Alice Capsey and Heather Knight powered England to a series-deciding triumph over India in the last T20I at Taunton on Tuesday, June 2, as the visitors chased down a target of 181 with plenty of room to spare. A huge century partnership steadied the run chase after early setbacks, with Capsey and Knight combining to turn a tricky chase into a comfortable finish.
England’s chase: century stand flips the game
- England’s pursuit suffered early blows, with Danni Wyatt-Hodge dismissed as early as the second over.
- Sophia Dunkley then struck in the power phase, finding Jemimah Rodrigues in the deep as England lost their openers within the first three overs.
- Goud also removed Amy Jones in the final over of the Powerplay, keeping India in the contest.
- Capsey signalled intent immediately after those wickets, finishing that Powerplay over with scores of 6, 4, 4.
- Despite the early damage, Capsey continued to dominate the Indian bowling, racing to 37 off only 15 balls.
- At the other end, Knight built confidence and began finding the boundary off India’s spinners, complementing Capsey’s acceleration.
- Once the Powerplay ended, the momentum shifted clearly—England took control by the halfway stage.
- Capsey reached her half-century off 26 deliveries, while Knight moved closer as she struck two more boundaries off Nandni Sharma.
- After Knight brought up her landmark, Capsey looked set on finishing quickly, taking on Shree Charani for a boundary and then following it with consecutive sixes.
- Those big hits reduced the equation to just 28 runs required from the final five overs.
- Capsey eventually departed for 82, but the result was already effectively sealed.
- Knight then completed the job by striking a boundary in the penultimate over, putting an end to India’s resistance and sealing England’s win.
Earlier: India post 180/5, but finish falls short
Earlier in the evening, India managed to reach 180 on the board, even though they suffered early dismissals in the same way England did during the chase. Shafali Verma was sent back after mistiming a shot for 11, while Smriti Mandhana was trapped plumb in front by Charlie Dean.
Yastika Bhatia, in fine touch, ensured India made the most of the Powerplay by finding the boundary seven times as the innings advanced to 57 during the first phase. However, her aggressive start was cut short almost immediately when she was run out.
With Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur looking set to rebuild, England struck again. Lauren Bell returned to the attack and delivered an excellent slower ball that dipped before crashing into Rodrigues’ stumps. England then kept the pressure on with a few tight overs, but Harmanpreet eventually found her rhythm.
The India captain reached her fifty, yet India would have wanted more than the 48 runs they managed in the final five overs. That late slip in scoring proved decisive, as England successfully chased the target.
Brief scores: India Women 180/5 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 56*, Yastika Bhatia 32; Lauren Bell 2-36) lost to England Women 184/4 in 18.3 overs (Alice Capsey 82, Heather Knight 70*) by 6 wickets
