That’s it for tonight – I’ll leave you with Raf Nicholson’s report. Bye!
Harmanpreet Kaur's verdict
It’s a great moment for all of us. I’m really happy with the way we played in both series… The whole team have been great, everyone has wanted to take the opportunity with both hands.
[On Shree Charani and Kranti Gaud] Both of them got really good experience in the WPL. We thought if we gave them the opportunity they could do really well for our country. They are always ready to bowl for the team.
[On the fielding] Credit goes to our fielding coach Munish [Bali] because he has been working really hard. Initially it was frustrating because we were putting in the effort in camp but we were not getting the results on the field. But now everyone is aware that we are putting pressure [on the opposition] when we are fielding.
[On her glorious century] This innings is dedicated to my dad. Hr wasn’t asking for it but I know he was waiting for this knock and I hope he’ll be very happy.
Nat Sciver-Brunt's reaction
I think we did really well to stay in the game that long. We were happy with how we were going throughout the innings but the wickets towards the end cost us.
We let them score a few too many in the first innings and we maybe weren’t as disciplined as we could have been with the ball.
[On England’s fielding] It’s a combination of everything. We do work very hard on it and the engagement that we have in practice is brilliant. So then translating that to a game, I think that’s probably where we miss a little bit. Some people are maybe surprised that the ball is coming to them, or whatever it is.
In training we’re absolutely fine but when the pressure’s on in a game it becomes difficult. We’ll continue to work on it.
[On the balance of the side] We don’t have the luxury of loads of allrounders. The balance of the side is an ongoing conversation and it’ll be very pitch-dependent. My plan is to be bowling by the World Cup so that will give us a sixth bowler. We’re trying different things and we’ll learn a lot from this series.
India are a world-class side and will take some beating at the World Cup. They’re a marker of where we need to be. Congratulations to them.
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Kranti Gaud, aged 21 and playing only her fourth ODI, is embraced by her teammates after taking 6 for 52 to seal a huge series win. India could barely be in better shape ahead of a home World Cup. They were deserved winners of both white-ball series, with their futuristic fielding the biggest difference between the sides.
England fought hard and came close to pulling off the biggest runchase in women’s ODI history. The dismissals of Nat Sciver-Brunt, who made a wonderful 98, and Sophia Dunkley, needlessly run out for 34, proved decisive.
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INDIA WIN BY 13 RUNS AND WIN THE ODI SERIES 2-1!
WICKET! England 305 all out (Bell c Harmanpreet b Gaud 7) Six and out for Bell, six wickets for Kranti Gaud!
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49.1 overs: England 297-9 (Smith 13, Bell 0) The hat-trick ball is a wide yorker that Smith jabs for a single. A five-for and a series win will do just fine; she has the rest of her career to take a hat-trick for her country.
49th over: England 296-9 (Smith 12, Bell 0) Linsey Smith takes nine from the penultimate over, so Gaud will have the chance of a hat-trick. If you believe in miracles, England need 23 from the final over.
48th over: England 287-9 (Smith 3, Bell 0) That was the last ball of the over. Gaud has figures of 9-1-43-5; she’ll remember this day for a long time.
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WICKET! England 287-9 (Filer b Gaud 0)
Five wickets for Kranti Gaud! What a wonderful moment for a fine young bowler. She castled Lauren Filer with an immaculate yorker before bouncing off in celebration. It’s the first five-for of Gaud’s international career – and if she gets another over, she’ll be on a hat-trick for the second time today.
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WICKET! England 285-8 (Davidson-Richards c Yadav b Gaud 44)
Alice Davidson-Richards goes down swinging. She scooped Gaud for four and belted six over long-on before picking out deep midwicket. Radha Yadav took a good catch to end a defiant counter-attack from ADR.
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47th over: England 275-7 (Davidson-Richards 32, Smith 3) Davidson-Richards thumps a defiant boundary, the first of her innings from the 28th ball. A nice stroke; surely a futile one too. England need 44 from 18 balls.
WICKET! England 267-7 (Ecclestone c Rodrigues b Charani 1)
Ecclestone goes big and goes home. She clunked a full toss from Charani down the ground and was caught beautifully by Rodrigues, running round the boundary from long on. That was a tough chance made to look routine by a fielder of rare brilliance.
46th over: England 266-6 (Davidson-Richards 26, Ecclestone 1) That wicket gives Kranti Gaud the first three-for of her burgeoning ODI career. At 21, she has a seriously bright future.
An outstanding over: one wicket, only two runs. This game is done.
WICKET! England 264-6 (Dean c Rodrigues b Gaud 21)
A brilliant catch from Jemima Rodrigues! Dean cuffed the new bowler Gaud towards long on, where Rodrigues ran in and swooped to take an immaculately judged catch.
India’s fielding has been one of the defining features of the tour, and if they win today – spoiler alert… – it will be in no small part because of two outstanding catches from Deepti Sharma and now Rodrigues.
45th over: England 264-5 (Davidson-Richards 25, Dean 21) Sharma’s last over yields seven runs, which suits India’s just fine. England should have had a seventh delivery but the umpire chose not to call wide when Dean missed a reverse sweep at a full toss outside leg stump. The umpire presumably thought Dean got a slight touch.
England need 55 from 30 balls.
44th over: England 257-5 (Davidson-Richards 21, Dean 19) Perhaps I wrote England off too soon. After some more good running between the wickets early in the over, Dean drags a reverse sweep for four off Charani.
Ten from the over. This is a lovely cameo from Dean, 19 from 11 balls.
43rd over: England 247-5 (Davidson-Richards 17, Dean 13) Dean works Sharma for three successive twos on the leg side. Such skilful batting, not just the placement but also the weight of stroke to ensure the ball didn’t get to the fielder too quickly.
Three twos, three ones = nine from the over. The required rate creeps up to 10.28.
42nd over: England 238-5 (Davidson-Richards 15, Dean 6) An Indian win feels inevitable after the two Brobdingnagian wickets of Sciver-Brunt and Dunkley. It might be a blessing in disguise for England; a series victory against such strong opposition would have papered over a lot of cracks. The start of a new regime is the time to fix them properly.
India’s review unsuccessfully for caught behind when Davidson-Richards misses a leg-side swipe at Charani. Charlie Dean then pings a breezy reverse sweep for four. England need 81 from 48 balls.
41st over: England 229-5 (Davidson-Richards 12, Dean 1) That wicket was a result of four consecutive dot balls from Sharma to Dunkley across two overs. Dunkley panicked and tried to take what would have been a very risky single.
One way or another, Deepti Sharma has played a part in three huge wickets. Dunkley, who had been struggling to get off strike against Sharma, cracked the ball into the covers and started running. She and Davidson-Richards had a stand-off before Dunkley turned and tried to make her ground at the striker’s end. Too late: Gaud’s quick throw allowed Ghosh to do the necessary with Dunkley well short.
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WICKET! England 228-5 (Dunkley run out 34)
And it all goes wrong, big-time.
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40th over: England 228-4 (Dunkley 34, Davidson-Richards 12) A tempting 46mph delivery from Yadav is reverse swept fine for four by Dunkley, an excellent shot that releases a bit of pressure. Four singles make it a pretty good over for England, albeit one run short of the required rate.
39th over: England 220-4 (Dunkley 28, Davidson-Richards 10) Sharma returns in place of Rawal, whose one over cost nine runs. A terrific over - which ends with three successive dot balls to Dunkley – ratches the required rate to exactly 9. England need 99 from 66 balls.
38th over: England 217-4 (Dunkley 27, Davidson-Richards 8) A top-edged sweep from Davidson-Richards clears short fine leg and goes for a couple. These two are the last recognised batters and for now they’re dealing mainly in low-risk shots for one and occasionally two. The deeper they can take this run-chase, the greater the chances of Charlie Dean or Sophie Ecclestone finishing it off.
37th over: England 210-4 (Dunkley 25, Davidson-Richards 3) Dunkley gets her first boundary with a ferocious pull off the part-time spinner Pratika Rawal. She has manoeuvred the ball so well that she’s going at more than a run a ball despite hitting only one four in 24 balls.
36th over: England 201-4 (Dunkley 17, Davidson-Richards 2) Yadav turns the screw with another boundaryless over, six from it.
Just before her dismissal, Sciver-Brunt swept Sharma firmly round the corner for four; that’s the only boundary England have scored in the last seven overs.
England need 118 from 84 balls.
35th over: England 195-4 (Dunkley 13, Davidson-Richards 0) Deepti Sharma won the first ODI for India with the bat. Today she has dismissed Amy Jones with a sensational catch and now Nat Sciver-Brunt with the ball. It was a filthy delivery, admittedly, but frankly who cares. Some cricketers are blessed with the ability to make things happen.
It was a majestic knock from Sciver-Brunt: 98 from 105 balls, including 74 from the last 57.
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WICKET! England 195-4 (Sciver-Brunt c Ghosh b Sharma 98)
This feels like the series-defining moment. Sciver-Brunt was too early on the sweep, with the ball hitting the glove before looping up slowly on the leg side. Ghosh showed superb anticipation and agility to read the flight of the ball, dive forward and take the catch.
The moment Harmanpreet motioned for a review, Sciver-Brunt started walking off the field.
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India review for caught behind against Sciver-Brunt!
The bowler Sharma is convinced it’s out. This is the game, right here. In fact Sciver-Brunt is walking!
34th over: England 189-3 (Sciver-Brunt 94, Dunkley 12) Rana’s final over is milked for seven, with England scoring off every delivery except the last. Rana, whose first two overs were maidens, ends with figures of 10-2-57-0.
Dunkley has started busily, going at almost a run a ball (12 from 14) without finding the boundary. This match is fascinatingly poised.
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33rd over: England 182-3 (Sciver-Brunt 91, Dunkley 8) Seven from Charani’s over, none in boundaries, with Dunkley taking a single off the last ball to keep strike.
Sciver-Brunt has faced only five deliveries in the last four overs, a division of labour that England need to change if they are to win this game. They need 137 from 102 balls.
32nd over: England 175-3 (Sciver-Brunt 90, Dunkley 2) The wicket means a reversal of pressure, and an increase in India’s fielding intensity. Sciver-Brunt has to scamper to maker her ground after being sent back by Dunkley. I think she’d have been home even with a direct hit but it’s a sign that the mood has changed since Lamb’s dismissal.
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31st over: England 171-3 (Sciver-Brunt 87, Dunkley 0) The in-form Sophia Dunkley is the new batter. Even with the required rate creeping back towards eight an over, Dunkley can afford to take half a dozen deliveries to get her eye in.
WICKET! England 170-3 (Lamb b Charani 68)
Lamb is bowled again, except this time the balls do the decent thing and fall off. Twice she tried to slog-sweep Charani and was beaten. The first time the ball straightened past off stump, the second time it trimmed the bails.
That’s a vital wicket for India and the end of a resourceful supporting innings: 68 from 81 balls with five fours.
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Lamb is bowled – but the bails stay on
30th over: England 168-2 (Lamb 67, Sciver-Brunt 87) Lamb tries to sweep Rana, is too early on the shot and inadvertently deflects the ball back towards the wicket. It rolls into the stumps – but not with enough force to dislodge the bails.
29th over: England 162-2 (Lamb 62, Sciver-Brunt 86) Charani returns to the attack and drops Lamb first ball. It was a sharp chance – Lamb smacked it back at her – and it burst through the hands.
Sciver-Brunt continues her real-time masterclass with a sweep round the corner for four. That brings up the 150 partnership from 160 balls. England were in all sorts at 22 for 2 after 10 overs; now they are arguably favourites.
28th over: England 152-2 (Lamb 58, Sciver-Brunt 80) The required rate is going down rather than up, always a good sign for the team that is chasing. Lamb sweeps Yadav fiercely towards deep midwicket, where Gaud saves two with a brilliant diving stop.
No boundaries but England still take seven from the over.
27th over: England 145-2 (Lamb 55, Sciver-Brunt 77) NSB has made three centuries in ODI runchases – all against Australia, all in defeats. She looks intent on changing both statistics today. A near faultless innings continues when she dances down to drive Rana to the left of mid-off and away for four.
She’s just too good. She should be made to start every innings on minus 10 or something.
26th over: England 136-2 (Lamb 55, Sciver-Brunt 69) Lamb lifts Yadav expertly over midwicket for four, a shot of such brilliance that at first I thought it was Sciver-Brunt.
England are 13 runs ahead of India at the same stage. India will be concerned but they know that one wicket, especially NSB, would instantly make them strong favourites.
Emma Lamb hits her fourth ODI fifty
25th over: England 129-2 (Lamb 50, Sciver-Brunt 67) Rana drops fractionally short and is clattered to the cover boundary by Sciver-Brunt. She’s just so good. The last half an hour has been a clinic in how to score at a strike rate of 150 with minimal risk.
NSB is receiving valuable support from Lamb, who sweeps successive deliveries for four and two to reach an excellent fifty from 63 balls. A strike rate of 79 is excellent, especially as she’s not a naturally attacking player of spin.
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23rd over: England 115-2 (Lamb 41, Sciver-Brunt 62) Another change: Yadav for Gaud, whose second spell of two overs was feasted upon by Sciver-Brunt.
India enquire for LBW when Lamb gets in a tangle trying a reverse lap. Good thing they didn’t go for a review as replays show a clear top edge.
23rd over: England 111-2 (Lamb 39, Sciver-Brunt 60) Rana returns and is swept round the corner for four by Sciver-Brunt, who is batting with a certainty that will worry her opposite number Harmanpreet.
England still need 7.7 runs an over; this partnership has at least given them a chance.
Fifty from NSB
22nd over: England 105-2 (Lamb 38, Sciver-Brunt 55) Sciver-Brunt works Gaud for a single to reach an accomplished fifty from 67 balls. At one stage she was 3 not out from 26, yet at no stage was there even a hint of panic. From Claire Taylor to Michael Bevan, the greatest ODI finishers have always had the supreme confidence to start slowly when necessary.
NSB continues to catch up by forcing Gaud for another superb boundary between long on and cow corner. That makes it 31 runs from her last 20 balls.
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21st over: England 96-2 (Lamb 36, Sciver-Brunt 49) Sharma continues around the wicket to Lamb, who skips down to chip a superb boundary back over the bowler’s head. That certainly didn’t look forced; it was a beautiful stroke.
This is a good spell for England, who have scored 38 from the last five overs and 74 from the last 11.
20th over: England 88-2 (Lamb 30, Sciver-Brunt 47) Kranti Gaud replaces Yadav, which means a change of pace in the bowling. But not Sciver-Brunt’s scoring: after a slow start she is playing beautifully and crashes another boundary between long on and cow corner. Perfectly placed.
Sciver-Brunt scored 24 from her first 49 deliveries; she’s hit 23 in the last 15.
19th over: England 80-2 (Lamb 29, Sciver-Brunt 40) Deepti Sharma references the Mankad of 2022 by stopping in her delivery stride and watching Emma Lamb leave her crease. Sharma’s gesture seemed at least partially playful, though it’s hard to be sure when you don’t have access to the stump mic.
A couple of lofted shots, one from each batter, tease the India fielders before dropping safely. Seven from the over. Lamb has done pretty well but her last boundary was in the 11th over; her attacking strokes against spin look slightly forced.
18th over: England 73-2 (Lamb 24, Sciver-Brunt 38) Sciver-Brunt drives Yadav beautifully over mid-off for four, the best shot of the innings to date. Three singles make it a pretty good over for England; they are still behind the game but Sciver-Brunt is going through the gears.
17th over: England 66-2 (Lamb 23, Sciver-Brunt 32) Back comes Deepti Sharma. Sciver-Brunt bashed a boundary under mid-on, though at first it looked like she was going to be caught. The ball dipped and then scuttled under Deol as she dived forward.
16th over: England 57-2 (Lamb 22, Sciver-Brunt 24) Ghosh is okay to continue, at least for now.
15.5 overs: England 57-2 (Lamb 22, Sciver-Brunt 24) A leg-side wide from Yadav hits Ghosh painfully on the left hand. There’s a break in play while she receives treatment.
Drinks: Lamb and Sciver-Brunt rebuild
15th over: England 55-2 (Lamb 22, Sciver-Brunt 23) Left-arm spin from both ends now, with Charani continuing. Sciver-Brunt reverse laps for two, a skilful shot but one she had to fetch from outside leg stump, and England take eight from the over without recourse to boundaries.
There was a run-out review against Lamb; replays confirmed the naked-eye impression that she was comfortably home.
Time for drinks. When play resumes, England will need 264 runs from 35 overs.
14th over: England 47-2 (Lamb 18, Sciver-Brunt 19) Yadav has another LBW appeal turned down against Sciver-Brunt. This one was more adjacent but there was an inside-edge.
Sciver-Brunt is not out! I called it correctly but my working was hopeless: the ball pitched on middle and leg, in fact, and would have slid past leg stump on the angle.
Sciver-Brunt missed a sweep at a very full delivery from the left-arm spinner Yadav. This is closer than I thought…
India review for LBW against Sciver-Brunt
I thought it pitched outside leg but the bowler – Radha Yadav, just into the attack – was very keen and talked Harmanpreet into a review.
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13th over: England 42-2 (Lamb 15, Sciver-Brunt 17) With the essential caveat that I wouldn’t give England’s chances much more than tuppence, Lamb and Sciver-Brunt are playing this pretty well. They took time to adjust to the pitch, knowing that another early wicket would have been terminal, and now they are picking up at least a single off most deliveries.
In essence, while Sciver-Brunt is at the crease and England are no more than six or seven wickets down, they have an outside chance. Not a puncher’s chance, because we’ve had enough boxing for one day.
12th over: England 38-2 (Lamb 13, Sciver-Brunt 15) Sciver-Brunt sweeps Rana for four, an expertly placed shot to the right of short fine leg.
There’s still plenty to do but England have started to up the tempo. They’ve scored more runs in the last 14 deliveries than they did in the first 58.
11th over: England 30-2 (Lamb 12, Sciver-Brunt 9) The left-arm spinner Shree Charani replaces Kranti Gaud, who bowled an outstanding spell of 5-1-12-2. Lamb slices her first delivery past short third for a rare boundary, and four singles make it a decent over for England. The scoreboard has started to move.
England’s score of 22-2 is apparently their second lowest in an ODI powerplay. And that Sciver-Brunt boundary took her past 4000 ODI runs; no batter from any country has got there in fewer deliveries.
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10th over: England 22-2 (Lamb 6, Sciver-Brunt 7) Sciver-Brunt is almost bowled by an offbreak from Rana that keeps a bit low. She did well, having shaped for a big shot, to react and drag the ball off middle stump.
Something has to give her. It does when, after 16 successive dot balls from Rana, Sciver-Brunt runs down the track to thump a boundary through the covers. As a result Rana has lamentable figures of 3-2-4-0.
9th over: England 18-2 (Lamb 6, Sciver-Brunt 3) England are trying to make an omelette without breaking any eggs. They don’t bat deep so they’re terrified of losing another wicket in the Powerplay; all the while the required rate is heading skyward.
Sciver-Brunt hits the field with a couple of cuts before stealing a single on the off side. That’s the only run from another superb over for India. England need 301 from 41 overs. Call me a pessimist if you like…
8th over: England 17-2 (Lamb 6, Sciver-Brunt 2) Lamb is trying to use her feet to the spinners but it doesn’t come naturally. She punches a straight drive that is stopped by Rana, then sweeps straight to short fine leg. Back-to-back maidens for Rana.
7th over: England 17-2 (Lamb 6, Sciver-Brunt 2) Sciver-Brunt works Gaud for a couple to finally get off the mark. She ends the over with a crisp cover drive that is brilliantly stopped by the diving Rodrigues, who is congratulated by her teammates when she bounces to her feet. India are all over England like a cheap cliche.
“Rob,” says John Starbuck. “I know people keep quoting a boxer with the line about ‘everyone has a plan...’ but Napoleon got there first: no plan survives first contact with the enemy.”
He probably nicked it from Sun Tzu.
6th over: England 15-2 (Lamb 6, Sciver-Brunt 0) The offspinner Sneh Rana starts with a maiden – but it could have been even better for India. Emma Lamb edged the last ball of the over and was dropped by the keeper Richa Ghosh. There was a decent deflection, which made it a pretty tough chance; even so, Ghosh would take that maybe seven times out of 10.
5th over: England 15-2 (Lamb 6, Sciver-Brunt 0) Sciver-Brunt, still on 0, edges Gaud fractionally short of slip. India’s intensity in the field is eye-catching – or rather ear-catching.
There’s nothing vicious – I’m not sure they’re even talking to the England batters – but their collective energy must be pretty intimidating. Especially when you’re 15 for 2 chasing plenty.
4th over: England 13-2 (Lamb 5, Sciver-Brunt 0) Lamb chips Sharma decisively over wide mid-on for four to get off the mark. NSB is still on 0 after 8 balls, which might seem odd but makes sense in the circumstances. England’s best chance of victory is a Sciver-Brunt epic, like the 2022 World Cup final but with a happier ending. A careful start gives her a bigger chance of doing something miraculous.
“You’ll catch the end of Pointless at this rate, Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “Or at least get to see the darts. Been dramatic in Blackpool so far...”
3rd over: England 8-2 (Lamb 0, Sciver-Brunt 0) I didn’t realise Gaud was on a hat-trick, having struck with the last ball of her first over and the first of her second. Nat Sciver-Brunt defends the hat-trick ball but is unable to get off the mark for the rest of the over. A wicket maiden is a decent second prize for Gaud.
Jones threw the bat at a wide, full delivery from Gaud and sliced the ball towards gully. It seemed to be past Deepti Sharma, who dived backwards to her right to take a stunning one-handed catch. Outrageous! That’s a microcosm of the whole tour; India have wiped the floor with England in the field.
WICKET! England 8-2 (Jones c Sharma b Gaud 4)
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. Amy Jones has fallen to a stunning catch and England are in all sorts, already.
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2nd over: England 8-1 (Jones 4, Lamb 0) The offspinner Deepti Sharma shares the new ball and rushes through an over that costs just one. The new batter Emma Lamb, who is more comfortable against pace early on, played out four dot balls to end the over.
1st over: England 7-1 (Jones 3, Lamb 0)
WICKET! England 7-1 (Beaumont b Gaud 2)
Kranti Gaud starts the innings with a big no-ball, which allows Amy Jones to drag the free hit over midwicket for three runs. Her opening partner Tammy Beaumont works two off the pads and then survives a big LBW shout. It did too much and would have missed leg stump.
No matter, because the last ball of the over gets the job done. Beaumont has been bowled by a jaffa – a similar delivery to the LBW appeal, except this one was perfectly pitched and came back through to the gate to hit the top of off. The perfect start for India.
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England will make history if they pull this off. No team has scored 319 or more batting second to win a women’s ODI. In fact, only one team has chased more than 300, Sri Lanka against South Africa last year.
England, whose openers are about to take the field, have quite the job on.
Thanks Daniel, hello everyone. Jemimah Rodrigues, interviewed on Sky Sports, reckons India made a “fighting total”. The pundits don’t entirely concur. The unspoken consensus is that India have a fighting chance in the same way Mike Tyson had a fighting chance every time he entered a boxing ring between 1985 and 1989.
That, then is me. Rob Smyth will be with you shortly to call England home, but otherwise, peace aht.
Between-innings reading:
That was shockingly competent from India. Not that it wasn’t obvious that they’re good, more that they calmly put away the bad balls with extreme prejudice, saw out the better bowlers and tougher moments, then properly got after it at the end. England have the firepower to chase this, but it’ll need something very special to even make it close.
India set England 319 to win ODI series
50th over: India 318-5 (Ghosh 38, Yadav 2) Sorry, one ball: Yadav gets away to midwicket, then Ghosh bottom-edges high … just over Allen, and just over the fence for six! Two more follow, ad it’s worth noting that India have compiled this phat total without even needing Deepti; that’s some terrifying power, right there. An tennis-slap down the ground adds two more, likewise a lovely-sounding hollow loft back over the bowler’s head, and that completes a near-perfect dig from India. Well, well batted.
49th over: India 305-5 (Ghosh 26, Yadav 1) Yadav forces to cover to get off the mark and when Ghosh can’t get away the final delivery of Smith’s spell – the analysis of which reads 1-74 – Bell will have a full over at Yadav to complete the innings.
WICKET! Kaur c Sciver-Brunt b Smith 1-02 (India 304-5)
Harmanpreet drives hard but uppishly, and Sciver-Brunt, diving as the ball lasers past her, takes a decent catch. A quality knock from a quality player.
49th over: India 304-4 (Kaur 102, Ghosh 26) It’s been an uncomfortable innings for Smith, whose first ball is swept to deep backward square by Ghosh; to win the series, England must now complete their highest-ever chase. A dot follows, then a hard pull heads straight to Filer … who kind of leaps past it, putting the chance down.
48th over: India 299-4 (Kaur 102, Ghosh 21) Bell is back and Ghosh flicks into the leg-side for two, then turns a slot-ball into a half-volley, stepping away again to fizz four through cover. The power in India’s batting lineup is seriously serious, but when Ghosh slaps to cover, they try for a second run and does Harmanpreet make it back to the non-striker’s? Just, the full-length drive saving her, but in comms, Butch is irritated Lamb wasn’t in sharply enough nor her throw good enough, and England are punished, Ghosh annihilating a slower-ball over wide mid-off for the first six of the innings. England’s fielding needs some attention, and a one then a two make it 17 off the over; India have paced this beautifully.
Harmanpreet Kaur raises her century
47th over: India 282-4 (Kaur 100, Ghosh 6) It’s Smith in again and her first three balls go for two ones and a two, Ghosh off the mark with a shove down the ground. She won’t take too many sighters, I wouldn’t think, but in the meantime, Harmanpreet drives through mid-off and that completes a frankly sensational class-is-permanent century – it looks so easy for her when she’s playing well. And as we said, Ghosh won’t wait to be asked, stepping away to free arms and zetz four over cover before taking a single to complete a 10-run over. India still have batting to come, too, so I’d expect them to properly go at these last three overs.
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46th over: India 272-4 (Kaur 96, Ghosh 0) India might have enough runs already, but there’re plenty more out there for them; England will hope the breakthrough allows them to apply the brakes.
WICKET! Rodrigues c Jones b Filer 50 (India 272-4)
Filer tries a bumper so Rodrigues looks to pull, but instead gloves behind where Jones moves feet well to take a smart leg-side catch.
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46th over: India 272-3 (Kaur 94, Rodrigues 50) Filer to finish off and after one to Harmanpreet, Rodrigues pulls for another single, raising her fifty off just 44 deliveries. I love how busy and positive she is at the crease.
45th over: India 269-3 (Kaur 94, Rodrigues 49) Smith returns – good luck old mate. Shonuff, Harmanpreet takes two, then smears four over mid-off – it looks so easy for her, but she’s got some kind of lower-back situation, taking treatment on the pitch Shubman Gill-style. That takes a few minutes, then she gets up and immediately sweeps four more, in perfect control; this really is a tremendous knock and, as I type the words, she retreats in her crease then gets down to loft another sweep over square leg. That’s 14 off the over with a ball to come, and a cover-drive first bats Beaumont’s drive, then runs away towards the fence, Dean running it down to save a fourth boundary. She’s one hit away from another century, and already, this total looks nasty.
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44th over: India 252-3 (Kaur 77, Rodrigues 49) Filer begins with a wide, then drops short, offering width … and Harmanpreet lasers for to the fence, the partnership 79 off 61. There’s a lot of batting to come too, so these batters have no excuse for not going after it and, as I type, the sensational Harmanpreet launches four more down the ground, stepping back to power-stroke back over the bowler’s head. Eight off the over with four balls still to come, the next of which yields a single … and the one after four more, clumped by Jemimah through fine leg; a pull for two completes the scoring from the over, 16 runs all told, and Filer is 0-61 off nine.
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43rd over: India 236-3 (Kaur 68, Rodrigues 46) Rodrigues comes down to Dean, two big strikes, turning a length-ball into a full toss and slamming four through cover. Gosh, and a sweep into the on-side totally foxes Lamb, the ball spinning away as she goes towards it, and that’s four more. A single follows, then Harmanpreet sweeps into the ground for a third boundary of an over which, thanks to a one and a two – the second featuring a misfield from the England captain – yields 16 runs.
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42nd over: India 220-3 (Kaur 63, Rodrigues 32) Filer replaces Smith and after two singles from three deliveries, Harmanpreet stands and delivers, waiting on the crease to clout another over-pitched delivery over mid-on for four. Two further singles complete the over and India are building momentum.
41st over: India 212-3 (Kaur 57, Rodrigues 30) Rodrigues sweeps for one, then Harmanpreet misses a pull and they run a leg bye. India need boundaries now though, and the former quickly twinkles down the track to launch four over the infield and to cow corner. So Dean, aware she offered width, goes straighter … allowing Jemimah to sweep four more, before reversing a third boundary in a row. Excellent work from here, and that’s 14 off the over. India needed that.
40th over: India 198-3 (Kaur 57, Rodrigues 17) India have rarely looked troubled but they’ve also not got away and, when Smith begins with a pair of dots, there’s a bit of pressure to score. So Rodrigues gets down on one knee to sweep, misses, and wears ball on torso; she was outside the line, so when the appeal is rejected, there’s no review. A lapped single follows, the only run from the over, and India must surely up the pace now if there’s to be any point in their keeping wickets in hand.
39th over: India 197-3 (Kaur 57, Rodrigues 16) Rodrigues misses a sweep and wears the ball on the pad, but she was well outside the line; I really enjoy her composure at the crease, and how much fin she looks like she’s having. A sweep to deep square adds one to the total, then then two further singles complete a much better over for England, three from it.
38th over: India 194-3 (Kaur 56, Rodrigues 14) India are taking singles pretty easily now, two from the first two balls of Smith’s sixth over, and I’m sure the batters are plotting a boundary at some point. But when Harmanpreet steps a cross to glance down to third, they’ve to make do with a measly three, before three more singles make it eight off the over once more.
37th over: India 186-3 (Kaur 51, Rodrigues 6) I like Rodrigues, but I’d definitely have thought about sending Deepti in above her just because she’s playing so well and the longer you can get her in the middle, the better. India, though, know there’s little to come from England’s usual death-bowlers – as I type we’re told Ecclestone has never finished her spell as early in an innings. Meantime, Dean returns, and after Rodrigues takes a single, Harmanpreet flogs four through long on, raises her fifty with a single, and two more of those means a total eight runs from the over. India are starting to move.
36th over: India 178-3 (Kaur 45, Rodrigues 6) What’s a good score from here? India have wickets in hand and will surely want to get close to 300 if they can – six an over from here takes them to 265, but with Deepti to come, they’ve scope for a bit more despite the slow outfield. Smith, though, returns and though Rodrigues turns her loosener around the corner for two, four dots followed by single mean that’s a decent comeback over from Smith, three runs coming from it.
35th over: India 175-3 (Kaur 45, Rodrigues 6) India are set for a death onslaught but can they get it going from almost a standing start? Well, after two singles from two balls, Harmanpreet punishes a drag-down with a pull for four, and two further singles mean the over costs eight.
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34th over: India 167-3 (Kaur 39, Rodrigues 4) I guess if we’re being generous, we’ll say England provoked that wicket by keeping it tight and attacking by keeping their best bowlers going, but it was a wild shot from Deol, who might’ve tried to bat through. Anyhow, the partnership ends at 81 and Ecclestone is going to bowl her final over in the hope of making further inroads. But after one run from four, Rodrigues gets off the mark with a nicely timed extra-cover drive, the over yielding five and Ecclestone finishing a typically excellent spell with 1-28 off 10.
WICKET! Deol c Sciver-Brunt b Bell 45 (India 162-3)
Bell bangs in and Deol forces it when she doesn’t have to, top-edging a cross-batted swipe to short midwicket. India have donated England a wicket they scarcely looked like conjuring.
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33rd over: India 162-2 (Deol 45, Kaur 38) Bell hasn’t, I’m afraid, looked especially threatening today, and her first five deliveries yield four singles and a two.
32nd over: India 156-2 (Deol 43, Kaur 34) Ecclestone continues, Sciver-Brunt in greater need of a wicket now than an over later; that’s good, aggressive captaincy. But it doesn’t work, five dots followed by another gorgeous Harmanpreet cover-drive; it makes her the 17th batter to score 4000 ODI runs. There’ll be many, many more.
31st over: India 152-2 (Deol 43, Kaur 30) Bell bangs in and Deol uppercuts to wide third, Filer setting off too slowly to keep her to one. Two singles follow, then an off-side wide, and India are nicely set for a death slog, given they’ve Jemimah and Deepti yet to come.
30th over: India 147-2 (Deol 40, Kaur 29) With the partnership 61 off 71, Sciver-Brunt turns to Ecclestone, who has just three overs left, and brings the field up, looking to make something happen. Deol, though, doesn’t take the bait and look for the less well-guarded boundaries, getting down on one knee to heave a sweep for one … then just as another over from England’s best bowler is disappearing, Harmanpreet accepts the challenge, stepping down and making room to nail a picturebook extra-cover drive to the fence for four.
29th over: India 142-2 (Deol 39, Kaur 25) Bell replaces Smith as Sciver-Brunt continues her search for a breakthru; Harmanpreet turns her loosener away into the leg-side for one. Three dots follow, but Deol, ticking nicely, clears her front pad to mow across the line for four, before tickling a further single to cover.
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28th over: India 136-2 (Deol 34, Kaur 24) Filer shapes one in and Harmanpreet, caught behind her pad, is struck on the back one. England appeal but they know it was high and possibly going down … but, as India as two singles and a wide, we’re shown that the batter was deep in her crease and a review would’ve seen her walking. That’s the second time that’s happened today.
27th over: India 131-2 (Deol 32, Kaur 22) Two singles then, offered width, Harmanpreet throws hands, clobbering a cut to the point fence for four. She’s starting to enjoy herself but, after a single, Deol looks to go bit … but skews an outside edge to third man … where it drops safe. Eight off the over, partnership burgeoning on which point has anyone ever used the word “burgeoning” in a non-sporting context?
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26th over: India 123-2 (Deol 30, Kaur 16) Filer bangs in and Deol forces to deep backward square for one, then Harmanpreet tips and runs for one more. A further single follows then, offered a slot ball, the India captain takes a big step forward, then times a fantastic drive through backward point for four that looks ominous for England. Again, England could very much use a wicket.
“Re Billie Piper,” returns John Starbuck, “her face appeared at the end of Ncuti Gatwa’s last scene as the Doctor, which traditionally leads the audience to expect her as the next regenerated Doctor. There’s been a lot of argumentative fuss about this, as she was formerly a ‘companion’, though it reflects the last time the Doctor was female. Otherwise, they usually portray the regenerative process as a typical bit of TV magic (science).”
Got it. My wife is well into sci-fi so I’ve seen a million Babylon 5s, but she’s never prevailed upon me to watch the Dr.
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25th over: India 115-2 (Deol 28, Kaur 10) Sciver-Brunt will want to fiddle as many overs out of Smith as she can, but Deol will know that so, after two dots she unloads the suitcase at one, skipping down to knuck inside-out, over mid-off for four. That’s a terrific strike, made all the more valuable when she squirts the next delivery to deep point for two, the scoreboard kept ticking over. A single completes the over, and the partnership is now 34 off 47; we’re halfway through the innings.
24th over: India 108-2 (Deol 21, Kaur 10) Sciver-Brunt restores Filer to the attack in place of Ecclestone; can she find her length in this spell? Earlier in the innings she was mainly too full too frequently, but she starts well here, only for Deol to flick her second delivery to deep square for two. A single follows, then Harmanpreet also takes two to deep square, making it five runs from the over.
23rd over: India 103-2 (Deol 18, Kaur 8) Harmanpreet mows into the on-side but picks out midwicket and they run one, raising India’s hundred in the process. Another single and a two follow, and that’s a much better over from Smith.
“Ecclestone has used the time since The Ashes to regenerate?” asks Nicholas Way. “Does that mean she’s now played by Billie Piper?”
I think this must be a Dr Who gag I don’t get.
22nd over: India 99-2 (Deol 17, Kaur 5) Ah, Ecclestone continues for a seventh over, Sciver-Brunt hoping she’ll break this partnership and that the batters won’t want to allow her a third straight maiden. Deol shoves her second ball to mid-off for one, then Harmanpreet twizzles to fine leg and they try to nick a single but was Deol’s bat grounded on the dive? The umpire wants a look … but it was fine.
21st over: India 97-2 (Deol 16, Kaur 4) Smith into the attack, beginning her spell with a no ball that a replay says was fine; what will Deol do with the free hit? She skips down and, offered width, thrashes over extra for four. She’s in now and, with one ball bowled and five conceded, the bowler is under pressure. She responds fairly well in the first instance, a single following when the ball skips up over Dean’s attempt to field, but then a lovely cover-drive punishes an over-pitched delivery; that’s Harmanpreet off the mark and 10 off the over.
20th over: India 87-2 (Deol 11, Kaur 0) Yup, Ecclestone continues, but Harmanpreet knows she’s gone in six deliveries, so plays circumspectly even when offered the sweep. An inside-edge meets the fifth ball, but it loops up and falls safe, where leg-slip isn’t, and Ecclestone completes a second consecutive maiden. That will, I imagine, be the end of her spell.
19th over: India 87-2 (Deol 11, Kaur 0) Deol drives for two then, after two dots, she forces a drive through extra, India’s first boundary in 70 deliveries. Six from the over but, with Harmanpreet on strike and yet to score, Sciver-Brunt will surely allow Ecclestone another over.
18th over: India 87-2 (Deol 5, Kaur 0) A wicket-maiden for Ecclestone, and this is a key passage of the match coming up.
WICKET! Mandhana c Dunkley b Ecclestone 45 (India 81-2)
Offered a drag-down, Mandhana realises she needs to take advantage, but her timing is offer and she uses her whole body looking to step away and pull, only to pick out short midwicket, where Dunkley takes a smart catch in front of her coupon. Huge breakthrough for England.
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17th over: India 81-1 (Mandhana 45, Deol 5) Dean continues but still lacks attacking support from her fielders, spread around the park. She concedes three singles, India content to consolidate.
16th over: India 78-1 (Mandhana 43, Deol 4) Mandhana takes one to square leg, the only run of the over, and Ecclestone is settling into her spell now. Drinks.
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15th over: India 77-1 (Mandhana 42, Deol 4) India get it moving again, two singles from the first two balls of Dean’s over – the second courtesy of a misfield – followed by a cut for two to deep point. A single and another two follows, then we see footage of the third delivery of Ecclestone’s last over which hit pad before bat; had England reviewed, it would’ve bee out, but they didn’t even appeal.
14th over: India 70-1 (Mandhana 38, Deol 1) Mandhana goes over the top when Ecclestone flights one; the outfield is sluggish, so she has to make do with two. A single follows, then three dots ad another single; I wonder, though, if Sciver-Brunt might look to force something to happen by moving a fielder or two closer in. Currently, there’s no proximate hostility for the batters to consider.
13th over: India 67-1 (Mandhana 35, Deol 1) Looking again, there was really nice dip on the wicket-ball, which also bounced just a touch more. England have got the scoring under control and, though India started well, they’ve not yet got away. The remainder of the over yields a wide and two singles, Deol running down to get off the mark; can the hosts build pressure?
WICKET! Rawal c Jones b Dean 26 (India 64-1)
Yup, Rawal edged behind and how badly did England need that?
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13th over: India 64-0 (Rawal 26, Mandhana 34) Dean tosses one up that then turns back into Rawal, who tries a cut, missing; Jones collects, the bowler is sure there’s a tickle … but the umpire says no. England review…
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12th over: India 64-0 (Rawal 26, Mandhana 34) On the bench, Harmapreet and Deepti will be salivating at the platform being built; in the middle, Ecclestone’s first ball spins, Jones can’t grab, and the batters run three wides. The second delivery, though, grips and bounces; Rawal edges in defence, then Beaumont gets a good hand on square-drive, limiting them to one. England mustered a bit more pressure in that over, but can they back it up?
11th over: India 60-0 (Rawal 25, Mandhana 34) Scary hours for England, two twos and two singles from the first five balls making this a decent over already, then Mandhana square-drives its final delivery, they run two more, and that’s another eight added.
10th over: India 52-0 (Rawal 22, Mandhana 29) Yeah, Sciver-Brunt wants a wicket, introducing Ecclestone nice and early, but she’s milked for two singles, the second of them raising India’s fifty, then edged for a well-run two. The intensity from the tourists has been very good so far – they’ve batted with excellent conviction so far.
9th over: India 48-0 (Rawal 19, Mandhana 28) Dean replaces Filer and immediately goes around to Smriti, who belatedly no-balls her; she rightly tells him she bowled from the stumps not the crease and it was the back foot that came over the line in follow-through; he changes his call. Mandhana does, though, add one with a drive to mid-off, Rawal then glances another to square leg, and that’s a nicely economical opening from Dean. Her team needed it.
8th over: India 46-0 (Rawal 18, Mandhana 27) I do love Chester-le-Street. If i’m honest, that’s partly because I love Bryan Robson and going to his birthplace was a pilgrimage, but it’s also a beautiful ground, and I was lucky enough to see one of the great spells of bowling when I visited. Back with today, offered one on the pads, Mandhana swats away dismissively for her fifth four of the innings – don’t be bowling there to me, old mate – then a single allows Rawal to haul another pull for two more.
7th over: India 39-0 (Rawal 16, Mandhana 22) Bell continues but, with England having stemmed the scoring, she’s again too straight, allowing Rawal to turn her away to fine leg for four. A drive to backward point adds two more, then a half-batted drive runs away for four. Two balls to go and already 10 from the over; Bell responds with a pair of dots but India are cruising nicely here. England could really use a wicket.
6th over: India 29-0 (Rawal 6, Mandhana 22) This is also better from Filer, who bowls four dots then Mandhana glances square of the wicket on the leg-side … and Lamb mistimes her dive, so they run two. The fielding has not been the best aspect of this series, but Filer responds with a decent nut. She’s into this now.
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5th over: India 27-0 (Rawal 6, Mandhana 20) Betterish from Bell, who still offers drive-balls, but with greater risk and the shots pick out fielders. Naturally, no sooner have I typed that than she sends down a leg-side wide, the only one from the over until its final delivery goes down the ground for one more.
4th over: India 25-0 (Rawal 6, Mandhana 19) India will be very happy with their start and, as I type, Rawal drives nicely through cover for one, then Filer offers a straight one, back of a length on the hip, and Madhana yanks it around the corner for another four; she wants to be the difference here, and she’s seeing it big.
3rd over: India 19-0 (Rawal 5, Mandhana 14) Again, Bell is too full, and Mandhana drives through point for four … then strokes a shorter one down into the pitch for four more through extra. Lovely shot. So Sciver-Brunt comes over to chat to her bowler, who goes around to the left-handed Manhana, over-pitches again, and a delectable cover-drive makes it three boundaries in three balls. That last one was reminiscent of Ian Bell, and there’s little higher praise than that. From there, though, Bell comes back well, sending down three dots, but her over still costs 12.
2nd over: India 7-0 (Rawal 5, Mandhana 2) Filer starts nicely, hurling an inswinger into Rawal’s pad; there’s an appeal, but probably an exculpatory inside-edge, which is presumably why England don’t review. It turns out there was also too much movement – the ball wouldn’t have hit the stumps – then, after two singles, Dunkley allows Rawal’s drive through her legs at cost of two.
1st over: India 3-0 (Rawal 2, Mandhana 1) Bell comes stotting in and does well to see her floaty full toss hit straight to backward point. We then lose pictures, missing two singles, then one more follows.
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…and play.
Lauren Bell has the ball…
Here come our players…
Teams
England 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Amy Jones (wk), 3 Emma Lamb, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Sophia Dunkley, 6 Alice Davidson-Rich, 7 Charlie Dean, 8 Sophie Ecclestone, 9 Linsey Smith, 10 Lauren Filer, 11 Lauren Bell.
India 1 Pratika Rawal, 2 Smriti Mandhana, 3 Harleen Deol, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Jemimah Rodrigues, 6 Richa Ghosh (wk), 7 Deepti Sharma, 8 Radha Yadav, 9 Sneh Rana, 10 N Sree Charani, 11 Kranti Goud.
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All being well, Ecclestone is also back. She was terrific at Lord’s, and has just explained to Charlie-Charles Dagnall how hurt she was by the criticism she received during the following the Ashes series. But she’s used to time since to regenerate, reminding herself how much playing for England means to her. She is, for mine, the most likely of the panoply of match-winners playing today.
I’m glad to see Filer back. England are a much better side when able to call upon her pace, and they’ll need her in India when the World Cup starts.
Sciver-Brunt would’ve bowled, so is happy. She liked how flexible her team were at Lord’s but makes two changes – in come Alice Davidson-Richards and Lauren Filer, with Maia Bouchier and Em Arlott dropping out. India make on change, Radha Yadav replacing Arundhati Reddy.
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India win the toss and bat
They’re playing four spinners who they want bowling later in the match, explains Harmanpreet. She’s happy with the cricket India have played this tour and hopes for another positive performance.
Time for the toss…
We’ll take it.
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Preamble
You wait ages for a banger of a bilateral, then two turn up at once.
Though England and India are two teams still seeking themselves, in the meantime, they are both fine teams, in the process of serving us a terrific series. It’s easy to make a case for both to take it today, as it is for almost every player of the 22 to make the crucial contribution. We play sport partly to find out what’s going to happen when we do, and anyone confidently predicting the outcome of this contest is bluffing.
There are players in form – for England, Sophia Dunkley, Alice Davidson-Richards, Amy Jones and, of course, Sophie Ecclestone, with Sneh Rana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Smriti Mandhana at it for India. But there are also players who’ve yet to fully figure but rarely let a series go by without a major contribution – Tammy Beaumont and Nat Sciver-Brunt for the hosts, Harmanpreet Kaur for the tourists. Any one of them could be definitive today, likewise someone we’ve not named – we just don’t know, which is what makes this match so exciting.
Likewise, the imminent World Cup: everything that happens today is building towards that, with players jockeying for position and units looking to cement themselves. For the teams, there’s a series on the line, but the players are playing for their futures. This is going to be great.
Play: 1pm BST
