Alice Capsey Hits 74 as England Beat New Zealand by Seven Wickets

alice capsey made England’s new opening plan work in Derby, scoring an unbeaten 74 from 51 balls as the hosts beat New Zealand by seven wickets in the first women’s T20 international. England chased 137 with 16 balls to spare and moved to a winning start in the series.

Capsey and Wyatt-Hodge

Capsey was pushed up to open in place of Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who missed the series because of the imminent birth of her first child. It was a different role for the England batter, and she handled it with control from the start.

She reached her highest T20I score by threading Mair for four and then cutting the next ball for four. That brought up her highest score for England, her first T20I half-century since July 2024.

England’s 137 Chase

England finished on 140-3 at 17.2 overs, with Capsey still there at the end and Freya Kemp unbeaten on 31 from 20 balls. The chase never needed a late rescue once England settled into the target of 137.

Capsey hit three sixes and seven fours in the innings. Her quote summed up the role shift plainly: “It’s a completely new role.”

Derby Start

The opening stands out because Capsey has usually batted at No 3 for England, but this match asked her to set the tone at the top. She also said, “I had some very good conversation wuth Dunks [Sophia Dunkley] in the last few days and she definitely settled the nerves.”

After the match, Capsey said, “I’ve worked on quite a few areas of my game.” She added, “I feel really good at the crease, really calm.”

England now have the early lead in the Twenty20 series against New Zealand, and the evidence from Derby is straightforward: the new opening option worked, and it worked against a target that demanded a clean chase rather than a scramble.