England beat New Zealand to win women’s third T20 series – as it happened

Just when it feels as if the presentations are over, there’s one more. The Vitality women’s IT20 player of the summer is ... Nat Sciver. “It feels like a long time ago that we were playing India,” she says with a wry smile. It sure does. But Adam Collins can remember it: “that innings at Northampton,” he prompts, “55 off 27 balls”. They say nobody remembers T20 cricket, but Adam proves them wrong.

The last word goes to Simon McMahon. “What a finish!” he exclaims. “I’m not saying cricket’s the greatest game in the world, but it’s in the top one.” Ha.

Thanks for your company and correspondence, and I’ll see you in about 12 hours’ time, when England’s men take on India in the fifth Test. Unlike the women, they can’t win the series.

The player of the match, chosen by the Sky commentators, is ... the other captain, Heather Knight. “Really enjoyable night,” she says. “Bit of rust there, to be honest. We weren’t perfect tonight, but Amy [Jones] was outstanding in the middle order and we’ve got different people contributing at different times. We’ll take confidence from it.” Asked about Danni Wyatt, Knight says “I thought she was brilliant tonight.”

The performance of the match, chosen by the OBO, was Leigh Kasparek’s three-for. No other bowler managed more than one wicket.

The player of the series, chosen by the “written press” (formerly known as “the press”), is Sophie Devine. “Yeah, look,” she says, “credit to England, they held their nerve. Everybody was in with a shout in the last over, which is what we want from a T20 game. And my girls – extremely proud of them.”

It’s been a hard-fought series and it went to the wire – or the ball before the wire, anyway. Leigh Kasperek was immense for New Zealand, removing three of England’s top five with her off-breaks, but she didn’t have quite enough support. For England, Wyatt and Jones were aggressive, Dunkley was nerveless and Knight was measured, playing a captain’s innings in her 200th international.

Dunkley! You beauty! She comes down the track and wallops a full toss to midwicket, just beating the woman on the rope. So England win the match and the series, and Sophia Dunkley’s reputation continues to grow.

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It’s two runs per ball now, and Sophia Dunkley thwacks two down the ground.

Katherine Brunt goes for a big hit and misses.

Bowled her! Top of middle and leg as the ball angles in from round the wicket. Youth is great, but experience is even better.

19th over: England 138-5 (Dunkley 16, Bouchier 1) In comes Maia Bouchier, thumping her first ball down the ground with the fearlessness of youth and keeping the strike. Seven needed off six balls as Sweet Caroline rings out, rather prematurely.

The big one! Is this a twist? One captain removes another as Knight can’t clear mid-off. But she played very well, especially after Jones was out.

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18th over: England 129-4 (Knight 37, Dunkley 14) It feels as if England are cruising, but Satterthwaite has other ideas, restricting them to three singles. That’s class. England need 16 off the last two overs.

17th over: England 126-4 (Knight 36, Dunkley 12) It’s the last throw of the dice from Devine, who summons Kasperek. She lures Knight to what should be her doom – a slog-sweep with a hint of top edge, but Newton, running in from deep square, misjudges it and it leapfrogs her! We’ve all been there.

Meanwhile, in a dramatic development, I have an email. “Hope you’re keeping well,” says Bill Hargreaves. “Thanks for the ever great commentary.” Bill, you’re a gent. “This England team and this series have been great to follow. One of these matches was live on the Beeb, which was refreshing, and this one is on Sky’s YouTube channel.” Don’t tell them! “PS What was in the half-time sandwich?” Cheese and tomato, with a bit of basil, as it’s The Guardian.

16th over: England 117-4 (Knight 30, Dunkley 9) Here’s Jensen, dishing up a slow yorker outside off and almost persuading Knight to chip to cover. Instead it’s two, and she gets two more next ball from a mere push to midwicket. Jensen bites back with a nick, as Knight cuts – but there’s no slip and that’s four. Knight has stepped up since Jones departed, making 11 off eight balls, and England have kept up with the rate of seven an over.

15th over: England 108-4 (Knight 22, Dunkley 8) Devine brings herself back and Sophia Dunkley, who’s been busy, gets away with a lofted chop to the left of backward point. England need 37 from the last five overs, so they’re still narrow favourites.

14th over: England 101-4 (Knight 20, Dunkley 3) A nurdle from Knight brings up the hundred, but Kerr’s over goes for only three and NZ are looking chipper again. England need 44 off 36 balls. The partnership between Knight and Jones was 55 off only 6.2 overs – an exemplary counter-attack after a mini-collapse.

13th over: England 98-4 (Knight 19, Dunkley 1) Devine turned to Kasperek, her sharpest weapon tonight, which drew some respect from the batters until Jones spied a long hop and tucked in. I was just typing “She has 32 off 17 balls and if NZ don’t get her soon” when I was rudely interrupted by the clink of timber. England need 47 off 42 balls. They should still get them, but only if Knight stays there and sees them through.

Just when Amy Jones was running away with the game, Kasperek comes back and takes her third wicket with a looping yorker. Game back on.

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12th over: England 89-3 (Knight 17, Jones 28) England have to get after Satterthwaite, and they do. Jones reverse-swats for four, then dances down and drives for four more. Another reverse brings a single before Knight comes to the party, seeing a full toss and playing an orthodox sweep for four. That’s 16 off the over, and as Adam Collins points out, they’ve dragged the required run-rate down from 8 to 7. England are 15 ahead of NZ at the same stage, but then NZ did finish superbly.

11th over: England 73-3 (Knight 12, Jones 17) Satterthwaite’s economy seems to be contagious. Rowe, whose first over went for nine, goes for only five off this one. England are halfway there, but that six from Danni Wyatt is becoming a distant memory.

10th over: England 68-3 (Knight 9, Jones 15) New Zealand need dots and they get five of them from Amy Satterthwaite with her off-breaks. She keeps Knight quiet and the only scoring shot is a top edge for two, over the keeper’s shoulder. At the halfway stage, England need another 77, and the see-saw is perfectly horizontal.

9th over: England 66-3 (Knight 7, Jones 15) Here’s Hannah Rowe, so it’s medium pace at both ends. Jones flicks her over square leg, straight to the woman in the deep – who misfields, turning a single into a four. Jones has 15 off only nine balls. She’s doing what her fellow keeper Katey Martin did, only earlier in the innings. NZ try a review, as Knight misses one down leg, but Rowe wasn’t interested and the umpire, Sue Ryan, was right not to raise the finger. This partnership is looking ominous or promising, depending on your point of view: it’s already 24 off 15 balls.

8th over: England 57-3 (Knight 6, Jones 8) On comes Hayley Jensen with her medium pace, still glowing from taking the first of those two catches. Jones upper-cuts her for four to ease the pressure. Jensen, unfazed, beats Knight outside off. Knight, also unfazed, cuts for four. That’s a much better over for England, who now need 88 from 12 overs at 7.33.

7th over: England 45-3 (Knight 1, Jones 2) Danni Wyatt made 35 off 23, and nobody else has done anything: the second-highest score is Beaumont’s 3. Heather Knight, only just back from injury, is joined by Amy Jones, who should at least have her eye in from attempting stumpings off bouncers.

Oh Danni. This time it’s a bad ball – a long hop, pulled to deep square for another easy catch, and suddenly New Zealand are on top.

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A lofted on-drive, a simple catch at deep midwicket.

6th over: England 40-1 (Wyatt 34, Sciver 2) Devine trusts Kerr to bowl a third over and surely regrets it as Wyatt goes 4, 4, 4 – a whip to midwicket, an inside-out cover drive, and a dab to third man. Kerr recovers with a couple of dots to Sciver, but the powerplay ends with England just ahead on points – thanks to one woman.

5th over: England 27-1 (Wyatt 21, Sciver 2) A better over from Devine, bustling in, finding a little away-swing, mixing up the field and beating Wyatt outside off. Only two runs off the over, and even with Wyatt hitting the ball well, England are slipping behind the rate. They need 118 off 90 balls.

4th over: England 25-1 (Wyatt 20, Sciver 1) Kerr deceives Wyatt too, but gets no reward as a thick inside edge dribbles away for four. Wyatt reasserts herself as Kerr drops short, swivelling to pull and landing the ball just inside the Toblerone. She has 20 off only 12 balls, and England need 120 off 16 overs.

Tammy Beaumont thinks she’ll have a bit of that too – and clomps a catch to midwicket! It was a strange shot, looping like a slower ball. Beaumont faced 11 deliveries and just didn’t get going.

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3rd over: England 16-0 (Wyatt 12, Beaumont 3) Kasperek is off as Devine brings herself on. England are desperately seeking boundaries and Danni Wyatt finds one with a pull. And then she gives Devine the charge and hits a six – the first of the evening, creamed over long-off. Game on!

2nd over: England 5-0 (Wyatt 2, Beaumont 2) From the other end it’s Jess Kerr with her nagging inswing, and still England can’t free their arms. They need 140 off 108 balls.