England ended defending champions New Zealand’s Women’s T20 World Cup campaign with a nine-wicket win at the Oval on June 28, 2026.
New Zealand entered the match needing victory to stay alive in the tournament. Their chance had opened earlier in the day when Ireland beat the West Indies, a result that gave New Zealand a route to the knockout stage. England, however, were already through to the semi-finals and finished the group phase with another strong result.
Set 163 to win, England completed the chase with 16 balls remaining. The chase equalled the highest successful run chase in Women’s T20 World Cup history.
Wyatt-Hodge leads England chase
Danni Wyatt-Hodge was central to England’s win, scoring 89 not out. Sophia Dunkley remained unbeaten on 49 as the pair shared an unbroken stand of 128.
The partnership took control of the chase after England lost only one wicket. With Wyatt-Hodge attacking and Dunkley providing steady support, England made a demanding target look comfortable on a good batting pitch.
After the match, Wyatt-Hodge told the BBC: “T20 cricket can be fickle, you’ve got to start again every time but I knew it was a beauty of a pitch and I loved batting out there with Dunks.”
The innings also gave Wyatt-Hodge a tournament record. Her tally at this Women’s T20 World Cup reached 282 runs, going past the previous mark of 219 set by Australia’s Beth Mooney in 2020.
New Zealand knocked out
For New Zealand, the defeat confirmed the end of their title defence. They had come into the game knowing a win over England was necessary after Ireland’s result against the West Indies, but England’s batting performance left them with no way back.
The loss also marked the final international match for three senior New Zealand players. Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu had previously announced that they would retire after the World Cup.
All three have been major names in New Zealand women’s cricket, but their international careers ended with the team missing out on the semi-finals.
West Indies benefit from result
England’s win sent the West Indies into the last four as the Group B runners-up. England had already secured their semi-final place and made it five wins from five in this edition of the tournament.
The full semi-final line-up will be settled after the Group A match between Australia and India. That result will decide how the remaining places and match-ups are confirmed for next week’s knockout stage.
For England, the result added to an unbeaten group-stage run and showed the depth of their batting under pressure. For New Zealand, it brought a sudden end to their defence of the title after they had been given a late chance to qualify.
Source: The Hindu Cricket.