Poor fielding, slow scoring costs NZ

White Ferns stand-in captain Suzie Bates plays a reverse sweep as England wicketkeeper Amy Jones watches during the opening T20 against England in Dunedin yesterday. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON

England were bolder with the bat, more thoughtful with the ball and a lot sharper in the field.

New Zealand have a lot more room for improvement, though.

The White Ferns were well beaten in the opening match of the five-game T20 series in Dunedin yesterday.

Visiting captain Heather Knight swatted 63 to help power the tourists to a 27-run win.

The veteran right-hander thumped eight fours and a six during a productive 39 ball stay at the crease to help her side post 160 for four.

She also shared in a 91-run stand with Maia Bouchier, who added an undefeated 43.

The White Ferns made a decent start to the chase.

Opener and stand-in skipper Suzie Bates led the charge with 65 from 51 balls.

But the innings stalled in the middle and the required run rate drifted out of reach.

Brooke Halliday clubbed 27 not out to help her side reach 133 for five.

Game two is in Nelson on Friday. The White Ferns have plenty to work on, including their fielding.

They dropped a couple of catches which may have made a difference as well.

Hundreds of school-aged children dotted the embankment and brought some noise and colour to the match.

Bates appeals for lbw while watched by Maia Bouchier. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH

The crowd numbered 1255 and they watched as England opener Sophia Dunkley seized the initiative. She punched a four through backward point and swung another behind square.

Tammy Beaumont (15) needed an early life. She chipped a drive to Hannah Rowe at mid-on, who palmed it over the bar and down to the rope.

But her luck ran out soon after. She cracked a delivery from Fran Jonas straight to Rowe, who pouched it this time.

England were reasonably placed at 41 for one at the end of the powerplay.

Dunkley and Maia Bouchier teamed up to slap 14 off the seventh over to put some puha on the plate.

But Dunkley tried to heave the ball over cow and got a faint edge through to Izzy Gaze.

Her threatening knock of 32 from 24 was snuffed out just as she was starting to show off her power.

Bouchier demonstrated her range with a clever reverse shot to whip the ball away, and Knight employed a reverse sweep to bring up another boundary and the team 100 in the 13th over.

Maddy Green fumbled a simple opportunity at mid-on. Bouchier had clubbed the ball in the air.

The wicket would have brought some relief, but the miss just brought more pain. Knight lofted the ball down the ground to bring up the 50-run partnership and used a player review to reverse an lbw decision.

She cracked back-to-back fours to bring up her own half-century in the 18th over and celebrated with a six over long on.

The White Ferns were one down in a flash in reply.

Gaze nearly ran herself out second ball, then got a leading edge and was caught third ball from the bowling of the towering Lauren Bell.

Rosemary Mair whips off the bails to run out Jones. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH

Lauren Filer did not have the same impact, though. She generated some good heat, but Bates swatted three boundaries off her debut over in international T20.

Bates put on 59 for the second wicket with Georgia Plimmer (21).

But wrist spinner Sarah Glenn shuffled through three cheap overs in the middle. The White Ferns were a little timid and the pressure increased another notch when Green was run out at the non-striker’s end by a deflection from Charlie Dean.

The White Ferns went five overs without registering a boundary and they left themselves too much to do.

ENGLAND

T Beaumont c Rowe b Jonas 15 (14)

S Dunkley c Gaze b Tahuhu 32 (24)

M Bouchier not out 43 (40)

H Knight st Gaze b Kerr 63 (39)

A Jones run out (Plimmer/Mair) 2 (2)

D Gibson not out 1 (1)

Extras (1b, 3w) 4

Total (4 wkts, 20 overs) 160

Fall: 1-27, 2-61, 3-152, 4-157.