Hosts England maintained their winning momentum in the Women’s T20 World Cup with a hard-fought four-wicket victory over Ireland in a rain-affected Group B clash at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton on Tuesday.After crushing Sri Lanka by 87 runs in their opener, England followed it up with another win to strengthen their push for the title. Sophie Ecclestone led the charge with the ball, claiming 3/22 as Ireland were restricted to 118/9 after England opted to field under overcast skies.Charlie Dean was equally impressive, returning miserly figures of 2/11 and contributing 20 dot balls, while Danielle Gibson chipped in with 2/10. England’s disciplined attack bowled a total of 60 dot balls to keep the pressure firmly on Ireland.
Ireland recover after early collapse
Ireland endured a disastrous start, slipping to 25/3 inside five overs after losing openers Amy Hunter and Alana Dalzell, followed by captain Gaby Lewis. However, Orla Prendergast counterattacked with a brisk 26 off 18 balls, striking four boundaries to keep her side in the contest.Louise Little then provided a late flourish, smashing four boundaries off Lauren Bell in the final over as Ireland collected 17 runs from it — their most productive over of the innings — to finish on a competitive 118/9.
Sciver-Brunt and Knight rescue England
Chasing 119, England were rocked early as Ireland struck three times inside the Powerplay to reduce the hosts to 35/3. Aimee Maguire removed both Amy Jones and Danni Wyatt-Hodge, while Prendergast produced a fine yorker to dismiss Alice Capsey.With England wobbling, captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and veteran Heather Knight steadied the innings with a crucial 64-run partnership. The pair rotated the strike smartly and punished loose deliveries to wrest back control of the chase.Knight fell for 26, while Sciver-Brunt retired hurt on 48, agonisingly short of a half-century.
Hosts survive late jitters
England still had some nervous moments as Freya Kemp was run out, but with the target within reach, Dean and Gibson guided the hosts to 119/6 in 17.3 overs.The victory gave England successive wins in the tournament and further cemented their position among the early favourites. Ireland, meanwhile, were left ruing missed opportunities after briefly threatening to spring an upset with the ball.
