India Win Women’s Odi Series Decider As Kaur Century Gives England Mountain To Climb

India vanished their circuit of England pinch a 13-run triumph astatine Chester-le-Street and a 2-1 one-day world bid victory, though England came desperately adjacent to pulling disconnected what would person been a grounds tally chase, falling conscionable short of their 319-run target.

The hosts had been successful problem astatine 8 for two, but Nat Sciver-Brunt and Emma Lamb overcame nan faltering commencement to adhd 162 runs for nan 3rd wicket and springiness England hope.

Lamb was bowled by Shree Charani for 68 and Sciver-Brunt gloved nan shot to a diving Richa Ghosh successful nan 35th over, 2 runs short of a century. Some nifty boundary-striking successful nan gaps from Sophia Dunkley, Charlie Dean and Alice Davidson-Richards kept them successful touch. But pinch England needing 55 from nan past 5 overs, Jemimah Rodrigues held connected to 2 fantabulous catches astatine long-on and seamer Kranti Goud vanished up pinch six for 52, arsenic nan hosts were yet incapable to rather lucifer nan late-innings acceleration of their opponents.

With nan World Cup now 10 weeks away, England will return renewed assurance from nan efforts of a mediate bid which looks astatine past to person absorbed immoderate of nan coach Charlotte Edwards’s lessons astir prioritising intelligent cricket supra showboating.

On nan different hand, England could person sent Harmanpreet packing for 22, had they referred a leg-before telephone successful nan 28th complete to nan 3rd umpire. It was 1 of 2 non-referrals which would person seen an India batter dismissed – nan different was against Harleen Deol – and exposed immoderate uncertainty astir England’s DRS chain-of-command. Traditionally, it is nan skipper who makes nan last call, but some times present Sciver-Brunt appeared to trust purely connected Amy Jones’s judgment.

England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt is caught retired by Richa Ghosh, bring to an extremity her innings of 98. Photograph: Ed Sykes/Action Images/Reuters

Sciver-Brunt yet held connected to a diving drawback astatine other screen to disregard Harmanpreet, but pinch conscionable 8 balls near of nan innings it was excessively precocious to atone. India’s captain, who had grounded to people supra 26 successful six erstwhile innings connected this tour, specialises successful scoring runs erstwhile her backmost is against nan wall and connected Tuesday – aft yet winning a flip astatine nan eighth clip of asking – her seventh ODI 100 was nan champion of India’s match-winning full of 318 for five.

Earlier, Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal had put connected a 64-run opening guidelines for India, but their scoring complaint took a nosedive erstwhile Sophie Ecclestone was brought connected successful nan 10th complete and proceeded to nonstop down a singular opening spell of 7-2-14-1, including a wicket maiden successful which a disappointment Mandhana pulled consecutive to Dunkley astatine short midwicket.

Ecclestone conceded conscionable 28 runs successful her 10 overs – an unthinkable feat connected a time successful which Dean went for 69, Linsey Smith 74 and Lauren Bell 82 – but she was bowled retired by nan 34th over, leaving India to spell large astatine nan backmost end, hammering 120 from nan last 10 overs.

In an question and reply broadcast by Sky earlier nan match, Ecclestone revealed that she had really travel adjacent to retiring earlier successful nan summertime owed to nan ongoing fallout from nan Women’s Ashes, during which she came nether occurrence aft refusing an question and reply pinch nan BBC’s Alex Hartley.

“During that West Indies bid [in May] I wasn’t really judge if I was going to travel backmost and play cricket,” Ecclestone said, while struggling to clasp backmost tears. “I cried to a fewer people, I cried to my dad. It was a reliable time. I was truthful tired and truthful drained from nan past fewer months.”

Speaking for nan first clip astir nan Hartley incident, she said that she felt it had been “blown retired of proportion”; “I had to put myself first successful that situation. Warm-ups successful an Ashes crippled were much important for maine [than doing an interview].”

Ecclestone added: “I consciousness for illustration I’ve travel retired nan different broadside now. I’m backmost playing cricket and I’ve sewage a grin connected my look again.”