England 81 for 3 (Dunkley 22, Bouchier 19*, Patel 1-7) beat New Zealand 80 (J Kerr 20, Dean 3-13, Gibson 3-14) by seven wickets

Sophie Ecclestone returned to the bowling attack after missing the second match with a tight hamstring and bowled with excellent economy to take 1 for 11 and Issy Wong bowled Jess Kerr, New Zealand’s top scorer with just 20, to finish with 1 for 20.

England lost both openers inside the powerplay, but reeled in the target with 6.1 overs remaining.

New Zealand’s performance was cause for concern in their last competitive match before next month’s T20 World Cup, where they will be the defending champions. England may expect a tougher contest from India when they meet for a three-match T20I series starting on Thursday, but are yet to regain regular opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt ahead of their home World Cup.

Déjà vu

Both New Zealand openers were out to premeditated reverse sweeps. Suzie Bates replaced Georgia Plimmer at the top of the order, having dropped right down in the series opener in Derby and sat out the second game, as the White Ferns looked to avoid another poor start with the bat. But Bates managed just 3 off 11 before she spooned a typically miserly Smith straight to backward point. Izzy Gaze had struck Wong for four and six through fine leg and long-on but when Dean brought herself into the attack in the final over of the powerplay, she struck with her third ball, which turned in, beat the bat and crashed into the stumps.

With their side in deep trouble, the softest dismissals were to come as Gibson struck twice in her first over. Melie Kerr picked out Maia Bouchier at mid-on then Devine, who scored 45 and 87 in her two previous innings this tour, could only shake her head in dismay, almost as the ball was being gathered at mid-off from her miss-hit attempt at a lofted drive. Devine was out for a five-ball duck and from 29 for 2, the White Ferns were 30 for 4.

England bowlers keep coming

New Zealand were pinning their hopes on experienced duo of Maddy Green and Brook Halliday for a rescue mission but when Dean pinned the latter on the front pad, it took a smart review by England’s acting captain to reveal a fairly straightforward lbw. Then Ecclestone chimed in with a beauty that rearranged Izzy Sharp’s stumps.

New Zealand had lost 5 for 5 in the space of 3.1 overs, then Gibson returned to remove Green, thanks to a sound catch by Bouchier, running round from midwicket to wide long-on. From 58 for 7 the tail fell away, Smith claiming her second when Nensi Patel failed to review an lbw given as the ball struck her in the stomach kneeling to sweep, but replays showed impact was outside the line.

Easy does it

Alice Capsey, opening again while Wyatt-Hodge is on maternity leave, couldn’t reprise her unbeaten 74 from the first match of the series in Derby, which England won convincingly, also by seven wickets. She was trapped lbw by offspinner Patel’s first delivery which pitched on middle and turned onto the inside of Capsey’s thigh pad. Fellow opener Sophia Dunkley managed 22 off 21 before she fluffed a pull straight to mid-on from Bree Illing.

New Zealand missed an opportunity to remove Heather Knight on 4, sweeping towards deep square leg where Halliday strode in and dived forward to get both hands to the ball very low before it popped out of her grasp as she hit the ground. But even when Melie Kerr had Knight caught at backward point off a reverse sweep, New Zealand couldn’t haul themselves out of the mire left by their batters.