Key events
14th over: England 99-0 (Bouchier 39, Dunkley 48) Kelly manages to tighten things up momentarily, just three singles off her third over.
13th over: England 96-0 (Bouchier 37, Dunkley 47) Ten more off the latest as Ireland struggle to contain England, Kia McCartney spears down three wides and then two byes to gift five runs with England not having to lift a finger. Ireland desperate for a breakthrough now.
12th over: England 86-0 (Bouchier 32, Dunkley 47) Kelly continues, a decent over is spoiled by a drag down that Dunkley rasps away to the point fence. The camera pans to Alice Capsey and the rest of the England camp on the balcony, they look pretty content at the moment.
11th over: England 77-0 (Bouchier 30, Dunkley 40) Off spin introduced in the form of Kia McCartney. It’s a decent first over too, five singles nudged and nurdled.
10th over: England 72-0 (Bouchier 27, Dunkley 38) It’s gone a bit gloomy at Grace Road and the floodlights are beating down now. Ireland do make a change, Arlene Kelly replaces Maguire and nearly gets the breakthrough with her third ball! Dunkley smashes a return catch at her that is too hot to handle and the sharp chance is spilled. Salt, meet Wound. Dunkley then carves for four.
9th over: England 68-0 (Bouchier 27, Dunkley 34) I think Ireland need to change it up, Dunkley and Bouchier are lining up Prendergast and Maguire. Dunkley scythes another cut through the off side for four.
8th over: England 62-0 (Bouchier 26, Dunkley 29) Ireland have just had the wind knocked out of their sails by this opening partnership from England, eleven more off Maguire, England on for the record chase as it stands. Long way to go mind, 220 runs to be precise.
7th over: England 51-0 (Bouchier 23, Dunkley 21) England are cruising now, Dunkley crashes two boundaries through the off side off Prendergast to bring up the fifty opening stand.
6th over: England 39-0 (Bouchier 22, Dunkley 12) Shot! Maguire overpitches and Bouchier lofts with sweet timing over long on for four. Bouchier is ticking now, playing two lovely square punches for consecutive boundaries. Ireland take out a slip and put in another backward point. A misfield at cover sees the fourth four of the over, deep breaths Jane Maguire!
5th over: England 23-0 (Bouchier 6, Dunkley 12) Bouchier throws her head back in frustration as she middles a full bunger straight to Tector at short cover, a boundary was there for the taking. Three from the over in leg-byes, this opening pair are a little feast or famine, they love to hit boundaries but struggle to nudge the ones, twos and threes to keep the scoreboard ticking.
4th over: England 20-0 (Bouchier 6, Dunkley 12) Just two off Maguire’s first five balls and a bit of pressure beginning to mount… Dunkley releases the valve with a fine shot down the ground for four.
3rd over: England 14-0 (Bouchier 5, Dunkley 7) Brilliant pressure from Prendergast who stitches together an immaculate maiden to Bouchier. This will be a good test for this England side, they have lots of talent but are raw – the average of this team is 22, the youngest it has been since 2001.
2nd over: England 14-0 (Bouchier 5, Dunkley 7) Jane Maguire shares the new ball, Dunkley plays quite an agricultural hoick to get a length ball up and over the leg side for four. Not pretty, but ‘look in the book’. Dunkley tries to cut the next but it’s far too close to the body. She tries again with the last ball of the over, nails it… straight to the fielder. Dot.
1st over: England 8-0 (Bouchier 5, Dunkley 1) Prendergast goes too full and Bouchier drives with fast hands to pick up England’s first boundary. England sporting their aqua/quartz blue kit and Ireland in a green and blue combo. Orla P loses her line and slips in a couple of leg side wides, Bouchier and Dunkley start with some sharp running to pick up a quick single each. Eight runs off the first – England are up above the rate after one!
Orla Prendergast has the ball in hand for Ireland. Maia Bouchier and Sophie Dunkley scratch their guards, let’s play!
Thanks Geoff and hello all. Where’s your moolah for this one then? We’ll be underway with England’s chase very soon. Sky Sports are showing a nice segment on Kate Cross who is hanging up her bowling boots at the end of this season.
Geoff Lemon
That’s my part done for the day. I’ll leave you with Jim Wallace for the chase.
England need 282 to win
There you go. The target doesn’t look stratospheric, but it would still require England’s biggest one-day run chase. Their best was 267 against Australia in 2023. They have some batting power, so you’d think they are a good chance to do it, but at least Ireland have given themselves a good chance to defend. They could have had a bigger score had Lewis gone on, but Stokell did well, certainly above her career form line, to push them up to where they are.
50th over: Ireland 281-5 (Stokell 54, Little 4) Wong for the last over. Ireland rush, they hustle, they can’t find the boundary off the bat, but they scramble ones and twos, and in the middle of that, remarkably, one ball clips leg stump and beats Capsey for four byes.
Half century! Stokell 50 from 43 balls
49th over: Ireland 272-5 (Stokell 50, Little 3) The wicket did fall, but before that, Rebecca Stokell finally got there. Her third career fifty, and by far her fastest. In fact this is her second-fastest innings ever in ODI cricket.
WICKET! Paul b Dean 29, Ireland 268-5
A classic 49th-over dismissal. Dean bowls at middle stump, Paul swipes across the line, timber.
48th over: Ireland 266-4 (Stokell 49, Paul 28) Wong the bowler late in the piece. Follows Stokell outside leg, Stokell gets a couple of runs closer, inside half as she hauls the ball through midwicket. Then another single…
47th over: Ireland 260-4 (Stokell 46, Paul 26) They just can’t get hold of Charlie Dean here. A couple of missed shots, pads found, bat beaten, a couple of singles… then Stokell is given out lbw! And reviews, and it has pitched outside leg stump! She might still get a fifty today!
46th over: Ireland 257-4 (Stokell 46, Paul 24) Filer finally gets hit! Stokell steps to leg, Filer follows her, decent length and pace, but Stokell is a little taller than most, and manages to lift that ball off a length with a straight bat, over the bowler for four! Then another one, this time over the keeper.
Slightly sheepish wave of the bat there from Stokell to greet applause for her fifty, because she didn’t actually hit that ball. It came off her helmet. The umpires belatedly realise and redact the call! Retrospective leg bye! So Stokell has had a fifty taken off her. She’ll have to do it again.
45th over: Ireland 246-4 (Stokell 41, Paul 22) Good shot from Leah Paul, welcoming Wong back with a scoop shot thanks to fine leg being square. Ireland have done this a lot today, first ball of a fast bowler’s spell being ramped behind the wicket, hoping to pick off a length ball. Several have reached the boundary, including this one. Then a brilliant save at point saves four more, Kemp the fielder of that square drive. But Stokell does what Paul couldn’t, slotting a ball on the rise over cover with a flat bat. Fourrrr.
Nine from three. The next is dropkicked into the deep mid paddock for one. Paul adds one more to point.
So that’s 42 from the last five overs. Five more to go, 54 away from 300.
44th over: Ireland 235-4 (Stokell 36, Paul 16) Filer back after a short burst earlier, bowls a massive wide. Lots of errors from England with ball and in their fielding today. Still a tidy over though, three from it. Stokell charges at one but can’t lay bat. Filer a bit too quick for the Irish today.
43rd over: Ireland 232-4 (Stokell 35, Paul 15) Plenty of risk, plenty of reward, as Stokell pings hands at this ball wide of off stump, and slices it just over short third for four! Corteen-Coleman made a hash of that really, jumps but facing in the wrong direction, and has to try to reach the ball with her left hand, backhanded, rather than using the palm facing the ball.
If that shot was streaky, the next four is clean as a whistle, full on the stumps and Stokell whips it with class through backward square. Keeps strike with an edge over the keeper. Another big over for Ireland from the bowling of Gibson.
42nd over: Ireland 221-4 (Stokell 25, Paul 14) Stokell finds another four! This time hammers Villiers into the midwicket gap, picked that spot and nailed it, with risk, across the line. Then with even more risk, glides the arm ball away, right on the line of off stump! And takes a run.
41st over: Ireland 214-4 (Stokell 19, Paul 13) So it comes to this. Ireland were a chance for 300 when the second-wicket partnership was cruising, but a lot harder now that wickets have fallen. Plenty riding on this current pair. They start off well, though! Taking down Gibson’s over with a straight hit from Stokell, then a pull from Paul. Both boundaries.
40th over: Ireland 204-4 (Stokell 14, Paul 8) A little more urgency from Stokell and Paul, forcing Villiers into gaps wherever possible, getting past 200 as they face the final ten overs.
39th over: Ireland 196-4 (Stokell 11, Paul 4) Plenty of leg-side attempts from Leah Paul, finding a couple of gaps from Dean, whose over costs four.
38th over: Ireland 192-4 (Stokell 10, Paul 1) Leah Paul is a left-hander, which might help Ireland a touch by confusing the bowlers, but initially Filer confuses her with a short delivery that thumps into Paul’s ribs. The batter finally collects a short ball, but the deep backward sweeper keeps her to one.
37th over: Ireland 189-4 (Stokell 8, Paul 0) Five wides from Dean to follow the wicket, donating something back Ireland’s way. Again, a specialist keeper might have anticipated that and got in the way. Still 13 overs to go, Ireland have to not mess this up from here. England can keep ramping up pressure with dot balls.
WICKET! Hunter b Dean 62, Ireland 184-4
Amy Hunter has fizzled out. Got to her 50 in quick time, what feels like hours ago, then has barely scored since. Finally gets desperate against Dean, who has been accurate, and charges at a straight ball to try swinging it off the stumps over midwicket. Nowhere near it, tailender’s shot, and while she misses, Dean doesn’t.
36th over: Ireland 182-3 (Hunter 61, Stokell 7) Filer continues, she has been very economical too. One run from this over, 24 from 7 overs so far.
35th over: Ireland 181-3 (Hunter 60, Stokell 7) They’re still going after Corteen-Coleman! Stokell hammers her over mid off, flat and risky but just over the fielder.
34th over: Ireland 174-3 (Hunter 59, Stokell 1) Right then. Hunter has had a chance for a breather, hadn’t faced much during Prendergast’s stay, so it’s time for her to take the reins. Rebecca Stokell doesn’t have much of a record to speak of. A couple of singles to end the Villiers over.
WICKET! Prendergast c Bouchier b Villiers 19, Ireland 172-3
Ohhh dear. That’s a bad ball to get out to. Classic spinner’s dismissal though, in a way. Absolute long hop, halfway down. Sits up, smiling, asking politely to be clobbered. Prendergast does that, but wants to hit it squarer. Instead it goes well in front of square, to deep midwicket, where Bouchier takes an excellent low running catch with a late lunge to her right.
33rd over: Ireland 172-2 (Hunter 58, Prendergast 19) More spin, Corteen-Coleman on, and she’s off again! Off over the field, over long on. Prendergast with a good clean swing, it lands marginally short of being six. A drag-down to follow, cut through cover, four more. And an overstep!
Free hit from a spinner… Prendergast hits it for six! Same shot as her earlier four, but a fair bit more venom, and a sweet schhponk sound off the bat. No-ball four plus six equals 11 runs from one legal ball.
32nd over: Ireland 156-2 (Hunter 58, Prendergast 4) So, flex point. Ireland have to not give away the good start. Hunter can kick on with speed, and Prendergast may be their classiest operator with the bat, but if they falter here then the degree of difficulty will curve upwards sharply. Wong full on leg stump, Hunter only scores a run to fine leg. Prendergast back-cuts with skill, half saved at backward point for two runs. Single to cover.
31st over: Ireland 152-2 (Hunter 57, Prendergast 1) Three from Dean’s over, continuing the parsimony.
30th over: Ireland 149-2 (Hunter 55, Prendergast 0) Vindication for Issy Wong, she has 2 for 32.
WICKET! Lewis b Wong 69, Ireland 149-2
Oh! Finally England break the drought! A change in the bowling, Issy Wong from the other end, and she gets the ball to deck inwards, past Lewis’ shot and into the leg stump. Disappointment for Lewis, who might reasonably have started to ponder reaching an ODI century for the first time, so well was she playing. There’s a reason they’re hard to come by. One good ball can end the dream.
29th over: Ireland 146-1 (Lewis 67, Hunter 54) Dean has been tidy, if not threatening, only a couple from this over.
28th over: Ireland 144-1 (Lewis 66, Hunter 53) Villiers continues, Ireland still collecting, Lewis still using the sweep well. Five from the over.
27th over: Ireland 139-1 (Lewis 62, Hunter 52) Only three runs from Dean this time. No hint of a chance. England getting frustrated!
26th over: Ireland 136-1 (Lewis 60, Hunter 51) Lewis is accelerating! She cuffs Villiers over cover, then sweeps to deep midwicket, and Jodie Grewcock running around from backward square leg ends up almost turning her back on the ball as it goes past her. She’s side on to the boundary, and is in a position where she’ll have to reach for the ball backhanded if she uses her right hand, so she has to use her left, which is closer to the rope. So has to turn her shoulders away from the ball, and attempt to get a palm on the ball as it goes by. Not a good shape for fielding! The ball goes for four.
Fifty! Gaby Lewis 50 from 66 balls
25th over: Ireland 127-1 (Lewis 51, Hunter 51) That was creamed! Filer, tall, fast, offers pace, and Lewis smacks that pull shot right out of the middle of the bat. It sounds sweet off the willow, it sounds like a four, and even though there’s a deep backward square leg not far away, that ball scorches by.