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England comprehensively defeated the White Ferns at Lord’s on Sunday to become the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 champions with a superb six-wicket win.
The White Ferns were on the back foot in the first over, losing the in-form Suzie Bates for one. They then lost their captain and leading run scorer Aimee Watkins after 3.1 with only ten runs on the board.
English seamer Catherine Brunt got plenty of movement and made scoring difficult for the New Zealand batsmen, forcing Lucy Doolan to try an unconventional flick shot that had her caught behind for 14.
She then had Rachel Priest caught three balls later with the White Ferns in tatters at 23 for four.
Brunt bowled four overs on the trot, ending her spell with the remarkable figures of three for seven including a maiden .
The first ten overs cost four wickets and yielded only 30 runs and things only got worse in the eleventh when Nicola Brown was bowled out for one.
Amy Sattherwaithe and Sarah McGlashan looked to rebuild putting on 18 for the sixth wicket before McGlashan holed out for nine.
Sattherthwaithe didn’t too much longer, getting caught at mid-on for 19 off 42 – finishing as the White Ferns top scorer.
Kate Pulford come in after 17.4 overs and looked to play aggressively hitting her first ball to the boundary – only the third in the entire innings. She then hit another in the nineteenth but when got caught trying to clear the field again in the last over to end with 14.
The run-out of Sophie Devine off the final ball for 10 saw the White Ferns rolled for 85.
English bowlers Nicky Shaw and Jenny Gunn both picked up two scalps but it was Brunt who ripped through the top order that give them the ascendancy.
In reply, the English made a solid start getting 19 before Charlotte Edwards was bowled by Sian Ruck for nine.
Some tight bowling from Kate Pulford Sian Ruck built pressure and when Pulford removed Sarah Taylor for 23 the White Ferns were back in the game.
Claire Taylor and Beth Morgan then combined to put on 31, pushing the score through to 70 and effectively taking the game away from the White Ferns.
Devine picked up the late wicket of Beth Morgan but it was too little too late and as the winning runs were hit with three overs remaining.
Taylor was the best of the English batsman finishing with an unbeaten 39 off 32.
The side proved why it is the world number one, adding the trophy to an already glittering collection including the ICC Women’s World Cup and the Ashes.
