The New Zealand women's cricket team must win their final pool game to reach the semi-finals at the World Cup in England following a 75 run loss to the hosts in Derby.
Spirited figures of four for 51 Amelia Kerr ended in vain for the White Ferns. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
England booked their place in the semi-finals with a game to spare as a brilliant 170-run partnership between Natalie Sciver and Tammy Beaumont laid the foundation for the victory.
Sciver (129) made her second century of the competition and Beaumont accumulated 93 as the duo compiled 222 runs between them - more than 78 per cent of a total of 284 for nine - despite 16-year-old spinner Amelia Kerr taking four for 51.
Suzie Bates (44) and Amy Satterthwaite (35) offered some brief resistance in response but Alex Hartley took 3-44 as New Zealand wickets fell at regular intervals, eventually being dismissed for 209.
The White Ferns clash with India on Saturday is now a winner-takes-all for the semi-finals even as England will be battling for positions against the West Indies, with its passage safely secured.
Australia and South Africa are the other teams to have ensured last-four places with wins over India and Sri Lanka, respectively.
New Zealand skipper Suzie Bates said: "It was a good target by England but if one of top order scores big, then we thought it was gettable.
"Tammy and Sciver took it away from us a bit and although we brought it back a bit at the end, we couldn't break the partnership.
"Then, when you don't get one of your top five getting a big score, it's tough to beat a quality side like England."
"We've played some really good cricket in this tournament so it's not doom and gloom. It's a big game against India now and we know if we play well then we can beat them."
