Bristol, May 30 (PTI) Young left-arm spinner Shree Charani impressed with a three-wicket haul, but a stunning late assault from Freya Kemp powered England to a competitive 168 for five in their must-win second Women’s T20I against India here on Saturday.
Charani returned figures of 3/25 with her variations and change of pace proving difficult to handle, while Nandini Sharma and Shreyanka Patil chipped in with a wicket apiece as India struck at regular intervals to keep England under check for most of the innings after the hosts opted to bat.
However, Kemp’s unbeaten 39 off just 13 balls swung the momentum dramatically in England’s favour in the last two overs.
The 21-year-old left-hander smashed two sixes and two fours off Arundhati Reddy in a 24-run final over as England plundered 39 runs from the last two overs.
India lead the three-match World Cup preparatory T20 series 1-0 after their 38-run victory in the opening match at Chelmsford.
On a dry surface, England made a cautious start, scoring only six runs in the first two overs before Sophia Dunkley broke the shackles with a six over long-on off Arundhati.
But India struck inside the powerplay when debut sensation Nandini Sharma continued her good run, inducing an edge from Dunkley (10 off 14) that was safely collected by wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh.
Under pressure, England managed only 35 for one in the powerplay.
Returning from maternity leave, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Amy Jones then attempted to rebuild with a brisk 36-run stand, but Charani made the breakthrough by dismissing Wyatt-Hodge for 29 off 25 balls.
The opener tried to attack the spinner but found Smriti Mandhana at short third.
Charani struck again in the middle overs to remove the well-set Jones for 28 off 22 balls, leaving England struggling to break free.
Alice Capsey looked promising during her 28-run knock and added 27 runs with Jones, but Shreyanka ended her stay as England continued to lose wickets at regular intervals.
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 TAP PDS
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