In a thrilling match, Amy Jones showcased her batting prowess with an outstanding unbeaten score of 92, steering England to a remarkable four-wicket victory against New Zealand in the first one-day international.
The game was far from easy for England, as they found themselves struggling at 79-6 in Wellington, facing the daunting task of chasing down 208 runs. However, Jones, along with Charlie Dean, turned the tables with a historic unbroken seventh-wicket partnership of 130 runs.
Jones played a masterful innings, blending aggression with caution perfectly to counter New Zealand’s bowling attack. Meanwhile, Dean provided crucial support with a composed knock of 42 runs.
Notably, Dean had also made her mark earlier in the match by taking three wickets, achieving the milestone of becoming the fastest woman to reach 50 ODI wickets in just her 26th game. Her stellar performance helped break New Zealand’s opening partnership and put England back in contention.
Despite a strong start by New Zealand’s Suzie Bates, who notched her 34th ODI fifty, the team faltered, eventually bowled out for 207.
Initially, England seemed on track for an easy chase, but a flurry of wickets left them in a precarious position. However, Jones and Dean rose to the occasion, guiding England to victory and giving captain Heather Knight’s side a 1-0 lead in the series.
As the teams prepare for the second ODI in Hamilton, England will carry the momentum from this thrilling win into the upcoming match scheduled for Wednesday at 23:00 BST.
