The New Zealand Women tour of England 2026 ended with a bang at Hove. England Women demolished New Zealand Women by seven wickets in the third T20I. The win sealed the series 2-1 for the hosts.
I watched this match live. What a performance from England's bowlers. They made the White Ferns look ordinary on a sunny day at the County Ground.
Here is everything that happened. Full scorecard. Key moments. Player performances. Everything you need to know about the England women vs New Zealand women 3rd T20I scorecard.
Toss and Team News: New Zealand Bat First
New Zealand captain Amelia Kerr won the toss. She chose to bat first. It was a hot day at Hove. Clear skies. No clouds. A gentle breeze blowing across the ground.
Read Also: Pakistan Women vs Zimbabwe Women 1st ODI Karachi Live
Both teams made changes for the series decider.
New Zealand brought back Suzie Bates to open. She replaced Georgia Plimmer at the top. Rosemary Mair came in for Lea Tahuhu in the bowling attack.
England rested Lauren Bell. Sophie Ecclestone returned to the side. She joined fellow left-arm spinner Linsey Smith in the playing XI.
Here are the full playing XIs for the England women vs New Zealand women 3rd T20I stats:
England Playing XI: Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Dani Gibson, Amy Jones (wk), Charlie Dean (capt), Izzy Wong, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith
New Zealand Playing XI: Izzy Gaze (wk), Suzie Bates, Melie Kerr (capt), Sophie Devine, Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Izzy Sharp, Jess Kerr, Nensi Patel, Rosemary Mair, Bree Illing.
New Zealand Innings: A Complete Collapse
The England women vs New Zealand women 3rd T20I score for New Zealand was embarrassing. They managed only 80 runs. All out in 19.1 overs.
Only three batters reached double spans. Jess Kerr top-scored with 20 off 27 balls. Izzy Gaze made 17 off 13. Maddy Green added 14 off 18.
The rest? Disaster.
Suzie Bates scored 7. Amelia Kerr got 0. Sophie Devine bagged a five-ball duck. Brooke Halliday made 1. Izzy Sharp scored 0. Nensi Patel managed 1. Bree Illing ended with 4 not out.
The Wicket Breakdown: How England Dismantled New Zealand
Let me walk you through the collapse. It was brutal to watch if you support New Zealand.
2.1 overs - 7/1: Suzie Bates tried a reverse sweep. Soft dismissal. Chipped straight to Sophia Dunkley at backward point.
5.3 overs - 29/2: Izzy Gaze attempted another reverse sweep. Missed completely. Bowled by Linsey Smith. Beautiful delivery that turned in.
6.2 overs - 29/3: Amelia Kerr tried to pull a short ball. Toe-ended it straight to mid-on. The New Zealand captain walked off shaking her head.
6.6 overs - 30/4: Dani Gibson struck. Sophie Devine mistimed a lofted shot. Simple catch at mid-off. Two wickets in Gibson's first over.
7.6 overs - 32/5: Brooke Halliday hit on the pad. England reviewed. Ball tracking showed crashing into leg stump. Out. Fifth wicket down.
8.4 overs - 33/6: Izzy Sharp cleaned bowled. No foot movement. Swung and missed. Peach of a delivery.
14.3 overs - 58/7: Maddy Green hammered a short ball toward wide long-on. Brilliant catch by Bouchier running from midwicket.
15.5 overs - 65/8: Nensi Patel hit on the midriff while sweeping. Plumb in front. She should have reviewed but didn't.
17.1 overs - 69/9: Jess Kerr bowled by a back-of-the-hand slower ball. Swung too early. Top of leg stump gone.
19.1 overs - 80/10: Bree Illing edged to the keeper. All over. New Zealand didn't even bat their full overs.
Bowling Figures: Gibson and Dean Shine
England's bowlers were unstoppable.
Dani Gibson took 3 for 14 in 4 overs. She removed Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine, and Maddy Green. Career-best spans for the right-arm seamer.
You Must Also Like: Will South Africa Women’s Slump Continue in 2026?
Charlie Dean claimed 3 for 13 in 3.1 overs. The acting captain led from the front.
Linsey Smith grabbed 2 for 15 in 4 overs. Her economy rate was just 3.75.
Sophie Ecclestone returned 1 for 11 in 4 overs. Typical Ecclestone. Tight and economical.
Izzy Wong went for 20 runs in 4 overs. Took no wickets.
England Innings: Chase Completed in 13.5 Overs
Chasing 81 to win. England finished at 81 for 3 in 13.5 overs. They had 37 balls to spare.
The chase was not completely smooth. England lost three wickets. But they never looked in trouble.
Sophia Dunkley gave England a positive start. She scored 22 off 21 balls. Hit two fours and one six.
Alice Capsey fell early. She made 3 off 7 balls. Nensi Patel trapped her LBW in the second over.
Dunkley followed soon after. She chipped one straight to mid-on in the 6th over. Furious with herself for throwing away a start.
Heather Knight added 18 off 22 balls. She fell in the 13th over. Reverse swept straight to backward point.
Maia Bouchier stayed unbeaten on 19 off 29 balls. Freya Kemp hit the winning run. She finished on 7 not out from 5 balls.
England Bowling Performance: A Visual Summary
| Bowler |
Overs |
Maidens |
Runs |
Wickets |
Economy |
| Linsey Smith |
4 |
0 |
15 |
2 |
3.75 |
| Sophie Ecclestone |
4 |
0 |
11 |
1 |
2.75 |
| Charlie Dean |
3.1 |
0 |
13 |
3 |
4.10 |
| Dani Gibson |
4 |
0 |
14 |
3 |
3.50 |
| Izzy Wong |
4 |
0 |
20 |
0 |
5.00 |
Player of the Match and Player of the Series
Dani Gibson won Player of the Match. Her 3 for 14 broke the back of New Zealand's batting order. She removed the captain, the veteran Devine, and the set batter Green.
Linsey Smith won Player of the Series. She took six wickets across the three T20Is. Her left-arm spin was consistently economical and dangerous.
Smith was particularly destructive in the second T20I at Canterbury. She took 3 for 25 in that match.
How the Series Played Out?
The New Zealand Women tour of England 2026 included three ODIs and three T20Is.
ODI Series Result:
-
1st ODI at Chester-le-Street: England won by 1 wicket
-
2nd ODI at Northampton: Abandoned due to rain
-
3rd ODI at Cardiff: New Zealand won by 17 runs (DLS method)
Series drawn 1-1.
T20I Series Result:
-
1st T20I at Derby: England won by 7 wickets
-
2nd T20I at Canterbury: New Zealand won by 14 runs
-
3rd T20I at Hove: England won by 7 wickets
England won the T20I series 2-1.
This marks England's seventh successive bilateral T20I series win over New Zealand . Dominance continues.
Key Takeaways from the 3rd T20I
What Worked for England?
Bowling depth. England used five bowlers. Four of them took wickets. Smith, Ecclestone, Dean, and Gibson all contributed.
Spin dominance. Smith and Ecclestone bowled 8 overs together. Gave away only 26 runs. Took 3 wickets.
Gibson's breakthrough over. She removed Kerr and Devine in the same over. That changed the game completely.
Calm chase. No panic after losing two early wickets. Bouchier and Knight built a steady partnership.
What Failed for New Zealand?
Reverse sweep obsession. Three New Zealand batters got out trying reverse sweeps. Bates, Gaze, and Halliday. All fell attempting the same risky shot.
Top order collapse. 29 for 3. Then 30 for 4. Then 32 for 5. The match was over inside 7 overs.
No partnership. The highest partnership was 25 runs. That came between Green and Kerr for the 7th wicket. Too late.
Decision to bat first. Kerr won the toss and chose to bat. The pitch was good for batting. But her batters let her down.
Match Highlights: Where to Watch?
The official highlights are available on:
-
England Cricket YouTube channel - Extended highlights (15-20 minutes)
-
ESPNcricinfo - Match clips and key moments
-
Women's CricZone - Series compilation
The England Cricket Twitter account posted clips of the bowling performance. Every wicket from that amazing bowling spell was shared online.
What This Means for the T20 World Cup?
The Women's T20 World Cup starts next month. Both teams will take lessons from this series.
For England: Their bowling attack looks tournament-ready. Smith and Ecclestone form a deadly spin pair. Gibson adds pace and movement. Dean provides control.
For New Zealand: Serious problems at the top. The reverse sweep obsession needs to stop. Batters need to show more discipline. Cannot collapse like this in a World Cup.
England head into the World Cup with confidence. New Zealand head back to the drawing board.
The Final Thoughts
England's bowlers destroyed New Zealand on a perfect batting day at Hove. 80 all out tells you everything. Gibson and Dean took three each. Smith took two. The White Ferns have a lot of work to do before the World Cup.
Watch the highlights if you missed it. That Gibson over to Kerr and Devine is worth seeing. Two big wickets in four balls. Changed the series.
The New Zealand Women tour of England 2026 is now complete. England take the bragging rights. New Zealand take lessons. Next stop: the T20 World Cup.
