New Zealand sink England in rain-hit final women’s ODI to tie series

• 3rd ODI: England 181-7; NZ 141-4. NZ win by 17 runs (DLS)

• Play halted with tourists ahead on DLS – series drawn 1-1

New Zealand shared the series spoils – and the ICC Championship points – after winning the final one-day international at Cardiff on Saturday with six wickets in hand. Lauren Bell had initially reduced the tourists to 40 for three, before giving everyone a scare for next month’s World Cup when she toppled over in her follow-through and briefly left the field for treatment.

She returned to bowl the 26th over of New Zealand’s run-chase, but the umpires called a halt to proceedings shortly afterwards. By then, a combination of Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday and Izzy Gaze had batted together for long enough and with enough assertiveness to ensure New Zealand were well ahead on DLS to level the series 1-1.