England vs New Zealand: Freya Kemp hails Alice Capsey's 'ruthless' performance and relishes bowling return after injury lay-off

Freya Kemp hailed England team-mate Alice Capsey's 'ruthless' performance against New Zealand in their T20 World Cup warm-up in midweek and revealed that Charlotte Edwards wants them to keep up the charge.

England secured a seven-wicket victory against New Zealand in Derby on Wednesday evening and will be hoping for more of the same in the second T20 on Saturday in Kent, live on Sky Sports Main Event.

Capsey, who was moved up the order from her usual No 3 spot, has pushed herself into contention as one of England's openers after scoring an unbeaten 74 off 51 balls - her highest total in the international format.

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"I think the message with international cricket is just about winning," Kemp said on Friday.

"That's a really important thing for us as a group. We just want to get over the line and get those wins.

"It was a really good performance and started off the T20 summer really nicely.

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"It was a real good tone setter for the series," Kemp added. "A really exciting T20 summer is coming up. Our efforts with the ball and execution in the field were really good.

"It was backed up really nicely with the bat. Capsey really set the tone. She's obviously not opened before, but it was really nice to see, and it was a ruthless performance."

On Capsey's performance, Kemp added: "It was amazing. She batted really well. It was obviously a tricky period at the beginning [of her innings], but she rode that well and just to see it home was really nice."

Heather Knight was later dismissed for 19 runs in the 12th over, with Kemp subsequently arriving at the crease and adding 31 runs not out, to seal victory for the hosts.

Kemp returns to bowl after 14-month injury lay-off

Kemp made her England debut aged 17, but two years later, she suffered two back stress fractures. She was subsequently ruled out of the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup.

Due to the injuries, Kemp has been unable to bowl competitively for the past 14 months, but on Wednesday, the left-arm medium pace bowler enjoyed her first spell with the ball in hand, turning out for two overs.

"It was really nice to be back bowling the other night," Kemp said. "The support I had has been unbelievable.

"Every time I go out and play cricket. I just want to do what the team needs from me. It was nice to take on that responsibility and get the job done the other night."

Kemp did not bowl during England's recent ODI series against New Zealand, but has been working behind the scenes with fast-bowling coach Chris Liddle since January.

She added that all the effort she has put into returning to full fitness was worth it.

"It was really nice to have the ball in my hand and get playing again.

"Obviously, it's been a long while, but some hard work has gone on in the background, and it was really nice to be back bowling again."

Doubts had risen over whether Kemp would be selected for this summer's World Cup. Asked if she ever feared her injuries would prevent her from being selected, she replied: "Not really.

"It's obviously an honour to be picked in the squad. I'm an all-rounder, and that's what I want to be doing for the team: contributing to all three facets of the game.

"So it was really nice to be back out of there."

'Capsey is someone who can take the game away'

Former England bowler Tash Farrant, speaking on Sky Sports:

"Capsey has really staked her claim. I don't know where she's going to fit in the side, with Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson as well, but she's shown she should be there.

"What I thought was brilliant today from Capsey was how she moved her feet - especially against Melie Kerr, who she's struggled with in the past.

"We know what she can do against pace. She targeted the backward point region really well, and she kept going to it and playing to her strengths really well.

"For me, she is someone who can take the game away. She played the situation, but she really went through the gears quickly as well."

England vs New Zealand results and schedule

All times UK and Ireland; all games live on Sky Sports

• First ODI ( Durham) - England win by one wicket 🔵
• Second ODI (Northampton) - Match abandoned ☔
• Third ODI (Cardiff) - New Zealand win by 17 runs (DLS) ⚫

• First T20I (Derby) - England win by seven wickets 🔴 🔵
• Second T20I (Canterbury) - Saturday, May 23 (2.30pm) 📅
• Third T20I (Hove) - Monday, May 25 (2.30pm) 📅

Watch England's second T20I match against New Zealand live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket from 2pm on Saturday. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.