Dean holds nerve as England eke out 1-wicket thriller

In a see-saw opening ODI at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street, England pulled off a one-wicket win against New Zealand on Sunday, taking a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series.

Electing to field first, England got off to a great start as Lauren Filer had Suzie Bates edging behind in the second over for six. Captain Amelia Kerr dug in alongside Georgia Plimmer, with New Zealand managing only 39 runs in the first Powerplay. Teenage left-arm spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman then struck for her maiden ODI wicket as Plimmer miscued to Lauren Bell at mid-off.

Kerr and Maddy Green then put together a long partnership, with only 51 runs coming between overs 20 and 33. Both batters notched fifties before debutant Jodie Grewcock broke the 105-run stand. At 201/5 in 45 overs, New Zealand looked poised for a score in the 240-range, but things went pear-shaped after Corteen-Coleman dismissed Green for a 107-ball 88. New Zealand lost their last five wickets for just seven runs and were bowled out with eight balls still to play.

England lost Grewcock in the fourth over of their chase before Emma Lamb and Heather Knight steered them past the first Powerplay. Rosemary Mair and Nensi Patel struck in quick succession to remove both batters, leaving England wobbling at 42/3. Maia Bouchier and Freya Kemp steadied the chase with a 68-run partnership.

The last ball of the 26th over brought a turning point. Bouchier struck a Mair delivery straight back, the bowler got a hand to it, and with Kemp out of her crease, she was run out. Mair soon removed Amy Jones for three. Dani Gibson – on ODI debut – then ably assisted Bouchier, who notched a fifty. But Amelia Kerr added another twist, dismissing Gibson and Bouchier as New Zealand were right back in the game at 160/7.

Dean and Bell dragged things along, with a 35-run partnership putting England back in front before Bell and Filer were both bowled, leaving England needing 10 to win off 26 balls. New Zealand could have sealed the deal but for Nensi putting down a catch to hand Dean a reprieve. The skipper finished the job with Corteen-Coleman as England held on.

Brief scores: New Zealand 210 in 48.4 overs (Maddy Green 88, Amelia Kerr 55; Charlotte Dean 2-21, Lauren Bell 2-38, Tilly Corteen-Coleman 2-49) lost to England 211/9 in 48.2 overs (Maia Bouchier 59, Charlotte Dean 31*; Rosemary Mair 3-42, Amelia Kerr 2-54) by 1 wicket.