London, 21 June 2009
Player of the match takes 3-6 as host team again proves too strong for New Zealand
England comprehensively defeated New Zealand at Lord’s on Sunday to become the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 champions with a superb six-wicket win.
The side proved why it is the world number one, adding the trophy to an already glittering collection including the ICC Women’s World Cup and the Ashes.
Pace bowler Katherine Brunt’s career-best 3-6 proved far too good for the New Zealand top order blowing away the side for 85, easily its lowest total of the competition.
Brunt, who picked up the player of the match award, contributed a sublime spell of accurate and hostile out-swing bowling, reducing New Zealand to 23-4, a position from which it could not recover.
Claire Taylor yet again played a fine innings to take England home with an unbeaten 39, although she was spilled on nought by wicketkeeper Rachel Priest off the bowling of Kate Pulford.
Taylor picked up the player-of-the-tournament award immediately afterwards for her 199 runs, with many innings proving crucial.
“It was a lot easier than I thought it would be,” said England captain Charlotte Edwards. “Our bowling attack bowled superbly well, it was their best performance of the tournament.
“Obviously you want good games for TV, but today was about winning and I’m really proud. It would have been nice to have had a good game for TV, but we’ve won a World Cup and that’s all I’m worried about.”
In a repeat of the ICC World Cup final in March – where New Zealand chose to bat, while today it was sent in – the batters lost their nerve under the mounting pressure. But England did not let up throughout the innings, with an excellent fielding display backing up the tight bowling.
Losing captain Aimee Watkins, who believed 120 would have been defendable, denied that jitters played a part. “We were not nervous, we were outplayed,” said Watkins.
“Perhaps we underestimated the pitch a bit and thought it was worth more runs than it was but obviously having our top order knocked over didn’t allow us to create any momentum. We are gutted. It was only three months ago that we picked up another silver medal.”
New Zealand coach Gary Stead said: “Unfortunately we didn’t execute as well as what we’d hoped today but we still believe the plans were the right ones.”
Gun batter Bates fell on the fourth ball of the innings for one, brilliantly stumped by Sarah Taylor off Laura Marsh. An assured Taylor kept superbly, ending with two catches and a run-out alongside the stumping.
Brunt at the Nursery End was magnificent. Her first wicket was the most important, in-form captain Watkins losing her stumps for two from the first ball she faced from Brunt. New Zealand was in early trouble at 10-2.
The bowler then tempted Lucy Doolan (14) – who had top-scored for New Zealand in the ICC Women’s World Cup final with 47 – to scoop round into Sarah Taylor’s gloves. Priest followed three balls later, top-edging her attempted hook straight up, Brunt running forward to take it coolly and to complete the first double-wicket maiden in Twenty20 Internationals.
Her wickets were just reward for one of the tournament’s most controlled spells and proved a happy return to Lord’s. In 2008, her 5-25 against South Africa shaded Daniel Vettori’s 5-30 against West Indies in 2004 as the best figures in any ODI at the ground.
Nicky Shaw nipped in with two – including Amy Satterthwaite who topscored with 19 – as she and Holly Colvin then combined to bowl through their overs. Pulford (14) and Sophie Devine (10) added a small flurry towards the end but arrived too late to make a huge difference.
Sarah Taylor then got England off to a breezy start with 23. Edwards was the first to fall, bowled by Sian Ruck for nine, but later said she was not worried at any stage during the chase.
“There were no nerves in the dug-out. We really believed we could get those runs on a good wicket. We’re just delighted. We came back from the World Cup and we wanted this trophy and now we’ve got it,” said the proud England captain.
ICC MEDIA RELEASE
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