Ecclestone & Capsey shine as England beat Ireland

3 years ago 40

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Ireland 105 (18.1 overs): Lewis 36 (37); Ecclestone 3-13, Glenn 3-19
England 107-6 (14.2 overs): Capsey 51 (22); Murray 3-15
England won by four wickets
Scorecard. Tables

Sophie Ecclestone and Alice Capsey starred as England ultimately made hard work of chasing 106 to beat Ireland by four wickets in the Women's T20 World Cup.

Ecclestone and Sarah Glenn took three wickets each as Ireland slumped to 105 all out off 18.1 overs in Paarl.

In reply, England were cruising as Capsey smashed a half-century from just 21 balls, the joint-fastest in the competition's history.

But they stuttered late in the chase, losing five wickets for 33 runs, before reaching their target with 34 balls to spare.

Capsey, 18, who earlier in the day earned a £75,000 deal with Delhi Capitals in the Women's Premier League, smashed 46 of her 51 runs in boundaries to break the back of England's chase in a partnership of 66 with Danni Wyatt.

Ireland squandered a strong position after starting their innings in aggressive fashion to reach 80-2, before Gaby Lewis' dismissal for 36 in the 13th over sparked a dramatic collapse of eight wickets for 25 runs.

Ecclestone, who secured a £180,000 deal in the WPL, backed up her 3-23 in victory over West Indies with another impressive performance to reaffirm her credentials as the world's number one ranked bowler.

The win takes England to the top of Group B and their aggressive approach has boosted their net run-rate, already significantly improving their chances of reaching the semi-finals.