Coming into this final match in Group B (AKA the “Group Of Life”) the equations were simple – there was no math left to do and the Net Run Rate calculators could be left at home. With Ireland having beaten the West Indies in Bristol, England were already confirmed as group winners; while New Zealand just needed a win to join them in the semifinals.
(Although it was perfectly possible for New Zealand’s Net Run Rate to go down even if they won, it was nonetheless effectively impossible for it to go down enough to fall behind the West Indies – even if they had bowled England out for 1 (yes you read that right – one!) and then taken all 20 overs to get the 2 runs they required, New Zealand would still have had a better NRR than the Windies.)
With everything on the line, including the careers of Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine and Lea Tahuhu, all of whom were set to retire at the end of this World Cup, New Zealand played their best cricket of the tournament; but ultimately were swept aside by a raucous England batting performance, led yet again by Danni Wyatt-Hodge with her 3rd 50+ score of the tournament. Wyatt-Hodge finished on 89, and would almost certainly have scored another hundred if she’d had the runs remaining to do it.
At the other end Sophia Dunkley, who will almost certainly be dropped for the semi-final assuming Nat Sciver-Brunt is able to play, backed Wyatt-Hodge up with 49 not out off 38 balls – probably her most convincing outing of a summer where her highest score in 6 T20s coming into this World Cup was 26.
There are usually plenty of runs on offer at The Oval, so although New Zealand’s 163 was at the upper end of a typical score in T20 internationals between the teams competing at this tournament, it wasn’t a huge total. It was nonetheless much bigger than it could have been – New Zealand were heading to around 130 until a poor over from Dani Gibson in the 13th, followed by Sophie Devine plundering a couple of 6s off Charlie Dean in the 14th, gave them an uplift that carried them on to towards 160, which felt like the minimum which would be defendable here.
England will argue that Gibson and Freya Kemp took wickets – 3 between them – but they were expensive ones: Gibson conceding 30 runs from 3 overs; and Kemp 26 from 2. The combined figures of Danya Kempson – England’s “portmanteau allrounder*” – 5 overs, 3 wickets for 56, at an economy rate of 11.2. Of course, Kempson wasn’t needed with the bat today; but in the previous match she managed just 6 off 9 balls. The math… in the words of one of my favorite songs right now… just isn’t mathing, and could yet prove a critical weak link in England’s gameplan.
Having won the group, England will be back here next week for a semifinal, almost certainly against either India or South Africa. India would need a victory over Australia of around 100 runs to leapfrog them at the top of Group A, so assuming they don’t achieve that, if India qualify in 2nd place in Group A, England will face them in the semifinals on Tuesday, in an afternoon game more friendly for Indian TV; else it will be South Africa on Thursday evening.
Some England fans have complained about this arrangement; but I like to think of it as a delightful mystery box gifted to us by the ICC ! Will it contain India on Tuesday or South Africa on Thursday? We’ll find out at Lord’s tomorrow, with South Africa taking on Bangladesh, and then the big one: Australia v India.
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* © Richard Starkie