Heather Knight's 101 helped England take an unassailable 3-1 lead over New Zealand on Thursday. England chased down a target of 245 runs with three wickets and three balls to spare.
Put in to bat first, Suzie Bates and Lauren Down started with a flurry of boundaries before the former got run out in the sixth over. An over later, Maddy Green, who played a match-winning knock in the last game, departed for a five-ball duck. Down's dismissal in the tenth over then reduced the visitors to 33/3.
Sophie Devine and Amy Satterthwaite then steadied things down by adding 56 for the fourth wicket. Devine played a fluent knock, laced with five boundaries and a six. Charlotte Dean trapped her lbw on 41.
Satterthwaite then forged an 84-run partnership with Katey Martin for the fifth wicket. She was on 54 when she was beaten through the gate by Dean. Martin remained unbeaten on 65, and a late surge from Brooke Halliday helped New Zealand post an imposing 244/8.
Lauren Winfield-Hill and Tammy Beaumont then added 52 for the opening stand. Winfield-Hill (33) looked set before she was bowled by Hannah Rowe, who soon had her second wicket in Beaumont.
Nat Sciver failed to make an impact, and her dismissal left England reeling at 71/3. Amy Jones joined Knight, and they led the recovery, adding 100 for the fifth wicket. They were well on their way to the victory, but Rowe added another twist by getting rid of Jones (40).
But Knight stood firm, and completed her century in meantime. She was dismissed in the 49th over. Devine brought New Zealand back in the game with an excellent 49th over. England needed six runs from the last over, but Anya Shrubsole smashed a boundary on the first ball, and won the game for her side with three balls to spare.
Brief scores: New Zealand 244/8 in 50 overs (Katey Martin 65*; Charlotte Dean 3-52) lost to England 245/7 in 49.3 overs (Heather Knight 101; Rowe 4-47) by 3 wickets with 3 balls to spare. Player of the Match: Heather Knight