Bouchier’s first career hundred clinches England ODI series win

Maia Bouchier hit the winning runs to take her through to her first career hundred as England clinched a series win over New Zealand courtesy of an eight-wicket thumping in the second one-day international in Worcester.

Having been rolled out for 156 in Wednesday’s series opener, New Zealand appeared to be making a better fist of things at 114-3 in the 32nd over before an almighty batting collapse saw the visitors lose seven wickets for 27 runs in the space of 63 deliveries to be bowled out for 141.

Sophie Ecclestone (5-25) was the star of the show, the world No 1 ODI bowler taking her second career five-for in the format, while fellow spinner Charlie Dean (2-35) chipped in with two vital wickets of Maddy Green (30) and Amelia Kerr (43), who had provided the greatest resistance with their 58-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

In reply, Bouchier (100no off 88 balls) produceD a knock of supreme quality to see her side home, the England opener bringing up her maiden century as she knocked off the final two runs required for victory.

Their back-to-back emphatic victories ensure England go into the third and final ODI in Bristol on Wednesday with the series already wrapped up. Five T20 internationals follow, with one eye on the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in October.

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Captain Heather Knight, having opted to insert the opposition after winning the toss again, saw her side dominate almost right from the off as Kate Cross (1-31) – back in the side after missing the first ODI with an abdominal injury – celebrated her return with the early wicket of Georgia Plimmer (3).

Lauren Filer (1-35) kept the pressure firmly applied at the other end, beating Suzie Bates (5) for pace as the veteran opener top-edged an attempted pull off the pace bowler.

Ecclestone bags five-for to spark dramatic collapse

White Fearns captain Sophie Devine (28) came in and cracked a flurry of boundaries before being stumped by Amy Jones to hand Ecclestone her first, but the tourists dug in as Kerr and Green built a solid foundation to seemingly avoid the embarrassment of being swept aside short of their full 50 overs for a second game running.

Not so. Dean picked up Green lbw with the first ball of her second spell, prompting the return too of Ecclestone at the other end, who cleaned up Brooke Halliday (6) and Lauren Down (0) – playing her first ODI back for New Zealand six months on from giving birth – in consecutive overs.

Dean added the key wicket of Kerr, taking a sharp return catch off her own bowling, before Ecclestone picked up two more in an over – Isabella Gaze and Molly Penfold both gone without troubling the scorers – to claim her five-for.

It meant that New Zealand had suddenly lost six wickets for only 10 runs in little more than six overs before Jess Kerr (14) struck a few lusty blows late on prior to perishing in the deep in Alice Capsey’s first over.

Tammy Beaumont survived an lbw shout first ball from Jess Kerr, while Bouchier was even more fortunate to get the benefit of ‘umpire’s call’ to an even stronger shout when on 92 – Kerr again the unfortunate bowler as she got one to keep low that was clip leg stump.

There was little else to trouble the England batters, however, with only a Beaumont (28) run out and Knight (9) chipping Brooke Halliday (1-11) to midwicket to show for New Zealand’s efforts in the field.

Bouchier, having benefited from that reprieve, and very much aided from some fine farming of the strike from partner Nat Sciver-Brunt (2no off 12) towards the end of the innings, managed to have her milestone moment as she ticked off the winning runs with 25.3 overs to spare.

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