England Women faced a double blow in the opening T20I of the five-match series against India. They suffered a heavy 97-run defeat and were also penalised for a slow over rate during the match in Nottingham.
After time allowances were considered, England were found to be two overs short of the required rate. As per Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, players are fined five percent of their match fee for each over short of the target.
The charge was brought by on-field umpires Jacqueline Williams and James Middlebrook, along with third umpire Sue Redfern and fourth umpire Anna Harris. England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt accepted the sanction without protest.
Sciver-Brunt won the toss and chose to bowl first. India, led by stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana, made full use of the opportunity. Mandhana scored her maiden T20I hundred as India posted a huge total of 210/5 in 20 overs.
In reply, England struggled badly against India’s spinners. They were bowled out for just 113 runs, falling well short of the target.
“They challenged us greatly” – Nat Sciver-Brunt
Speaking at the post-match presentation, England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt admitted India were the better side on the day. “They challenged us greatly, we didn’t bowl as well as we wanted to. [Poor in field?] You’d like to take every catch but things didn’t go our way. Something to work on.”
She reflected on the pressure of chasing a big total and highlighted some positive takeaways. “[Batting] When you’re chasing 200 you have to keep going. Losing early wickets gets you behind the rate. Was trying to get on strike, come back for twos and give us a chance. [Positives?] We executed at times well with the ball. Loads of things we can take, momentum with the powerplay with the bat. Five-match series, look forward to another opportunity at Bristol.”
For More Exciting Articles: Follow RevSportz