England Women’s cricket team kicked off their busy summer schedule with an impressive 208 run win against the West Indies at Grace Road, Leicester.

Opening batswoman Amy
Jones (91) and captain Heather Knight (94) who top scored had helped England to
318-9 after winning the toss and electing to bat first.

England had been 207-2
before repeatedly losing wickets in the last 15 overs.

After the game Knight
said: “It was a brilliant start from the team. I was really pleased to see
us pass 300 again.

“Amy was terrific at
the top of the innings, it’s great to see her continue her good form.

“There’s probably a
couple of areas we could sharpen up in the field, but Sophie Ecclestone and
Laura Marsh were consistently threatening.

“Katherine set the
tone up top again and we look forward to taking this performance on to
Worcester.”

Subsequently, their win makes it 11 consecutive wins in all formats.

West Indian Hayley Matthews (10-0-57-4) was as ever dangerous with the ball, picking up the key wickets of Tammy Beaumont (32), Amy Jones (91) as well as two wickets in the last over of Anya Shrubsole (13) and Laura Marsh (6).

But sloppy fielding, which saw 41 boundaries leaked, cost Stafanie Taylor’s side the game.

Only Chedean Nation,
unbeaten on 42, provided any fightback.

Her efforts however proved
in vain after running out of partners as four of the West Indian players failed
to make a single run before losing their wicket and were all out for 110.

As a result it only took England only 36 overs to wrap up the win, after poor shot selection by the Windies and an impressive bowling front led by Katherine Brunt (5-2-6-2), who took two wickets in two balls, Sophie Ecclestone (10-2-30-3) and Laura Marsh (9-0-30-3) helped England to their win.

England next play the West
Indies on Sunday June 9 at Blackfinch New Road, Worcester, before rounding up
their ODI series on Thursday June 13 at the Cloud FM County Ground in
Chelmsford.

Qualification for the 2021
World Cup is determined by the ICC Women’s Championship which includes these
three ODIs.

JOTI KAUR