England beat the West Indies by 142 points to earn a dominating win in the One Day International Series in Antigua.
Chasing 261, the hosts were knocked out for 118 with Lauren Bell taking her best international figures of 4-33.
Bell and Kate Cross, who took 2-35, tore through a shaky West Indies batting team as the hosts slipped to 49-5 in the first 10 overs of their pursuit.
It was another extremely one-sided encounter, with England taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-game series.
England’s 260 looked below par at the halfway mark, having opted to strike first on flat ground where they scored 307 two days ago.
Sophia Dunkley made 55 and Amy Jones stuck for 70 as West Indies put on a much improved display on the ball and on the pitch – captain Hayley Matthews led the way with 3-50.
Opener Emma Lamb was exhausted for 25 days on her return to the side as she replaced Alice Capsey, who returned to the UK after breaking her collarbone in the first ODI.
But the hosts’ stick fell apart again, with Rashada Williams’ unbeaten half-century being the only contribution over 20.
Bell took two wickets in the first, including Matthews’ precious wicket, to trigger a dramatic West Indies collapse, and spinners Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean took two wickets each to complete the win.
The third and final ODI will take place at the same venue on Friday at 6:00 p.m. GMT.
Bell makes its mark
The sight of an England opening bowler causing havoc with an extravagant inswing is not unheard of in recent years.
Anya Shrubsole retired in April after more than a decade of international cricket, and when a player of such caliber retires, there always remains the question of who can replace him.
Enter Lauren Bell.
The 21-year-old big player made her international debut in all three formats this summer and has been impressive without really taking center stage.
But defending what initially looked like a sub-par tally in Antigua, Bell tore through the West Indies Premier Order with a brutal bowling spell; bamboozle batters with a lethal combination of pace, bounce and swing.
Matthews was caught sliding, before senior hitter Kycia Knight was caught behind two balls later. Shemaine Campbell was pinned lbw shortly after, and Chedean Nation edged a short ball behind in a chaotic, breathless start to the chase.
The ever-constant Cross can feel badly done after casting a bright spell on the other side, combining with Bell to effectively end the game in the first power play.
Williams, 25, was the only bright spark in a dismal West Indies performance, carrying the attack to England when they failed to stay on 54, but the rift between the two teams was once again harshly exposed as that the rest of the sleeves looked like nothing. more than a formality.
Jones and Dunkley step up for England
Halfway through the game, it looked like a huge missed opportunity for the West Indies to fight their way through the series.
They had England faltering at 133-4, with Knight and Sciver sent off, as England’s top order made a promising start but could not accelerate.
But the opportunity presented itself as they failed to capitalize on such a promising position.
Dunkley kept it cool, playing with attacking intent despite regular wickets, sweeping spinners and punishing short balls the setters offered.
But the game was there for the hosts when Dunkley was brought down after attempting a sweep from outside the stump, and Danni Wyatt went down shortly after for 13 as England were 175-6 with 17 overs remaining tear down.
They managed to slow the pace, as England struggled to score easily against the rotation of Matthews and Afy Fletcher, and they gradually reduced the lower order.
But just like Dunkley had, Jones got in their way and, after a tough year with the bat so far, looked close to his best destroyer with a series of reverse sweeps combined with power. on the ground.
In the end, 260 was more than enough for England – but after two extremely one-sided games to start the series, it’s hard to see the West Indies having better opportunities than this to win a game on this tour.
“We play without fear”
The English seamstress Lauren Bell: “It was a great team performance today, we are really proud of the way we played. Lewy [new Head Coach Jon Lewis] talked a lot about playing fearless and that there’s no limit to what we can achieve, I feel like we saw that today.
“I personally stuck to my plan and getting the best of my career in a game that sealed the ODI series is really cool.
“We’re not particularly looking to change our game plan as we continue the rest of the tour, our minds are on each game as it comes and playing with the same aggression and positivity that we have. done today, it’s very liberating.”
