- author, Fionn Wynne
- role, BBC sports journalist based in Northampton
-
England 144 wins, 6 losses (20 overs): Shiver Brant 31 (21); Dal 2-33
Pakistan 79 (15.5 overs): Rias 19 (17); Ecclestone 3-11, Capcy 2-4
England won by 65 points. Lead series 2-0
England secured a series victory over Pakistan with a resounding 65-run victory in the second T20 at Northampton.
The visitors, who were chasing 145 to stay in the series, slumped to 79 all out in 15.5 overs.
Spinner Sophie Ecclestone bowled perfectly as England dominated from beginning to end, finishing with three wins and 11 losses.
Earlier, England reached 144-6 with Pakistan taking advantage of the position.
The score against England was 127-5 at the start of the final over, but all-rounder Daniel Gibson turned the tide with a decisive 18 not out from nine balls.
Nat Silver-Blunt shot a fluent 31 after returning from egg freezing treatment, No. 3 Capsey hit the same score, and opening pitcher Maia Bouchier hit a 30.
At the halfway point, I felt the total score was too high for Pakistan, but Pakistan's meek response was disappointing as no batsman reached 20 despite a spate of soft dismissals.
The final match of the T20 series will be played at Headingley in Leeds on Sunday.
A convincing victory for England after a stop-start
It was a unique display of England's batting, and the total ultimately proved to be the match-winner, but moments of brilliance were interspersed with frustration.
Bouchier and Capsey were instrumental in England's quick start, with the former batting superbly before Diana Baig's sensational one-handed scoop at cover saw her out through no fault of her own.
Capsey struggled with his usual destructive fluency but still managed to smash five fours in an over, while Shiver-Brunt looked as if he had never rested. .
The all-rounder hit four balls off his first ball and added five more before being dismissed for Sadia Iqbal's economy spin, making it 1-20.
However, opener Danny Wyatt hit six, and after his heroics at Edgbaston, Knight and Amy Jones hit four and 15 respectively, another disappointing result.
However, Gibson's finishing ability once again proved crucial, hitting a six and a four from the last two balls, after a much improved performance in the field was again wasted after a disastrous batting effort. , hurt Pakistan's confidence.
England bowlers peak at the perfect time
With preparations for the T20 World Cup to be held in the autumn in Bangladesh dominating the narrative of this series, England's spinners have been consistently performing at very favorable times.
At just 25 years old, Ecclestone overtook Catherine Silver-Brunt to become England's top T20 wicket-taker, taking her total with three wickets to 137.
Sarah Glen shined with 4-12 at Edgbaston and backed that up with 2-10 here, while seamer Lauren Bell continued to lead the seam attack with great maturity, finishing with 2-20. .
Capsey also chipped in with one over to take two wickets, adding a valuable dimension to her game in conditions that should be spin-friendly in the subcontinent, but it was a rare wicketless day for off-spinner Charlie Dean. became.
The caveat is that Pakistan was poor. They give England most of their wickets with loose shots, chip the ball in the air for simple catches over the ring, and cross the line regularly.
However, Dean, Glenn, Bell and Ecclestone are all in the top 10 of the ICC's bowling rankings, and they are shaping up as perhaps the most complete bowling attack in the world.
“Spin is our strength” – their words
England captain Heather Knight: “We threw a lot of spin, obviously that’s our strength, but they had to get it done.
“It was quite tricky on one of those wickets where you feel that bowling straight makes it difficult for the batsmen and slows the pace down a bit. It was a bit deceptive and maybe a bit more like Bangladesh than we thought. ”! ”
Pakistan captain Nida Dar: “The batting part is not going well. We have tried a lot of combinations before this series and we are working on it and we will discuss it in the next game.”
Former England spinner Alex Hartley: “England were too good today, Pakistan were poor. There were too many soft dismissals.”