Women's World Cup: Sophie Divine forced to retire after picking up a nasty injury

England and New Zealand were facing off against each other in a do-or-die World Cup match at Eden Park, Auckland on 20th March, Sunday. England skipper won the toss and asked the hosts to bat first. New Zealand got off to a good start with openers Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine putting up a half-century partnership for the first wicket. The skipper of the White Ferns, Sophie Devine looked in good touch and was laying a strong foundation for the team.

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However, an unfortunate incident saw Devine being forced to leave the field. It was the first ball of the 15th over of New Zealand’s innings, where Devine pulled up a muscle while attempting a second run. 

Sophie Devine immediately knew that she would not be able to continue further and left the field. While she left the crease, she was batting at 37 runs off 42 deliveries. However, the skipper returned when her team was struggling during the innings. In the 38th over Lea Tahuhu was dismissed for a duck, leaving New Zealand reeling at 155 for 6. Devine took guard again at this stage but could not last long as she was dismissed for 41 runs off 48 deliveries.

 New Zealand ultimately was able to score 203 runs losing all their wickets in the 49th over. England, while chasing 204 runs on the back of Heather Knight (42 runs) and Natalie Sciver’s (61 runs) knocks won the match. The game turned out to be a thrilling affair, with England winning by just 1 wicket. The defeat has made New Zealand’s progress to the next round tougher. Though theoretically, they can still make it to the next round, it would require a miracle for them to make it through.