England level series as Freya Kemp delivers with bat and ball

England Women (168-5) beat India Women (142-9) by 26 runs

Freya Kemp had a full day out with bat and ball to square the Vitality IT20 series at 1-1 with a decider to come in Taunton on Tuesday.

In front of a record Bristol crowd for an international women's fixture Kemp gave them plenty to cheer as she sent the ball flying over the ropes twice and grabbed another four boundaries in a 13-ball 39 not out that propelled the home side to an imposing 168-5 from their 20 overs.

Building on the platform laid by the top order, Kemp and fellow all rounder Dani Gibson went into overdrive to get England up to a total that they would also have a hand in defending.

The returning Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Amy Jones and Alice Capsey were tightly bunched with scores of 29, 28 and 28 respectively with Heather Knight keeping the momentum going with a partnership of 32 with Capsey.

Kemp and Gibson then added an unbroken 42-run stand from just 15 balls to get the crowd rocking in the sunshine and give the India batters a bigger job than they were hoping for.

Lauren Bell and Linsey Smith were put under pressure from the start, and responded brilliantly to dismiss Shafali Verma for 22 after crunching five boundaries, before Kemp got in on the action again.

Kemp removed the dangerous Smriti Mandhana for 32 but India chose an unusual dismissal for Yastika Bhatia who was retired out on 33 to make way for Jemimah Rodrigues who had been in prime form in the previous game.

The gamble didn't pay off though, as Kemp removed Rodrigues for just one, caught in the cover ring by the outstanding Charlie Dean who nabbed a couple of wickets of her own as well as leading the side with real quality.

The India chase melted away in the Bristol heat to set up a mouth-watering finale in Taunton and provide fans with another Vitality series decider ahead of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup.

England Women v India Women Vitality IT20 Series

Thursday May 28: 1st Vitality IT20, England Women lost by 38 runs - Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford

Saturday May 30: 2nd Vitality IT20, England Women won by 26 runs - Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol

Tuesday June 2: 3rd Vitality IT20, England Women v India Women - The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton