A clinical all-round performance from England helped them overcome both India and the rain, as the hosts secured an eight-wicket win at Lord's to level the three-match ODI series. In a game that was reduced to 29 overs and began four hours after the scheduled start, England opted for a spin-heavy attack - a move that paid off handsomely, with six of the eight wickets falling to their slower bowlers. Sophie Ecclestone was the wrecker-in-chief with 3-27 while Em Arlott and Linsey Smith bagged two apiece as India were restricted to 143. Solid contributions from England's top three kept the chase on track, but at 102 for 1 in 18.4 overs, rain interrupted play. Fortunately for the hosts, the match resumed soon after with a revised target of 115 in 24 overs, which they chased down with three overs to spare.
Ecclestone stars as England outplay India and weather to level series
England made three changes, bringing in Maia Bouchier, Em Arlott and Linsey Smith while India included Arundhati Reddy. Among the changes, it was Arlott who made an early impact after England opted to bowl, starting off with a wicket-maiden as she got Pratika Rawal out bowled for 3 with a well-directed yorker. Lauren Bell and Arlott kept it disciplined as India found limited scoring opportunities, with only 14 coming off the first five overs. The first four of the innings came only in the sixth over when Smriti Mandhana lofted one off Arlott over mid-on and followed it with two fours through the off side off Bell. Harleen Deol also swept Charlie Dean for a four but her stay was cut short by Ecclestone who took a fine return catch. A boundary in the same over for Mandhana helped India to 50/2 after 10.
India suffered another blow in Ecclestone's second over as Harmanpreet Kaur, after a difficult chance to Dunkley went down earlier in the over, was cramped for room and inside-edged onto her stumps. It became 69/4 as Jemimah Rodrigues chipped a catch back to Dean, leaving India in more trouble. Dean could have had another in the same over but she put down a simple chance offered by Richa Ghosh. But it wasn't a costly miss as Ghosh was trapped in front by Ecclestone in the next over. India's troubles deepened in an eventful over from Smith - after boundaries from Deepti Sharma and Mandhana, the opener fell attempting a lofted shot, before Arundhati Reddy added another four to end the over.
Deepti and Arundhati struck a couple of boundaries and the latter also got a reprieve as Amy Jones put down a tough catch behind the stumps off Ecclestone. England also lost a review but so did India, after Arundhati missed a sweep off Smith and was out lbw. Arlott then returned to the attack and had Sneh Rana bowled soon after being hit for a four. Disciplined overs from Smith and Arlott denied India the finish they would have hoped for, restricting them to under 150.
England made a brisk start to the chase, with Jones finding a boundary off Arundhati before Beaumont hit three fours in a 15-run over from Kranti Goud. Beaumont also scored a four off Arundhati, with 27 coming off the three overs from the seamers before spin was introduced by India. Beaumont, though, didn't ease up on her approach, sweeping Shree Charani to get her fifth four. There was some drama in the fifth over, bowled by Deepti, when India appealed for obstruction but the third umpire ruled in favour of the batter, who was back in the crease even before the throw struck her. India's spinners bowled a few quiet overs but England managed to stay ahead of the required rate thanks to their good start, as they moved to 54/0 after 10 overs.
The partnership, however, came to an end when Beaumont tried a reverse-paddle off Rana but was out lbw for 34, and took a review with her. Jones then took over, scoring boundaries off Charani and Rana, with Nat Sciver-Brunt providing good support from the other end. The England skipper was slow to start off, dealing mostly in singles before she reverse-lapped Deepti for three, followed by a sweep for a four in the same over. She also got a boundary off Charani and Jones struck a four off Goud to take England past 100 in the 19th over before the players left the field due to rain.
At that stage, only eight more deliveries were were needed to constitute a game and luckily for England, the rain relented and they needed only 13 more runs to reach the revised target. But England received a bit of a jolt as Sciver-Brunt was bowled by a nip-backer from Goud. India reviewed a possible catch down the leg side off Arundhati, but it was ruled a wide. The over was eventually completed, confirming the game was officially on with 20 overs done. Sophia Dunkley glanced a Goud delivery and hit another past mid on for two fours, sealing the win in the 21st over.
Brief scores: India 143/8 in 29 overs (Smriti Mandhana 42, Deepti Sharma 30*; Sophie Ecclestone 3-27, Em Arlott 2-26) lost to England 116/2 in 21 overs (Amy Jones 46*, Tammy Beaumont 34; Sneh Rana 1-12) by 8 wickets (DLS method).
