England A Women sealed a come-from-behind T20 series victory over India A Women on Thursday at the County Ground, Chelmsford, winning the decider by six wickets with 20 balls to spare. Ryana MacDonald-Gay’s three-wicket haul set the tone as England restricted India A to 111 before knocking off the runs in under 17 overs.
The result gave England A a 2-1 series win after both teams had won one match each at Northampton in the opening two fixtures.
MacDonald-Gay Dismantles India A With Three-Wicket Haul
England chose to bowl first, and MacDonald-Gay made that decision look sharp from early on. The Surrey fast bowler, who leads the Vitality Blast wicket charts this season, claimed figures of 3 for 19 in four overs to anchor an all-round bowling effort.
She had already picked up two wickets in each of the first two series matches before producing her best display of the tour. MacDonald-Gay removed captain Anushka Sharma for 14, then broke a threatening partnership by dismissing Minnu Mani at mid-off. The very next ball, wicketkeeper Kira Chathli completed a stunning one-gloved catch, and the hat-trick ball then shaved the off stump.
MacDonald-Gay has taken 20 T20 wickets in nine outings this season, a run made more remarkable given she missed a large chunk of last year through a low-level lumbar spine bone stress injury.
Alexa Stonehouse claimed 2 for 23, Grace Potts picked up one wicket, and spinner Sophia Smale finished with 2 for 18, including a caught and bowled. A run out in the final over completed the India innings at 111 all out in 19.5 overs.
India A struggled throughout. They managed just 21 for 2 at the end of the powerplay and were sitting at 42 at the halfway stage. Niki Prasad top-scored with 23, while Uma Chetry made 21. Mani and Chetry shared a 34-run sixth-wicket stand that briefly offered India A some resistance, but MacDonald-Gay ended it before the lower order could do damage.
England’s Chase Stays Comfortable Despite Middle-Order Wobbles
England A’s chase was straightforward, though not without a few bumps. Grace Scrivens was stumped for 20, Chathli was run out for 8, and Ella McCaughan was bowled for 27. At 71 for 3, India A had a faint chance, but it never developed into genuine pressure.
Jodi Grewcock held firm, finishing 29 not out on her home county ground. Charis Pavely chipped in with 20 before becoming the fourth and final wicket, and Bess Heath struck the winning runs to close out the match in the 17th over.
England A reached 112 for 4 with 20 balls remaining.
Series Result Seals England A’s Comeback Win
The series was evenly poised after the first two games at Northampton, with each team taking one win. England needed a strong performance in the decider to avoid a series defeat, and they produced exactly that — from the toss decision through to the final ball of their chase.
Both sides now switch to 50-over cricket. A three-match ODI series begins at Hove on Sunday, with the remaining two fixtures scheduled at Taunton on July 1 and July 4.
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