Harmanpreet Kaur hits ton as India celebrate ODI series victory over England

Independent

5 days ago

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur smashed a century as India claimed a 13-run victory over England to win the one-day international series at Chester-Le-Street.
Kaur blasted a brilliant 102 off 84 balls to put her team in control towards the end of their innings and was aided by a half-century from Jemimah Rodrigues as the pair put on 110-runs together.
Smriti Mandhana and Harleen Deol both scored 45 as the visitors set a lofty target of 319 and England quickly slipped into trouble when Kranti Goud claimed the scalps of Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones in the first three overs.
Nat Sciver-Brunt and Emma Lamb led the recovery effort for the hosts with a mammoth 162-run partnership and the England skipper continued to shine before falling just short of a ton on 98.
England lost four wickets in the final five overs and Goud proved to be pick of the bowlers with six scalps as the hosts slipped to a 2-1 ODI series defeat.
After winning the toss, India openers Mandhana and Pratika Rawal enjoyed a comfortable start, but England responded when spinners Charlie Dean and Sophie Ecclestone entered the attack.
Dean ended their productive 64-run partnership in the 13th over when an England review showed Rawal had feathered behind to Jones.
Spin continued to prove fruitful as Ecclestone took Mandhana's wicket after she chipped the ball straight to Sophia Dunkley at mid-wicket.
Deol and Kaur kept the scoreboard ticking by – putting on 81-runs – but Bell then struck in the 33rd over to dismiss Deol, who scooped the ball in the air for Sciver-Brunt to take.
Kaur and Rodrigues wrestled back control for India towards the end of the innings and the pair began to find the rope more freely, blasting 13 boundaries inside five overs.
Their partnership was broken shortly after Rodrigues reached 50 when she clipped the ball behind to Jones off Lauren Filer.
Kaur's starring innings was ended just after bringing up her ton in the 47th over as she fell to Linsey Smith, with Sciver-Brunt making an excellent diving catch.
Richa Ghosh added a quick cameo of 38 from 18 deliveries as India finished on 318 for five, but England's reply got off to a disastrous start when Goud smashed Beaumont's stumps in the opening over.
Goud struck again in the third when Jones edged to Deepti Sharma, who made a stunning grab to her right.
Lamb was dropped on six, but India started to pile the pressure on, with Goud and Sneh Rana bowling a great spell of dot balls in the powerplay.
Sciver-Brunt and Lamb stabilised England's innings, both scoring much-needed half-centuries and working well together to bring up 153-runs from 160 deliveries in the 29th over.
The momentum shifted when Shree Charani found the breakthrough to bowl Lamb for 68 and Sciver-Brunt was next to fall after the ball glanced off her glove off Sharma and into the hands of Ghosh.
Dunkley was run out for 34 as India looked to close the game out in the final 10 overs and on her return to the attack, Goud dismissed Dean for 21, with Rodrigues making a diving catch.
The wickets quickly tumbled as Rodrigues made another solid grab to dismiss Ecclestone off Charani and Alice Davidson-Richards hit a stubborn 44 before Goud struck again.
Goud bowled new batter Filer the following ball and claimed a sixth scalp in Bell with the final delivery of the game as England fell short.