The player of the match is... Lea Tahuhu Maddy Green
“I just wanted to be there at the end. It was great to have Lea come in and smack a few to take the pressure off! Katherine Brunt bowled exceptionally well so we talked about just trying to see her out of the attack at the end. I got myself in and once I did that it was my job to finish the game off. It’s really satisfying to help the team get the win.”
“It’s nice to finally get over the line. Maddy Green was really outstanding, I’m delighted for her. It was tighter than we would have liked but we trust our lower order and some of that striking from Lea Tahuhu was brilliant. She’s been a bit like a caged animal and it was great to see her bowl like she did today.
“Molly Penfold is really exciting. She kept things simple and bowled fast. Sometime she gets things wrong but we’ve got no problem with that - we saw how dangerous she can be and she’s got a huge future. We feel like we’re trending in the right direction as we approach the World Cup.”
“Yeah, we didn’t get enough runs. We showed fight - Katherine Brunt, what a warrior she was - but we lost wickets in clusters and there were a few tired shots. Credit to New Zealand, especially Lea. The bowlers have been great throughout the series and we nearly bowled them out again. Charlie Dean, what a find she’s been for us.
“I’m not too sure why we’re not getting enough runs. We’ve got two games to put in some really good performances. It’s a hectic schedule so we might rotate for the last two games - we want to manage the players but we want to win the series as well.”
Tahuhu’s cameo of 19 from 15 balls completes a spectacular individual performance after her five-for this afternoon. She’s the player of the match, but Maddy Green - who has been struggling for runs - deserves so much credit for calmly anchoring the innings with 70 not out. A word too for Katherine Brunt, who made 49 not out and took four for 22. Had England won, she would have taken the match award. Tahuhu ensured that wasn’t the case.
45.5 overs: New Zealand 181-7 (Green 70, Tahuhu 19) Lea Tahuhu seals victory in style! She hits Farrant for 14 from four balls, finshing the match with a sweet chip down the ground for six.
New Zealand’s Lea Tahuhu and Maddy Green celebrate after wining. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/Reuters
45th over: New Zealand 166-7 (target: 179; Green 69, Tahuhu 5) Kate Cross and Tash Farrant each have three overs left. It’s Cross first, and Tahuhu cuffs her second ball over mid-off for four! A couple of singles take New Zealand to within 13 runs of a precious victory.
44th over: New Zealand 160-7 (target: 179; Green 68, Tahuhu 1) This is invaluable experience for Charlie Dean, who has the confidence to keep tossing the ball up. Tahuhu crunches a single, one of only two from the over. Dean ends with figures of 10-0-38-1.
43rd over: New Zealand 158-7 (target: 179; Green 67, Tahuhu 0) My instinct is that the ball hit Jensen’s bat a split-second before making contact with the pad, but the evidence was inconclusive so the third umpire had to stick with the on-field decision. Brunt, who topscored earlier with 49 not out, ends an outstanding spell with figures of 10-2-22-4.
Katherine Brunt strikes again! Jensen was given out LBW to a full, straight delivery that hit the pad and bat almost simultaneously. She reviewed, but it was impossible for the third umpire to deduce which was first, so the on-field decision was upheld.
42nd over: New Zealand 157-6 (target: 179; Green 66, Jensen 2) Dean has a big LBW appeal against Jensen turned down. That looked pretty close, but England have no reviews left. I suspect it would have been umpire’s call anyway.
41st over: New Zealand 154-6 (target: 179; Green 64, Jensen 1) Katherine Brunt comes on to bowl her penultimate over. It’s not great by her standards, with too many deliveries on or outside leg stump, and New Zealand pick up four more valuable runs. They need 25 from 54 balls.
40th over: New Zealand 150-6 (target: 179; Green 63, Jensen 0) Charlie Dean returns to the attack. She beats Jensen with a flighted delivery that hits the stumps without dislodging the bails! We don’t see that too often - it brushed the outside of the off stump and was taken by Amy Jones.
Now then! Katey Martin has gone, bowled through the gate by Ecclestone. It was lovely bowling, with the ball drifting in and straightening from round the wicket, but a poor shot from a batter who is desperately out of form.
37th over: New Zealand 145-4 (target: 179; Green 59, Halliday 25) Sophie Ecclestone returns to the attack. Her first ball is pinged through extra cover for two more by Green, a shot of quiet authority, and then she spears one down the leg side for five wides. This match is all over bar the cliches: New Zealand need 34 from 78 balls.
36th over: New Zealand 137-4 (target: 179; Green 57, Halliday 25) Halliday pulls Farrant for her to continue her breezy innings. England have been slightly guilty of letting the game drift, but this pair have batted beautifully.
35th over: New Zealand 127-4 (target: 179; Green 56, Halliday 18) Green rifles Cross down the ground for four, a shot that reflects her renewed confidence. New Zealand look like they are finally going to get over the line in a runchase.
34th over: New Zealand 122-4 (target: 179; Green 51, Halliday 16) Tash Farrant returns after the drinks break. Green pulls a single to complete a terrific century, her second in ODIs. It’s been a calm, measured innings: 80 balls, five fours.
33rd over: New Zealand 118-4 (target: 179; Green 48, Halliday 15) Green survives a desperate LBW appeal from Amy Jones when she’s hit on the pad by a very full delivery from Cross. It was missing leg stump. New Zealand need 61 from 102 balls. Under normal circumstances it would be a doddle, but when you’ve lost 16 of the last 17 games, there are booby traps at every turn.
32nd over: New Zealand 117-4 (target: 179; Green 48, Halliday 13) What a gorgeous shot from Brooke Halliday. Ecclestone tossed one up outside off stump, and Halliday drove it lazily down the ground for a one-bounce four. Two balls later, Halliday survived a run-out chance when the ball slipped out of Beaumont’s hands as she tried to throw at the stumps on the run.
31st over: New Zealand 109-4 (target: 179; Green 47, Halliday 8) Cross replaces Dean, whose figures of 7-0-32-1 don’t quite do justice to a classy, confident spell of spin bowling. A couple of low-risk singles from the over.
30th over: New Zealand 107-4 (target: 179; Green 46, Halliday 7) Ecclestone returns to the attack in place of Brunt, who has two overs remaining. Her first ball is swept efficiently for four by Halliday, who has started busily. This is a great chance for her, Green and the rest of the batters to show they can win a game without major contributions from Bates, Satterthwaite and Devine.
28th over: New Zealand 99-4 (target: 179; Green 44, Halliday 1) Green works Dean round the corner for three. With Satterthwaite and Devine gone, she is now the key wicket.
27th over: New Zealand 93-4 (target: 179; Green 40, Halliday 0) Katherine Brunt is something else. She got England to a competitive score, top-scoring with 49 not out, and now she has taken three for 18 from eight overs. She’s 36 years old!
Katherine Brunt strikes again! The captain Sophie Devine has an ugly hack across the line and is cleaned up, and now New Zealand are in a bit of bother. The big three are all out and they still need 85 runs.
England’s Katherine Brunt celebrates the wicket of New Zealand’s Sophie Devine. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA
26th over: New Zealand 93-3 (target: 179; Green 39, Devine 3) Dean continues to vary her flight beautifully, tossing the odd one up as a tempter. Green cracks one on the bounce to mid-on and then plays more sensibly. Four from the over.
25th over: New Zealand 89-3 (target: 179; Green 38, Devine 1) A maiden from Brunt to Devine. We’re halfway through the innings: New Zealand need 90 from the last 25 overs.
24th over: New Zealand 89-3 (target: 179; Green 38, Devine 1) Charlie Dean looks a terrific find. That’s the sixth wicket of her debut series, and she has only bowled 21 overs.
WICKET! New Zealand 85-3 (Satterthwaite c Ecclestone b Dean 33)
A big wicket for England! Dean sees Satterthwaite coming and tosses the ball well wideof off stump. Satterthwaite has to reach for it and can only mistime the ball straight to Ecclestone at mid-off. That’s really clever bowling from Charlie Dean.
23rd over: New Zealand 84-2 (target: 179; Green 35, Satterthwaite 32) With England in urgent need of a wicket or three, Heather Knight turns to Katherine Brunt. She attacks the stumps immediately, as in the first spell, but Green and Satterthwaite take a single apiece.
21st over: New Zealand 79-2 (target: 179; Green 33, Satterthwaite 29) It might be time for a change of pace. Ecclestone and Green aren’t bowling badly, but New Zealand are making relatively serene progress. They need 100 from 174 balls to win.
20th over: New Zealand 77-2 (target: 179; Green 33, Satterthwaite 27) Green edges Dean through the vacant slip area for four, then Satterthwaite is beaten in the flight and inside-edges past leg stump. A terrific over ends with Green playing and missing outside off stump. Dean is so accomplished for a 20-year-old spinner, with lots of subtle variations.
19th over: New Zealand 71-2 (target: 179; Green 29, Satterthwaite 27) Ecclestone beats Satterthwaite with a good delivery that skids straight on. Three from the over.
18th over: New Zealand 68-2 (target: 179; Green 27, Satterthwaite 26) Green is dropped by Ecclestone. She came down the pitch to Dean and drove the ball towards mid-on, where Ecclestone misjudged a sharp two-handed chance above her head. When you’re defending a target of 179, you can’t afford to miss opportunities like that.