England ends New Zealand’s reign of Women’s T20 World Cup; emotional farewell to NZ’s ‘grandmas’

New Zealand’s defense of the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup crown was over after losing to England by nine wickets at The Oval on Saturday.

The Kiwis lost three of their five group games. They received a surprising last-ditch lifeline to the semifinals just hours earlier when Ireland defeated the West Indies by six wickets in Bristol.

Ireland ended a 0-21 losing streak across five tournaments going back 12 years.

“A few of us are now half-Irish,” New Zealand veteran Sophie Devine quipped. “(Our) fate is in our hands.”

But New Zealand had to topple unbeaten England to head off the West Indies for the second semifinal berth in their group.

After New Zealand put up 163-6, England romped to 164-1 with 16 balls to spare on the back of Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s unbeaten 89 in front of 21,018 spectators, a tournament record for a group match.

The other two semifinalists will be decided on Sunday from Australia, South Africa and India.

Wyatt-Hodge flogged the New Zealand bowlers with her second fifty of the tournament beside her opening-night century.

She’s comfortably the event’s leading run-scorer with 282 and smashed the single World Cup runs record of 259 set by Australia’s Beth Mooney in 2020 with potentially two more games to play.

Wyatt-Hodge was dropped behind the stumps before she scored in the first over and should have been stumped on 13 but the ball was fumbled.

Her fifty came up from 33 balls, and she finished on 89 not out from 53 balls including 15 boundaries and a six. She enjoyed a stand of 128 off 80 with Dunkley, who was 49 not out off 38 with nine boundaries. Dunkley is England’s second highest scorer with 120.

New Zealand chose to bat first and enjoyed a 70-run opening stand between Isabella Gaze and Melie Kerr but they were ousted along with Izzy Sharp in a four-ball span. Brooke Halliday and Devine added 74 together then departed in the same over. Maddy Green and Suzie Bates attempted a grandstand finish but the total looked under par.

The defeat closed the international careers of Devine, Bates and bowler Lea Tahuhu, who combined for nearly 900 appearances for New Zealand.