Heather Knight starred with the bat to help England beat New Zealand by 30 runs in the first ODI at the County Ground, Bristol. Riding on her sublime knock, England posted 241 in 49.3 overs after being put in, and bowled New Zealand out for 211 in 46.3 overs to take 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Earlier, Lauren Winfield-Hill and Tammy Beaumont got England off to a steady start. They added 44 in 50 balls before Winfield-Hill nicked to Katey Martin off Hannah Rowe. Knight and Beaumont carried the momentum, stitching a 65-run stand for the second wicket to take England past 100 after the 20th over.
Sophie Devine triggered a collapse when she trapped Beaumont (44) leg before in the 24th over. England were 109/1 a ball before that, and slipped to 140/5 in no time. Lea Tahuhu picked up two wickets in this period by cleaning up Nat Sciver and Amy Jones, while Sophia Dunkley fell to Jess Kerr.
Knight and Katherine Brunt held the fort from there. The former brought up her 22nd ODI fifty, and forged a crucial 88-run stand with Brunt for the sixth wicket to steer England to a respectable total. However, they lost their last five wickets for just 13 runs before being bowled out with three balls to spare.
Coming to defend, Burnt bowled four maidens inside the first seven overs to send New Zealand on backfoot early. From the other end, Sciver dismissed both Lauren Down and Suzie Bates to reduce New Zealand to 17/2 in 10 overs.
Maddy Green did not last long either, and New Zealand were down to 31/3 after her departure. Amy Satterthwaite and Devine revived them from there, adding 78 for the fourth wicket. The partnership came to an end when Devine tried to loft Kate Cross over mid on, but ended up being caught by Winfield-Hill.
New Zealand were 109/3 before Devine’s wicket, but collapsed to 143/8. Satterthwaite received little support from the other end until Tahuhu came at the crease. Tahuhu contributed with 14-ball 25 in their 34-run stand.
At No. 11, Leigh Kasperek made 15 off 21 balls to keep the chase under control, but a direct hit by Winfield-Hill shattered their hopes. Satterthwaite remained unbeaten on 87-ball 79, laced with 10 fours.
The two sides will next meet at the New Road in Worcester on 19 September, for the second ODI.
Brief scores: England Women 241 in 49.3 overs (Heather Knight 89; Jess Kerr 3-42) beat New Zealand Women 211 in 46.3 overs (Amy Satterthwaite 79*; Nat Sciver 2-10) by 30 runs. Player of the Match: Heather Knight.