England squeeze past New Zealand in first women’s ODI thanks to Charlie Dean

After all the hype about England’s biggest summer, it got off to an underwhelming start at Chester-le-Street on Sunday, as they limped to a one-wicket win in the first one-day international against New Zealand, chasing just 211. Only a calm rearguard effort from the stand-in captain, Charlie Dean, who finished unbeaten on 31 and valiantly marshalled England’s long tail, enabled them to crawl across the line.

England played exactly the way you might expect from a team who have gone 194 days without playing an international match (their last outing was the World Cup semi-final in October). First, they made a spate of fielding errors, costing them precious runs in a low-scoring thriller. Then they subsided to 149 for six, after Emma Lamb, Amy Jones and Dani Gibson all holed out to gleeful fielders.

Freya Kemp managed 30 and was unlucky to be run out backing up, while Maia Bouchier struck a half century – despite being in the squad only as batting cover for Nat Sciver-Brunt.

Bouchier miscued a catch to midwicket in the 35th over and it looked like England’s decision to field a lineup with three effective no 11s – Lauren Bell, Lauren Filer and debutant Tilly Corteen-Coleman – might come back to haunt them.

But despite Bell and Filer both being yorked by the New Zealand quicks with 10 runs still needed, the 18-year-old Corteen-Coleman ran hard and struck three golden singles. Dean, who survived a drop by Nensi Patel at backward point which would have handed New Zealand the win, was left to smoke the winning run through the covers with 10 balls to spare.

Dean is attempting to prove her case as Sciver-Brunt’s long-term replacement, while the latter sits out this series with a calf injury. Sunday’s performance will have done her claim a lot of good, after she had earlier also picked up two wickets, coming round the wicket to good effect and correctly using DRS to see off Brooke Halliday with a ball which straightened enough to be hitting leg stump.

Maia Bouchier was England’s top scorer with 59. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

England had chosen to field first and bowled New Zealand out for an under-par 210, with their three debutants – Corteen-Coleman, Jodi Grewcock and Dani Gibson – all picking up wickets, as the visitors lost their last six wickets for 28 runs.

Maddy Green struck a sedate 88 – her fifth score of 50+ in her last seven ODI innings – but could not provide the late-innings acceleration needed to elevate the total. She was caught at long-on, amid a collapse which saw the visitors lose their last six wickets for 27 runs.