Edwards shines as England women win to level New Zealand series

Kent and England captain Charlotte Edwards shared an unbeaten stand of 158 after Kate Cross’ maiden one-day international five-wicket haul as England women levelled the five-match series at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln.

Seamer Cross, making only her second competitive appearance of the tour, returned figures of 5-24 and spinner Rebecca Grundy took 3-36 to help dismiss the White Ferns for 168, writes Martin Davies.

Experienced pair Edwards and Sarah Taylor then eased their side to victory, despite the early loss of Heather Knight, inside 33 overs with an unbeaten 64 and 89 not out respectively to set up a decider in the final game on Friday night.

Lancastrian Cross said: “I was actually really looking forward to it. I had a good bowl yesterday in training and I felt really good today.

“I wanted to prove a bit of a point today and make sure my first ball was on the money. Thankfully it came out alright.”

Having won the toss for the sixth time in seven matches on this tour, Edwards elected to bowl on a rather overcast and chilly Christchurch morning.

She obviously hoped that her new-ball attack of Katherine Brunt and Cross could get some early movement in the air and off the pitch, and it proved to be an inspired decision.

Brunt immediately beat the bat of New Zealand skipper Suzie Bates and both she and fellow opener Rachel Priest scored most of their early runs through edges to third man.

But it was Cross who made the early breakthrough, Bates playing a nicely-timed, but lofted, drive high to mid-off where the tall Jenny Gunn reached nonchalantly above her head and plucked the ball down with two hands.

When Priest was bowled driving at Cross in her next over, the White Ferns were 15 for two.

Sensibly Amy Satterthwaite and Kate Broadmore dug in and had taken the score to 69 in the 22nd over, when Edwards introduced Grundy into the action for the first time.

She immediately broke the partnership as Gunn took her second great catch of the match, diving to her right at long-off to remove Satterthwaite for 27.

In her next over Grundy also picked up Broadmore for 24 as she was adjudged lbw propping forward.

It was time for Cross to return, this time at the City End, for her last three overs and within 14 balls she had her five-fer.

Katie Perkins cut straight to Brunt, Erin Bermingham plonked her to Natalie Sciver at short-extra cover and Sophie Devine, who had once again held the middle order together, skied a drive high, again to Gunn, at mid-off for 22 to leave New Zealand 99 for eight with 17 overs of their innings remaining.

In the interim Grundy had collected her third wicket when Anna Peterson had driven to Sciver at short extra.

They were indebted to 26 from Lea Tahuhu and 20 from Morna Nielsen, who put on 42 for the ninth wicket before the former was unfortunately run out by Sciver as she was called through for a quick single.

Debutant Hannah Rowe then joined Nielsen to add an entertaining 27 for the last wicket, finishing unbeaten on 18 when the latter became a record-equalling fourth catch in the outfield for Gunn – only Australia’s Zoe Goss has previously achieved it – this time at long-on off Knight.

The early wicket of Knight, caught behind off Tahuhu, gave the White Ferns some hope that they might have enough runs on the board, but Taylor and Edwards made light work of the run-chase.

After they both went past 50 within a few balls of each other, Taylor finished the match with a series of expansive shots that included seven fours in her last 11 deliveries faced.

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