Harmanpreet Kaur hits ton as India celebrate ODI series victory over England
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.
We take a loss in the game, and the ODI series 😢 pic.twitter.com/lE6EZokKO5
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 22, 2025
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.
150 partnership up for NSB & Lamby 👏
See the best of their boundaries 👇 pic.twitter.com/Gobu6GL5oL
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 22, 2025
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
England must tap into the old lump-it-long, bulldog spirit to slay Spain in the Euro 2025 final, writes IAN HERBERT
There was a brief moment of confusion on the eve of the Lionesses' Euros semi-final against Italy when Sarina Wiegman was asked if she had 'fallen in love' with England and, not entirely understanding why she was being asked, did not come straight out with the most fulsome answer. 'Yes…' she replied, rather falteringly and without elaboration. Wiegman later said it had been a comprehension problem. It can be this way with her. English language and colloquialisms — 'console your team' and 'let the cat out of the bag' — have flummoxed her over the past few years. The question was extremely relevant given the way 'Englishness', in an old-fashioned 1980s football sense, has been the team's watchword here, and referenced by a2 number of the players of how England survived a bumpy road to reach Sunday's final against Spain. Chloe Kelly arrived to speak on Tuesday as the semi-final's player of the match and declared: 'I'm proud to be English.' The theme resurfaced when Keira Walsh was asked about the never-say-die resilience which rescued the team against Sweden in the last eight, then Italy, 30 seconds from time. 'It's a part of being English,' she said. 'What we speak about as a team is that English resilience and we pride ourselves on it.' The FA have gone to great lengths to create a different definition of Englishness in the past 10 years. There is the fabled 'England DNA', dreamt up at St George's Park, about progressive, technical football through all the age groups and, under Gareth Southgate, a more broad-minded, less narrow view of nationhood. But the Lionesses in these past three weeks have reverted to what men's football would call the bulldog spirit: a fighting, never-say-die mentality. 'Do or die' has been the only way, as seen in the dramatic last-eight and semi-final comebacks Some of this fighting spirit has been a necessary product of England's failure to get anywhere near the technical levels they found in the 2022 tournament. Finalists they might be, but they have not played well in progressing the ball up the pitch. 'Do or die' has been the only way. To watch back the two goals England scored in their comeback win against Spain in the 2022 quarter-final is to be reminded of how diminished in technical brio and confidence they seem to have become. But there has also been a profitable reversion to the old England. When her team was being torn apart by France in the opening game, Wiegman told Walsh, the midfield technician, to play longer balls. Against the Dutch, who England rightly expected would press them, Walsh went vertical again in what was the team's best display here. 'It helped us playing longer,' Walsh said. 'It plays to our forwards' strengths. If the way to win is playing one straight pass that's what we're going to do.' Against the weaker Welsh, England played through the midfield. The numbers bear out this reversion to what was once an admired and feared brand of English football. The percentage of England passes sent long has increased from 10.6 per cent at the 2023 World Cup, where they were beaten by Spain in the final, to 13.2 here, Stats Perform data shows. Their number of successful passes which are long is 201 (9.1 per cent) compared with 5.8 per cent at the World Cup and 7.5 per cent at the 2022 Euros. Heading into a final against the best passing team in the world, the principles of scrapping and lumping it seem a good way to win and find sweet recompense for the one-sided 2023 World Cup final. Become engaged in a midfield battle with Patri Guijarro, Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas and it could be a long night. Beautiful though their tiki-taka aesthetic was in the semi-final against Germany, Spain struggled to create scoring chances. A long ball attack on Spain down England's left would put Lauren Hemp up against right back Ona Batlle. Hemp has had the better of that battle during Manchester derbies, when Batlle played for United and Hemp, now at Barcelona, was with City. The key is getting Hemp in behind Batlle to find crosses which can target the 34-year-old Spanish captain Irene Paredes, whose lack of pace can be exploited. England's equaliser against Spain three years ago demonstrated the value of going aerial in this way. A gorgeous left-footed cross by Hemp saw Alessia Russo beat Parades in the air, leaving her flat on the ground as Ella Toone pounced on the dropping ball to score. England won 2-1. There were similarities between that Toone goal and the equaliser against Italy: a cross from even deeper on the right and the ball dropping to Michelle Agyemang to score. England get lots of bodies in the box and have some of the best headers of the ball in this tournament. The potential for this plan to deliver the early goal screams out for 19-year-old Agyemang, the prodigy, to start, though she almost certainly will not. Wiegman bristled when asked on Tuesday if Agyemang, who appeared from the bench in both knock-out games here and changed the course of them, was forcing her to consider her as a starter. 'She's not forcing me,' Wiegman said. 'She's grateful for minutes and been ready for it.' A vital contributor to a more direct approach will be Lucy Bronze — a huge presence in the past month. She got forward down the right for the back-post header against the Swedes. Her decisive penalty in that game confirmed her as the fearless epitome of this resilient England. 'I don't think we've ever negated tactics or anything else that comes with the game with the term 'proper England', Bronze said. 'But we don't want to ever forget we are England — proper England — and if push comes to shove, we can win in any means possible.' Georgia Stanway, another of the pillars of the team, feels the same. 'We've spoken about wanting to be proper England,' she said. 'We want to go back to what we're good at, a traditional style of football in terms of tough tackles, getting back down to our roots.' It has been a rollercoaster ride for this team. Perhaps the most improbable journey to a final. But the chaos of these past weeks has armed them with a psychological edge: a knowledge they are never beaten.
The Sun
9 minutes ago
- The Sun
History-making Lioness Ella Toone star for biggest stage now she's ready to deliver for England again in Euro 2025 final
ELLA TOONE has become the woman for the grandest of stages — and is ready to deliver for England again. The Lionesses star has scored at every World Cup or Euros she has taken part in. Her goal in the 2023 World Cup last-four clash against Australia saw her become the first English player — male or female — to net in a quarter-final, semi-final and final of major tournaments. One of those goals came in the Spain last-eight tie at the Euros three years ago — and she wants to repeat that trick in Sunday's final. Toone, 25, also netted in the Finalissima against Brazil — where the European and South American champions face off — and scored an FA Cup final stunner for her club Manchester United last year. She has bagged in this Euros as well, in the 6-1 win over Wales in the group stage. Asked about her big-stage pedigree, Toone said: 'It's not bad that, is it? 'I feel like I prepare properly for every game and I've had chances in the finals to put the ball in the back of the net and that's what I've done. 'I try not to think too much about that or put any pressure on it. 'I just go out there and do what I can for the team and give my everything, and if a chance falls to me then hopefully I can put it in the back of the net. 5 'It's just about doing my job, on and off the ball, making things happen, creating chances for other people and hopefully there's a chance, like I have in previous finals.' Three years ago, as the Lionesses stormed to home Euros success, Toone was one of those making an incredible impact from the bench. Now, Arsenal star Michelle Agyemang is England's super sub. The striker, 19, saved her side in the quarter-final with Sweden and the last-four win over Italy. Having hardly played or netted in club football last season, she has become a phenomenon on the international stage and will return home to a new level of fame. That is something Toone, now an established starter, went through in 2022 and the Northern lass had some left-field advice for Agyemang. Toone said: 'She might get papped eating a pasty like I did! I'll have to warn her about that. 'Michelle is mad, I would think that she's about 30 years old, she's so mature, she's so humble and she's come into this tournament with freedom and not a worry, not a care. 5 'She's just gone out there and done what's been asked of her and she's been amazing for us. She's turned up in big moments when we've needed her and she's got a lot of talent and she can do a lot of things that not many players can do. 'Even when she has scored and kept us in games, she's been the same Michelle. I'm absolutely buzzing for her.' The Lionesses have shown their mettle to come back from the brink in Switzerland. While the players have discussed their 'proper England' performances, Toone revealed there have been some incredibly motivational moments from manager Sarina Wiegman. The Dutchwoman guided a team to a final for a fifth straight tournament after winning the 2017 Euros with her native Holland and reaching the 2019 World Cup showpiece. Toone added: 'She's done a few good speeches this camp, I'll give it to her. We had a good one before the Italy game the night before, one that definitely stood out. 'Even though sometimes we have gone a goal down, you still remember the words that she said before the game and it makes you want to go out and put on a performance for the second half as well. 'No matter what Sarina says, you listen because she's reached five major tournament finals so she definitely knows what she's doing.' Wiegman has created a family bond in the Lionesses camp, though there are plenty of parents, siblings and friends here in Switzerland. 5 That group enjoyed a pub crawl through Zurich on Friday afternoon, away from the squad, before everyone headed off to Basel for the final. One picture of the families wildly celebrating Agyemang's goal against Italy was shared among the players. It is a scene they are intent on recreating. Toone added: 'It was a nice picture to see, we've sent them on a rollercoaster this tournament and it's nice to see things like that. 'Hopefully we can kick on in this last game and make it a tournament they can remember, too.' 5
The Guardian
9 minutes ago
- The Guardian
West Ham's Lucas Paquetá expected to be cleared of spot-fixing over bookings
Lucas Paquetá is expected to be found not guilty in relation to spot-fixing charges. The West Ham player was charged by the Football Association with four counts of being deliberately booked to influence betting markets and two of failing to cooperate with its investigation. The charges were announced in May 2024 after a 10-month investigation. The Brazilian could have faced up to a life ban if he were found guilty in one of the most high-profile cases the FA have brought. The FA had been looking into allegations that Paquetá deliberately picked up yellow cards against Leicester, Aston Villa, Leeds and Bournemouth in 2022 and 2023 and alleged that he 'directly sought to influence […] these matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee, for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market in order for one or more persons to profit from betting'. About 60 bets were placed on Paquetá to be shown a yellow card in those games. A source with knowledge of the FA's investigation said that one of the bets was for £7, with the highest £400. Paquetá denied any wrongdoing. 'I am extremely surprised and upset that the FA has decided to charge me,' he said on Instagram in May last year. 'For nine months, I have cooperated with every step of their investigation and provided all the information I can. I deny the charges in their entirety and will fight with every breath to clear my name.' West Ham said at the time: 'Lucas categorically denies the breach and will continue to robustly defend his position. The club will continue to stand by and support the player throughout the process.' The FA investigation came to light when Paquetá was close to joining Manchester City for about £80m and scuppered his hopes of a move to the then treble-winners. Now 27, he cost West Ham a club-record £51m when he joined from Lyon in August 2022. Paquetá's trial concluded in early June and the player was told he must wait four to eight weeks for a verdict. West Ham were unhappy with that given the disruption it would cause to their summer transfer window, leaving their head coach, Graham Potter, uncertain over whether a key player would be part of his squad next season. A month previously, Potter said the investigation had taken a mental and physical toll on Paquetá. 'In fairness to Lucas I think he's handled it brilliantly,' Potter said. Paquetá's wife, Maria Fournier, wrote on Instagram at about the same time: 'My husband has a posture and a strength that I admire and impresses me. We have been living this nightmare for two years.'
