England women brush India aside

1 September 2008

Katherine Brunt, Sarah Taylor and Jenny Gunn

Katherine Brunt has Devika Palshikar lbw for four en route to 3-14 in 10 overs

England opened up a 2-0 lead in the five-match NatWest women’s Series by bowling India out for 102 and then knocking off the runs inside 25 overs for a 10-wicket victory at Taunton.

Katherine Brunt and Holly Colvin shared seven wickets in a miserly England display which restricted the tourists to a snail-like scoring rate during their 45.1 over innings.

Then Sarah Taylor, 19, put in a commanding performance with the bat, making 75 off 77 balls as she became the youngest women’s player to pass 1,000 one-day international runs.

India captain Mithali Raj, who won the toss, led the only meaningful resistance in her 100th ODI with over half her side’s runs in her unbeaten 53 from 100 deliveries.

Asha Rawat (11) registered the next highest total while opener Jaya Sharma recorded a 32-ball duck, falling to Isa Guha, who claimed 1-12 in eight overs.

Brunt made early inroads and when she dismissed Amit Sharma India were in deep trouble at 11 for four.

Sarah Taylor aims to leg in her unbeaten 75 as England romp home at Taunton

Raj and Hemlata Kala added 41 before the latter was run out and Colvin mopped up the tail with her left-arm spin.

Brunt finished with 3-14 from 10 overs while Colvin returned figures of 4-20 off 8.1.

Taylor set off like a train in ensuring her landmark and was ably assisted at the top of the order by Caroline Atkins, who made 24.

Taylor includes two centuries and five half-centuries from 34 matches in her fledgling international career, which is just two years old.

Taylor, who beat England captain Charlotte Edwards' record as the youngest to reach 1,000 runs, said: “It never occurred to me that getting 1,000 runs for England at my age would constitute a new record, until I was recently informed.

“Even though achieving this is fantastic I am going to continue playing my cricket in the same vein as I have been so far and hopefully further mine and the team’s success.”