Victory as England Women's Team Completes 5-0 T20I Sweep

Heather Knight leads the team to unbeaten summer with stellar performance against New Zealand

England completes 5-0 T20I sweep /

Heather Knight's outstanding professional performance against New Zealand has led to the England Women's Cricket Team posing behind the colourful banner that reads "Winners 2024." Her unbeaten 46 off 31 balls steadied the team, which was 87 for 6 in the 13th over following her 57-run stand for the sixth wicket with Charlie Dean, helping them reach 155 for 7, resulting in a 20-run victory.

This is the first time the team has gone unbeaten in 13 home matches since winning 12 in 2008 and 2012.

"I'm really pleased. We talked about wanting to finish this summer unbeaten. We've been ruthless. We've talked about nailing teams when we're on top and we've done that. I'm a very happy captain," Heather said in media reports.

"It's a situation I was in in few times. Want to be aggressive. Lord's can be a tricky surface. Charlie came and did well. Feels nice to contribute and finish off the summer with a win. Against Pakistan we were good, but we felt we can be better. Throughout the New Zealand series, we played how we wanted to. We played hard, we played smart, were ruthless. Pleasure to play here at Lord's and fed off that energy and wanted to entertain the people who paid to come and watch us. The girls coped with a few changes, that has been pleasing. Changing the team has been deliberate, things can go wrong in tournament cricket, so preparing for that. Picking the World Cup XI is going to be hard. We are pretty close; it is on us to keep improving. We are in a good spot, need to keep building. Seeing development is a cool thing to see," she added.

Fran Jonas grabbed a career-best 4 for 22 from her four overs, while spinner Eden Carson had 2 for 35, helping England win the match. Lauren Bell took three wickets, with Freya Kemp and Dean getting two apiece, resulting in a crushing defeat for the New Zealand squad, who were left in tears as England won by 20 runs despite Amelia Kerr's 43-off 36-ball attempt. This victory gave England a 5-0 sweep of the T20I series, having won all 13 completed matches against New Zealand and Pakistan, with only one washout in the second ODI against Pakistan.

This is the first time New Zealand has failed to win a single game in five T20I series, raising concerns about their performance at the upcoming T20I World Cup in October 2024. The Knight-Dean combination exploded for New Zealand, who faced 52 dots in their innings and were unable to chase a score of more than 150. "We played with a smile on the field. The way Fran Jonas bowled was outstanding. We leaked a few in the back end. Disappointed with the finish. We have learnt a few things, dealt with a strong England side. Have key events coming up. Was a long tour, hard one for us. Need to look in the mirror and learn. We as individuals need to work hard and see what we can do to win big games. We spoke about soaking in the atmosphere. It is one of my last, not always you get to play at Lord's, "Sophie Devine, New Zealand captain said in media reports.