A comprehensive five-wicket victory over India Women gave host England Women a deserved ODI series win with one game to spare. England sealed the second ODI to pocket the three-match series. Mithali Raj’s 59 propelled India to 221/10 in 50 overs.Kate Cross claimed a fifer. In reply, England recovered from 92/4 to win the match convincingly (225/5).
Indian openers Smriti Mandhana (22) and Shafali Verma (44) added 56 runs for the opening wicket. India lost their way and were reduced to 77/3. Skipper Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur added 68 runs for the fourth wicket. However, England claimed regular wickets to hurt the visitors. In reply, England were reduced to 92/4.Sophia Dunkley scored a fifty to help England win.
Playing her 216th ODI, Mithali smashed a 92-ball 59, hitting six fours. She registered her 57th ODI hundred and a second successive one. Mithali has raced to 7,229 runs in ODIs at 51.26. The veteran batter has racked up 1,929 runs against England Women at 48.22.She slammed her 19th ODI fifty against them.Notably, Mithali has surpassed the 900-run mark in England (904).
Kate Cross (5/34) was exceptional for England Women. She took her second five-wicket haul in ODI cricket and a first against India Women. Cross now has 41 scalps at 22.39, including seven against India. Natalie Sciver (1/27) has reached a milestone of 50 ODI wickets.
22-year-old Sophia Dunkley, who played her debut ODI innings, smashed an unbeaten fifty (73*) to help England Women win. She hit five fours and a six. Dunkley also shared a match-winning partnership for the sixth wicket alongside Katherine Brunt (33*) to deflate the Indian bowlers.