Opener Danni Wyatt smashed an unbeaten 89 off just 52 balls to power England to a facile eight-wicket win in the third and final day/night women’s T20 International at Chelmsford on Wednesday. England thus clinched the T20I series 2-1.
After beginning with a creditable draw in their on-off Test at Bristol, India thus ended their English tour on a low, losing both the T20I and ODI series with an identical score-line. Considering that they lost series in both formats a few months back to South Africa at home too – it’s apparent that India still have plenty of work to do to improve their limited overs game if they are to stake a claim in the 50-over World Cup next year in New Zealand.
Attacking the Indian bowlers, particularly the spinners with aplomb by using her feet, Wyatt strokes 11 fours and two sixes to prove a point to the English selectors, who had left her out of the ODI side. She took three fours in an over off Sneh Rana’s first over in the match, and then swept Deepti Sharma for a six and a four in the penultimate over as India’s spinners, perhaps hurt by dew, proved to be completely ineffective in the key game.
Defending a below-par 153, India’s hopes were ignited by Deepti, who struck in her first over, getting English opener Tammy Beaumont lbw. However, Wyatt joined forces with Natalie Sciver (42, 36b, 4×4) for a 112-run alliance for the second wicket in just 77 balls to seal the game and the series England’s way.
Enduring a poor game, teenaged batting sensation Shafali Verma was out for a duck, and then misjudged a catch at deep square leg. While the youngster has mightily impressed with the bat on this tour, it’s clear that she needs to improve her fielding by a massive margin.
Smriti Mandhana slammed a timely half-century (70, 51b, 8×4, 2×6), but England managed to restrict India to 153 for six in 20 overs. Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone took three for 35, while Katherine Brunt scalped the key wickets of Shafali Verma, in the first over of the match, and later Mandhana. Besides contributing with the bat, allrounder Sciver gave away just 16 runs in her four overs, besides taking a wicket.
Showing regal form in the decider, Mandhana added 68 in 52 balls for the third wicket with captain Harmanpreet Kaur (36, 26b, 5×4, 1×6) as the pair helped India recover from 13 for two in the fourth over. After both were gone, ‘keeper Richa Ghosh produced a fine cameo (20, 13b, 4×4) to provide the finishing touches to the innings.
Going into this match, Mandhana’s highest score in the limited overs leg of the tour was 49 in the final ODI at Worcester. Each time she looked like getting a big one, the left-hander would lose her wicket. However, on Wednesday she didn’t miss out on notching up her 13th half-century in her 18th T20I game. The elegant left-hander punished anything on leg stump, but was at her usual delightful self on the off-side too, once stepping out and smashing left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone over extra cover in her typical style. She was ultimately caught at mid-wicket off a low full toss, delivered off the back of the hand by Bruint.
Having found some sort of form in the last game, Harmanpreet continued to strike the ball cleanly, as she stepped out to tonk off-spinner Mady Villiers for a six down the ground, before taking 14 off leggie Sarah Glenn’s over.
Walking out at the fall of Mandhana’s wicket, Richa Ghosh smashed Brunt for consecutive fours down the ground, before the 17-year-old gave further proof of her phenomenal talent by sweeping and then opening the face of her bat to get two fours on the trot off Ecclestone.
Earlier, after they won the toss and opted to bat first, India were off to the worst-possible start when Shafali was out for a two-ball duck off just the fourth ball of the match, inside edging a Katherine Brunt delivery onto her stumps while trying to smash it away. It was the second time in the three-match T20I series when Brunt castled Shafali for a duck. Considering that the teenaged batter tonked Brunt for five consecutive fours in the previous game, it can safely be assumed that the veteran English seamer won the contest 2-1.
Soon, Harleen Deol was out while mistiming a slog sweep off left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, only for Sciver to take a superb, diving catch at short mid-wicket.
Brief Scores: India 153-6 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 70, Harmanpreet Kaur 36; Sophie Ecclestone 3-35) lost to England 154-2 in 18.4 overs (Danni Wyatt 89 not out, Natt Sciver 42) by eight wickets