Press release —
Alice Capsey and Heather Knight put on a fireworks show against India to take Vitality series 2-1
England Women (184-4) beat India Women (180-5) by six wickets
Alice Capsey and Heather Knight tore up the record books with a chase for the ages to give England a second successive Vitality IT20 series win and send them bouncing into the T20 World Cup.
Their partnership of 137 from just 76 balls helped England to overhaul India's 180-5, making it the highest ever Women's T20 chase in England, and what a time to do it.
With a home T20 World Cup just 10 days away, Capsey's 82 from 43 balls, was her highest T20 score and earned her the player of the match and the series awards, while Knight's 70 not out from 42 balls served as a reminder of her class.
Both players complimented each other's strengths with Capsey striking the ball with force and the sweetest of timing, and Knight putting on a show on her home county's turf with a display of calculated precision and innovation.
In the end, England had nine balls to spare, and crashed through the finish line at a canter, which can only bode well for what is to come.
Earlier, India once again flew out of the blocks as they had done in Chelmsford, but with 19 on the board and with a further delivery to come in the second over, Linsey Smith struck gold with the wicket of Shafali Verma, well held by skipper Charlie Dean at point.
It didn't arrest the run rate though as Yastika Bhatia continued to pepper the boundary even with Dean trapping Smriti Mandhana lbw for just eight.
Bhatia fell to a brilliant direct throw run out by Sophie Ecclestone at mid-off to start to check the Indian innings, but Jemimah Rodrigues and the ever industrious Harmanpreet Kaur continued to put pressure on England's bowlers.
Indian supporters might have hoped for a total north of 200 after their first 10 overs realised 94 runs, but it was a credit to England's attack that rather than accelerate to the finish, India could only strike a further 86 from the second half, despite Kaur's 56 not out.
England knew they had to take the attack to the visitors from the off and that is exactly what Sophia Dunkley did once more with a trio of boundaries before falling to Arundhati Reddy for 16.
Danni Wyatt-Hodge had already been dismissed for five and Amy Jones was to head back to the dressing room soon after, but from 38-3, the game took off for England with Capsey and Knight the pilots.
England Women v India Women Vitality IT20 Series
Saturday May 30: 2nd Vitality IT20, England Women won by 26 runs - Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol
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