Controversial runout clinches win for India as Jhulan Goswami ends international career

NICK FRIEND AT LORD'S: Staging its first women's international match since the 2017 World Cup final, Lord's hosted a record crowd for a women's bilateral game in England as India sealed a whitewash in the ODI leg of their tour

Lord's: India 169, England 153 - India win by 16 runs

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India inflicted just a second home ODI whitewash on England since 2001, winning by 16 runs, but the game ended with boos from the Lord's crowd after Deepti Sharma ran out Charlie Dean at the non-striker's end as she broke from her delivery stride.

Dean (47) and No.11 Freya Davies (10*) had dragged England close after collapsing to 53 for 6, but Sharma - in her approach to bowl - pulled out to take the bails off as Dean backed up and left her crease.

The decision was referred to the third umpire, who gave the verdict to a chorus of disapproval from a record-breaking crowd for a bilateral England Women's international on home soil.

As of October 1, 'Mankad' dismissals will no longer be considered unfair play under a new set of laws announced by the MCC, but in the meantime it has remained a legitimate mode of dismissal.

"The bowler is always painted as the villain but it is a legitimate way to dismiss someone and it is the non-striker who is stealing the ground," MCC Laws manager Fraser Stewart told The Times in March. "It is legitimate, it is a run-out and therefore it should live in the run-out section of the laws."

"She always threatens to run people out and you do talk about that as a team, that eventually she's actually going to do it," said former England spinner Alex Hartley, speaking on BBC Test Match Special.

The tourists' victory, however controversial, provided Jhulan Goswami with the perfect send-off into retirement, suffocating England's response to a first-innings total of 169 to bowl out Amy Jones' young charges.

Goswami, a veteran of 304 international matches spanning 20 years, was afforded a guard of honour as she came out to bat, before dismissing Alice Capsey in the midst of an England collapse and adding a second wicket with her 10,001st delivery in ODI cricket. She was carried off the field at the end and then led a lap of honour with her teammates.

^{Jhulan Goswami played her final international match for India (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)}

The majority of the early damage was done by Renuka Singh Thakur, who took the wickets of England's top three – Tammy Beaumont, Emma Lamb and Sophia Dunkley – after half centuries from Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma had dragged Harmanpreet Kaur's side to a competitive score following a desperate start.

England would have fancied their chances in response, but without Nat Sciver and Heather Knight in their middle order, they collapsed in a heap after openers Lamb and Beaumont, playing her 100th ODI, fell inside the powerplay.

The pair enjoyed such a profitable series against South Africa earlier this summer, but their struggles against India's excellent attack were indicative of the series' overall direction of travel.

Although England won the preceding T20I series, it's difficult to argue against the idea that the tourists have been the vastly superior outfit in the 50-over leg, with the absences of Knight, Sciver and Katherine Brunt leaving England rudderless at times and short on knowhow in the face of India's experience.

Kaur set aggressive fields throughout as Lord's hosted its first women's international since the 2017 World Cup final between the same sides. She deployed a short leg and catching fielders at cover and midwicket, with England's inability to break free cheered at every passing moment by a raucous crowd.

Earlier, Shafali Verma's miserable series had come to an end with a five-ball duck, with Yastika Bhatia – the impressive wicketkeeper-batter – also falling without scoring. Kaur was trapped in front shortly afterwards as Kate Cross swept through India's top order, while Harleen Deol was given out on review off Freya Davies, recalled at Lauren Bell's expense.

^{Renuka Singh Thakur did the early damage for India (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)}

In a low-scoring affair, however, the game hinged on the contributions of Mandhana and Sharma, both of whom played beautifully in difficult conditions for batting. England eventually found a way through Mandhana, albeit somewhat fortuitously, dragging a legside bouncer onto her stumps, but Sharma marshalled her lower order to a total that was ultimately ample.

It hadn't looked that way when England got through their first seven overs unscathed, barring a blow to the head for Lamb as she attempted to scoop Thakur. But once she was stumped off the same bowler, the house of cards tumbled, beginning with Beaumont and continuing in the next over with Capsey, Dunkley and Danni Wyatt as wickets fell in four consecutive overs in front of 15,187 supporters – the biggest audience ever for a match in a women's bilateral series on English soil.

Sophie Ecclestone cut Rajeshwari Gayakwad to slip and Freya Kemp sliced Sharma to backward point, with Jones – in her final game as stand-in captain – at the centre of a cautious counterattack that ended when she pulled straight at deep square leg. Kate Cross fell soon afterwards, bowled by Goswami in her final over as an international cricketer, though she then dropped a chance at slip that would have ended the game far earlier than would ultimately transpire.

England's final pair added 35 for the last wicket before Sharma's intervention left the home side frustrated and 17 runs short of victory.