England’s international summer got off to a rocky start but ended with a win as they recorded 4-11 and defeated Pakistan by 53 runs in the first T20 at Edgbaston Team.
Amy Jones had a memorable 100th T20 match for England as she swept 37 from 27 balls and showed why she remains the best wicketkeeper in the world as she Made 4 catches, including a brilliant reaction move to the left to steal Gull Feroza’s edge.
Along the way, she was dismissed for the 75th time in T20 internationals, surpassing the previous England record of 74 held by Sarah Taylor.
Danielle Gibson joined forces with Sophie Ecclestone to score 44 off the last 25 balls to help England reach 163 in six games.
Heather Knight was at the heart of England’s initial collapse, with the captain watching her at the non-striker’s end during a miscommunication that saw Freya Kemp dropped but she kept her cool, Reached 49 off 44 balls – her highest T20I score at home.
In reply, Pakistan posted a 50 in the first five overs and Gibson was dismissed for 21 by 25-year-old Sadaf Shamas, who effortlessly broke through the England infield. of vacancies.
But Shamas was beaten for 35 by her own captain Nida Dar, who forced a shot after hitting the ball straight to Alice Capsey at mid-off which proved too risky of singles. A panicked Dar tried to slog through Sarah Glenn in the next over, but Maya Buchir came in from deep mid-wicket and made a brilliant catch.
Pakistan were reduced to 110 after winning two power-play games and reaching 77 for three by the mid-way point, despite Fatima Sana and Sadiya Iqbal putting 21 between them for the 10th wicket The advantages. Glenn’s 4 for 12 was the leg-spinner’s best performance in an England jersey.
“Honestly, we were flattered by the scoreboard,” Knight said. “We did some good things today, but we were probably a little behind.”
Jon Lewis has said he plans to use artificial intelligence to help select his starting lineup, but as the game wore on, there was little sign of any intelligence – artificial or otherwise. Buchiye, Danny Wyatt and Kapusi took the ball straight to the ball and the elated Pakistan fielders grabbed the ball with ease. Kemp was then sacrificed on a silly run and she hit the ground hard and sprinted towards the pitch but was sent back by her skipper and bowler Waheeda Akhtar collected the ball. and dropped the stumps.
“There was a desperation about the game, a big group of guys trying to impose themselves on the game,” Knight said. “We want our guys to be aggressive at the right times.”
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Kemp’s dismissal meant England lost three wickets without scoring in six balls. Nerves were further heightened by the knowledge that the home side would not be able to rely on the mental fortitude of Nat Seaver-Brent, who missed the game after undergoing a minor medical procedure.
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However, Knight and Jones put their heads down and took advantage of poor ground defense to score 67 points off 59 balls, reversing a chaotic start.
In the 12th round, Knight was ruled a hit, but DRS showed she was hit outside the line. Jones struggled in the next over and Knight eventually holed out a run short of his half-century, but Gibson and Ecclestone took over the load and England emerged victorious. .
