Sarah Glenn picked her career-best figures of 4 for 23 as England women hammered India in the first T20I by nine wickets at Chester le Street on Saturday.
The series was hyped as India’s best chance of winning, but England women rather had it too easy in the opening T20I clash at Chester le Street. The hosts blew away the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side by nine wickets to take 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
Glenn was the star of the show as she went on to register her career-best figures in T20 internationals, picking 4 for 23 in her four overs. Sophia Dunkley starred with the bat scoring an unbeaten 61 as they mowed down the target in just 13 overs.
Amy Jones – standing in for Nat Sciver, who was standing in for the regular skipper Heather Knight – won the toss and elected to field first. Knight is out of action with a hip injury, while Sciver opted out of the series to focus on her mental health.
The Indian openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma had a watchful start with 30 runs on the board in four overs. But on the last ball of the fourth over, Mandhana (23 off 20) tried to sweep Bryony Smith and was adjudged LBW on umpire’s call.
With the scoreboard reading 47/1 in 6.3 overs, Shafali (14 off 13) looked to get a move on but was holed out at long-on trying to smash a slightly quicker delivery from Glenn. In her next over, the leg-spinner trapped Dayalan Hemalatha – who could only manage 10 off 15 – plumb in front.
Harmanpreet had a huge task ahead of her, and she started well, hitting three boundaries. Richa Ghosh scored 16 runs with a four and six, giving India some momentum as the pair added 28 runs in three overs. However, the momentum was halted immediately as Freya Davies bowled a brilliant slower ball to have Ghosh caught at long-on. In the very next over, Glenn cleaned up Kaur for 20 off 15 to reduce India to 88/5.
Kiran Prabhu Navgire was brought into the side for her ability to power the balls over boundary ropes with ease. But playing her first international game, Navgire managed 7 off 12 before slogging Glenn straight to deep midwicket. Deepti Sharma scored 29 off 24 down the order to take India’s score to a respectable 132/7.
Dunkley and Danni Wyatt provided England a brisk start, blasting 56 runs in the powerplay. Renuka Singh bowled well from one end, conceding just 18 in three overs, but Pooja Vastrakar and Deepti Sharma were taken apart from the other end.
Wyatt scored 24 off 16 before charging down to Sneh Rana, who fired it down the leg and had the batter stumped. Dunkley and Alice Capsey continued to pull away at a fast rate. India’s bowling was sub par, conceding too many wides and no balls.
Dunkley registered her second T20I fifty and remained unbeaten on 61 off 44 – which included eight fours and a six. Capsey smashed three fours and two maximums in her knock of 20-ball 32* as they finished the game with seven overs to spare.
India women will be looking for a strong comeback to level the series when the two teams meet in the second T20I at Derby on Tuesday.
Brief scores
India women 132/7 in 20 overs (Sharma 29, Mandhana 23; Glenn 4/23, Smith 1/10) lost to England women 134/1 in 13 overs (Dunkley 61*, Capsey 32*, Wyatt 24; Rana 1/31) by nine wickets.
