Bouchier had reached 92 when she was adjudged not out lbw after attempting to pull a Jess Kerr delivery which struck her low on the back pad, and New Zealand's bid to overturn the decision was denied on umpire's call. A maiden century was still on the menu.

"They call them the nervous nineties for a reason. I try not to think too far ahead and it was nice to have Nat come in and be that calm voice. At the start of the game she did our little speech in our huddle and she just said. 'one ball at a time'. That's exactly what she said to me when I was on 96 and she just said, 'keep thinking one ball at a time, watch and react'. My heart rate was going through the roof, but she really calmed me down, so that was pretty good."

Danni Wyatt, padded up outside the dressing-room ready to come in next, could barely watch, holding her breath behind cupped hands as the tension rose. Would Bouchier run out of runs to get? It was possible after Ecclestone's outstanding performance with the ball.

Sciver-Brunt lightened the mood somewhat as she blocked the remaining four balls of Molly Penfold's over to great cheers from the crowd, including a full toss which she prodded to mid-on where Sophie Devine even tried to lure an attempted run by taking a step back. But the England batters were having none of it and Sciver-Brunt succeeded in handing Bouchier the strike, facing Jess Kerr with four more runs needed to win.

Bouchier tucked Kerr's first delivery to backward square leg and ran two more. Then, after a dot ball pushed towards point, Bouchier struck the next into space through midwicket and took off for the two runs she needed to reach her ton and seal the win for England inside 25 overs.

"I didn't really know what Nat was thinking in terms of just getting the runs for the team, but when she started blocking a full-toss, I kind of knew and it was great that she was there at the end with me," Bouchier said. "It was an unspoken communication that we both agreed on."

It was on England's successful tour of New Zealand earlier this year that Bouchier established herself at the top of the order, particularly in their five T20Is, where she had scores of 43 not out, 12, 71, 91 and 6 as England claimed the series 4-1.

In Worcester, Bouchier took charge, particularly after Beaumont was run out for 28, having shared a 73-run opening stand with Bouchier.

Bouchier was on 42 at that point and peeled off five fours in the space of eight balls following Beaumont's dismissal, four of them off one Devine over. She struck 17 boundaries in all and faced 88 balls for her 100 not out.

"I've just started to trust myself more and I've got a lot more confidence in the way I play and not forcing it really," she said. "That's a big thing for me. I time the ball quite well and that's one of my big strengths, so using those as much as I can."