Mair returns and sends one out wide of off stump, Wyatt has a flash at it and gets a tickle to the keeper. New Zealand have their first.
New Zealand v England: fourth women’s T20 international – live
4th over: England 29-0 (Wyatt 9, Bouchier 19) Bouchier is in blistering form, she pulls Jess Kerr to the boundary with all the time in the world.
3rd over: England 22-0 (Wyatt 8, Bouchier 13) Hannah Rowe replaces Mair after just one over. She spears the ball into the middle of the pitch where it is soon greeted by a disdainful pull shot from Danni Wyatt! That four makes Wyatt the highest run scorer for England in T20I cricket, a banger to secure the milestone. Wyatt swats Rowe for three more into the leg side before Bouchier ends the over with a magnificent straight drive on the up and down the ground for SIX! That was some shot, I’m going to seek out the clip on social meedja becuase you need to have a gawp at it.
Danni Wyatt is now England women's highest run-scorer in T20Is, surpassing Charlotte Edwards' tally of 2,605.#NZvENG https://t.co/UC3Z9Ys9z0
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) March 27, 2024
2nd over: England 8-0 (Wyatt 1, Bouchier 6) Watery sunshine now in Wellington as Jess Kerr shares the new ball. She’s full, straight and accurate. Just two singles off the over. The pitch has a green tinge and there’s a hint of movement from both seamers.
1st over: England 6-0 (Wyatt 0, Bouchier 5) DROP! Maia Bouchier gets out the broom handle and plays at a wide ball with hands miles away from her body. The edge flies to Sophie Devine at first slip but the New Zealand captain thinks keeper Isabella Gaze is going to go for it and ends up flinching underneath the ball as it passes. A let off for Bouchier and England’s first boundary. Six runs off the first over from Rosemary Mair.
The players emerge onto the outfield at a chilly and blustery looking Basin Reserve. Maia Bouchier has been promoted up the order and will open with the returning Danni Wyatt. Wyatt has been at the WPL but hasn’t played any cricket for the last month, she’s been keeping the bench tepid for UP Warriorz.
Ton up!
A significant century will be brought up tonight.
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) March 26, 2024
This match will mark the first time that an unbroken run of 100 England women's home & away fixtures (a sequence which began in January 2020) has been shown by UK television broadcasters.#NZvENG https://t.co/CxPO6Mwzx7
I’ll be doing a bit of this from my sofa in the wee small hours, most likely utilising a dressing gown robe and a stray sock.
🗣️ “It’s going to create a really fun environment.”
— WHITE FERNS (@WHITE_FERNS) March 26, 2024
Hear from Jess Kerr and Lea Tahuhu on what poi will bring to the atmosphere at the @BasinReserve. Cheer on the WHITE FERNS with poi at the Basin or while watching at home on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+ 🏏#NZvENG #CricketNation pic.twitter.com/I1gIxQrY4P
ICYMI: Ashes dates announced for 2025
New Zealand win the toss and will bowl first!
Cloudy by the looks of it in Wellington but all fine and we should be underway on time. England’s four big hitters return: Capsey, Wyatt, Sciver-Brunt and Eccleston. Sessions.
Team for the 4th T20 in Wellington 👊
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 26, 2024
Batting first, bring it on! 💥#EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/4YhSJrDwEX
Hello and welcome to the OBO of the fourth T20I between New Zealand and England from Wellington*.
In Nelson on Sunday, a dramatic collapse from Heather Knight’s side and a steely final over from the White Ferns’ veteran Suzie Bates saw New Zealand snatch victory and keep the series alive.
2-1 to England then with two games to play, will the visitors manage to right the wrongs of the weekend and claim the series? At 127-2 and the game seemingly in the knapsack England somehow conspired to lose. Needing just 29 runs off 29 balls (with a buffer of eight wickets in hand) they spluttered and stumbled to 152-8, falling short by three and letting the home side back into the series.
England are bolstered by their big guns returning from the WPL and will have also been particularly pleased by the scintillating form shown by Maia Bouchier in the last game. The 25 year old batter peppering the fence with 11 fours and a six on her way to a seemingly match (and series winning) 71 from 47 balls. Her wicket in the 15th over started the English willow rot**.
Look who has arrived to the squad! 👀
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 26, 2024
Thrilled to have you back 😍#EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/WHklU19Qje
Play starts at midnight GMT/1pm local time, do drop us a line if you are tuning in. I’ll be back with news of the teams and toss very shortly.
*The Cello Basin Reserve no less, which obviously brings this to mind:
“Cello, you’ve got a… Basin Reserve”
**Which is sort of like Dutch Elm Disease but also, not really.