England thrash West Indies by nine wickets: second women’s T20 international – as it happened
Nat Sciver-Brunt’s reactionHappy days! The bowlers set the game up beautifully,When you’ve got someone only two games into their career who is begging to bowl four overs straight through, it’s a dream,Em was on a roll and it seemed a shame to take her off,Cricket’s a funny game, isn’t it? I lasted two balls on Wednesday and tonight I get a first-ball boundary,We set a high standard with our fielding in the first game but I’m pretty sure we topped that here tonight.
That’s something that drives the energy in the team.We’ll head off to Chelmsford and prepare the same as always.We won’t take it [the third and final T2oI] lightly.Hayley Matthews’ reactionIt’s been disappointing.We knew it would be a tough tour, especially without some of our seasoned campaigners.
We’d obviously like to compete a bit better.It has nothing to do with the effort the girls are putting in – we’re asking a lot of people who have only played 30-40 domestic games in their life to come and perform on the international stage.We’re asking a lot of coaches to make magic when we don’t have a proper system.We have to keep encouraging them as much as possible.It’s been a dream start to my career with England.
It was a very different role from the first game [bowling four overs in a row at the start] but in T20 you have to be flexible.We wanted to use seam up front, to test it out, and it went well.The wicket was a bit stoppy and I felt like if I hit my natural hard length it would be difficult for them to score.I thought we were great as a unit in the field – everyone was just on it.It’s a great group of girls, they’ve made me feel welcome and I’ve settled in really well.
England have clinched the T20 series with a game to spare.They were expected to win, sure, but they’ve done so in the most emphatic manner.Charlotte Edwards might just have a future in this coaching thing.9.2 overs: England 82-1 (Dunkley 24, Sciver-Brunt 55) Sciver-Brunt clips Fletcher for four to complete a Hove hammering.
England were on top from the moment Hayley Matthews was bowled by Em Arlott in the fourth over; their grip got tighter and tighter as the match progressed.9th over: England 78-1 (Dunkley 24, Sciver-Brunt 51) Sciver-Brunt, who in this form makes batting look offensively easy, pings Aaliyah Alleyne’s first ball over point for her ninth boundary.Later in the over she completes a 28-ball fifty with an expansive pull shot that is dropped on the midwicket boundary by Fraser.It was a really tough low chance on the run; Fraser couldn’t hang on and the ball slipped away for a couple of runs.8th over: England 69-1 (Dunkley 23, Sciver-Brunt 43) At this rate we’ll be done in time for HIGNFY.
Dunkley sweeps the legspinner Afy Fletcher’s second ball for another boundary, her third and England’s 11th,“These bowling figures need some appreciation: Bell 3-28, newcomer Arlott 3-14, Dean 2-12 and the returning Wong an excellent 1-10 at the death,” says Stephen Nichols,“And then Linsey Smith has no wickets but a very tidy 0-15,A great team bowling performance from the five, without Ecc and Glenn,We need depth in our bowling attack - it’s great to see it.
”Absolutely.It’s particularly nice to see Issy Wong back to her effervescent self.Em Arlott is a really interesting addition as well, especially with the improvement in her batting.7th over: England 63-1 (Dunkley 18, Sciver-Brunt 42) England were always going to reach their target but Sciver-Brunt is playing a gem of an innings nonetheless.She moves into the forties with successive boundaries off Matthews, an imperious drive over extra-cover followed by a deft reverse paddle.
Dunkley, a coruscating talent who could be such a key player for Charlotte Edwards, plays a firmer reverse paddle for four more.England need 19 runs to win from 13 overs.6th over: England 49-1 (Dunkley 13, Sciver-Brunt 33) Karisha Ramharack’s first ball is a loosener that Dunkley pummels through midwicket for her first boundary.She’s dropped next ball, a very tough chance to the keeper when she toe-ends a late cut.Sciver-Brunt cuts easily through the covers for her sixth boundary; she has raced to 33 from 19 balls and England are almost home.
5th over: England 37-1 (Dunkley 6, Sciver-Brunt 28) Hayley Matthews brings herself into the attack,Sciver-Brunt chips stylishly down the ground for two, and four singles on top of that make it another good over for England,4th over: England 31-1 (Dunkley 4, Sciver-Brunt 24) NSB is on the charge,She hits three successive boundaries off Fraser, each shot expertly placed through backward point, square leg and finally midwicket,England are almost halfway to their target, already.
3rd over: England 17-1 (Dunkley 3, Sciver-Brunt 11) Sciver-Brunt pumps James emphatically over mid-on for four.It’s a safe shot against James because, although she is technically a left-arm spinner, every delivery is coming into the right-hander.2nd over: England 10-1 (Dunkley 2, Sciver-Brunt 6) Cherry-Ann Fraser shares the new ball.Her pace is good, just shy of 70mph, and Sciver-Brunt misses a premediated ramp off the final ball of the over.England could take their time with such a small target but they are determined to dominate.
1st over: England 6-1 (Dunkley 1, Sciver-Brunt 5) Nat Sciver-Brunt, who got a two-ball duck at Canterbury, clips her first ball stylishly past midwicket for four,Well, well: Danni Wyatt-Hodge has gone for a golden duck! She drove outside the line of a curving delivery from the left-arm spinner Zaina James that went through the gate to hit the stumps,Nicely bowled, bit of a loose shot,20th over: West Indies 81-9 (Fraser 4, Ramharack 5) Issy Wong completes a ruthless performance in the field from England,Em Arlott, playing only her second game for England, set the tone with a three-wicket burst – including Hayley Matthews – in the Powerplay.
Lauren Bell also took three wickets, Charlie Dean snared two in two balls and Issy Wong couldn’t stop smiling during a confident spell of 4-0-10-1.19th over: West Indies 79-9 (Fraser 4, Ramharack 3) No wickets tonight for Linsey Smith but she was parsimonious as ever: 4-0-15-0.That’s the eighth time in 18 T20Is that she’s gone at less than a run a ball.18th over: West Indies 76-9 (Fraser 3, Ramharack 1) Bell almost finishes the innings with a couple of excellent yorkers that whoosh past Fraser’s off stump.Nine down, one to go.
Fletcher drives Bell high in the air and Sciver-Brunt backpedals from extra cover to take a comfortable catch.17th over: West Indies 75-8 (Fraser 3, Fletcher 2) It feels like West Indies are miles short of a par score, maybe even 80 or 90 runs.Issy Wong gets her first wicket of the night with a lovely bit of bowling.Gajnabi, completely hoodwinked by a loopy slower ball, sliced a big shot towards backward point and was well caught by Dunkley.16th over: West Indies 72-7 (Gajnabi 22, Fraser 2) Fraser swipes Dean over wide mid-on for a couple to get off the mark, then almost offers a return catch with a blast down the ground.
It bounces just short of Dean who fields well.She ends with fine figures of 4-0-12-2.15th over: West Indies 69-7 (Gajnabi 21, Fraser 0)Bell starts a new spell with a high full toss, which means a no-ball and a free hit.Gajnabi takes advantage to drive high over mid-off for four; that’s the first boundary in six overs.And there’s the third wicket in five balls! Aaliyah Alleyne has also gone for a golden duck, fiddling a back-of-a-length delivery through to Amy Jones.
14th over: West Indies 61-6 (Gajnabi 16, Alleyne 0) That was the last ball of the over so Dean will be on a hat-trick at the start of her next over.Charlie Dean is on a hat-trick! Mandy Mangru misses an ill-judged sweep and is bowled for a golden duck.Yep, that was coming.Shemaine Campbelle was getting visibly frustrated by her inability to pierce the infield with ground shots, so she decided to go aerial and holed out to Em Arlott at long on.She took a calm catch to give Charlie Dean her first wicket.
13th over: West Indies 61-4 (Campbelle 25, Gajnabi 15) Gajnabi tries to make something happen with a premeditated reverse-sweep on Smith, but she only glove the ball slowly towards short third.England’s bowlers have given West Indies very little to work with.12th over: West Indies 58-4 (Campbelle 23, Gajnabi 14) A fine second over from Wong includes a wider short ball that beats Campbelle’s attempted cut.It’s been 23 balls since West Indies’ last boundary and it feels like something is about to give.11th over: West Indies 55-4 (Campbelle 22, Gajnabi 13) A lovely, flighted delivery from Dean is dragged in the air but safely over midwicket by Gajnabi.
That brings one of only four singles from another pretty good over,England have the game under control,10th over: West Indies 51-4 (Campbelle 20, Gajnabi 11) Time for the raw pace of Issy Wong,It’s so good to see her back in the team, and with a big smile on her face as she celebrates a crowd catch,Wong, like all the England bowlers tonight, hits a line and length from the start – full and straight in her case.
Three from the over, and that’s drinks.9th over: West Indies 48-4 (Campbelle 19, Gajnabi 9) A fraction of width from Smith is enough for Campbelle to larrup a boundary through the covers.There’s a precautionary run-out check later in the over but Gajnabi was home.8th over: West Indies 40-4 (Campbelle 13, Gajnabi 7) Nat Sciver-Brunt decides to bowl Arlott straight through.Gajnabi, on the run, flat-bats an emphatic boundary through the covers; Arlott responds with a 68mph bouncer that is called wide on height.
After a quiet end to the over, Arlott finishes with marvellous figures of 4-1-14-3.Well bowled indeed.Anyone out there? Anyone? Fry?7th over: West Indies 33-4 (Campbelle 12, Gajnabi 2) Charlie Dean comes on after the Powerplay.Her first over is a quiet one, just three singles from it.West Indies may have to take two of three overs to stabilise the innings.
It’s deceptively sunny at Hove,Plenty of the crowd, not to mention Charlotte Edwards, are shivering under their coats as they watch the action,6th over: West Indies 30-4 (Campbelle 11, Gajnabi 0) England needed many things after that desperate Ashes defeat,Top of the list was new blood – not just to energise the team but to give hope to everybody in domestic cricket,Arlott earned her call-up with her performances in the One-Day Cup and she’s making the most of her chance.
She has figures of 3-1-7-3: brilliant at the best of times, quite outstanding in the Powerplay.Em Arlott is having a night out.She has just taken her third wicket, with the dangerous Stafanie Taylor clattering a drive straight to Charlie Dean in the covers.West Indies are in abundant bother.5th over: West Indies 29-3 (Campbelle 11, Taylor 0) Three down or not, West Indies will keep coming in the Powerplay.
Campbelle slashes Bell deliberately over the cordon for four before nailing a lofted drive over mid-off,Lovely shot,4th over: West Indies 18-3 (Campbelle 1, Taylor 0) That was the last ball of the over, a memorable one for Em Arlott in only her second game for England,She has figures of 2-0-7-2,Em Arlott has two wickets in the over and Sophia Dunkley has taken a blinder! James scuffed Arlott towards midwicket, where Dunkley threw up her left hand to take a brilliant reaction catch.
There has been lots of focus on England’s fielding after the Ashes defeat; catches like that will change the narrative very quickly.A huge wicket for Em Arlott! Hayley Matthews wafts all around an excellent delivery that nips back to hit leg stump.Matthews had driven the previous ball majestically over extra-cover for four but Arlott kept pitching it up and got her reward.3rd over: West Indies 12-1 (Matthews 2, James 6) The left-arm spinner Linsey Smith replaces Lauren Bell.She’s straight into her work, troubling James with her accuracy and drift, and again there’s only one run from the over
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