England 168 for 5 (Kemp 39*, Shree Charani 3-25) beat India 142 for 9 (Yastika 33, Kemp 2-15, Dean 2-20, Bell 2-33) by 26 runs
Freya Kemp-inspired England defeated India by 26 runs in the second T20I in Bristol to level the three-match series.
England’s innings began slowly, with the hosts reaching only 35 for 1 at the end of the powerplay. None of their top-order batters were able to fully convert starts, as N Shree Charani’s left-arm spin kept India in control for long periods. However, Kemp’s unbeaten 39 from just 13 balls, scored at a strike rate of 300.00, lifted England to a competitive 168 for 5.
Kemp, still increasing her bowling workload after a long spell managing back problems, then returned 2 for 15 from two overs. She dismissed the dangerous Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues, either side of Yastika Bhatia retiring out for 33 from 36 balls after starring in India’s opening win in Chelmsford.
Charlie Dean bowled 12 dot balls in her 2 for 20 from four overs, while Lauren Bell also picked up two wickets as India finished 26 runs short. The two sides will now meet in the series decider at Taunton on Tuesday.
India Fall Short In The Chase
Bell continued her habit of striking early, removing Shafali Verma caught at cover in the third over of India’s chase. England missed two chances during the innings, with Sophie Ecclestone unable to hold a low opportunity off Bhatia at mid-on three balls before Kemp had Mandhana caught by Alice Capsey in the deep. Dean also dropped a return chance when Bhatia was on 29.
Just before Kemp was set to begin her second over, Bhatia walked off and Rodrigues came in. Rodrigues had shared a match-winning century partnership with Bhatia in Chelmsford, but this time she could not repeat that impact. With India needing 60 from the final five overs, Kemp had Rodrigues caught at cover off the second ball she faced.
Dean then struck twice in one over to remove Richa Ghosh and Harmanpreet Kaur, leaving India needing 39 from the final 12 balls. From there, wickets continued to fall and England stayed in control.
Kemp Gives England Late Lift
Kemp played exactly the innings England needed after walking in with the score at 116 for 4 in the 17th over. The left-hander opened her account with a stylish cover drive for four against Shree Charani. After Capsey was bowled attempting a reverse-sweep off Shreyanka Patil, Kemp and Dani Gibson pushed England toward a more competitive total.
The pair took 14 runs from Nandani’s fourth over, the penultimate over of the innings, before Kemp launched her biggest assault in the final over.
She struck Arundhati Reddy’s full toss over long-on for six from the first ball, then found the leg side and hit straight down the ground for consecutive fours. Kemp finished the over by pulling a short ball outside off stump over long-on, giving England’s bowlers a total they could defend.
Shree Charani Keeps England Under Pressure
Sophia Dunkley was yet to score when Rodrigues dropped her at backward point, denying Nandani Sharma a wicket with her first ball after being trusted with the new ball following her three-wicket debut in the opening match. Dunkley responded by hitting Arundhati for six over long-on in the next over, but she fell soon after when Nandani changed ends and had her caught behind.
Amy Jones then returned to the No. 3 role, but Shree Charani made sure there would be no repeat of her half-century from the first game. Before that, Shree Charani broke a useful stand between Jones and Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who was playing her first match of the season after returning from maternity leave.
Jones and Wyatt-Hodge had added 36 runs from 25 balls when Wyatt-Hodge was dismissed by a sharp Mandhana catch at short third.
Shree Charani then removed Jones, who was caught at cover by Harmanpreet’s quick hands. That left Capsey and Heather Knight to try to lift the scoring rate, but the India spinner continued to keep England in check.
Knight’s Struggles Continue
Knight again got a start but failed to turn it into a major score. In the first match, she had been England’s second-highest scorer behind Jones after making a laboured 21 from 24 balls before holing out off Shree Charani.
This time, after making 18 from 14 balls, she advanced to the same bowler and chipped back a simple return catch. Knight was visibly frustrated as she walked off.
In T20Is this season, Knight has scores of 19, 25, 18, 21 and 18. As England’s most-capped women’s player, with 311 appearances across formats, her team will be looking for bigger contributions from her at the World Cup.
