England are the second most successful side in the Women’s ODI World Cup. They have won the title four times, just behind Australia who have won the tournament seven times. On this day in 2009, England won their third ODI World Cup by defeating New Zealand in a competitive contest.
First Innings
The Kiwi skipper Haidee Tiffen won the toss and was elected to bat first in the high-pressure final. The Kiwis wanted to post a challenging target for England to chase in the second innings. However, their start was disappointing. Opener Kate Pulford was dismissed in the first powerplay. It was a slow start for New Zealand and England had complete control of the proceedings.
Just after the powerplay got over, England struck two wickets in quick succession. Suzie Bates and Amy Satterthwaite were dismissed by Nicky Shaw on successive deliveries. Soon captain Haidee Tiffen also had to walk back to the pavilion. This fall of wickets continued and weakened the Kiwis significantly. In the lower order, Lucy Doolan and Nicola Browne gave New Zealand some chances in the match with the crucial cameos. The Kiwis could not play the 50 overs and were restricted to 166 by England. Nicky Shaw was the leading wicket-taker for England with four wickets to her name.
Second Innings
The target was not huge for England and they were off to a flying start as the openers added 74 runs for the first wicket. Sarah Taylor and Caroline Atkins pushed the Kiwis on the back foot with this compact opening partnership. After Taylor’s dismissal, Atkins added another 35 runs with Claire Taylor. The chasing side was looking comfortable with 109 runs in their account at the loss of one wicket. But the Kiwis were determined to fight till the end.
New Zealand came back into the contest as they sent Claire Taylor, Caroline Atkins, and captain Charlotte Edwards in no time. Although England were within a touching distance from the target, New Zealand did not stop putting pressure. The Kiwis got two more wickets as they reduced England to 149/6. However, Nicky Shaw and Holly Colvin saved England from a disaster and carried them to the target. England completed the run chase with four wickets in hand to lift their third World Cup trophy. Nicky Shaw was awarded the player of the match for his outstanding bowling effort in the first innings and a match-winning cameo in the run chase.