England v New Zealand: first women’s cricket ODI

Key events

15th over: New Zealand 75-5 (Halliday 0, Gaze 0) England were loose at the start, but Filer got them going and now Ecclestone and Sciver-Brunt have the strangle on. They are so good.

REVIEW! OUT!

There’s no edge, so can ball-tracking save her? Nah, it cannot, smacking leg-stump five-sixth of the way up. NZ have lost four wickets for 19 runs in 27 deliveries, and they’re in a situation.

WICKET! Green lbw b Sciver-Brunt 2 (New Zealand 75-5)

Huge trouble for New Zealand, Sciver-Brunt persuading one to jag in and Green missing her glance. It looks plumb enough, but she goes upstairs after conferring with her partner.

14th over: New Zealand 75-4 (Green 2, Halliday 0) For NZ, this is now about batting the overs rather than setting a target.

WICKET! Devine c Jones b Ecclestone 13 (New Zealand 75-4)

Crucial wicket and a perfect wicket! Ecclestone finds some drift in, then some spin off the pitch which takes the ball away. But even when Devine, coming down to drive, nicks it there’s work to do – it comes so quickly and not directly either – but somehow it sticks in Jones’ mitts right behind the stumps. Fantastic work from England and the tourists, after starting so positively, again, are in trouble, again.

14th over: New Zealand 70-3 (Devine 13, Green 2) Single to Green, then Devine jinks down and leg-side, thrashing four through mid on; how will Ecclestone respond?

13th over: New Zealand 70-3 (Devine 9, Green 1) This is now a massive partnership, and perhaps for that reason, Jones opts to stand up, increasing the pressure on the batters. And Sciver-Brunt delivers four dots, then Devine takes a single to midwicket before an overthrow offers one more, Green now off the mark.

12th over: New Zealand 68-3 (Devine 8, Green 0) New Zeakand were looking good, now they’re looking vulnerable.

WICKET! Kerr c Jones b Ecclestone 10 (New Zealand 68-3)

Goodness me what was she thinking? Rather than build a partnership with her captain, Kerr goes at the best bowler in the world, looking to sweep her into the North Sea. Instead, though, the bounce is too much and she lashes high into the air, Jones pouching the dolly. NZ might just have a problem now, which is to say that was very poor behaviour.

12th over: New Zealand 68-2 (Kerr 10, Devine 8) Ecclesteone into the attack and a rare loosener from her allows Kerr to cart four; normal service is immediately resumed.

11th over: New Zealand 64-2 (Kerr 6, Devine 8) England have the chance to put the NZ skipper under pressure but Sciver-Brunt offers her width and she clatters her first delivery to the point fence, then a misfield at cover – from her opposite number, noch – means a second straight boundary-four.

WICKET! Plimmer run out (Bouchier/Jones) 29 (New Zealand 56-2)

Goodness me this game. Kerr drives and Plimmer sets off, but the ball hits her foot, Bouchier hurls to the striker’s end, and though we go upstairs, the batter walks and rightly so. She knows she wasn’t even close.

10th over: New Zealand 56-1 (Plimmer 29, Kerr 6) Plimmer uses Filer’s pace, waiting for the ball before moving fractionally towards leg in order to glance four through square leg. Then offered width, she slashes, beating Wyatt at point thanks to an awkward bounce; they run two. Those are the only runs of the over, but its final delivery and the last of the powerplay moves away from the bat, Plimmer doing well to avoid edging.

9th over: New Zealand 50-1 (Plimmer 23, Kerr 6) Sciver-Brunt continues and concedes singles from two of her first three balls, then Kerr goes back and punches two to mid off. England could use another wicket, this partnership 23 off 34.

8th over: New Zealand 46-1 (Plimmer 22, Kerr 3) Filer continues and I’m not surprised – she’s found a fuller length now and at her pace it’s not easy to play. Another economical over, Kerr shoving a single to mid off, and how many dare Knight allow her to bowl here?

7th over: New Zealand 45-1 (Plimmer 22, Kerr 2) Sciver-Brunt replaces Bell and Kerr eases her second ball to third man, then Plimmer tries to hit her out of the ground and misses. After an iffy start England are coming back fairly well here, Plimmer doing well to see a leading edge drop shy of any fielder, but of course as I type she twizzles the next delivery through midwicket to the fence. If someone can make a big score, NZ could post something serious here.

6th over: New Zealand 40-1 (Plimmer 18, Kerr 1) This is much better from Filer, rushing through a maiden and forcing a couple of false shots from Plimmer. She’s got a lot of the right stuff.

5th over: New Zealand 40-1 (Plimmer 18, Kerr 1) Plimmer’s enjoying this, though who wouldn’t enjoy a half-volley on to the pads? She flicks it through midwicket for four then, after a wide, glides a front-foot drive to the fence at long off. She’s punishing England for every poor delivery but when they steal a leg-bye, Beaumont dives into a throw from square-leg. But able to see only one stump, she misses, when had she hit it was gone by miles, then Bell finds another beauty, just back of a length with a bit of away-movement off the seam; Kerr is nowhere near it. Still, though 10 off the over.

4th over: New Zealand 30-1 (Plimmer 10, Kerr 1) Filer will be delighted she saved her jaffa for Bates, all the more so when she treats Kerr to a wide first up, then a leg-side ball she can turn away for a single to get off the mark. A further single follows, and already this feels like a crucial partnership.

WICKET! Bates b Filer 16 (New Zealand 27-1)

This a beauty! full of length, just, and ripping in off the seam – we wondered if the dryness would offer something – and good luck keeping that out.

Suzie Bates is skittled by Lauren Filer. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images

3rd over: New Zealand 27-0 (Bates 16, Plimmer 9) England weren’t punished for the wides at the time but they are now, Plimmer gliding four more through cover when offered one full and wide. This is an excellent start from the tourists.

REVIEW! NOT OUT!

There’s no evidence of any edge.

3rd over: New Zealand 23-0 (Bates 16, Plimmer 5) A poor delivery from Bell deserves treatment but when Plimmer misses an attempted glance, she gets away with a wide. More away-swing, though, sees the batter unload the suitcase at a drive, missing, but there’s no sustained pressure currently, Bell backing it up with a wide, then offering a drive ball which is cracked through cover. But what’s this? Plimmer goes forward then back, looks to glance again, there’s a noise, and when the ball hits the pad, England appeal. Not out is the verdict … and they go upstairs!

2nd over: New Zealand 17-0 (Bates 16, Plimmer 1) Bates is feeling herself. Offered another loosener to enjoy, this time short with insufficient pace and bounce – yes I did type that in Michael Holding’s voice – she turns around the corner for four. A two to midwicket follows, then a single allows Plimmer a go, and she gets off the mark with one helped around the corner.

1st over: New Zealand 9-0 (Bates 9, Plimmer 0) Gift from Bell first up, over-pitched, swinging in and too straight; Bates doesn’t miss out, clipping four past mid on. Then, when she strays wide finding a bit of away-swing, Bates uses over last millimetre of reach to clobber her through cover for four more. A single follows from the final delivery, again directed towards the pads, and that’s a very acceptable start for the tourists.

And Suzie Bates will face. Play!

Lauren Bell has ball in hand.

Out come our teams….

I’m looking forward to seeing how England’s Laurens get on first up this afternoon. The track at Durham doesn’t tend to be that quick, but the dryness might give a bit more than usual and perhaps some variable bounce too. Other hand, if it’s coming on, there’ll be runs to be had with the new ball.

I didn’t get a moment to note it, but right at the start of Sky’s show, Nick Knight congratulated Katherine Sciver-Brunt on her OBE; “You can bow down,” she laughed.

But more seriously, what an individual she is. We’re lucky to have her.

With no championship points to snaffle and a T20 World Cup in Bangladesh imminent in October, both sides have space to experiment. I’m sure that’s one reason England have gone with three tweakers, but when you look at them – Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn and Charlie Dean – how can you not?

Heather Young would also have batted, but she thinks the track is a bit dry so should spin at some point. Her players have mainly been playing T20, but they’re well into the season and there’ve been some good performances during it. Otherwise, with Kate Cross absent injured, she’s gone for Lauren Bell, Lauren Filer and three spinners; Nat Sciver won’t bowl her full allocation because she’s nursing a knock.

It’s a young group, she said, but it’s time for them to take those good positions – that they had in the recent series – and converting them into victories.

New Zealand win the toss and will bat!

Sophie Devine thinks it’s a good, fresh wicket, so NZ want first go at it in order to put England under pressure.

It’s an absolute roaster in Durham; the ground must look an absolute joy. I can’t lie, when I got to cover the 2013 men’s Ashes Test, there, simply being in Chester-le-Street was the realisation of a dream – no doubt other Panini veterans and Bryan Robson fans will understand. But then the cricket started and SJ Broad went mad.

Preamble

It’s been a decent few months for England. Though they were walloped by India in the one-off Test at the end of the year, they won the preceding T20 series, then did likewise in New Zealand in both T20 and ODI – convincingly.

Then, at the start of the English not-quite-winter, they stuffed Pakistan in both formats, and now New Zealand return for what should be an entertaining tussle. Though it was not close the last time the teams met, in various of the matches there were times things might’ve gone the other way and Sophie Devine, the White Ferns captain, missed four of the eight contests, scoring an undefeated century in the last of them – an ODI her side won convincingly. Or, in other words, with her around anything is possible – especially when Suzie Bates is there too.

England, meanwhile, now have sufficient depth in their batting such that in almost every game, one of them – at least – does the necessary. And they have their own inspirational skipper too, Heather Knight cajoling the best from her charges while also taking charge, setting the tone in the middle whether making runs or galvanising fielders.

Of course, the hosts are still warm favourites, but the tourists arrive in England with matchwinning talent in their ranks – plenty of it – and with plenty of scope for improvement. This should be a lot of fun.

Play: 1pm BST