Ecclestone Guides England To Consolation Win In Final-ball Thriller Against India

England limped to a consolation five-wicket triumph successful nan last T20 astatine Edgbaston connected Saturday evening, chasing down their 168-run target disconnected nan last shot aft a melodramatic finish.

England needed six runs disconnected nan last over, but Tammy Beaumont was bowled playing crossed nan statement to nan first shot of Arundhati Reddy’s 20th over, earlier Amy Jones fell to a spectacular flying drawback by Radha Yadav astatine heavy midwicket.

But pinch 5 runs needed from 3 balls, Sophie Ecclestone sprinted 3 aft an Indian fumble successful nan deep, Paige Scholfield managed a azygous retired into nan off-side, and Ecclestone past made her crushed for nan basal azygous disconnected nan last shot arsenic nan Indian awkward astatine nan stumps went wide.

The level had been group aft Danni Wyatt-Hodge celebrated becoming conscionable nan 2nd female (after Charlotte Edwards) to declare 300 caps for England by scoring 56 from 37 balls and sharing different period business astatine nan apical of nan bid pinch Sophia Dunkley.

But nan constrictive margin, and nan 3-2 bid loss, has revealed nan standard of nan task facing caput coach Charlotte Edwards if she is to alteration her team’s fortunes successful clip for nan location World Cup adjacent summer.

England’s middle-order erstwhile again wobbled perilously successful pursuit of their target, replicating nan panic of nan 3rd T20, arsenic what should person been an easy run-chase turned into a hopeless 1 and was only successful acknowledgment to immoderate lethargic Indian fielding.

This clip it was India who shelled important catches, putting Wyatt-Hodge down astatine short good limb connected 5. Then, aft nan opener miscued Deepti Sharma to midwicket successful nan 12th over, Shree Charani dropped a sitter astatine short 3rd disconnected Jones astatine a crunch constituent successful nan tally chase, pinch 15 runs still needed.

Radha Yadav dismisses Amy Jones pinch a stunning drawback disconnected nan bowling of Arundhati Reddy. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

Earlier, pinch Lauren Filer and Lauren Bell rested up of nan ODIs, Warwickshire’s Em Arlott and Issy Wong were tasked pinch opening nan bowling connected their location ground, but some took a hammering, conceding complete 40 runs apiece arsenic India reached 167 for 7 aft being put successful to bat.

Wong suffered peculiarly astatine nan hands of Shafali Verma, who smashed 20 of her 75 runs disconnected 1 complete by nan seamer. For Verma, it was a invited comeback: her first world half-century since being dropped by India past year, struck truthful imperiously that successful a 66-run business pinch skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, nan second contributed conscionable 15 runs.

England were grateful to person Maia Bouchier backmost successful nan fold, contempt nan truth that she contributed conscionable 16 runs astatine No 3: she has ever been 1 of their champion outfielders, and showed it here, clasping onto a superb moving drawback astatine wide long-on to spot disconnected Verma successful nan 13th over. She held onto different successful nan 19th which sewage free of nan fierce Richa Ghosh.

But Bouchier’s inclusion came astatine nan disbursal of Alice Capsey, who now faces an uncertain way backmost to nan England T20 broadside up of adjacent summer’s World Cup. England now person nary charismatic T20 internationals successful nan almanac until May of adjacent twelvemonth – a feat of scheduling which seems some bizarre and counterproductive, fixed nan yawning spread betwixt their existent output and their desire to characteristic successful a location last astatine Lord’s adjacent July.