Key events
Raf Nicholson
England sealed victory in their one-day international series against Ireland with a straightforward six-wicket win at Derby on Thursday, after seamer Issy Wong took a career-best five for 33.
Wong, once again handed the new ball in the absence of Lauren Bell, bowled with accuracy and control to knock over Ireland captain Gaby Lewis’s leg stump, then ran rampant through the lower-middle order as they tried to hit out but instead were bowled out for 165.
It was in marked contrast with Wong’s performance in the first ODI, when she sent down four consecutive wides in her opening spell, and sparked hopes she may be recovering some of the mojo she lost when originally discarded by England three summers ago.
Charlie Dean’s reaction
To win the game like that was phenomenal. We were more clinical in the field and with the ball, then to chase it down as we did was brilliant.
Wongy’s had a fantastic game. That wobble ball at the top of the stumps is so effective for her. She was very impressive today.
If we can replicate this performance [at Worcester on Sunday] that would be awesome. We’re really pleased to rack up a series win, and to go 3-0 would be great.
Gaby Lewis’s reaction
Pretty disappointing. It was a tricky pitch to bat on this morning – Amy Hunter did well to stick in but we struggled to build partnerships and put the pressure on them.
They were a lot more accurate and better in the field. But there are some positives to take and we know we need to keep pushing for consistency.
The player of the match is Issy Wong
[On concentrating on bowling inswingers today] I had a really good chat with our media man, Dean, who helped flip my mindset. It paid off, so thanks Dean!
It’s about doing what I think the team needs. At the moment that’s trying to hit the stumps as often as possible, and using my wobble seam to give myself the best chance of that.
England lead 2-0 with one match to play
It was a routine runchase for England, despite a peedie wobble towards the end of the Powerplay. The player of the match will surely be Issy Wong: she took 5 for 33, her first five-for at this level, to help roll Ireland for 165. It was a lovely moment for Wong, who has already through so much in her career. She’s still only 24, so let’s hope this is the start of something.
England win by six wickets with 162 balls to spare
23rd over: England 166-4 (Kemp 29, Gibson 36) Beautiful batting from Gibson, who skips down to chip Murray down the ground for six.
There are no guarantees in international sport, but in 10 years’ time we might view Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson as one of the great England partnerships. They bat so well together, and I could go on but Gibson has just launched another six to finish the match.
She ends on 36 not out from 22 balls, Kemp 29 from 32. England have cruised to victory with a whopping 27 overs to spare; they take a decisive 2-0 lead in the series with one match to play.
22nd over: England 153-4 (Kemp 28, Gibson 24) A long hop from the offspinner McCartney is carted over mid-on for four by Gibson. That ball was asking – nay, begging – to be punished.
England are nearly home; they need 13 more.
21st over: England 143-4 (Kemp 27, Gibson 15) Gibson launches Murray back over her head for a one-bounce four. It wasn’t perfectly struck but she got more than enough on it.
This series victory, though expected, will make England’s Statsgury look a bit better. They’ve won only one of the last four ODI series, having triumphed in eight in a row before that.
20th over: England 138-4 (Kemp 27, Gibson 10) Kemp jumps across to Maguire, misses a flick to leg and is almost bowled round her legs. She thinks it should have been a wide but the umpire disagrees.
19th over: England 132-4 (Kemp 26, Gibson 6) Murray lets slip a full toss that is pummelled for four by Gibson. These two love batting together in T20 internationals and, though this is their first partnership in this format, they are going to be a key part of Charlotte Edwards’ ODI team as they build towards the Ashes and then the 2029 World Cup.
18th over: England 124-4 (Kemp 23, Gibson 1) Back comes Jane Maguire, who started well with the new ball before taking some punishment from Maia Bouchier. Kemp shows there’s more to her game than power by glancing deftly for three.
England need 42 to win.
17th over: England 119-4 (Kemp 19, Gibson 0) A gorgeous googly from Murray almost gets through the new batter Dani Gibson, who scrambles to keep it out. Murray has bowled better than figures of 3-0-18-1 might suggest.
WICKET! England 119-4 (Grewcock c Lewis b Murray 24)
A frustrating end for Jodi Grewcock, who drags the legspinner Murray straight to midwicket and misses out on the chance of some red ink. She played well but that was another avoidable dismissal.
16th over: England 118-3 (Grewcock 24, Kemp 18) An errant delivery from McCartney to Grewcock runs down the leg side for five wides. After a bit of a wobble, England are back in control of the runchase.
15th over: England 107-3 (Grewcock 21, Kemp 17) Talking of boundary-hitters, Kemp drives Murray over mid-off for a big six. She has an apparently effortless power – which she demonstrates again with a thump down the ground for a one-bounce four. The ball has to retrieved from inside the sightscreen.
Some good running makes it 15 from the over.
14th over: England 92-3 (Grewcock 21, Kemp 2) Jodi Grewcock is working the ball around skilfully and has moved to 21 from 23 balls with only one four. England have plenty of boundary-hitters so there’s a clear vacancy for somebody with a low dot-ball ratio.
13th over: England 87-3 (Grewcock 17, Kemp 1) On comes the legspinner Cara Murray. Another quick wicket would give Ireland a sniff of a famous victory – and it almost comes when Kemp toe-ends a short ball just short of mid-on.
Twenty minutes ago this looked like a mismatch; now things are getting interesting.
12th over: England 85-3 (Grewcock 16, Kemp 0) Freya Kemp is the new batter.
WICKET! England 85-3 (Capsey LBW b McCartney 1)
Good luck playing that. Alice Capsey is plumb LBW to a perfectly pitched offbreak from McCartney that would have troubled her even if it hadn’t kept horribly low. McCartney has her second wicket.
11th over: England 84-2 (Grewcock 15, Capsey 1) There have been a few misfields from Ireland, not helped by a slightly bumpy outfield at Derbados. That’s making it even harder for them to put the squeeze on England.
10th over: England 79-2 (Grewcock 11, Capsey 0) That was the last ball of the Powerplay, a very good one for England despite those two untidy dismissals.
WICKET! England 79-2 (Bouchier c Maguire b McCartney 45)
Maia Bouchier can’t believe her luck. She jumped all over a horrible delivery from McCartney, short outside leg stump, but somehow whirled it straight to short fine leg. Bouchier played some lovely strokes in her 45 from 31 balls, but right now she probably feels like she’s missed out another hundred.
9th over: England 71-1 (Bouchier 42, Grewcock 6) Jodi Grewcock threads the new bowler Georgina Dempsey through extra cover for four. Prendergast caught up with the ball just inside the boundary but then slipped into the toblerone while still touching the ball. England are cruising: they need 95 from 41 overs.
In the County Championship, Sussex’s Henry Crocombe has taken a hat-trick against Essex – the great Tanya Aldred has more.
8th over: England 63-1 (Bouchier 39, Grewcock 1) Bouchier threw her head back in frustration when the wicket fell, knowing she was culpable. She starts to make amends by scrunching McCartney for back-to-back boundaries through extra cover and down the ground.
The second boundary was technically a chance to McCartney – but it came at ankle height, to her left, and she couldn’t get a hand on it.
WICKET! England 54-1 (Dunkley run out 20)
File under Complete Horlicks. When the offspiner Kia McCartney comes into the attack, Bouchier tries to steal a single to Prendergast in the covers. She’s had better ideas. Prendergast whistles a throw to the keeper Amy Hunter with Dunkley barely in the frame.
7th over: England 53-0 (Bouchier 31, Dunkley 20) Wow, what a shot from Dunkley. She gets down on one knee to launch Prendergast over mid-off for the first six of the game. A cover drive for four brings up the England fifty.
6th over: England 43-0 (Bouchier 31, Dunkley 10) Lovely batting from Bouchier, who hits Maguire for four fours in the over. A pull and a cut were followed by a majestic drive over mid-on and finally a biff through extra cover that should have been stopped but wasn’t.
5th over: England 27-0 (Bouchier 15, Dunkley 10) Four more to Bouchier, timed sweetly through square leg when Prendergast overpitches. At her best – and she isn’t a million miles from it right now – Bouchier is such an elegant batter.
4th over: England 21-0 (Bouchier 10, Dunkley 9) Bouchier inside-edges Maguire past the stumps for four. Ireland are targetting the stumps, just as Issy Wong did, and England’s openers have played a few awkward defensive strokes.
They have also punished the rare bad balls. When Maguire errs in line and length, Bouchier threads her skilfully past backward point for four more.
3rd over: England 12-0 (Bouchier 2, Dunkley 8) An otherwise decent over from Prendergast is ruined when Dunkley belabours a short ball to the cover boundary.
2nd over: England 6-0 (Bouchier 1, Dunkley 3) A fine first over from Jane Maguire, bowling full and straight with a hint – perhaps even a soupçon – of outswing. Dunkley forces a couple behind square, then tries to manufacture a cut stroke and is beaten.
1st over: England 4-0 (Bouchier 1, Dunkley 1) Prendergast starts the innings with consecutive wides. That aside it’s a good first over, including a nipbacker that Dunkley mistimes into the leg side.
The players are back on the field, and Orla Prendergast has the ball in hand.
Meanwhile…
Thanks Taha, afternoon everyone. Give me two minutes to grab a doubleshort, low-fat, no-foam latter and I’ll be with you for the runchase.
And that’ll be all from me. This looks a straightforward chase for England … but let’s hope Rob Smyth gets some genuine drama.