New Zealand defeat England to earn Commonwealth Games bronze medal

Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas and Sophie Devine starred with the ball to restrict England to 110 for 9, a total New Zealand chased down with 49 balls to spare

Edgbaston: England 110-9, New Zealand 111-2 - New Zealand won by eight wickets

Scorecard

New Zealand upset England to capture the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games, winning by eight wickets at Edgbaston.

England would have felt confident heading into this clash having inflicted a crushing defeat on the White Ferns in the group stages. New Zealand were restricted to 71 for 9, a total England chased down inside 12 overs on their way to a seven-wicket win.

However, New Zealand bounced back from their semi-final disappointment against Australia in style to ensure they won't leave Birmingham empty-handed.

England were in trouble inside three overs, losing Danni Wyatt and Alice Capsey for single-figure knocks, before captain Nat Sciver and Sophia Dunkley began the rebuild.

^{Sophie Devine starred with bat and ball [Ryan Pierse/Getty Images]}

They shared a 34-run third-wicket stand but when Sophie Devine removed Sciver for 27 (19) in the seventh over, it triggered a collapse which saw England slip from 44 for 2 to 63 for 6. Dunkley, Maia Bouchier and Katherine Brunt – the latter pair falling to 18-year-old spinner Fran Jonas (2 for 22) – were the players to depart and England were in real danger of not completing their allocation.

Sophie Ecclestone and Amy Jones ensured that wouldn't be the case, putting on 37 runs to take England to three figures, but late wickets from Devine and Hayley Jensen prevented the target from climbing much higher: England 110 for 9 at close.

Jensen finished with figures of 3 for 24 while Devine took 2 for 11. Kerr (1 for 22) and Hannah Rowe (1 for 13) were the other wicket-takers.

Devine and Suzie Bates then made a lightning start to their side's chase through a combination of trademark big-hitting and some uncharacteristically slopping fielding from England.

They put on 54 runs inside five overs for the first wicket before Bates (20 off 10) was caught by Sarah Glenn off Sciver, but with the equation just 57 off 93, it was still advantage New Zealand.

They ended the powerplay on 63 for 2, Freya Kemp accounting for Georgia Plimmer, but with Devine firing, New Zealand cruised home with 49 balls to spare.

Devine finished unbeaten on 51 off 40 balls, hitting the medal-winning single (although she was dropped off the final ball in a moment which really summed up England's day), while Kerr was not out on 21 off 15.