New Zealand Women Beat England Women by 17 Runs in Rain-Hit 3rd ODI at Cardiff

New Zealand Women secured an impressive 17-run victory over England Women via the DLS Method in the rain-affected 3rd ODI of the New Zealand Women tour of England 2026 at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.

The match saw several momentum shifts before bad weather ultimately played a decisive role. Despite England Women posting a competitive total, New Zealand Women stayed ahead of the DLS target during the chase and were declared winners after rain interrupted play permanently.

After winning the toss, New Zealand Women opted to bowl first and produced a disciplined bowling performance to restrict England Women to 181/7 in 33 overs.

England Women suffered an early setback when Emma Lamb departed cheaply, but experienced batter Heather Knight and young star Alice Capsey rebuilt the innings with an important partnership.

Alice Capsey once again impressed with a composed knock of 45 runs from 45 balls, anchoring the middle overs and keeping England’s innings stable after early wickets. Heather Knight also contributed 28 valuable runs with several elegant boundaries.

Freya Kemp added 20 runs while wicketkeeper Amy Jones accelerated during the final overs with a quickfire 27 runs from 21 deliveries. Captain Charlotte Dean remained unbeaten and guided England to a respectable total before the innings concluded.

New Zealand Women bowlers maintained excellent control throughout the innings. Bree Illing and Rosemary Mair picked up two wickets each, while Amelia Kerr and Nensi Patel chipped in with important breakthroughs.

Chasing the revised target under overcast conditions, New Zealand Women experienced a shaky start after England pacer Lauren Bell produced a sensational spell with the new ball.

Lauren Bell removed Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, and captain Amelia Kerr early in the innings, reducing New Zealand Women to trouble inside the powerplay and giving England strong momentum.

However, the middle-order partnership between Maddy Green and Brooke Halliday changed the direction of the match completely. Maddy Green scored an important 37 runs, while Brooke Halliday played a calm unbeaten innings of 42 runs under pressure.

Wicketkeeper Isabella Gaze also made a useful contribution with an unbeaten 22 runs as New Zealand Women reached 141/4 in 24.4 overs before rain stopped play.

Since New Zealand Women were ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern calculations at the time of interruption, they were declared winners by 17 runs.

Key Highlights from ENGW vs NZW 3rd ODI

• New Zealand Women won by 17 runs via DLS Method
• Alice Capsey scored 45 runs for England Women
• Lauren Bell picked up three early wickets
• Brooke Halliday remained unbeaten on 42
• Rosemary Mair and Bree Illing claimed two wickets each

Top Match Performers

• Brooke Halliday: 42* runs in pressure chase
• Lauren Bell: 3 wickets with the new ball
• Alice Capsey: Controlled innings for England Women
• Rosemary Mair: Crucial middle-order wickets
• Bree Illing: Excellent opening bowling spell

The victory gave New Zealand Women a major confidence boost in the ODI series and highlighted the team’s ability to handle pressure in difficult weather conditions.

England Women showed flashes of brilliance with both bat and ball, but New Zealand Women managed the chase more effectively under the DLS calculations and deservedly walked away with the victory in Cardiff.