A big win in Manchester means that Harmanpreet Kaur’s India have created history, winning their first T20I series in England after taking a 3-1 lead in the current five-match series. The hosts will now be looking to sign off with a win to save face and carry some momentum into the upcoming ODI series.
Ahead of the fifth and final T20I between the England Women and India Women, here’s our match preview and predictions.
The hosts’ biggest problem this series has been their batting, as Tammy Beaumont’s side just hasn’t been able to get going—especially against India’s slow bowlers. The Indian spinners have had the English batters in a chokehold, and it’s something England will be desperate to address. Sophia Dunkley has chipped in with some scores at the top of the order, but with Nat Sciver-Brunt ruled out, the top order has largely failed to fire. Danni Wyatt-Hodge has endured a poor run, being dismissed three times by a spinner in four games—Deepti Sharma, in particular, seems to have her number.
England’s lower order has provided little to no resistance with the bat, barring a couple of cameos from Sophie Ecclestone. Heading into the longer format, England will hope for a significantly improved batting performance. However, they’ve been much better with the ball—Lauren Bell and Sophie Ecclestone have led the charge, while the lack of wickets from Lauren Filer at the top has hurt them. The hosts also haven’t had their most experienced bowling lineup available.
India’s biggest positives have been their bowlers, especially the young N. Shree Charani, who made her debut earlier in the series. Charani is the leading wicket-taker and the English batters have had no answer to her turning deliveries. She has paired up brilliantly with the experienced Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav, forming a formidable spin trio.
With the bat, Smriti Mandhana has led from the front, and her partnerships with Shafali Verma have given India strong starts. Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur have contributed key innings in the middle order, but the biggest surprise has been all-rounder Amanjot Kaur, who has emerged as a reliable finisher for India.
The series finale will be played at Edgbaston, which recently hosted the England and India men’s teams in a red-ball contest. The pitch is expected to offer plenty for the batters, with some assistance for seamers early on. It’s hard to look past India for this one—Harmanpreet Kaur’s team go into the match as favourites to close out a historic series with another win.
Fantasy XI: Smriti Mandhana, Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Harmanpreet Kaur, Tammy Beaumont, Deepti Sharma, Emily Arlott, Shree Charani, Arundhati Reddy, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Bell
Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham
Winner Prediction: India
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