Heather Knight starred with the bat in her 200th international game to guide England to a four-wicket win against New Zealand in a nerve-racking third and final T20I at Chelmsford.
England were chasing a competitive 145, but lost their top three – Danni Wyatt (35), Tammy Beaumont (3), and Nat Sciver (2) – inside seven overs. Knight and Amy Jones (32 in 19 balls) then steadied the ship, adding 55 for the fourth wicket.
In the 14th over, Leigh Kasperek (3-25) cleaned up Jones to bring New Zealand back into the contest. Knight then shared another 40-run stand with Sophia Dunkley, but failed to remain till the end to take England past the finishing line.
When Knight (42 in 36) fell to Sophie Devine (1-29), England needed eight from seven balls to win the contest. But Dunkley showed no sign of pressure, and finished off the game with a four with a ball to spare.
Earlier, Suzie Bates (34) and Devine (36) got New Zealand off to a steady start. They added 45 in 41 balls before Tash Farrant (1-34) cleaned up Bates in the seventh over. Amy Satterthwaite and Maddy Green got starts, but failed to convert them into anything substantial, as they were 108/4 in 17.4 overs.
Then Brooke Halliday (26* in 16) and Katey Martin (13* in 6) played breezy cameos. They smashed 28 in the final 16 balls to take New Zealand to 144/4, which was still not enough.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 144/4 in 20 overs (Sophie Devine 35; Sarah Glenn 1-20) lost to England Women 145/6 in 19.5 overs (Heather Knight 42; Leigh Kasperek 3-25) by 4 wickets with 1 ball to spare. Player of the Match: Heather Knight.
England won the series 2-1. Player of the Series: Sophie Devine.