New Zealand 210 (Green 88, Kerr 55, Dean 2-21, Bell 2-38, Corteen-Coleman 2-49) vs England
All three played a role in New Zealand’s downfall, with the 18-year-old Corteen-Coleman taking 2 for 49. Meanwhile Dean, who was not originally named in the ODI squad to help manage her workload following a back stress injury, took 2 for 21 from seven overs while also leading the side with distinction in place of injured regular captain Nat Sciver-Brunt.
Seam spearhead Lauren Bell also took two wickets while Lauren Filer, preferred when Issy Wong pulled up with some hamstring soreness during the warm-up, took one wicket, as did Gibson and Grewcock.
England also suffered another injury blow with seam-bowling allrounder Em Arlott diagnosed with concussion after being struck in the head while batting in the nets on the eve of the game and ruled out of the series.
England entered their first match since October making noises about having substantially improved their fielding, which had come under deserved fire during the 2024 T20 World Cup and last year’s Ashes. But their latest performance belied the hype amid a rash of errors after Filer made an early incision by removing Suzie Bates, flashing at a lifter outside off stump which clipped the shoulder of the bat on its way to keeper Amy Jones with the ninth ball of the day.
Maia Bouchier, called into the squad as late cover when Sciver-Brunt was ruled out by a calf tear, dropped a simple catch at gully off Georgia Plimmer on 17 which would have given Filer her second.
But Corteen-Coleman made a crucial breakthrough with her eighth delivery in international cricket when she enticed Plimmer down the pitch with a tossed-up delivery, which the batter only managed to miscue to Bell at mid-off
Another fumble by Bouchier cost Dean four runs through long-on in an otherwise tight first over of her offspin and the sloppiness spread, with Gibson and Bell teaming up to make a mess of stopping Kerr’s whip off the pads at midwicket and mid-on respectively.
By that stage, Kerr and Green were travelling smoothly and Gibson made another fumble off Green which went for four off Grewcock’s bowling.
Grewcock’s maiden international wicket was memorable, not necessarily for the right reasons, even if it was the opposition’s best player and potentially key to the game. Kerr should have punished a waist-high full toss outside off stump through the covers but her attempt popped lamely to Bell, who swallowed a straightforward catch in front of her face.
In an excellent move, Dean brought herself back into the attack as left-hander Brooke Halliday arrived at the crease and was rewarded with a cheap lbw dismissal, overturning the original not-out decision on-field.
Izzy Gaze entered the match off the back of some impressive form in New Zealand’s ODI series against South Africa, but she struggled to get going here and Gibson had her stumped for her maiden ODI wicket.
A good catch in the deep by Gibson off Corteen-Coleman ended Green’s innings and that sparked a collapse in which New Zealand lost five wickets for seven runs in 3.1 overs.
Bell took two in two balls to remove Izzy Sharp and Nensi Patel and put the White Ferns nine-down. Then a solid piece of fielding from Freya Kemp, firing the ball back into Bell off Rosemary Mair’s leg-side swipe, ran out Bree Illing as the New Zealand duo attempted a non-existent second run.
Valkerie Baynes is a general editor, women’s cricket, at ESPNcricinfo