ENG vs IND, 3rd T20I as it happened: Dashing Wyatt, all-round Sciver take England to series win

That will be all for this series: Heather Knight and Co have brought the multi-format-unnamed-cricket-trophy-against-India home for England. Hope you enjoyed the coverage.

Post-match reactions: Both captains bat for the multi-format series, saying it kept things interesting from the start to end.

Player of the match: Danni Wyatt

Player of the series: How can it be not NAT SCIVER.

Zenia D’Cunha: England win the multi-format series 10-6, deservingly indeed. The rain-hit Test was drawn in the final session but the hosts clinched the ODIs & T20Is 2-1 with strong all-round show. Positives for India too, but more lessons from their first overseas tour since March 2020.

England 154/2 in 18.4 overs: Hosts win T20I series, clinched the multi-format series as well with a 10-6 points margin. Wyatt, all-round Sciver the heroes.

And it’s all over in Chelmsford! Danni Wyatt’s sensational 89* takes England past the finish line by 8 wickets. She loves batting against India and it’s a welcome return to form for her. England clinch series.

SIX, FOUR! Nah, no nerves for Danni Wyatt who smacks a huge six off Deepti Sharma and moves into the 80s and follows that up with a four! What a knock!

England 141/2 after 18 overs: Signs of nerves for England? Poonam gets Wyatt and Knight to play false shots that elude the catchers on the offside. Over started with a couple of dot balls and finishes with one. Just keeping India interested.

England need 16 off 18.

Zenia D’Cunha: Sneh Rana gets the breakthrough, dismissing Nat Sciver who plays a superb knock. But Heather Knight reverse sweeps a boundary off her first ball when RRR is at 6.

Over 16.2: WICKET! Too little too late for India and Sciver’s series comes to a close. Out for 42. What a run of form she has been on. Rana with the wicket.

England 131/1 after 16 overs: The hosts need 23 off 24 balls. It’s not gone well for Radha today, with 2 fours in her over, with Wyatt reaching 70s.

England 125/1 after 15, need 29 off 30 balls: 100-run partnership! Wyatt and Sciver are making this run-chase look easy. England cruising.

England 113/1 after 14 overs: Harman persisting with spinners but there is nothing on offer for the bowlers and the batters are enjoying batting under the lights. Deepti the tidiest but no chances getting created.

England were 106/2 in the second match chasing 149 and lost. But this feels like it’s gone beyond India’s reach now. There is no pressure on the batters.

England 109/1 after 13 overs: A massive appeal for LBW against Sciver by Radha (she almost falls over pleading for it!) Give not out and missing stumps on the angle. England need 45 off 42 balls.

Best average of her T20I career is against India and one of the two centuries too.

HALF CENTURY! It’s a welcome return to form for Danni Wyatt. Her 8th fifty in T20Is to go with two centuries. A 33-ball 52, filled with boundaries around the field.

England 90/1 after 11 overs: Sneh Rana lands one on length, and the ball goes to the midwicket boundary in the blink of an eye. Brutally swatted away by Sciver. What form she is in! India need a runout from somewhere, it feels like. Req’d rate just 7 at the moment.

England 82/1 after 10 overs: Another over, another four for Wyatt. Once again using her feet to great effect. England need 72 from 60 balls and it all looks a bit too easy at the moment.

Radha Yadav comes on as the match slips away from India...

England 73/1 after 9 overs (Wyatt 39, Sciver 18): 12 runs from Poonam’s 2nd over as Wyatt smashes another four down the ground. This is terrific batting. England are making this look easy.

England 61/1 after 8 overs (Wyatt 29, Sciver 16): Wyatt is on fire at the moment. Another boundary down the ground, powerfully struck off Poonam. Deepti continues and it’s an easy 8-run over for the hosts. Reddy meanwhile is hovering around the boundary line trying to rotate her shoulder.

OUCH: Seems like a nasty one for Arundhati Reddy, as she tries to stop a four at square leg with a full length dive. Sciver got a four because that was powerfully struck. Concern for the Indians.

Poonam Yadav, two short of a 100 wickets in T20Is.

England 42/1 after 6 overs (Wyatt 20, Sciver 7): Three boundaries in an over! Danni Wyatt goes after Sneh Rana to help England finish the powerplay strongly. India were 28/2 at this stage.

England 30/1 after 5 overs: Sciver finishes the Pandey over with a delightful four through cover.

Over 3.3: WICKET! For the second match running, Deepti Sharma has Tammy Beaumont trapped in front trying to play the sweep. This one a bit fuller than in Hove and more plumb, three reds on DRS. It’s a big wicket for India. England 23/1 after 4 overs.

England 20/0 after 3 overs (Beaumont 7, Wyatt 9): Another half chance. Radha into the attack. Reddy dives to her left at square leg and gets her hands to a pull(ish) shot from Wyatt. Good attempt. And later in the over, another less-than-ideal moment for Verma. Chases after a ball from short fine and tries to scoop it over, but it just follows her over the fence. Beaumont hit that from behind the stumps!

England 8/0 after 2 overs: Oh dear! We have spoken so much about the Indian fielding in the last few matches but that wasn’t a pleasant moment. At long leg, Shafali completely misjudges the flight of the ball and then rather casually makes a one-handed attempt. Ball trickles through for four. Beaumont gets a life!

England 2/0 after 1 over: Top first over from Pandey, the classic inswing on show early. Late swing too, that’s even more difficult to put away.

Shikha Pandey to the English openers.

Innings break: T20I series on the line, and a share of the spoils across formats, and England have to score 154. The hosts will fancy their chances here if they can just avoid a collapse like last match but it’s not a bad position to be in for India too if they can get a couple of early wickets.

India 153/6 after 20 overs: 12 run from the final over. Smriti Mandhana’s 51-ball 70 was the highlight as India cross 150 in the series decider. Runs on the board in a pressure game. England still have the firepower though. Fascinatingly poised.

Over 19.3: FOUR, FOUR, OUT! Richa Ghosh! Brilliant from the second 17-year-old in this Indian lineup. Taking on Sophie Ecclestone in the final over and the 150 is almost up. The English spinner comes back with a wicket though. And you could sense her frustration.

India 141/5 after 19 overs: 4 overs, 1/16. Two really sharp catches. Another super day for Sciver in the field.

Sciver to finish her spell off.

India 135/5 after 18 overs: A LBW appeal against Deepti to start the Davies over, review returns Umpire’s call for impact. Just five runs in that over though, good from England.

India 130/5 after 17 overs: A couple of boundaries for Richa Ghosh in that Brunt over, down the ground. Good approach from the youngster.

Over 16.2: FOUR & OUT! Oh dear. Of all the ways to get out, Mandhana mistimes a full toss (slower ball) and Sciver takes another sharp catch. A terrific 51-ball 70 by Mandhana comes to an end one ball after playing a brilliant lofted shot over mid-off, a shot she picked up from beyond the leg stump.

Over 15.4: WICKET! Well, Ecclestone will not finish many T20Is without a wicket in her career. Fires one in, Rana is beaten for pace trying to sweep. Bowled. India 116/4.

Over 15.2: SIX! Smriti Mandhana is playing a delightful innings. Not easy to pick the length early against Ecclestone, let alone clear the boundary.

India 108/3 after 15 overs (Mandhana 58, Rana 4): A boundary for Mandhana after reaching 50 and it was another on the leg side. England missed a runout chance in that over with Rana well short while returning for two. Davies didn’t collect the ball.

HALF CENTURY! Smriti Mandhana with her 13th T20I fifty and it comes up in 42 balls. As is usually the case when she bats this long, an innings filled with elegant shots. Can she power India to a good total here?

India 94/3 after 14 overs (Mandhana 46, Rana 3): Two boundaries for Mandhana, the first one another delightful lofted shot that dissects the offside field. The second one is a bit of a gift as Dunkley touches the boundary rope while throwing the ball. Villiers has gone for some runs here.

It’s a welcome return to form for Harmanpreet Kaur, all said and done. She might have expected to score a few more in the last two innings perhaps but safe to say that the confidence in shot-making is back.

India 84/3 after 13 overs: Sneh Rana is the new batter in and that is good to see, India not looking to take the foot off the pedal. (Also perhaps Deepti is being held back with Mandhana still in the middle)

Over 12.1: WICKET! Nat Sciver can do nothing wrong at the moment, it feels like. Into the attack and the partnership is broken! After an entertaining 26-ball 36, Harmanpreet Kaur is trapped in front by the star allrounder. Review of no use, all three REDs. India 81/3.

India 81/2 after 12 overs (Mandhana 36, Kaur 36): Three fours in one over for Kaur! When she is on song... what a sight. A full toss put away on the leg side, then a powerful cover drive. There’s a review for caught behind but it came off the thigh. The Indian captain then hits a third over, this one through point. Terrific batting.

India 67/2 after 11 overs (Mandhana 36, Kaur 23): What a shot that was Mandhana, delightfully lofted over long off. Davies the bowler. India’s RR crosses 6.00.

Vinayakk Mohanrangan: Wonder when was the last time Smriti Mandhana’s first three boundaries in an innings came on the leg side? (And she hits a six over long off as I typed that!)

India 58/2 after 10 overs (Mandhana 28, Kaur 22): SIX! When Harmanpreet Kaur comes down the track and connects, no boundary is big enough! The first six of the match, clears long on comfortably off Villiers.

Zenia D’Cunha: Harmanpreet Kaur gets in a cheeky scoop & a classic punch for boundaries... Early still but looks like a turning point in her batting form has finally come this England tour. She has some touch back at least, looked devastated while talking about her form earlier.

After 9 overs, India 48/2 (Mandhana 26, Kaur 14): Mandhana picks up a boundary in the Ecclestone over. For someone so strong on the offside, the openers boundaries have all come on the leg side so far.

After 8 overs, India 40/2 (Mandhana 20, Kaur 12): Sarah Glenn comes on and Kaur plays a delightful cut shot for four. Lovely transfer of weight.

After 7 overs, India 33/2 (Mandhana 18, Kaur 7): A four for Kaur, as she plays a cheeky behind the keeper. Not an easy shot to play off a medium pacer, but it is a good first over from Freya Davies still.

After 6 overs, India 28/2 (Mandhana 17, Kaur 3): Great powerplay for England. Sciver finishes with a 4-run over

After 5 overs, India 24/2 (Mandhana 15, Kaur 1): Still not getting her timing 100% right but there are a couple of boundaries for Mamdhana in that Brunt over through the legside.

Captain and vice captain in the middle with India under early pressure.

Over 3.3: WICKET! Nat Sciver with a superb catch! She can do no wrong at the moment. Dives forward and takes a sharp one, Harleen Deol is out. Sophie Ecclestone strikes in her first over, just after she was hit for a four down the ground.

After 3 overs, India 9/1 (Mandhana 6, Deol 2): Good start this by England, even if Mandhana is looking to bat positively. The intent is there, the timing not quite.

Over 1.6: GOOD REVIEW: Harleen Deol, in at No 3 ahead of Harmanpreet Kaur after an early wicket, is given out LBW off Nat Sciver. But the ball is seaming back a good distance, missing leg stump.

India 1/1 after 1 over: The rollercoaster that has been Katherine Brunt vs Shafali Verma (right from the Test series) ends with the English pacer getting the Indian opener out in the first over for a duck and giving her a sendoff too. It’s been entertaining alright. Harleen Deol is in at No 3, not Harmanpreet.

#ENGvIND

Over 0.4: WICKET! The battle between Katherine Brunt and Shafali Verma has been sensational to watch this tour. It is the veteran pacer who has the final say, with a wicket in the first over. Shafali out for zero, played on. Brunt gives the Indian a sendoff. It’s a comeback from the pacer after being hit for five fours in an over in the previous mach.

All set for action in Chelmsford. Katherine Brunt to Smriti Mandhana (and later Shafali Verma, of course!)

Zenia D’Cunha: Very impressive that India have kept the multi-format series alive till the last game after being on the backfoot so often England have an unassailable lead but India have a chance to draw & end the month-long tour on a positive note.

TEAM NEWS:

Both teams unchanged...

India XI: : Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Sneh Rana, Arundhati Reddy, Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav

England XI: Tammy Beaumont, Danni Wyatt, Nat Sciver, Heather Knight, Amy Jones, Sophia Dunkley, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Mady Villiers, Freya Davies

TOSS NEWS: India win the toss and elect to bat.

Hello all and welcome to the live coverage of the third and final T20I between England and India, that brings an end to the tour for the visitors. Can Harmanpreet Kaur and Co clinch the T20I series that is level now? Also at stake is a chance to level the points overall in the mult-format series where England are ahead 8-6.

Indian spinners, fielders starred during the final overs as visitors edged out England by eight runs in the second T20 International to level the series 1-1. Batting first, India lost way after a good start provided by opener Shafali Verma (48 off 38 balls) to finish on 148/4. Harmanpreet Kaur returned to some form with her innings of 31 that included two sixes.

In reply, opener Tammy Beaumont’s 59 off 50 balls put England in good position before they were restricted to 140/8 in 20 overs.

ENG vs IND 2nd T20I as it happened: Sensational fightback on the field by India as they win thriller