White Ferns v England result: New Zealand’s World Cup, Sophie Devine’s ODI career, end in defeat

Former champions England produced a textbook all-round performance to crush New Zealand by eight wickets in their final Women’s World Cup league game in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

The win catapulted England to second place in the table with 11 points, just below defending champions Australia. They will meet South Africa in the semifinals.

With qualification for the last four already assured, England used the occasion to fine-tune their arsenal, particularly their spinners, who were on the money from the word go.

The spin quartet of Linsey Smith, Charlie Dean, Alice Capsey and Sophie Ecclestone spun a web around the White Ferns, sharing seven wickets to trigger a collapse.

New Zealand, cruising at 89-1, lost Amelia Kerr and Georgia Plimmer in successive deliveries and from there it was a procession. The last five wickets tumbled for just 13 runs as the Kiwis were bundled out for 168 in under 39 overs, their lowest total of the tournament.

“We wanted to put in a good performance. Really happy with that effort and we take lot of confidence heading into the semis,” said England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt.

The only cloud in England’s otherwise sunny afternoon was Ecclestone’s shoulder injury. The world’s top-ranked bowler claimed the prized wicket of Brooke Halliday before leaving the field after just four deliveries. England will be sweating on her fitness as the business end of the competition looms.

Her exit gave part-timer Sophia Dunkley a rare trundle, and with England already boasting an array of finger spinners, her wrist spin added another string to their bow.

England were rarely tested during the run chase. Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones put on 75 for the first wicket and Jones then joined hands with skipper Heather Knight in a 83-run stand as England cantered home with 124 balls to spare.

Jones finished unbeaten on 86, her 16th half-century in WODIs, reaching the landmark with a towering six off Suzie Bates and sealing victory with a silken cover drive.

It was an emotional afternoon for New Zealand great Sophie Devine, who bowed out of WODIs after a stellar career.

Though she failed to make a mark with the bat, she leaves as the nation’s third-highest run getter (4279) and second-highest wicket taker (111). Both teams formed a guard of honour for the departing legend.

The White Ferns finish a disappointing sixth in the table, with just one win to their name, two of their Colombo fixtures having been washed away by rain.

“Really wanted to go on a high, but today’s performance was disappointing. I am humbled to have played for my country for 19 long years. We came with lot of hopes but we weren’t good enough,” Devine said.