ENG-W vs IND-W 2025, 2nd ODI: Sophie Ecclestone, Amy Jones help England restore parity at Lord’s

England Women Team. (Photo source: X)

England won the rain-curtailed second T20I at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London by eight wickets (DLS method) on Saturday, July 19, to restore parity in the three-match series against India.

The match was reduced to 29-overs-per-side after rain delayed the start of play. Nat Sciver-Brunt won the toss yet again, but this time, she invited India to bat first. The tourists lost Pratika Rawal early in the piece before Smriti Mandhana played a promising knock of 42 runs off 51 balls. The left-handed opening batter hit five fours during her innings.

However, she didn’t receive the kind of support she would have envisioned from her teammates. Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Richa Ghosh could only contribute a total of 28 runs as England dismissed half of the opposition side with 72 runs on the board in the 16th over.

After Mandhana became the sixth Indian wicket to fall in the 21st over, India’s hopes of getting to a competitive total were severely dented. Deepti Sharma played another gritty knock as he unbeaten 30 off 34 balls helped India to finish on 143/8 in 29 overs. However, this total just didn’t seem sufficient.

Sophie Ecclestone was the pick of the bowlers for England as she finished with figures of 3/27 in six overs. Em Arlott and Linsey Smith also bagged two wickets apiece.

In reply, Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont got their team off to a solid start, adding 54 runs inside 11 overs. Sneh Rana provided India the first breakthrough as she sent Beaumont packing after she had scored 34 off 35 balls. Sciver-Brunt forged a positive 48-run stand off 52 balls with Jones before falling victim to Kranti Goud. A rain halt reduced the target to 115 in 24 overs.

In the end, Jones and Sophia Dunkley took England to 116/2 in 21 overs. Jones top-scored for the home side, finishing unbeaten on 46 off 57 balls with the help of five boundaries. With the series being all square, all eyes will be on the decisive third ODI, which takes place at Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street on Tuesday, July 22.

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