Key events
James Wallace
Here’s Raf’s report of a rollercoaster game:
That’s all from me this evening, thanks for tuning in and goodnight.
England dropped six catches and collapsed dramatically with the bat but they somehow got the job done. The series stands at 2-1 and the teams head to Manchester on Wednesday for the fourth of this five match series.
Here’s stand in captain Tammy Beaumont with the final words:
I think that’s what you live for in cricket. As captain, those are the moments you live for. We came out on the right side in the end. I’m all about the battle and the fight and I love the fight from the girls. I’m so proud of every single one of them.”
On the collapse of 9-31:
If we’re honest, the wicket was a bit hard to start on and the longer the partnership went on, the more we forgot that. We went in trying to play the same shots Danni and Sophia had been playing and that led to a bit of a collapse. We probably fell about 10 short but we’ll learn from that and be better on a pitch where it is difficult to start.”
On keeping the series alive:
This is a massive moment for this team. To lose Nat a couple of days ago, have a young, inexperienced team in some areas but show up and show that fight.
“We know it wasn’t the perfect game but we’ve been asking for improvement every game and there was some significant improvement. Now we believe we can go toe-to-toe with this India team and come out on top.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur:
I think we were in the game until the 16th over, but after that we didn’t utilise. We did well, but a lot of learnings.
Deepti was outstanding and the fielders supported her really well. We came back strongly after their hundred partnership.
We were executing our plans and looking for a few boundaries and we were just short by a boundary in the end.”
Sophia Dunkley is Player of the Match
I think we’ve had a tough start to this series so to come out and fight like we did tonight was amazing. We didn’t nail it in every department but we’re still alive in the series.”
batting with Wyatt-Hodge:
Neither of us have had a great start to the series but we love batting together and it was good to get a partnership.”
On the atmosphere at The Oval:
That was absolutely unreal. I don’t think I’ve played in a game like that. The atmosphere, the crowd and the game was amazing.”
England win by five runs! (India 166-5)
What a crackers match! Bell sees Amanjot Kaur dropped at long on but hold her nerve to hit a length and deny India the boundaries they needed. With six to win off the final ball Harmanpreet Kaur can only find Ecclestone at mid off and the catch is held. It’s been a mixture of sublime and ridiculous from England this evening but somehow they get over the line and keep the series alive!
19th over: India 160-4 (Kaur 18, Kaur 6) Issy Wong leaves Lauren Bell with 12 runs to defend off the final over…
WICKET! Richa Ghosh c Dean b Wong 7 (India 154-4)
Whadda grab! Charlie Dean pulls off a stunning diving catch on the boundary to see the back of Ghosh. What a finish we have on our hands here!
18th over: India 152-3 (Kaur 18, Ghosh 5) England have eight minutes to bowl two overs, or they will face a fielding penalty. It’s another dramatic over as Ecclestone goes for ten runs. Kaur laces through the covers and then scampers a single. Ghosh is then DROPPED by Bell behind square! England have shelled way too many chances this evening. India need 20 off 12.
17th over: India 142-3 (Kaur 10, Ghosh 3) Issy Wong gets out of the over for the cost of just six runs. We’re in for a tight finish here at the Oval – India need 30 off 18 balls. Here’s Sophie Ecclestone.
17th over: India 136-3 (Kaur 7, Ghosh 1) Filer clonks new batter Ghosh on the helmet with another well directed short ball. England review but there was no bat involved. Ghosh gets a single to bring Kaur on strike. Shot! Kaur bunts down the ground to release some pressure. India need 36 from 24 balls…
WICKET! Smriti Mandhana c Ecclestone b Filer 56 (India 131-3)
Drama at the Oval as Alice Capsey drops an absolute sitter to let Kaur off the hook. That was a stinker. But Filer then gets the big Kahuna with the next ball, a short ball plinked to Ecclestone who makes no mistake on the edge of the ring. Now then!
15th over: India 130-2 (Mandhana 56, Kaur 2) Charlie Dean into her final over – Mandhana flicks for four over square leg but it is just five runs as England put the squeeze on. 42 needed from 30 balls.
14th over: India 125-2 (Mandhana 52, Kaur 2) Harmanpreet Kaur is the new batter. Gulp. India need 47 from 36 balls. England need wickets on top of wickets.
WICKET! Jemimah Rodrigues c Jones b Filer 20 (India 123-2)
A thin edge from a Filer bouncer into Amy Jones’ gloves!
13th over: India 123-1 (Mandhana 52, Rodrigues 20) India are cantering to the finish line here. Thirteen runs off Lauren Bell’s over. Mandhana goes to fifty with a square drive and
12th over: India 110-1 (Mandhana 47, Rodrigues 12) More spin from England, Charlie Dean drops short and is punished by Mandhana for four behind square. Rodrigues then plays a delicious pick up off her pads for four more. Eleven runs off the over.
11th over: India 99-1 (Mandhana 42, Rodrigues 6) England needed that, just two singles off Ecclestone.
10th over: India 97-1 (Mandhana 41, Rodrigues 5) India are cruising this chase at the halfway stage. Mandhana tickles Wong off the pads for a four to fine leg and Rodrigues gets her first boundary with a glide past point. England need a drink, a stiff one.
9th over: India 85-1 (Mandhana 35, Rodrigues 0) Jemimah Rodrigues is the new batter, she’s a real touch player but can be a slow starter at the start of her innings. India need 87 from 66 balls.
WICKET! Shafali Verma b Ecclestone 47 (India 85-1)
England needed that! Ecclestone bowls a beauty to get rid of Verma, flighted and spinning into the off bail. Ecclestone roars in delight/relief.
8th over: India 77-0 (Mandhana 29, Verma 45) Twelve off the over as Charlie Dean is pummelled for SIX over midwicket and a crisp four over mid off. England in trouble here!
7th over: India 65-0 (Mandhana 28, Verma 34) Sophie Ecclestone comes on and rattles though a tidy over for just four singles. England trying to get some control in this game.
6th over: India 61-0 (Mandhana 26, Verma 32) Lauren Filer replaces Charlie Dean. Shafali Verma backs away and shows her stumps but she carves over the in-field for four. India’s fifty up in no time at all. SIX! Verma plays a delicious upper cut that Lauren Bell does incredibly well to cling onto but her momentum takes her over the boundary sponge. That was a fantastic leaping catch by Bell, who dropped a sitter earlier on, but I’d wager she was a bit out of position, if she was on the fence it would have been straight to her.
5th over: India 49-0 (Mandhana 25, Verma 21) Lauren Bell back into the attack and Mandhana peppers the boundary hoardings. A clip down the ground is followed by a thick edge backward of point and then an absolutely beautiful square cut! That was lovely, Lara-esque – shot of the night for mine!
4th over: India 36-0 (Mandhana 12, Verma 21) Charlie Dean called into the attack, a first sight of spin this innings. Mandhana bunts over mid-on for four. Shot! Shafali Verma then trots out of her crease and drives in the gap through cover for four more.
3rd over: India 27-0 (Mandhana 7, Verma 17) Issy Wong slings down two wides and is then pumped over long off by Shafali Verma! Runs are flowing for India… Verma opens the face and picks up four more through the vacant third man. India off to a flier.
2nd over: India 15-0 (Mandhana 6, Verma 8) The fiery Lauren Filer starts with a wide. Lauren Bell pulls off a diving stop behind square to stop a certain boundary off a short ball. No one can stop that though, Filer serves up a leg stump half volley and is flicked away for four by Verma.
DROP! Filer bangs in a short ball and Verma gets in a real tangle, England had the plan in place but Lauren Bell drops the ball on the deep third boundary. Gah! The ball trickles into the fence for four too. That could be a costly miss.
1st over: India 5-0 (Mandhana 5, Verma 0) There’s some early movement for Bell with her first delivery but the tall opening bowler drops too short with her second delivery and is flicked off the hip by Mandhana. Bell then finds her length and bowls a couple of beauties to beat the edge of Verma’s bat.
Righto, here come the Indian openers for the chase. There are no demons in this pitch, it’s an absolute belter. England huddle on the side of the boundary edge and then run onto to the pitch, they’ll be kicking themselves if they let this one slip given the position they were in and with the series on the line.
Lauren Bell will start with the new ball to Smriti Mandhana. Shafali Verma is at the non-strikers end. India have a stacked batting card. Let’s play.
England finish on 171-9
A crazy batting effort comes to a close with England almost bowled out after Dunkley and Wyatt-Hodge put on 137 runs from 92 balls at the top of the order… the rest of the batting card was a total Horlicks – 34 runs from 28 balls FOR THE LOSS OF NINE WICKETS!
India were staring down the barrel of a 200 plus chase, now they are right back in this match. Charlotte Edwards has an inscrutable look on her face but I dare say she’ll have a few words about how that innings imploded.
WICKET! Lauren Filer c Mandhana b Sharma 0 (England 168-9)
I do not believe this! The third opportunity for a hat-trick in the innings coming up as Filer is caught in the ring first ball!
WICKET! Sophie Ecclestone c & b Sharma 10 (England 168-8)
The wickets keep falling! I can’t spayk type!
19th over: England 166-7 (Ecclestone 10, Dean 4) Charlie Dean reverse-sweeps the hat-trick ball for four! It’s chaos out there!
