England vs Pakistan Women’s T20I: Glenn’s Heroics Seal Victory After Early Turmoil
In a captivating showdown between England and Pakistan women’s cricket teams, England defied an early top-order collapse to clinch a commanding 53-run victory.
The game, held at Edgbaston, witnessed a spectacular display of resilience from England’s Amy Jones and Heather Knight, setting the stage for a thrilling start to the international summer series.
Pakistan 110 (Sadaf 35, Glenn 4-12, Bell 3-22) lost to England 163 for 6 (Knight 49, Gibson 41*, Jones 37, Waheeda 2-20, Sadia 2-30) by a margin of 53 runs.
In the first game of their home international summer, England survived a dismal start against Pakistan thanks to a match-saving combination of 67 between Amy Jones and Heather Knight and a four-wicket haul from leg-spinner Sarah Glenn.
In front of 12,241 spectators at Edgbaston, Jones and Knight rallied the hosts from 11 for 4 after 17 balls of the opening Twenty20 International. England reached 163 for 6, a total that had seemed improbable in the third over after a top-order collapse that will give England something to work on despite the outcome, thanks to a strong 41 not out off just 21 deliveries from Dani Gibson.
After Pakistan made a strong start to the run-chase, Glenn, who was playing her first game in an England shirt since she had a concussion during the recent tour of New Zealand, kept them in check. She finished with four wickets for twelve from her four overs, with seamer Lauren Bell taking three and off-spinner Charlie Dean and left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone taking one each.
Alice Capsey’s little nod expressed everything. Sidra Ameen had just seen the ball reach its pinnacle and start to fall into her hands, but she already knew how it would turn out and what it would mean. After just 2.1 overs, England was already down to 11 for 3, and things could only get worse. After asserting her claim as the opener with a superb tour of New Zealand in March, Maia Bouchier entered the middle of things with a lot of optimism, while Tammy Beaumont and Sophia Dunkley were left off of this series.
Waheeda Akhtar’s third ball was tucked to the fine-leg boundary by Bouchier, but the very next ball was plinked straight to Nida Dar at mid-off. England was in serious trouble when Danni Wyatt spooned Sadia Iqbal to mid-on and Capsey followed.
Nat Sciver-Brunt, who was declared out on match eve to allow her to recuperate after a medical operation, was not with England. However, she did practice with the squad during the warm-up. Due to her absence, Freya Kemp was able to enter the game at No. 5, batting only as a batter while recovering from a back issue.
However, Kemp was involved in a disastrous mix-up with Knight, who remained unfazed as Kemp drove a delivery from Akhtar back towards the bowler and hurried to run. Akhtar then threw to wicketkeeper Muneeba Ali, who quickly removed the bails as Kemp was retreating too late.
It was up to Knight and Jones to rebuild at 11 for 4, still in just the third over. On her home stadium, Jones was playing her 100th Twenty20 International. She and Knight had pulled England up to 29 for 4 at the end of the powerplay after Jones survived a difficult chance at point from Akhtar when she was on 2. Jones then blasted Fatima Sana through midwicket for four.
After that, Jones bounced back and hit Akhtar for four in the following over. Knight then hit back-to-back fours off Rameen Shamim, clearing extra cover and sweeping past square leg, indicating that the home team was making progress. Knight was hit on the back knee after misjudging a reverse off Dar, but she was able to dispute her LBW dismissal after it was determined that the ball had touched her outside the off stump line.
When wrist-spinner Tuba Hassan came in, Knight didn’t stop. He thundered a drive over long-on and, at the beginning of the following over, Jones pulled and swept Rameen for twin fours. At half-way through the innings, England were 63 for 4. Despite her impressive performance on the sweep, Jones’ innings ended on 37 from 27 balls when she top-edged a Sadia full toss to deep square leg, where Natalia Pervaiz made a smart catch.
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After Knight got across the covers to reach England’s 100, she and Gibson combined for 41 runs before Knight was just one run short of reaching her fifty. Tuba made the breakthrough when Knight misplayed the ball to Gull Feroza at mid-on. After Gull dismissed Ecclestone at deep midwicket on 11, Gibson made an impression by hitting Rameen’s following ball to the deep square leg boundary for her fourth four. Later in the over, Gibson hammered another four over extra cover. For the seventh wicket, she and Ecclestone put on an unbroken stand totaling 44.
In the first over, Gull punished Bell’s poor full toss down the ground for four, and two balls later, they chose a lovely gap through the covers for another boundary. When Dean trapped Sidra Ameen leg before wicket with her fourth ball, she scored. However, Sadaf Shamas hit five boundaries in the next over, including a cover drive, a hard shot over point, a flick over square leg, and a cut to backward point, forcing Gibson to give up 21 runs in the process.
In the eighth over, Jones made 66 for 3, taking Gull out with an inside edge off Bell with a fantastic diving catch to her left. It took her much less work to grab Muneeba’s top edge as she tried to reverse-sweep Glenn. Dar was still racing a single when she requested a review of her dismissal off Glenn forLBW, which was later reversed since it was revealed by replays that the ball had come off her glove.
When Dar mishandled a delivery from Dean to midwicket and went for an uncalled single, Sadaf was unnecessarily run out. Sadaf was well short of her ground when Capsey gathered and threw to Jones, spoiling an early chance for a good knock of 35 off 24.
Pakistan’s pursuit broke down after that. A thrilled Hollies stand watched as Dar’s slog-sweep off Glenn soared towards Bouchier, who raced over from deep midwicket to make an arduous catch look easy. After attempting a late cut off Ecclestone, Pervaiz’s ballistic ball of a ball found Jones’s gloves, and Pakistan lost three wickets for six runs in ten balls.
Bell secured her second wicket when Wyatt made a long run to take a wonderful catch diving forwards, and Rameem Shamim hit one high to deep midwicket. After bowling Akhtar with a brilliant leg-break and trapping Tuba behind, Glenn got two wickets in three balls. Bell secured the final wicket when Kemp caught Sadia, completing the victory with ten balls remaining.
