Sophie Devine contributed with both bat (50) and ball (2-28) on her 100th T20I to help New Zealand beat England by four wickets to level the three-match series 1-1.
Chasing a below-par 128, Devine struck two fours and four sixes in her fifty to set the tone. She was ably assisted by Maddy Green (21 in 19 balls) as she took New Zealand home with 10 balls to spare.
Earlier, England lost Tammy Beaumont to Jess Kerr, and Nat Sciver and Amy Jones to successive balls off Devine to find themselves in disarray inside five overs after being put in.
Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley steadied the ship, adding 36 for the fourth wicket before Leigh Kasperek took an excellent catch off her own bowling to remove Dunkley. Maia Bouchier added another 44 with Wyatt, but they both struggled to get going.
England lower-order batters failed to accelerate in the last five overs. Falling of wickets in regular intervals did not help them either, as they reached 127/7.
With 2-20, Kasperek was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers, while Hannah Rowe picked up two key wickets of well-set Wyatt and Bouchier to keep things in tight.
Coming to the chase, Devine received little support from Suzie Bates and Amy Satterthwaite, but almost single-handedly took New Zealand to 68/2 in 10 overs.
When she departed in the 15th over, to Tash Farrant, New Zealand needed just 28 in 34 balls. Still, Devine’s dismissal prompted a collapse for them, as they lost four for 24 after that.
However, with the damage that had been done early, New Zealand always kept the chase under control, and in the end, they reached there in the 19th over.
Brief scores: England Women 127/7 in 20 overs (Danni Wyatt 35; Leigh Kasperek 2-20) lost to New Zealand Women 128/6 in 18.2 overs (Sophie Devine 50; Tash Farrant 2-32) by 4 wickets with 10 balls to spare. Player of the Match: Sophie Devine.