England comeback to beat Pakistan after shaky start

The 2024 English international summer began at Edgbaston on Saturday with England Women taking on Pakistan Women in the first of three Vitality IT20 matches.

England were without Nat Sciver-Brunt following what was described as a minor medical procedure. Heather Knight did confirm that she would return for the second match in Northampton this coming Friday. In her place came Freya Kemp for an opportunity to bat higher up the order at number five. Pakistan were left without the recently retired Bismah Maroof who ended her 17-year international career last month. They were led by Nida Dar who has been captain since April 2023.

Dar's decision at the toss to bowl first looked like an excellent one when England slumped to 11-4 in the third over. Maia Bouchier, Danni Wyatt and Alice Capsey all fell to good catches from Pakistan's fielders and Freya Kemp, following three play and misses, was run out by the combination of Waheeda Akhtar and Muneeba Ali without scoring.

It then fell to the experienced duo of Knight and Amy Jones, playing on her home ground, to steady the ship. They put on a crucial 67 runs for the fifth wicket and made excellent use of the sweep shot to find gaps in the field against Pakistan's spinners. Before play began Jones received her 100th IT20 cap making her the seventh England Women's player to that milestone. The last to reach 100 caps was Tammy Beaumont who brought up the milestone in Dunedin on the recent tour of New Zealand.

The platform laid by Knight and Jones enabled Dani Gibson to play an excellent innings of 41* off 21 balls, comfortably her best innings for England, to take the home team through to their total of 163/6. Sophie Ecclestone also chipped in with 19 from 13 balls at the end.

For Pakistan Waheeda Akhtar was the pick of the bowlers. She claimed the early wickets of Bouchier and Capsey and finished with a return of 2-20 from her four overs.

With the bat, Pakistan got off to a good start and took 12 off the first over from Lauren Bell and followed this with four off Gibson's first over. Charlie Dean was introduced into the attack for the third over and accounted for the first wicket of Sidra Ameen, LBW for 9.

Sadaf Shamas, the number three, showed her intent with the bat in the next over from Gibson which went for 21 and included five fours played on both sides of the wicket and from a range of deliveries that were either too short or too full.

Sarah Glenn and Sophie Ecclestone were able to steady the rate and by the end of the match Glenn finished with career best figures of 4-12 as Pakistan began to ebb away. Bell also finished with three wickets for 22 runs and there were a couple of good catches from Bouchier and Wyatt in the field as England completed a 53 run win.

The series goes to Northampton and Leeds before the ODI series in Derby, Taunton and Chelmsford.