England 284 for 9 (Sciver 129, Beaumont 93, Kerr 4-51) beat New Zealand 209 (Bates 44, Perkins 43*, Hartley 3-43) by 75 runs
Scorecard
Nat Sciver made her second century of the World Cup © Getty Images
Nat Sciver struck her second century of an increasingly formidable World Cup campaign, as England’s women marched into the semi-finals with a 75-run victory over New Zealand at Derby. With Tammy Beaumont falling short of a century of her own, England’s fourth-wicket pair added 170 in 27 overs to rescue the team from a top-order wobble, before their slow bowlers snuffed out a reply that flickered briefly, Alex Hartley starring with 3 for 43.
For Sciver, the 2017 World Cup is turning into a personal coming of age. She brought up her hundred from 92 balls – the same number, in fact, from which she had made 137 against Pakistan at Leicester last week. But if that performance had been an exhibition of raw power, then this was a step-up in class against one of the cannier attacks in the world game.
Her staple scoring shot was the panned four through midwicket whenever New Zealand erred in length, but she showcased her deft touch with a pair of inverted-stance ramps over the keeper’s head, as well as a ludicrously skilful flick between her own legs as she closed the face on a Holly Huddleston yorker to steal a brace of runs to fine leg.
She had arrived at the crease with her side in a fair amount of bother. After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, England shipped three prime wickets in the first 14 overs, as Lauren Winfield, Sarah Taylor and Heather Knight came and went cheaply.
Amy Satterthwaite, playing in her 100th ODI, intercepted a fierce cut from Winfield to give Lea Tahuhu the first breakthrough, before Taylor chipped a sharp return catch back to Leigh Kasperek for 8. Heather Knight, the captain, then played round her front pad to give Suzie Bates, her opposite number, a wicket in her second over, and at 52 for 3, there was plenty work to be done.
England’s middle order, however, are not easily cowed at present, and Sciver and Beaumont soon set about re-establishing their team’s credentials. Beaumont, who has really hit her stride in the past week of competition, picked up where she had left off with her 148 against South Africa and her vital 49 against Australia.
After a cautious start, in which she made just two runs from her first 14 balls, she sprang into action with a volley of boundaries, including three in five balls from Tahuhu, to be promisingly placed on 23 from 27 balls when her match-turning stand with Sciver got underway.
By degrees, the pair set about upping the ante, with Sciver providing the aggression in the early stages of their stand before Beaumont picked up the pace as the prospect of her second hundred loomed. She nailed the only six of the innings, a massive wallop through the line and over wide long-on off Tahuhu, but fell for 93 in pursuit of a second, as she got underneath a lofted drive against Amelia Kerr‘s legspin and holed out to mid-off.
New Zealand’s twin legspinners would prove to be a vital source of control as England’s innings rather dribbled away after Beaumont’s departure, and the final scorecard had an oddly lopsided look to it, with no-one other than the big two making more than 11. Kerr herself claimed 4 for 51, including three in six balls as England’s tail found no means to counter her wiles.
England’s total of 284 for 9 was, nevertheless, a hefty one, and New Zealand’s challenge was made all the tougher when Rachel Priest was bowled in the second over for 12, choosing the wrong ball to attack from Anya Shrubsole having already claimed boundaries from three of her previous four deliveries.
After that brief flurry, England’s new-ball bowlers turned the screw, with just four scoring shots coming from the next 28 balls of New Zealand’s innings. To their credit, Bates and Satterthwaite made a virtue of their time at the crease, lifting the tempo thereafter with regular boundaries in a second-wicket stand of 75. But, with her fifty in sight, Bates was beaten by Hartley’s left-arm spin and left stranded as Taylor whipped off the bails for 44.
It was the second Antipodean captain that Hartley had bagged in as many matches, after her key dismissal of Meg Lanning against Australia, and it was once again the turning point of the chase, especially as Satterthwaite followed three overs later, popping a return catch off the leading edge to Laura Marsh for 35.
Sophie Devine, New Zealand’s big hitter in the middle order, was hampered with the bat after damaging her side while fielding, and soon holed out to Shrubsole for 10 to give Hartley her second wicket. Then, when Knight brought herself on to bowl in the 30th over, she struck with her second ball as Katey Martin missed a slog for 21.
Erin Bermingham briefly sparkled after surviving a bit of a shocking drop from Katherine Brunt in the covers, but Brunt atoned in the deep three overs later to send her on her way for 19. The remainder of the match was an extended net for both sets of players, not least for Katie Perkins, who struck the ball cleanly to finish on 43 not out.
Two wickets fell either side of the final drinks break, as Gunn bowled Kasperek before Kerr was run out without facing a ball, but after Shrubsole had bowled Tahuhu for 11, it was left to Hartley to wrap up the win with 20 balls left unused.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo