India 285 (Mandhana 83, Harmanpreet 58, Deepti 57) and 341 for 7 dec. (Bhatia 113, Mandhana 70, Richa 50*, Ecclestone 5-118) beat England 170 (Jones 52, Gaud 5-37) and 186 (Jones 54, Ecclestone 50, Rana 4-42) by 270 runs
India’s spinners made light work of England on the final day of the first ever women’s Test at Lord’s, wrapping up a 270-run victory within 95 minutes.
Sophie Ecclestone scored a defiant maiden international half-century but when she was bowled by Sneh Rana, giving the offspinner her fourth wicket for the innings and sixth for the match, India claimed the fourth-highest margin of victory by runs in women’s Tests.
Amy Jones added just two more runs to her over night score of 52 before she picked out Shafali Verma at midwicket on the 18th ball of the fourth day, giving Rana her third wicket for the innings and exposing the England tail.
On Sunday, India had asked England to chase a mammoth 457 runs in the fourth innings, thanks largely to Yastika Bhatia’s century which put her on the Lord’s Test batting honours board, alongside team-mate Kranti Gaud, who had already inked her name on the bowler’s board on day two.
Ecclestone, whose five-wicket haul in India’s second innings had put her name next to Gaud’s on the famed honours board, resumed the day on 1 with her side 130 for 6 and still needing 327.
She reached her fifty off 61 balls but saw off only four more deliveries before she fell, failing to keep out one that dropped and turned between bat and pad to rattle the stumps. Lauren Filer, who picked up the fist wicket of this match, remained unbeaten, having faced 22 balls for a solitary boundary.
Issy Wong faced 33 balls for just 1 before Deepti Sharma struck with her fifth delivery of the day, beating Wong’s forward defence and clattering the stumps.
Lauren Bell defied the abdominal soreness which kept her off the field for a good part of India’s innings on day three to join Ecclestone at the crease. But her stay was brief as Deepti claimed a second wicket in the space of seven balls, spinning one back sharply through the gate to ping the top of off stump.
Heather Knight, the former England captain, and opening batter Tammy Beaumont, were denied a fairytale farewell after announcing their international retirements before the match, dismissed for 13 and a golden duck respectively in England’s second innings on day three.
The match belonged to India, who dominated throughout, first through a solid batting performance after being sent in by England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt with Smriti Mandhana top-scoring on 83 and Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti also reaching half-centuries.
Gaud’s 5 for 37 then restricted England to a 115-run deficit on first innings before Bhatia put the match beyond reach with her 113, well supported by Richa Ghosh’s unbeaten fifty and another half-century from Mandhana.
Gaud and fellow seamer Sayali Satghare made early inroads, splitting four wickets between them on the third evening and Rana also picked up two on the third day.
Source link
dailynewsnblog
