Having conceded the series defeat by losing three games of the five-match T20I series against England, New Zealand will be playing for pride when they face England in the fifth and final T20I match on Friday at Basin Reserve.
New Zealand had bounced back into the series with the win in the third game after losing first two matches. Heading into the fourth game, they were handed a 47-run defeat, thus ending their hopes of winning the series. Ahead of the fifth game, New Zealand suffered a huge setback with their skipper Sophie Devine being ruled out of the game because of a quad injury.
She picked up the injury while bowling during the fourth match on Wednesday. Sophie Devine’s absence is a big setback to the team as she has been among the runs, scoring (77) in two innings.
Sophie Devine, along with Amelia Kerr, had missed the first game of the series due to their involvement in the Women’s Premier League in India. New Zealand would hope to put up a fierce fight to challenge England in order to finish the series on a winning note.
England, on the other hand, are high on confidence after registering their series-sealing win in the fourth T20I. They would look to go forward with the momentum to close out the series 4-1. M Bouchier, Danielle Wyatt and Alice Capsey will be expected to continue with their superb batting attack.
NZ-W Probable XI: Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Amelia Kerr, Mikaela Greig, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Isabella Gaze (wk), Hannah Rowe, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Fran Jonas
ENG-W Probable XI: Danielle Wyatt, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight (c), Amy Jones (wk), Sophia Dunkley, Danielle Gibson, Sophie Ecclestone, Charlotte Dean, Lauren Bell