New Zealand failed to progress to the semifinals after losing their last round robin game against England by eight wickets on Sunday night.
The White Ferns will head home from the 50-over tournament in India and Sri Lanka having won once, lost four times and had two games washed out.
It was an emotional afternoon in Visakhapatnam for New Zealand great Sophie Devine, who bowed out of ODI cricket after a stellar career.
The 36-year-old leaves as the nation’s third-highest run-getter (4279) and second-highest wicket-taker (111).
Both teams formed a guard of honour for the departing great.
"Really wanted to go on a high, but today’s performance was disappointing," Devine said.
"I am humbled to have played for my country for 19 long years. We came with lot of hopes, but we weren’t good enough."
England ensured they would enter the semifinals on a winning note as they leapfrogged South Africa into second in the group stage standings.
Linsey Smith took three wickets as the White Ferns were dismissed for 168, Georgia Plimmer top-scoring with 43 and Devine contributing 23 in her final ODI.
England reached their target with 20.4 overs to spare, Amy Jones leading the way with an unbeaten 86 while Tammy Beaumont contributed 40.
The White Ferns elected to bat upon winning the toss and England suffered an early blow when Sophie Ecclestone was led from the field nursing her shoulder after picking up a knock while diving for a ball on the boundary.
The first wicket arrived when Emma Lamb, on as a substitute fielder in Ecclestone’s absence, held a simple catch after Suzie Bates picked her out from a Smith full toss.
Plimmer and Melie Kerr added 68 for the second wicket before both were dismissed in successive deliveries, Kerr slogging Alice Capsey to Charlie Dean at long-on before Dean trapped Plimmer in front with the first ball of the next over.
Ecclestone returned to the action to remove Brooke Halliday, caught in the deep by Sophia Dunkley, before swiftly leaving the field once more as her shoulder continued to prove troublesome.
There was no let-up from England’s bowlers, however, with Maddy Green chipping a return catch to Capsey — who then dropped a similar chance with her very next ball to Isabella Gaze — to leave New Zealand 128 for five.
Devine was key to a competitive score, but she nicked Nat Sciver-Brunt behind, a review picking up a thin inside edge, precipitating a collapse which saw the White Ferns lose their last five wickets for just 13 as the innings was brought to a close in the 39th over.
Amy Jones survived an lbw review in the first over of the run chase and England quickly settled thereafter, Beaumont striking four boundaries from one Jess Kerr over to set them on their way.
Beaumont progressed to 40 before falling lbw to Lea Tahuhu with the score on 75 but Heather Knight joined Jones to take England into three figures.
Knight successfully overturned an lbw decision when she was rapped on the pads by Melie Kerr and made the most of her reprieve by lofting the 100th six of the tournament shortly afterwards.
Jones followed suit to bring up her half-century in style, clearing the ropes off Bates, before three consecutive boundaries off Rosemary Mair brought the runs required below 20.
There was still time for Devine to have an impact in her swansong, the veteran trapping Knight in front on 33, but fittingly it was Jones who wrapped it up with a boundary as England got home in comfortable style.
NEW ZEALAND
S Bates c sub b Smith 10
G Plimmer lbw b Dean 43
A Kerr c Dean b Capsey 35
S Devine c Jones b Sciver-Brunt 23
B Halliday c Dunkley b Ecclestone 4
M Green c & b Capsey 18
I Gaze b Smith 14
J Kerr run out 10
R Mair lbw b Sciver-Brunt 0
L Tahuhu c Dean b Smith 2
E Carson not out 1
Extras (1b, 5w, 2nb) 8
Total (all out, 38.2 overs) 168
Fall: 1-21, 2-89, 3-89, 4-101, 5-128, 6-155, 7-157, 8-162, 9-166, 10-168.
Bowling: L Bell 6-0-35-0 (1w), L Smith 9.2-0-30-3 (1nb), N Sciver-Brunt 7-0-31-2, C Dean 7-0-21-1, A Capsey 6-0-34-2 (2w, 1nb), S Ecclestone 0.4-0-41 (1w), S Dunkley 2.2-0-12-0.
ENGLAND
A Jones not out 86
T Beaumont lbw b Tahuhu 40
H Knight lbw b Devine 33
D Wyatt-Hodge not out 2
Extras (2lb, 8w, 1nb) 11
Total (for 2wkts, 29.2 overs): 172
Fall: 1-75, 2-158.
Bowling: R Mair 5-0-33-0 (1w), J Kerr 5-0-38-0 (2w, 1nb), S Devine 4.2-0-20-1 (2w), A Kerr 6-0-31-0, L Tahuhu 4-1-9-1 (2w), E Carson 2-0-18-0 (1w), S Bates 3-0-21-0.
Result: England won by eight wickets.
World Cup
The semifinals
Wednesday: England v South Africa
Thursday: Australia v India
— Allied Media
