England seal series victory with comfortable win in second ODI

Amy Jones guided Heather Knight's side to a match-winning total, before Lauren Bell ran through West Indies' top order to set up a comprehensive result in Antigua

Nick Friend | 06/12/2022 at 23:50

Antigua: England 260, West Indies 118 - England win by 142 runs

Scorecard

Amy Jones starred with the bat and Lauren Bell led the way with the ball as England routed West Indies to seal an easy victory in the ODI series against West Indies with a game to spare.

Jones finished unbeaten on 70, coming to England's aid after Heather Knight's tourists had lost their fifth wicket only halfway through their innings. Bell then reduced the hosts to 8 for 4, swinging the new ball prodigiously in a spell that ended the game as a contest only 19 balls into West Indies' reply.

Sophia Dunkley (57) also made a half century for England as Jon Lewis picked up his first series win in just his second match at the helm.

England had won the toss in Antigua and put together a 42-run stand for the first wicket between Tammy Beaumont and Emma Lamb, who replaced the injured Alice Capsey. The teenager has returned home after breaking her collarbone while fielding in Sunday's series opener. Lamb (25) began well in her place but was run out attempting a second run, before Beaumont (21) chipped to mid-on three overs later.

When Nat Sciver was trapped in front by Cherry-Ann Fraser for just five – she had top-scored with 90 on her return to international cricket on Sunday – England were in a spot of bother, with Knight and Dunkley then falling within three overs of one another to be 146 for 5 in the 28th over.

But one of Lewis' early moves has been to push Jones to No.7, with Danni Wyatt at No.6. Wyatt made 68 in the first match of the series but fell cheaply in the second, leaving Jones to marshal the lower order.

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^{Amy Jones made 70 for England, her highest international score since 2019 (Image: CWI Media)}

She made her highest score since 2019, dominating stands with Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, Kate Cross and Lauren Bell, hitting cleanly through the legside and over mid-off as England reached 260 despite a collapse that will have frustrated a jampacked batting line-up.

For West Indies, the spin of Hayley Matthews and Afy Fletcher controlled much of the innings and shared five wickets between them, while Aaliyah Alleyne also chipped in two separate spells, dismissing Beaumont and Dean.

In response, however, the home side collapsed in a heap. Matthews edged all three balls she faced – first short of slip, second wide of slip, third into the hands of slip – before Kycia Knight threw her bat at a wide, swinging delivery from Bell and could only edge through to Jones.

Alleyne then nicked a beauty from Cross to leave West Indies 4 for 3 after 13 balls, before Shemaine Campbelle was adjudged lbw against a delivery from Bell that typically hooped and struck her seemingly on the way down the legside.

Chedean Nation also fell to a legside delivery, gloving a wayward Cross bouncer, while Shabika Gajnabi departed in identical fashion to be Bell's fourth victim.

All the while, Rashada Williams (54*)continued to fight a lone battle, depositing Ecclestone over long-on for six and driving fluently through cover. Chinelle Henry (13) survived 41 deliveries but was trapped in front as she tried to sweep Ecclestone shortly after taking a blow to the helmet from a Sciver bouncer.

Fletcher also fell on the sweep, Ecclestone clipped the off-bail of Cherry-Ann Fraser and Dean picked up her second wicket to end the game, with Sheneta Grimmond chipping a caught-and-bowled back to the off-spinner.