So that marks the end of our coverage from the first ODI of the three-match series between England Women and New Zealand Women. For now, this is Saptak Sanyal signing off on behalf of my co-commentators Ayan Chatterjee and Anirudh Modi and our scorer/analyst Yogesh Kumar.
Fastest Woman to reach 50 WODI wickets-
1) Charlie Dean- 26 innings 2) Lyn Fullston- 27 innings 3) Laura Marsh and Rajeshwari Gayakwad- 28 innings
HeatherKnight (England Women Captain): "Yes, it was good. The decisions were good. We were tested and glad we came out on top. Kate Cross was outstanding out there and bowled really well. Unlucky not to get a wicket. That was a great partnership and pleasing to see Jones and Dean do well for us. We managed to get over the line. It was nervous out there but the way we soaked up the pressure was great to see. Happy with the win, now onto Hamilton. See you out there."
Amelia Kerr (New Zealand Women Captain): "I think it is a bit of both. Got a good start. Suzie was outstanding. We lost wickets in the middle and then Kate Cross was brilliant. I think we did not have any answers to that. I think we should have got 220-230 but then almost defended it. We were one wicket away from win. The moment was Dean and Jones and they batted really well. It happens and we could not break the partnerships and then we lost it. Hope to improve it out there."
Amy Jones (Player of the Match): "I think it was about keeping it simple as possible and take it one at a time and keep it simple. Yes, I think so. Tried to be positive as possible and respected the good balls and bad balls. This innings is right up there and I have worked hard a lot on my batting. First game here was a shocker. Found it really hard. Today I enjoyed myself and enjoyed keeping. Thank You."
Player of the Match: Amy Jones.
Highest score in an innings in Women's ODI by Amy Jones-
1) 94 vs India- Nagpur, 2018 2) 92* vs New Zealand- Wellington, 2024* 3) 91 vs West Indies- Leicester, 2019
Highest partnership for the 7th wicket in Women's ODI-
1) Amy Jones and Charlie Dean- 130 vs New Zealand (1st April, 2024) 2) Pooja Vastrakar and Sneh Rana- 122 vs Pakistan (6th March, 2022)