Brunt And Gunn Help England Level Series

Brunt And Gunn Help England Level Series

Katherine Brunt's five-wicket haul helped England close out a series-levelling win in Bangalore.

©Action Images / Steven Paston

England Women 183-8 (Gunn 64, Sultana 4-30) beat
India Women 180 (Raj 91no, Brunt 5-22) by three runs
Second One-Day International, Bangalore
Scorecard

Jenny Gunn scored a half-century and Katherine Brunt took five wickets as England Women beat India Women by three runs in the second One-Day International in Bangalore, levelling their five-match series at one apiece.

Gunn's 64, her fourth ODI half-century, steered England to 183 for eight and Brunt's five for 22, career-best figures, saw India bowled out for 180 with Mithali Raj stranded on an unbeaten 91.

With regular wicket-keeper Sarah Taylor not in the side due to injury, Caroline Atkins (22) and Ebony Rainford-Brent (27) opened up for England, the pair batting patiently to add 36 for the first wicket, after which Gunn added 50 with Rainford-Brent by hitting eight fours in a 92-ball innings.

England's middle-order failed to build on the decent start, Lydia Greenway (4), Charlotte Edwards (15), Beth Morgan (4), Laura Marsh (8) and Tamsin Beaumont (0) all departing cheaply and it took a whirlwind unbeaten 21 in 11 balls from Brunt, her first career-best effort, to haul England past the 180-mark, Gouher Sultana returning figures of four for 30.

Brunt's new-ball burst then saw the Indians slump to 16 for four, the fast bowler dismissing Anagha Deshpande (0), Anjum Chopra (5), Priyanka Roy (3) and Rumeli Dhar (0).

Raj then put on 112 with Amita Sharma (40) and Thirush Kamini, who retired hurt having made two, to get India back into the game.

England then fought back, Gunn grabbing two wickets, and Brunt her fifth, to leave India one wicket from defeat but only needing nine runs to win. Sultana (1) and Raj scored five of them before Sultana was run out, the game going down to the wire with India falling short with three balls remaining.

The ECB later announced that Taylor, who suffered a hip injury during the first match of the series, will be returning to England, being replaced by 18-year-old Devon batter Heather Knight.

© Cricket World 2010

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