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England has taken victory in the first T20I in Dunedin with Heather Knight the star of the show.
England’s batters were critical to their victory in the opening T20I against New Zealand with three players scoring over 30 runs in Dunedin.
Tammy Beaumont in her 100th T20I match and Sophia Dunkley got England off to a good start adding 27 runs for the first wicket before Fran Jonas had Beaumont on her way for 15.
When Heather Knight came to the crease at the fall of Dunkley’s wicket for 32, Lea Tahuhu getting her, the match looked pretty even at 61/2 after eight overs.
However, Knight and Maia Bouchier saw England right through to the near completion of their innings with a 91-run stand for the third wicket. Knight got her sixth T20I 50 in the process.
Near the end of the pair's time in the middle, they started to attack the Kiwi bowlers including an 18 run over off Tahuhu.
Amy Jones was run out in the final over as England posted 160/4 from their 20 overs with Bouchier finishing on 43* and Danielle Gibson on 1*.
The White Ferns innings got off to a terrible start as Izzy Gaze was out in the first over to Lauren Bell for a two-ball duck.
Georgia Plimmer, who had been called into the squad for the first T20I due to Melie Kerr and Sophie Devine’s WPL commitments, came to the middle at number three and played a good support role to Bates.
Plimmer did fall at an important time for New Zealand with Sarah Glenn getting her for 21.
Maddy Green was never able to get going and eventually found herself run out by Charlie Dean for eight from 14 deliveries.
With the required run rate climbing, Brooke Halliday and Bates were going to need to pick up the scoring rate, but the England bowlers managed to keep them at bay and ultimately this led to the fall of Bates for 65.
Mikaela Greig, on T20I debut, was runout first ball as Halliday looked to sneak through for a single and left Greig well short of her crease.
New Zealand fell 27 runs short of the target with Halliday making 27* and Jess Kerr 8*.
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