A match that began with Derbyshire’s Racecourse Ground bathed in a summer’s evening sunshine might have ended in chilly drizzle, but England’s two 21-year-olds – Alice Capsey and Freya Kemp – kept the party atmosphere going nonetheless, playing the kind of beach cricket that ensured that “Derbados”… for once… lived up to its name!
Capsey recorded her highest score in an England shirt, finishing on 74* off 51 balls as she struck back-to-back boundaries off Rosemary Mair to drive England home with 16 balls to spare. At the other end, Freya Kemp had been striking the ball with such confidence that it looked as if Capsey would finish short of her previous best – 67*, also against New Zealand, back in 2024 – but with just 5 required, Capsey found the gaps she needed to move past that nearly two-year-old mark. It still feels slightly incongruous that England’s most naturally gifted batter for a generation has yet to make the “Big” big score her talents warrant, but this was a night to celebrate the feeling that, with time very-much on her side, one day she will.
Kemp meanwhile finished on 31 off 20 balls, executing the kind of drives Lewis Hamilton would be proud of. When England’s coaches talk about Kemp, they talk about a player who can hit a ball long and hard; but that wasn’t the Kemp we saw this evening – there were echoes of Heather Knight in her prime, as she looked to use the carpet to dial down the risk level while still moving the scoreboard along briskly. Kemp’s bowling is still a concern – she delivered her first overs for nearly a year-and-a-half tonight, and looked somewhat less than average – there are probably 30 players in county cricket who could have been more threatening in the circumstances; but if Kemp can bat like she did this evening, she doesn’t need to bowl to justify her place in England’s XI.
It is fair to say that New Zealand did not exactly set England the sternest of tests tonight – 136 is right at the bottom-end of a typical first innings score in T20s between the top sides in recent years. But at the rate England were going, they could potentially have chased as much as 175/180, which feels much more like the kind of score which will be competitive at this summer’s World Cup.
That New Zealand made as many as 136 was purely down to Sophie Devine, who hit a very rapid 45, including sending Sophie Ecclestone into the crowd 3 times in the spinner’s opening over. Ecclestone will doubtless be able to raise her game when it really matters, so she’ll remain an automatic pick for now; but her last two outings for England, here and in Cardiff last week, have been mediocre to say the least. For arguably the first time in her career, she now has a challenger that is younger and hungrier and is one of the coach’s personal proteges. Tilly Corteen-Coleman’s chance could come sooner than we might have thought possible just weeks ago.
Another player on the “At Risk Register” has to be Sophia Dunkley, who is being promoted as one of England’s big stars in Vogue this month, but who looks like she has completely forgotten how to play cricket, perhaps unsurprisingly as tonight was just her 3rd outing at any level since the WBBL in December. Her strategy here seemed to be “Close Eyes; Swing Bat”, and to be fair, she hit Jess Kerr a long, long way, twice in consecutive deliveries; but unfortunately it was a long, long way up into the air, and she fell to what you might call a “Sharp catch” – ie. one taken by Izzy Sharp – off the second of those strikes.
At the other end of the spectrum Linsey Smith, back in the reckoning after being squeezed out of England’s XI in the ODIs, bowled 4 overs for 10 runs. Bowling two in the powerplay and one at the death, Smith doesn’t offer much variety; but consistency can’t be underrated in T20 cricket, especially now with teams targeting that 175/180 mark as a potential winning score. A single maiden, as Smith bowled in her opening over today, can put a huge dent in those kinds of ambitions. With Charlie Dean as captain, England’s ability to play their best spinners is always going to be constrained by the need to pick Dean first; but by bowling like she did today, Smith ensures that the argument for playing 3 spinners is a much easier one to make.
More generally, England just looked that bit more “on the ball” this evening than they did in either Durham or Cardiff. There was a bit of zip in the field; and they were clearly looking to apply some pressure just by getting the ball back into the bowler’s hands asap after every delivery.
If this sounds like the most positive piece you’ve read from this author in years, that’s probably because England looked the most positive they’ve looked in years. Maybe… just maybe… the Charlotte Edwards difference is starting to tell.