42 by the next ball from Dani Gibson, who made it three wickets in four deliveries when Izzy Sharp chopped on, but Devine redressed the balance by thumping back-to-back sixes off Charlie Dean and another off Sophie Ecclestone for good measure.
New Zealand, though, lost two in an over again when Dean’s direct hit to run out Brooke Halliday was followed by Lauren Bell getting an lbw verdict over Devine to end her brutal cameo.
Bates collected three successive fours off Kemp before being run out off the last ball chasing a bye.
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