Heather Knight marks 200 England caps with series victory over New Zealand

England restricted their opponents to 144 for 4 before edging home with six wickets and one delivery to spare, Knight doing the bulk of the runscoring and the prodigious Sophia Dunkley bringing the team home

Taunton: New Zealand 144-4, England 145-6 - England won by four wickets

Scorecard

Heather Knight celebrated her 200th England cap with a dramatic four-wicket win over New Zealand as the home side claimed the T20I series 2-1 under the lights at the County Ground in Taunton. 

England restricted their opponents to 144 for 4 before edging home with six wickets and one delivery to spare, Knight anchoring the chase and the prodigious Sophia Dunkley bringing the team home.

Knight - the World Cup-winning skipper - brought up her double-century of international caps 11 and a half years after her debut in Mumbai in 2010, and led with typical resolve and determination to ensure there would be no upset in the West Country, despite New Zealand running the home side close.

Returning to her regional home for her first match of the series following a hamstring injury, Knight won the toss and elected to bowl first.

A tidy bowling display - which saw England cut down the number of extras condeded from 21 in the second match to just eight - kept the touring Kiwis quiet early on.

Bowling better lines, far straighter in fashion, England were patient for their first wicket. Suzie Bates, on her 250th appearance for the White Ferns, hit 34 off 30 before Tash Farrant took the first scalp of the day in the seventh over, knocking over the veteran batter's stumps.

Legspinner Sarah Glenn, the pick of the bowlers with 1 for 20, encouraged a mistimed shot from Amy Satterthwaite, leading to a simple catch for the returning Katherine Brunt.

^{England celebrate a wicket in Taunton}

Amy Jones brought up her 50th T20I dismissal by catching Maddy Green off Nat Sciver, before Sophie Ecclestone did for New Zealand captain Sophie Devine with a quicker delivery. At 90 for 3 with five overs left, the visiting side needed late impetus and it was provided for them by Brooke Halliday and Katey Martin 

The pair took 36 runs from the final 14 balls of the innings, with Halliday making 25 and Martin 16, as New Zealand posted a respectable 144 for 4. 

The target was neither so modest as to be encourage a false sense of security, nor too big to overly worry England's powerful batting line-up. And it led to a chase of high drama.

Having lost opening partner Tammy Beaumont with the score on 16, Danni Wyatt - committing to her shots, placing the ball well and playing 360-degree cricket - hit the first six of the match and had moved confidently onto 35 when she misjudged one big shot too many and landed a catch in the hands of Thamsyn Newton. 

Wyatt’s dismissal came immediately after the loss of Nat Sciver - both falling to Leigh Kasperek - and with England 42 for 3 and two new batters at the crease, New Zealand would have sniffed a famous series win.

Luckily for England, the pair in the middle was captain Knight and Jones.

^{New Zealand ran England close in the T20I series}

They proceded to put on England’s highest partnership, worth 55 in 6.2 overs, to steady the ship and swing the momentum back in England’s favour.

An undulating game still had a movement in store, however. Jones was bowled by Kasperek – who picked up three England scalps - before Knight’s evening came to an end on 42 off 36, caught by Bates off the bowling of Devine.

England now needed eight off seven. When Maia Bouchier fell cheaply on debut, seven were required off five. 

The home side did not lose their nerve, though. Sophia Dunkley did not lose her nerve.

Dunkley has been talk of the summer, a breakout season showcasing her fearlessness as much as her quality at the crease. Known to thrive as a finisher, her 22 runs came off 21 balls with the match winning four to her name, scored from the penultimate delivery of the scheduled 20 overs.

England, then, emerge victorious from a T20I series which was perhaps a little tighter than they might have liked. 

Now for the one-day internationals.