Anya Shrubsole was happy to finally get her just rewards today, as four key wickets led the way to an “exceptional team performance” and win against New Zealand women.
England women had to defend 194 in their second one-day international, and they did so with aplomb as Shrubsole produced figures of 4-36 in 10 overs, with all her victims coming in a devastating mid-innings spell.
That set up an emphatic 90-run win at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui and levelled the series at 1-1, with New Zealand having won Wednesday’s game by 67 runs.
With a crucial third game ahead – one that will also earn valuable points towards World Cup qualification – Shrubsole is glad to have hit form, following a slow start to the tour personally.
“I think I was due a few wickets – due a good bowling performance,” she told ecb.co.uk. “I haven’t quite pulled it off on this tour. But more than anything, it was an exceptional team performance.
“All the points we can get towards qualification are really important. We bounced back brilliantly (after the opening defeat). Hopefully we can take that into the next game.”
Katherine Brunt and Danielle Hazell had grabbed two wickets each, while Heather Knight took an economical 1-7, in England’s bowling, after Charlotte Edwardshad set the tone earlier with a 65-run knock that included nine fours.
Edwards also showed her class today with a brilliant effort to help run out the in-form Suzie Bates for nought, one of three ducks and six single-figure scores in the New Zealand batting which petered out at 104 in 36.1 overs.
Sarah Taylor, who struck seven fours in a 41-ball 45 for England, gave credit to Edwards’ displays, saying: “She does it day in day out.
“She produces those performances where we can bat around her and she’s the backbone of the side.
“It’s nothing new for her. But we’re obviously so grateful when she does that. And she obviously set us up with a good total.
“We probably didn’t do ourselves justice from a couple of days ago. It was nice to go out there and it was a 90-run win in the end, so it was a good confident performance.”