England Women vs New Zealand Women Prediction & Preview – T20 World Cup 28th Match

England Women meet New Zealand Women in the 28th match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, staged at Kennington Oval on Saturday 27 June. The game starts at 6:30 pm local time, and our preview expects a lively contest between two sides who both have plenty of attacking options.

England’s possible XI is built around Amy Jones, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey and Heather Knight in the top and middle order, with Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson adding all-round depth. Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean and Linsey Smith give the attack spin options, while Lauren Bell leads the seam department. The wider squad is captained by Nat Sciver-Brunt and also includes Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Lauren Filer and Issy Wong.

New Zealand’s likely side features Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine and Brooke Halliday, with Maddy Green and Izzy Sharp adding power. Jess Kerr, Nensi Patel, Rosemary Mair and Bree Illing form a balanced bowling group, and Suzie Bates, Lea Tahuhu and Polly Inglis are among the other names in their squad. Our view is that they have enough hitting to stay in the game, especially if they are chasing, but England’s batting depth makes them the narrow favourites. A first-innings target of 160 or more would put real pressure on any chase.

Probable playing XI

Pitch report

The Oval is usually a balanced surface. There is decent pace and carry for strokeplay once batters are in, and the new ball can seam early, especially under cloud. The pitch tends to ease for batting as the innings goes on, while spinners can find some grip in the middle overs. Around 150 to 165 is a competitive T20 total here, and sides who accelerate late can go beyond 170.

Weather

Warm and pleasant conditions are forecast for the 6:30 pm local start, with temperatures of roughly 27 to 29°C, mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies and only a minimal chance of rain. A light breeze could help the quicks early on, but the dry evening should favour batting and a full 20 overs per side looks likely.

Expected scores

• 1st innings: 150–170
• 2nd innings: 140–160

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