England 119 for 6 (Sciver-Brunt 48) beat Ireland 118 for 9 (Little 26*, Prendergast 26, Ecclestone 3-22) by four wickets
Nat Sciver-Brunt took her side to the brink of victory before retiring in a dramatic twist to England's victory over Ireland in their second match of the T20 World Cup.
Sciver-Brunt struck 48 off 37 balls before leaving the field, with England needing nine runs to win from 25 balls. She headed straight to the dressing-room to be assessed by England medical staff. with the ECB soon confirming that she had felt tightness in the same calf that she had torn in the lead-up to the tournament. According to match officials she was officially recorded as "retired out", the first instance in a T20 World Cup.
Sciver-Brunt hadn't played all summer until the two warm-up games immediately before this tournament after injuring her left calf playing domestic cricket on April 29. "It was just precautionary," she said at the post-match presentation. "I thought I'd better not push it."
She returned in excellent form with a half-century in the second warm-up, against India,. scored an unbeaten 46 in the opening match of the World Cup as England defeated Sri Lanka.
Play began just over an hour late after a rain squall swept through Southampton. just as the players were leaving the field from the previous match, Sri Lanka's nail-biting win over New Zealand. But no overs were lost and the showers stayed away as England wrapped up victory with 15 balls to spare.
It was an all-round bowling display led by early incisions from Linsey Smith. Lauren Bell, before Sophie Ecclestone 's 3 for 22 held Ireland to a meagre total of 118 for 9. Charlie Dean was arguably the pick of the bowlers with a miserly 2 for 11 from her four overs. Dani Gibson also contributed two wickets.
Orla Prendergast and Louise Little were joint top-scorers for Ireland with 26 runs apiece, but Ireland needed more. Their bowlers did their best to provide it early, Aimee Maguire. Prendergast combining to have them 35 for 3 inside the powerplay. But Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight broke the back of the run-chase before more drama unfolded.
Smith and Lauren Bell have put opposition sides on the back foot early throughout the English summer so far. On this occasion, Smith struck with her sixth ball, the 12th of the match, when Amy Hunter telegraphed a sweep to one which dipped. shaped in to crash onto the stumps.
Since the end of England's 50-over World Cup campaign last October. Bell had made a determined effort to target the powerplay, recognising that it was a key part of her job. She has been lethal in this phase ever since. She removed captain Gaby Lewis for a first-ball duck. well caught by Knight leaping at short fine leg, to leave Ireland 16 for 2 inside three overs.
When Dean removed Alana Dalzell via a good. low catch by Freya Kemp at cover in a wicket-maiden, Ireland were in all sorts of bother at 25 for 3. Dean bowled with an excellent economy rate of 2.75 in taking 2 for 11. while Gibson also took two, including joint top-scorer Prendergast.
Ecclestone moved to joint-top of the tournament wicket-takers' list alongside India's Deepti Sharma. who took a five-for in their opening match against Pakistan. Ecclestone added to her two wickets from the opening-night win against Sri Lanka when she ended a laboured innings by Rebecca Stokell, stumped advancing to a quicker delivery, then cleaned up tailenders Arlene Kelly. Cara Murray.
Little was called into the Ireland XI for Ava Canning, who had precautionary scans on a lower back complaint,. she remained not out at the close of the innings with an unbeaten 26 off 15 balls, bettering Prendergast's 26 off 18.
Little's late flourish yielded four fours off Bell in the final over, starting with a shimmy down the pitch to smash the ball past mid-off. ending with a flick off her pads behind square leg.
Maguire and Gaby Lewis combined to remove both England openers in the space of three deliveries. Amy Jones. Danni Wyatt-Hodge both holed out to Lewis at wide mid-off as the hosts stuttered to 28 for 2. Then Prendergast bowled Alice Capsey with an excellent yorker.
But, with the vast experience of the former England captain, Knight,. Sciver-Brunt, her successor, to follow in the batting line-up, any brief worries were put to bed.
With 592 international appearances between them. 277 of those in T20Is, the duo settled into a 64-run stand for the fourth wicket to mow down the bulk of the target. Prendergast split them up when she overturned an lbw decision in Knight's favour, having struck her front pad low in front of middle. leg. Once Sciver-Brunt left the field, Freya Kemp was run out, but Gibson and Dean saw them home.
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