Bristol, May 30: All-rounder Freya Kemp produced a decisive performance with both bat and ball as England bounced back to beat India by 26 runs in the second Women’s T20 International and level the three-match series 1-1 here on Saturday.
After rescuing England with a blistering unbeaten 39 off 13 balls at the death, Kemp returned figures of 2/15 with wickets of Smriti Mandhana and last T20I’s star Jemimah Rodrigues in two overs as India lost their way to finish at 142/9 in pursuit of 169.The series-deciding third T20I will be played in Taunton on Tuesday.India had done well to restrict England to 168/5 for most of the innings, with young left-arm spinner Shree Charani once again impressing with figures of 3/25.
But Kemp’s late assault, including two sixes and two fours in a 24-run final over off Arundhati Reddy, helped England plunder 39 runs from the last two overs and swing the momentum in their favour.
Chasing 169, India began brightly as openers Shafali Verma (22; 14 balls) and Mandhana (32; 25 balls) attacked from the outset.
Even after the loss of the openers, the visitors were well placed at 78/2 at the halfway mark.However, England’s spin duo of Charlie Dean and Sophie Ecclestone tightened the screws in the middle overs, drying up boundaries and steadily increasing the asking rate.
Yastika Bhatia, who got a reprieve on 29 when Dean dropped a return catch, struggled to accelerate and was eventually retired out for 33 off 36 balls with the asking rate climbing beyond 12 an over.
Dean was exceptional through the middle phase, conceding little and building pressure with a series of tight overs, while Ecclestone also kept the batters in check from the other end.India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur briefly threatened a fightback, pulling Lauren Bell for a six over deep backward square leg during her 28 off 22 balls.
In the process, she became only the third batter in Women’s T20Is to complete 4,000 runs after Suzie Bates and Smriti Mandhana.
Just when India appeared to have complete control, Kemp’s game-changing cameo at the death ensured England finish with a total that looked well above par on a sluggish surface. (PTI)
