England batters look to find rhythm against beleaguered New Zealand in Women’s World Cup

Having already secured a place in the semifinals, England will be hoping to acquire some quality workout time for their batters in their last league match against a beleaguered and rain-tormented New Zealand in the Women’s World Cup match here on Sunday.

England have made an impact in the tournament but, on the flip side, they have also descended into chaos, suffering batting collapses and making heavy weather of easy run chases.

While the four-time winners’ 10-wicket win against South Africa in the opening World Cup game in Guwahati was an affirmation that the team, led by stalwart Nat Sciver-Brunt, was ready to challenge defending champions Australia, their struggle against Bangladesh, and Pakistan in an abandoned match highlighted the side’s shortcomings.

While against Bangladesh, they managed to eke out a four-wicket win, England’s batters’ frailty against the inswingers was laid bare by Pakistan pacer Fatima Sana, whose four-wicket haul restricted Sciver-Brunt’s side to 133/9.

Had rain not stopped Pakistan’s charge, who were cruising along nicely, England would have faced some embarrassment. The likes of opener Amy Jones and middle-order batter Sophia Dunkley have not quite made an impact, while skipper Sciver-Brunt and Tammy Beaumont have been inconsistent.

Sciver-Brunt’s century in the emphatic win against Sri Lanka has been followed by single-digit scores against Pakistan and Australia. Heather Knight, though, has shown consistency with fine knocks against India and Australia, and could once again make an impact against New Zealand, who curiously have not been able to live up to their billing in the tournament.

Their 53-run loss to India in Navi Mumbai on Thursday, which helped the hosts seal a semifinal berth, would have dealt a shattering blow to their morale.

With nothing to lose, they might want to bow out of the ICC showpiece on a high ahead of a busy 2026 season when they play back-to-back series against Zimbabwe, South Africa and England.

New Zealand have not really clicked as a unit with their top- and lower-order batters misfiring and skipper Sophie Devine having to do bulk of the scoring, though the all-rounder hasn’t enjoyed a great run with the ball because of the spin-friendly wickets in the sub-continent.

The big loss to trans-Tasman rivals Australia in the World Cup opener at Indore, perhaps, set the tone for the White Ferns for whom two successive abandoned games in Colombo, against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, compounded the frustration.

With precious points lost to rain, they came into the match against India at Navi Mumbai with precious little practice for nearly 10 days, and their bowlers were hammered all over the park as Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal made centuries to put on a mammoth 300-plus total in a rain-affected game.

New Zealand can only wish that rain does not follow them in Visakhapatnam and they get a proper game against England, and go out on a high.

Teams (From):

England: Nat Sciver-Brunt, Em Arlott, Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt-Hodge.

New Zealand: Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Isabella Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis, Bella James, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair,  Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.

Match starts at 11am IST.