The home side, England, sealed a clinical 8-wicket win to go 1-0 up in the three-match T20I series, as the Nat Sciver-Brunt–Charlotte Edwards era in English cricket began with a bang.
The home side stuck with the same side that took the field in the previous game in the series. The visitors, on the other hand, made a couple of changes as the young guns, Realeanna Grimmond and Jannillea Glasgow, made way for the experienced veterans Stafanie Taylor and the wicket-keeper batter Shemaine Campbelle into the starting 11 for the West Indies.
Emily Arlott and Lauren Bell lead England’s exceptional bowling display
A breathtaking display from the English new ball bowlers Emily Arlott and Lauren Bell blew the Caribbean top-order away, as a result, reducing them to 29/4 inside the powerplay, after skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt won the toss and opted to bowl first in the 2nd T20I at the County Ground, Hove.
Shabika Gajnabi (22 off 29 balls) joined the wicket-keeper batter Shemaine Campbelle at the crease, and the duo displayed spirited resilience with a much-needed 34-run partnership for the 5th wicket to take them past the 50-run mark. The 24-year-old off-spinner Charlie Dean broke the crucial stand by sending the wicket-keeper batter Shemaine Campbelle (26 off 36 balls) back to the pavilion in the 14th over of the innings to provide the 5th breakthrough for England.
None of the other West Indian batters managed to enter the double digits with the bat for their side, and as a result, they just managed to post a total of 81/9 in their quota of 20 overs, hitting the rock bottom, as far as the performances from the West Indian batting unit was concerned. Emily Arlott (4-1-14-3), Charlie Dean (4-0-12-2), and Issy Wong (4-0-10-1) were exceptional with the ball for England, while Lauren Bell (4-0-28-3) played her part with her impactful new-ball burst.
Nat Sciver-Brunt leads from the front with an unbeaten 55
The young 20-year-old left-arm spinner Zaida James got the visitors off to a dream start, sending the explosive England opener, Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, back to the pavilion for a golden duck on the first ball of the run chase, igniting a spark of enthusiasm for the Hayley Matthews-led side in a must-win contest.
Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt joined Sophia Dunkley (24* off 25 balls) at the crease and the due ensured that, it was only an early blooper, as the pair guided their side over the line with a massive unbeaten 82-run partnership for the 2nd wicket sealing the game and the fate of the three-match T20I series by 9 wickets inside the first 10 overs of the 2nd T20I at Hove.
After a duck in the 1st T20I, Nat Sciver-Brunt (55* off 30 balls) led from the front with an unbeaten half-century to guide her side over the line in a thrashing series-clinching win for the home side. Zaida James (2-0-12-1) was the only wicket-taker with the ball for the West Indies.
The 27-year-old late bloomer, Emily Arlott, who made her international debut for England in the 1st game of the series, was awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational game and the series-defining spell (4-1-14-3) with the ball for her side in the 2nd game, as England seal the T20I series 2-0 with a game to go.
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