Lauren Bell took her first ever five-wicket haul in international cricket as England narrowly wrapped up a whitewash in their one-day international series. Despite the match being reduced to 42 overs a side due to a 95-minute rain delay, New Zealand had posted their highest total of the series – 211 for eight. But Bell’s interventions cut off promising innings from the captain, Sophie Devine, the half-centurion Amelia Kerr and the left-hander Brooke Halliday.
England then overhauled the total with five wickets to spare in spite of an early wobble, thanks to half-centuries from Amy Jones and Nat Sciver-Brunt – the latter unbeaten on 76, after New Zealand handed her a life at cover on 63, scuppering their chances of a face-saving dead-rubber win.
The 23-year-old seamer Bell has had a difficult few weeks, forced into in-game experimentation thanks to the determination of the England coaches to add away-swing to her repertoire. Her expensive spell in the Charlotte Edwards Cup semi-final 10 days ago undoubtedly contributed to a narrow loss for her Southern Vipers, and she was outbowled by her namesake Lauren Filer in the first match of this series, and sat out the second.
At Bristol, though, Bell looked back to her best – although, interestingly, she appeared to rely on her trusty stock favourites, in-swing and slower balls, to do the damage.
First, she broke the rollicking 68-run partnership between Devine and Kerr by angling one in to the former, who foolishly tried to cut and edged on to her own stumps. Then, reintroduced with five overs of the innings remaining after Kerr had reached a bristling half-century and threatened in conjunction with Halliday to pile on more runs, Bell wiped both of them out in the same over – Kerr trapped lbw missing a slog sweep, and Halliday swishing down the leg side into the gloves of a diving Jones. Slower balls to Izzy Gaze and Lauren Down – who both skied catches to mid-off – completed the set.
With the perennial wicket-taker Sophie Ecclestone rested, this was an interesting test for England, and while their fielding was as sharp as ever – Jones pouching two brilliant diving catches and Charlie Dean running out Georgia Plimmer with a direct hit from backward point – their batting was dozy at times. Tammy Beaumont did not attempt to bring DRS to bear on her lbw decision, happy to walk off for a duck as England sunk to 33 for three within the eight-over powerplay – the in-form Maia Bouchier bounced out by Molly Penfold, and Heather Knight sending up a limp leading edge back to bowler Hannah Rowe after struggling to nine from 21 balls.
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A 90-run partnership between Sciver-Brunt and Jones, though, steadied the ship. And while Jones feather-edged behind with 50 runs still needed, Alice Capsey – who lest we forget was dropped from the XI for the first match of this series – was able to face down her recent demons and remain alive long enough for Sciver-Brunt to finish the job.