By Rob Barnett
Stunning figures from seamer Anya Shrubsole and uncapped spinner Rebecca Grundy skittled New Zealand for 48 en route to a facile Women’s World Twenty20 warm-up win for England by eight wickets at Savar.
Shrubsole, leading the attack in the absence of the injured Katherine Brunt in Bangladesh, returned 4-1-10-4 and Grundy, who is set to make her international debut in Monday’s tournament opener with West Indies, 3-14 from three overs.
Those seven scalps, two for Jenny Gunn and a run-out dismantled the White Ferns in 15.2 overs, rewarding Charlotte Edwards’ decision to field first. Although Danni Hazell went wicketless, her three overs cost a mere five runs.
New Zealand deserve some credit for recovering from 19 for seven after the powerplay, but they were barely at the races today.
Edwards gave her side a smooth start towards their modest target before she and Sarah Taylor, promoted to open the batting, fell for 21 and 13 respectively.
Tammy Beaumont, who contributed 13 not out, and Lydia Greenway saw England to victory with more than half their overs to spare.
The result sends Edwards et al to Sylhet on a huge high given the back-to-back Ashes winners overcame Pakistan on Tuesday in their other warm-up match.
Suzie Bates flicked today’s first ball to the fine-leg rope, but that was about as good as it got for her team as the explosive Shrubsole and accurate Grundy wreaked havoc.
In Shrubsole’s second over Sam Curtis was trapped in front and skipper Bates, who had just clipped a four through midwicket, chipped to extra-cover.
Grundy immediately replaced Hazell, whose opening over cost just one, and, having conceded four from her first delivery, had Sara McGlashan held at deep midwicket before Taylor stumped Sophie Devine.
Shrubsole, who did not bowl in Tuesday's win, completed a sequence of two wickets in three straight sets of six, dismissing Rachel Priest and Hayley Jensen via catches at extra-cover and mid-on respectively in a wicket-maiden.
Grundy then snared Maddie Green lbw to leave New Zealand in tatters at the end of the fielding restrictions.
Katie Perkins and Frances Mackay dug in for six overs until the latter was run out via Jodie Dibble throwing down the non-striker’s stumps from short fine-leg.
Gunn ousted Georgia Guy lbw in the next over before ending the innings by bowling Perkins for 15.
Taylor opened alongside Edwards as Heather Knight dropped down the order and both found an early four through the covers.
Edwards struck three more fours all round the wicket, two coming in three balls off Jensen, before falling to Devine’s return catch.
Although Taylor swept Morna Nielsen for four to yield 34 from the powerplay, she fell to Mackay while repeating the shot.
Beaumont pulled Felicity Leydon-Davis emphatically to the square-leg boundary before victory came two balls into the 10th over from Greenway’s reverse-sweep.