4th T20 Kensington Oval, Barbados
A very rum game. England’s batting performance depended worryingly on an 8th wicket partnership between Katherine Brunt and Charlie Dean of 45 (a new national T20 record) to reach the paltry total of 131-8. They were parted only as Dean attempted an extra run off the last available ball.
Some face-saving was needed as another middle-order batting collapse saw them struggle to 86-7 in the 14th.
Sophia Dunkley’s 35 had seen her side off to a reassuring 73-3 at the halfway stage, but Cherry-Ann Fraser turned the game with her first over: three wickets for a single in four balls!
The West Indian bowling showed improvement in this, the seventh game of a long series, but the batting revealed its weakness yet again.
Lauren Bell is fulfilling all the high hopes placed on her. She picked up two early wickets, then returned at the end to deliver two telling yorkers. 4-0-12-4 was another match-winning performance. It was the sort of day you were happy to be standing at the other end.
England played all their three spinners in this match, and each had her part to play. Hypocaust spotted that Sophie Ecclestone overtook Poonam Yadav’s world record of 55 wickets in a calendar year; here 2-13. Dean was equally productive (2-16) and Sarah Glenn chipped in with 1-16.
So despite recording their lowest total yet this trip, England came away with what looks like a sweeping margin of 49 runs.
Courtney Walsh has brought younger hopefuls into his side in order to halt the slide they have been experiencing, but no-one has yet found a means of swinging a game their way.
This weakness can’t be helping the English either. As I suggested after an earlier game, they can sense they will win every game, no matter how few runs they score. That’s not the best preparation for a major tournament like the World T20 which is just around the corner. Batters, bowlers and fielders all need to feel the sharp edge of competition to be at their best.
In both the ODIs and the current T20s the batting has been far too inconsistent for comfort.
At least Jon Lewis has seen some of his young hopefuls stepping up and producing the goods, most obviously Charlie Dean and Lauren Bell.
Scores:
England 131/8 (Dunkley 35; Fraser 3-15, Grimmond 3-33)
WI 82-9 (16 overs; Bell 4-12)
England win by 49 runs
