After the fourth T20I against New Zealand, Heather Knight had declared England wanted to finish their home summer undefeated, and it took a timely captain’s knock to ensure it happened in the final game at Lord’s.

Knight’s unbeaten 46 off 31 balls steadied the hosts, who were 87 for 6 in the 13th over, her 57-run stand for the sixth wicket with Charlie Dean helping them to reach 155 for 7. That was despite Fran Jonas claiming career-best figures of 4 for 22 from her four overs, alongside fellow spinner Eden Carson’s 2 for 35 which had left England reeling.

But England’s bowlers made inroads at the right times, Lauren Bell claiming three wickets while Freya Kemp and Dean took two each as the batting woes which have plagued the White Ferns persisted to the end. Amelia Kerr’s 43 off 36 balls was not enough to save them as the hosts won by 20 runs.

England’s 5-0 sweep of the T20I series meant they won all 13 completed matches against New Zealand and Pakistan, with one washout in the second ODI against Pakistan in Taunton.

The crowd fell silent when New Zealand grabbed a wicket with an unlikely first ball of the match from left-arm spinner Jonas, which was begging for Danni Wyatt to smash it for six but landed tamely in the hands of Amelia Kerr at deep midwicket. Maia Bouchier had faced nine balls for her eight runs when she drove Lea Tahuhu’s first ball back over the bowler’s head for four despite Tahuhu’s desperate leap. Tahuhu could have had Alice Capsey caught-and-bowled moments later but the ball popped out of her outstretched right hand and flew to the boundary. It was the first of two fours for Capsey in the over, which went for 14 runs in all.

Jonas grabbed another wicket with the first ball of her second over when Bouchier chipped to mid-on, leaving England 28 for 2 in the fourth. Jonas left it until the second ball of her third over for her next wicket, but it was her best, a brilliant return catch as she flung out her right hand almost behind her in her follow-through to remove Nat Sciver-Brunt.

Two balls after being struck on the helmet by a Sophie Devine slower ball, Capsey charged down the pitch to meet a full toss and lifted it over mid-off for four to take her side to 40 for 2 at the end of the powerplay. But, after Sciver-Brunt’s dismissal, off-spinner Carson followed Jonas’s lead and struck first ball. Carson – who was supposed to miss the match until Leigh Kasperek injured her back in the warm-up – lured Capsey down the pitch with a well-flighted ball that landed on a good length and beat the bat as Izzy Gaze whipped off the bails. In her next over, Carson had Amy Jones caught at long-on by Maddy Green and England stuttered to 77 for 5. Before she was done, Jonas served up a reminder of where it all started, bowling Kemp with one that skidded on and clattered into middle and leg.

Knight had been quiet throughout New Zealand’s visit without any ill-effect on her team. She scored 9 in all three ODIs, but was unbeaten in the first after a century opening stand between Tammy Beaumont and Bouchier. She sat out the third T20I as England practiced different scenarios in Canterbury and hadn’t passed 15, though she was scarcely required at Southampton or The Oval.

Here, she was very much needed, and stepped up with that crucial partnership with Dean, who made 24 off 19 balls. Knight scored her fourth boundary sweeping Carson for four and powered the next ball for a huge six over long-on in the 18th over, which went for 15. When Dean fell to a return catch by Jess Kerr, Knight and Sophie Ecclestone ensured there was no further damage.

Suzie Bates survived when Georgia Plimmer drilled a Bell delivery back down the pitch as the bowler stuck out her foot before the ball hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end with Bates out of her crease, the umpires deciding that replays were inconclusive as to whether the ball struck Bell’s boot. But Plimmer was caught behind moments later to end a poor tour in which she failed to pass 29 and only reached double-figures twice. Bates fell soon after, top-edging Lauren Filer to Sciver-Brunt at mid-on.

By the end of the powerplay, New Zealand had faced 23 dot balls on their way to 31 for 2. Kemp continued the success for England’s seamers when Devine holed out to Bouchier and it fell to Amelia Kerr and Brooke Halliday to dig their team out of difficulty. Bell broke their union on 40 from 31 balls when she had Halliday reaching for a wide one to be caught behind, by which time New Zealand needed 53 off 26. When Dean and Jones combined to remove Amelia Kerr, stumped for 43 it felt like the White Ferns’ cause was lost, and so it proved, Bell bowling Gaze with a slower ball in the final over.

Brief scores:
England Women 155 for 7 in 20 overs (Alice Capsey 25, Heather Knight 46*, Charlie Dean 24; Fran Jonas 4-22, Jess Kerr 1-25, Eden Carson 2-35) beat  New Zealand Women 135 for 8 in 20 overs  (Amelia  Kerr 43, Brooke Halliday 25; Lauren Bell 3-21, Lauren Fifer 1-22, Charlie Dean 2-29, Freya Kemp 2-31) by 20 runs

[Cricinfo]