New Zealand collapse again as Sarah Glenn leads England to 4-0 lead

England 104 for 3 (Dunkley 26, Wyatt 26) beat New Zealand 103 for 8 (Gaze 25, Green 24, Glenn 4-19) by seven wickets

Sarah Glenn‘s four-wicket haul kept New Zealand winless on their tour of England with one game to play after the hosts sealed victory in the fourth T20I by seven wickets with 51 balls to spare at The Kia Oval.

It was the third time leg-spinner Glenn had taken four wickets in a T20I as the White Ferns limped to 103 for 8 in their 20 overs and England competed the run-chase with ease, thanks largely to a 54-run opening stand by Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt.

The fight New Zealand showed in the third match at Canterbury, where England won by six wickets with four balls to spare for a 3-0 lead was lost in this dead rubber. Despite a spirited start by Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer, who has only twice reached double figures in six innings on this tour, the White Ferns managed 33 in the powerplay, albeit without loss. But Glenn entered the attack in the seventh over and made an immediate impact, sparking a devastating collapse. Having swept the ODI series 3-0, England now lead the T20I leg 4-0 ahead of the final game at Lord’s on Wednesday.

Glenny doing Glenny things

After her match-winning 67 not out in the third match of this series, Alice Capsey was asked whether she felt frustrated at not being able to bowl more of her off-spin in an England side packed with world-class spinners. Capsey was more than comfortable playing fourth fiddle – or lower – to world No.1 Sophie Ecclestone, incisive off-spinner Charlie Dean and “Glenny doing Glenny things”. New Zealand had ended the powerplay at 33 without loss but, on the first ball after it, Glenn bowled Plimmer with a straight one that clattered into middle stump. When Glenn then sent down a half-tracker with her third ball, Amelia Kerr’s eyes lit up, so much so that she slapped it straight to midwicket, where Capsey was more than happy to do her bit, stifling a laugh after swallowing the simple catch to give Glenn her second wicket in three balls.

When Dani Gibson cut Sophie Devine in half with a stunning inswinger that crashed into middle and off, New Zealand were 40 for 3 and the batting struggles which have plagued them this series looked set to continue. Their prospects worsened when Ecclestone set Bates up with a couple of slower balls before pushing one through faster and rattling the stumps. After 10 overs, the White Ferns were 46 for 4 and had scored just three boundaries as stemming the flow of wickets became a priority. Ecclestone claimed her second when Brooke Halliday spooned a simple catch to Gibson at mid-off to put New Zealand into freefall. Another double-wicket over sealed Glenn’s four-wicket haul as Maddy Green chipped to mid-on and Jess Kerr was bowled by one that skidded through with plenty of top-spin. Izzy Gaze, the White Ferns’ top-scorer with 25, was run out off the last ball of the innings to leave England facing a modest run chase.

Dunkley, Wyatt break target’s back

Eden Carson couldn’t hold on to a difficult chance at point off Wyatt, on 2, in the second over. Meanwhile, Wyatt’s opening partner Dunkley was finding the boundary with ease, picking off four fours, three of them in a row off Lea Tahuhu, through backward square leg, over mid-off and pulled through square. Amelia Kerr put down another tough chance running round from midwicket off her sister, Jess, when Dunkley was on 19. By the time Dunkley pulled Tahuhu high to Bates at cover for a 15-ball 26, she and Wyatt had mowed down more than half the target with 50 more runs to get and all the time in the world. Capsey fell cheaply on this occasion, bowled by Amelia Kerr for just 9, and Wyatt holed out to Fran Jonas off Carson next ball. But by that stage England needed just 31 runs off 77 balls. Nat Sciver-Brunt brought up the winning runs with back-to-back fours off Amelia Kerr to ram home England’s strength.

England tinker again

Dunkley’s union with Wyatt at the top of the order was further testament to England’s depth, which has come to the fore during New Zealand’s visit with enough in-form players – and struggling opponents – to allow a mixing and matching of playing XIs with T20 World Cup preparation the main aim. After being dropped for most of Pakistan’s tour earlier in the English summer to rediscover her batting rhythm, Dunkley forced her way back in through weight of runs in regional cricket. A solid 35 off 26 balls in Canterbury while Wyatt was rested allowed Dunkley to press her case for World Cup selection. On this occasion, it was Maia Bouchier who made way, having enjoyed a stellar ODI series against the White Ferns, and Dunkley set the hosts off to a strong start. Knight returned after sitting out the previous match and was unbeaten on 14 at the end. While Lauren Bell and Linsey Smith went wicketless after returning to the side in place of a resting Dean and Freya Kemp, who had played an excellent cameo of 16 not out batting with Capsey in Canterbury, Glenn and Ecclestone had them covered.