Freya Kemp smashed an unbeaten 39 from 13 balls as England finally unleashed some batting firepower to post 168 for five and beat India by 26 runs in the second T20 international. Kemp found able support from Dani Gibson as England’s two finishers added 39 from the final two overs to level the series.
The pressure told on India’s fielders, who – after offering Sophia Dunkley a life on nought – twice let the ball slip through their fingers, as Kemp and Gibson showed off their athleticism between the wickets. But mostly the runs came courtesy of good placement and huge power hitting, as Kemp in particular let loose her arms, smashing two sixes and four fours down the ground. “As a team we’ve spoken a lot about finishing off well at the death and trying to put pressure on the opposition, so it’s nice to do that,” she said.
A record Bristol crowd of more than 4,000 were treated to the extraordinary sight of India retiring out Yastika Bhatia on 33 from 36 balls, after Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain, adjudged her batting partner to be chugging along too slowly to chase down the required 60 runs from the final 30 balls.
But the decision disrupted the rhythm of India’s run chase, with Bhatia’s replacement, Jemimah Rodrigues, caught slog-sweeping after facing two balls, Harmanpreet edging behind the stumps trying to wallop Charlie Dean over the in-field, and India collapsing to 142 for nine.
The series – the last for both teams before the World Cup begins on 12 June – is now all square, setting up an intriguing decider at Taunton on Tuesday.
Before this match, Kemp had sent down six overs this season as England carefully manage her return from a serious back injury. She had a return of two for 15 in her two overs with the crucial wicket of Smriti Mandhana, who top-edged to Alice Capsey in the deep.
Kemp described her path back to fitness as “a bumpy ride” and thanked Charlotte Edwards, the head coach, for her support, at England and in her previous capacity as head coach at Southern Vipers. “It’s been really tough,” she said. “Lottie’s always backed me so much. When I had my first stress fracture a few years ago, she backed me to play as a batter. Spending time in the middle and learning how to play different situations has really helped me.
“I do have that natural ball-striking ability, but I’ve worked really hard on building an innings and doing different roles the team need me to do.”
Gibson followed up her own batting cameo with two excellent catches: the first leaping up at cover to see off Shafali Verma in the third over and dashing in from deep midwicket to dismiss Richa Ghosh and end India’s hopes.
This was the nearest to an England World Cup starting XI we are likely to see given that Nat Sciver-Brunt is out injured: Danni Wyatt-Hodge reclaimed her spot at the top of the order after a period of parental leave, scoring 29 from 25, while Linsey Smith returned to bowl in the powerplay, Amy Jones made a good place for the No 3 spot with a well-struck 28 and Heather Knight responded to criticism of her strike rate in the previous match by sweeping her way to 18 off 14 balls.
But the left-arm spinner Sree Charani continued her solid track-record against England by taking three for 25, flighting it beautifully to cut short promising starts from Wyatt-Hodge, Jones and Knight.
Wyatt-Hodge has experienced a whirlwind 10 days after the birth of her daughter, Daisy, but the cricket calendar stops for no one, and the England opener looked to be readjusting well, striking three well-placed boundaries before upper-cutting to short third on 29.
Capsey, Knight, Kemp and Gibson continue to fight it out for spots in the middle order. Kemp’s contribution here may just have settled the question in her favour.
