England thrash India to set up ODI series decider

Second one-day international, Lord's

India 143-8 (29 overs): Mandhana 42 (51); Ecclestone 3-27

England 116-2 (21 overs): Jones 46* (57), Beaumont 34 (35)

England won by eight wickets (DLS method); series level 1-1

Scorecard

England levelled the one-day international series by thrashing India in a rain-affected encounter at Lord's.

The match was initially reduced to 29 overs a side, with India trudging to a below-par 144-8 after being put into bat.

England were 102-1 in reply before another rain delay revised their target to 115 from 24 overs, which the hosts reached with 18 balls to spare, winning by eight wickets on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.

Amy Jones finished 46 not out, having added 54 for the first wicket with Tammy Beaumont and 48 for the second with captain Nat Sciver-Brunt.

After heavy rain in the morning delayed the start until 15:00 BST, India's batters struggled for fluency on a slow surface as they slipped to 72-5 inside 16 overs.

They failed to punish another inconsistent effort in the field from England, who dropped four catches and misjudged a couple more potential chances.

A crucial opportunity came in the fifth over when Lauren Bell dropped Smriti Mandhana in her follow-through on two, and the opener looked to be anchoring the innings despite wickets tumbling around her.

But the pressure told on Mandhana in the 21st over as she holed out to Charlie Dean off Linsey Smith for 42 from 51 balls, as only Deepti Sharma's unbeaten 30 helped give the innings a glimmer of credibility.

England's spinners bowled brilliantly in tandem throughout the innings, giving little away in miserly spells of 3-27 from Sophie Ecclestone, 2-28 for Smith and 1-31 for Dean.

The series decider - which will be England's final competitive ODI before the autumn's World Cup - takes place at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday.

Spin trio set up comfortable win

Though the reduction in overs is not particularly helpful in terms of England's World Cup preparation, a comprehensive win over India is a big boost for Sciver-Brunt's side after they looked low on confidence during the first ODI at Southampton.

England's captain did not hesitate in bowling first after four hours of waiting for the rain to ease, and India's powerful batting line-up were unable to build any momentum in the face of the bowlers' much-improved discipline.

Em Arlott bowled Pratika Rawal with a sharp yorker in the second over, and Mandhana consolidated cautiously with Harleen Deol in a stand of 40 before the latter was brilliantly caught and bowled by a diving Ecclestone for 16.

The middle order then crumbled - Ecclestone had captain Harmanpreet Kaur bowled for seven, Dean held on to a tricky catch in her follow-through to remove Jemimah Rodrigues for three and Richa Ghosh was lbw to Ecclestone for two.

India only managed 12 fours throughout their innings, five of them from the bat of Mandhana, who looked constantly indecisive about whether to attack or focus on batting through the innings.

Sharma was India's last hope after Mandhana's departure but some bizarre running between the wickets with number 10 Kranti Goud saw her starved of the strike in the final overs and they limped to an unthreatening total.

There are still concerns surrounding England's fielding, even though none of the drops proved particularly costly. Dunkley missed chances with Deol on 11 and Harmanpreet on five, and Dean put down a straightforward chance when Ghosh chipped one back to her on nought.

Series decider presents challenge for England

After a one-sided series win over West Indies to start the summer, England coach Charlotte Edwards was honest about the fact her side needed a bigger challenge against India to get a clearer assessment of how they would cope under pressure.

That has been delivered, with India dominating the preceding T20 series and a decider is just what England need with the World Cup on the horizon.

Both openers fell cheaply in the first ODI but Jones and Beaumont responded positively when faced with a low target, racing to 27 inside three overs.

There was controversy the last time these two side played on this ground when Sharma ran out Dean at the non-striker's end to win the game. There was potential for another unusual dismissal when India appealed for Beaumont to be out obstructing the field as she hurried back to her crease and moved her right leg out just as Rodrigues' throw passed by.

It was given not out and England's openers continued to accelerate before Beaumont missed a reverse sweep off Sneh Rana and was lbw for 34.

India were passive in the field and could not create any wicket-taking opportunities as Jones and Sciver-Brunt rotated the strike at will.

England's captain was bowled for 21 two balls after play resumed following the rain delay but the hosts calmly completed the chase, Dunkley confidently whacking a four down the ground to seal victory.

' I felt really good' - reaction

Player of the match, England spinner Sophie Ecclestone: "It's great to get the win on the board in the end.

"My bowling is slowly coming along well. I felt really good."

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt: "On the whole we bowled a better length and made it really difficult for their batters."

"The openers did a great job at the top so there wasn't too much pressure on me."

India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur: "We didn't bat well. They didn't give us any chances to execute.

"Apart from today's match we have played really good cricket and we must remember that in our next game. We will go to Durham with a positive mindset."