By Martin Davies
Sarah Taylor again inspired England women as they completed a comprehensive five-wicket win over New Zealand in the decisive fifth one-day international at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln to take the series 3-2.
Having been 2-1 down when they moved to the South Island at the beginning of this week, Taylor made 93, her second match-winning knock in as many innings, as the tourists chased down 231.
After winning a seventh toss in eight games, Charlotte Edwards invited the White Ferns to bat and they made 230 for eight courtesy of 58 from Sophie Devine and Katie Perkins' unbeaten 70.
England made a disastrous start to their pursuit, losing Heather Knight for lbw for a duck to Lea Tahuhu in the first over.
Edwards and Taylor steadied the ship, adding 58 for the second wicket in good time, until the former tried to work Devine into the leg side and was given out lbw.
Danielle Wyatt, making her first ODI appearance of the tour, could only add seven before she too was out leg before, this time sweeping at Georgia Guy.
Taylor, having been batting with her usual freedom, decided to rein herself in and she and Lydia Greenway steadily accumulated 43 for the fourth wicket, until Greenway was deceived by a slower ball from Kate Broadmore and was bowled.
Natalie Sciver and Taylor, dropped on 79, guided the tourists through the troublesome middle overs and the wicketkeeper-batter looked to be coasting towards a well-deserved hundred when she took 15 runs off one Devine set of six to move into the nineties.
#EngWomen @Sarah_Taylor30 in full flow: 6 shots in 6 secs https://t.co/MJhSauXQvv
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) February 28, 2015
But in the next she took on the arm of Amy Satterthwaite on the deep-cover boundary and was run out for a player-of-the-match-winning 93.
England could have wobbled at 167 for five but Sciver, with a career-best ODI score of 65, and Katherine Brunt, who made an unbeaten 19, kept the scoreboard ticking over and eased their side over the line with five overs to spare.
New Zealand’s innings had got off to a great start thanks to skipper Suzie Bates and Rachel Priest, the opening pair hitting five boundaries en route to 34 off the first five overs.
It looked like it was going to be a long day in the field for England, but Bates slashed Becky Grundy to Laura Marsh at cover in her first over for 18.
Well bowled @grundy_becky (3-36) & @lauramarsh7 (2-32) for #EngWomen earlier today! pic.twitter.com/P3NEeO5zs4
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) February 28, 2015
In her next set of six Priest propped the same bowler to Sciver at short-extra cover to depart for 19 and, when Kate Cross cartwheeled Satterthwaite’s leg stump out of the ground, the White Ferns were 53 for three in the 12th over.
Broadmore briefly supported Devine before she played across the line to Marsh and was lbw for nine.
Marsh had got herself into a good rhythm and was tying the batters down - a smart bit of wicketkeeping by Taylor accounting for the advancing Sara McGlashan, playing in a record 126th ODI for the hosts.
At 101 for five England had the upper hand, but another decent middle-order partnership between Devine and Perkins boosted New Zealand.
Together they added 75 for the sixth wicket before Devine skied Sciver to Cross at mid-off.
Perkins lost the company of Anna Peterson and Erin Bermingham in quick succession to Cross and Grundy respectively, but she and Tahuhu took the score from 197 for eight to 230 with some lusty blows as Edwards juggled her death bowlers around.
It was Perkins' best ODI score in her 30th match for the White Ferns, while Grundy was the pick of the England bowlers with 3-36. There were two wickets apiece for Marsh and Cross.
England add victory in the ODI series to the T20 rubber they won 2-1, with Australia their next opponents in the Women’s Ashes in July.
Well done @Lottie2323 & co! T20 & ODI series winners! #EngWomen pic.twitter.com/g8ue5tN4ME
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) February 28, 2015