Anya Shrubsole plays into the on side © Getty Images
England 233 for 7 (Beaumont 61) beat West Indies 87 for 6 (Campbelle 29, Cross 2-4, Shrubsole 2-12) by 121 runs (DLS method)
Anya Shrubsole shone with the bat and ball to help England to another comprehensive victory – and an unassailable 2-0 series lead – in a rain-affected second ODI against West Indies at Worcester.
Player of the Match Shrubsole smashed two sixes and two four on her way to 32 off just 16 deliveries, lifting England to a highly respectable 41-over total after they lost a cluster of wickets following the first of two rain delays. She then claimed two wickets to put West Indies under immense pressure as they initially chased 244 off 41 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, which was later reduced to 209 off 28 following the second rain interruption.
The gulf between the two sides was shown to be huge during the first match in Leicester, which England won by 208 runs. West Indies put in a greatly improved performance with the ball and in the field in Worcester but at no point during their innings did their batsmen look like threatening the target. Not helped by losing early wickets, they simply did not score anywhere near the run rate required.
Shrubsole – who was disappointed to go wicket-less in Leicester, where she conceded 27 runs off six overs – and Kate Cross were the architects of West Indies’ batting demise. Shrubsole finished with 2 for 12 and Cross 2 for 4 to decimate the tourists’ chase before it even began.
“It’s nice to come out here, whack a few at the end and then get a couple of wickets, hopefully to get my summer kick-started,” Shrubsole told Sky Sports. “My batting is something I’ve worked really hard on . I’ve probably frustrated many people, many coaches, over the years, not taking it seriously. But it’s something I really want to be able to contribute to the team, coming in down the order and having a bit of a swing, it’s always fun.”
Laura Marsh, playing her 100th ODI, chimed in after the second rain delay with a clever ball that turned back in and bowled Chedean Nation through the gate. At that point West Indies were 42 for 5 and staring at another heavy defeat. Shemaine Campbelle showed flashes of the big hitting West Indies needed, but they were mere glimpses and when she fell on the last ball she was her side’s top scorer with just 29 runs off 49 balls.
England opener Tammy Beaumont had built on the fine touch she showed for limited reward in reaching 32 at Leicester, this time reaching 61 off 83 balls.
But a 90-minute rain delay when England were 73 for 1 after 16 overs seemed to upset England’s rhythm. Beaumont reached her half-century shortly after the re-start, but she soon became the second wicket to fall in as many balls from Afy Fletcher.
Legspinner Fletcher had Sarah Taylor out lofting a ball on the off-side, where Stacy-Ann King took a juggled catch at the second grab. She then had Beaumont adjudged out lbw with a ball that rapped the batsman on the front pad and looked well in line in real time, while replays suggested there was a chance the ball could have been going a fraction down the leg side.
Fletcher claimed her third wicket three overs later, when she bowled Heather Knight with a ball that was bang on target. When Dani Wyatt sent a thick outside edge to Hayley Matthews at point, England were 153 for 5.
Shrubsole was not the only one to show off England’s batting depth. Katherine Brunt and Sophie Ecclestone joined in, Brunt contributing 23 off as many balls and Ecclestone 11 off six, including one six.
It had been a better start for West Indies who bowled to a plan and were much sharper in the field, where captain Stafanie Taylor had described their efforts in last Thursday as “atrocious”. Their tactic of bowling wide outside off-stump to an off-side field resulted in some wickets – including the early dismisal of Amy Jones for just 18 – and stemmed the flow of runs initially. But it perhaps didn’t yield the number of wickets they would have hoped for, or as quickly.
“Very pleased to see how the bowlers actually bowled today,” Taylor told Sky Sport. “For us to come out and bowl the way we did a the English was really good. I’m always impressed with Afy [Fletcher], she’s special. We love every minute when we give her the ball, she’s always delivering, she’s that kind of player.”
The sides head to Chelmsford for the third and final match of the series on Thursday before three T20I matches starting the following week.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo