England women beat India by 26 runs; level three match-series 1-1
Bristol, May 31
A sensational all-round show from Freya Kemp helped England level the three-match T20I series, beating India by 26 runs in the second T20I at Bristol on Saturday.
The series is 1-1 with one game left. Freya's late flourish with the bat powered England to 168/5 and India's middle-order collapse left them 26 short of the target.
England opted to bat first after winning the toss but Nandani Sharma (1/36) and Shree Charani (3/25) reduced England to 84/3, with Danni Wyatt Hodge (29 in 25 balls, with three fours) and Amy Jones (28 in 22 balls, with three fours) getting decent scores.
England got some late flourish with a 13-ball 39* (with three boundaries and two sixes) from Freya as they reached 168/5 in 20 overs.
During the chase of 169, India's top four of Smriti Mandhana (32 in 25 balls, with five fours), Shafali Varma (22 in 14 balls, with five fours), Yastika Bhatia (33 in 36 balls, with five fours) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (28 in 22 balls, with a four and two sixes) all got starts and India was well placed at 111/4 in 15.3 overs.
However, Kemp (2/15), Charlie Dean (2/20) and Lauren Bell (2/33) did not let India's middle order carry the momentum, sinking them to 142/9 in 20 overs, causing them to lose five wickets for just 30 runs as Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh all managed single digit scores.
Freya's quick-fire knock and two wickets earned her the 'Player of the Match' award.
The last T20I will be played in Taunton on Tuesday.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Freya Kemp was brilliant today! 39 off 13 balls and two wickets - absolutely game-changing performance. Our bowlers did well to restrict them initially but that late assault made all the difference. Still proud of the team though! 💪
I don't understand why we keep trying the same approach in the middle overs. All top four got starts but no one converted. Harmanpreet's 28 off 22 was decent but on a good pitch we needed someone to anchor and accelerate. The last T20I is do-or-die now.
That innings from Freya Kemp was pure class. But let's not forget Shree Charani's 3/25 - she bowled beautifully. Middle order just folded under pressure, it happens. The series is perfectly set for Taunton. Come on India, bounce back! 🇮🇳
Honestly, we need to look at our death bowling too. Conceding 84 runs in the last 10 overs when we had them 84/3 was not ideal. But full credit to England - they outplayed us in the crunch moments. Exciting series though, looking forward to Taunton! 🔥
Disappointing result but this Indian team has heart. Smriti looked in great touch and Yastika played a proper knock until she got out. The middle order failure is a worrying trend though - need to address that before the World Cup. All to play for on Tuesday! 🌟
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.