Day Three of the ongoing men’s Test between England and India at Lord’s ended with late drama in the final over. But it wasn’t the only tense finish of the day. Over in Birmingham, the fifth and final women’s T20I also came down to the last delivery, providing another thrilling contest.
Chasing a target of 168, England Women clinched a five-wicket win off the last ball, even though India had already sealed the five-match series after winning the fourth game. England made a strong start, thanks to openers Sophia Dunkley (46 off 30) and Danni Wyatt-Hodge (56 off 37). They added 101 runs for the first wicket in just 10.4 overs, giving England a strong platform.
India, after struggling to break the partnership, dismissed both openers in quick succession and reduced England to 107/2. Maia Bouchier added 16 off 17, but it was stand-in captain Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones who took the chase deep.
India needed to defend 14 runs in the final two overs. On the last ball of the 18th over, youngster Shree Charani dropped a simple catch at short fine leg, giving Jones a lucky escape. Charani then bowled the 19th over, conceding eight runs, leaving England to get six off the final six balls.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur backed Arundhati Reddy, who had already conceded 41 runs in her first three overs. That decision paid off. On the first ball, Reddy dismissed Beaumont (30 off 20) with a slow, dipping delivery. Then, after a single, Radha Yadav pulled off a brilliant catch at deep midwicket, running and diving forward.
With five needed off three, Sophie Ecclestone hit a thick outside edge past backward point for three runs. Paige Scholfield took a single, leaving one to win off the final ball with Ecclestone on strike.
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Harmanpreet and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana made field changes, bringing players in. Ecclestone tapped the ball and ran. The ball went straight to Mandhana, who fired an underarm throw at the stumps—but it missed. England sealed the win, and the series ended 3-2 in favour of the visitors.
For India, Deepti Sharma and Reddy took two wickets each. Radha Yadav picked up one. Earlier, India posted 167/7 in 20 overs. Shafali Verma top-scored with a stunning 75 off 41 balls. Richa Ghosh chipped in with 24 off 16, while Radha Yadav’s unbeaten 14-run cameo helped push the total past 160.
For England, Charlie Dean took three wickets and was named Player of the Match. Ecclestone claimed two, while Emily Arlott and Linsey Smith picked up one each. Although India won the series, this win was a special moment for Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who was playing her 300th international match across all formats for England.
At the post-match press conference, Tammy Beaumont praised India, saying: “Been a difficult series but full credit to India, power in their batting line-up and sometimes we haven’t had the answers. Great to get a win tonight.”
Shree Charani was named Player of the Series for her 10 wickets across five matches. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur said: “Today’s match very close, they played good cricket.” She also confirmed that the team now turns its focus to the upcoming ODI series, which begins on 16 July in Southampton.
Also Read: ENG-W vs IND-W, 4th T20I: Radha’s spin, Shafali’s blitz power India to series-clinching win