Category News

Third T20, The Oval

England 171-9 (20 overs): Dunkley 75 (53); Sharma 3-27

India 166-5 (20 overs): Mandhana 56 (49); Filer 2-30

England won by five runs; India lead series 2-1

England held their nerve to keep the T20 series alive with a thrilling last-ball victory by five runs against India at The Oval.

Chasing 172 to win, India needed 12 from the last over and six off the final ball, but seamer Lauren Bell had opposing captain Harmanpreet Kaur caught at mid-off for 23 – and the hosts now only trail 2-1 in the series with two matches to play.

The tourists, eyeing a series win at the earliest opportunity, were in full control, needing 49 from 42 balls with nine wickets in hand before an eye-catching spell of fast bowling from Lauren Filer changed the course of the game.

Filer had Jemimah Rodrigues caught behind for 20 and star batter Smriti Mandhana, who made 56, was also beaten for pace and caught at mid-on as the quick regularly reached speeds of 79mph.

Harmanpreet’s knock kept India in the hunt but England restricted them to 166-5 despite a flurry of dropped chances in a chaotic ending, setting up a tantalising encounter in the fourth of five T20s at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

England’s first innings also provided plenty of drama, as they raced to 137-0 after fine half-centuries from Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge, before losing nine wickets for 31 runs in the space of 4. 4 overs, and finishing with 171-9.

Dunkley made 75 from 53 balls and Wyatt-Hodge struck 66 from 42, but Sophie Ecclestone’s 10 was the only other score in double figures in a collapse which included three batters falling first ball.

England’s top order was under pressure, with opening stands of nine and two in the series so far, but Dunkley and Wyatt-Hodge responded to the pressure in style having been given the freedom to bat first and set a total after stand-in captain Tammy Beaumont won the toss.

They were initially quite cautious, reaching 44-0 from the six-over powerplay, before Dunkley led the acceleration, targeting the leg side and using her feet effectively to the spinners who were put under pressure for the first time.

Wyatt-Hodge followed suit after a slower start as England were on course for a total close to 200, contrasting with Dunkley by hitting effectively through and over the covers, as India’s bowlers had no answers to their variety.

What followed, however, was baffling.

Dunkley clubbed a full toss back to Sharma for the breakthrough, before the triple wicket over from seamer Arundhati Reddy – Capsey was caught after trying to ramp her third ball, Wyatt-Hodge chipped a slower ball to the India captain and Jones was pinned lbw for a golden duck.

Beaumont was bowled attempting a sweep at the end of the 18th over, before left-arm spinner Shree Charani – who was expensive with 43 runs conceded from her four overs – had Paige Scholfield stumped and Issy Wong caught behind first ball.

British number one Emma Raducanu is out of Wimbledon after falling agonisingly short of top seed Aryna Sabalenka in a gripping third-round match on Centre Court.

Raducanu, 22, put the three-time Grand Slam champion – and clear title favourite – under extreme pressure before succumbing to a 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 defeat.

“Emma played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win,” said 27-year-old Belarusian Sabalenka.

“I had to fight for every point to get this win. “

Raducanu, ranked 40th in the world, played with clarity and confidence throughout most of a captivating contest on Centre Court.

Had the 2021 US Open champion served out the opening set at 6-5, or converted a set point in the tie-break, the momentum of the lead might have carried her to a notable victory.

However, the deficit proved too much to overturn – even though Raducanu broke to lead 4-1 in the second set.

The long rallies she needed to break down Sabalenka eventually took their toll and Raducanu began to look fatigued as the favourite fought back.

Men’s world number one Jannik Sinner, seven-time champion Novak Djokovic and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek are among the headline acts on the first Saturday of Wimbledon fortnight.

Sinner has demonstrated why he is one of the big favourites for a first title at SW19 by cruising through his first two matches, while Djokovic showed glimpses of his best form in his second-round victory over Great Britain’s Dan Evans.

Meanwhile, eighth seed Swiatek is one of the highest remaining seeds in the women’s draw and the Pole will hope to get into round four at Wimbledon for only the third time in her career.

Italian Sinner has reached the finals of the past three Grand Slam events, winning two of them. At 13:30 BST, he will open play on Centre Court against Spaniard Pedro Martinez, who is ranked 52nd in the world.

Djokovic, 38, is making his 20th appearance in the men’s singles at Wimbledon and will aim to make it to the fourth round for the 17th time.

He is third on Centre against fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic, who has equalled his best-ever run at the tournament.

In between those two matches, world number four Swiatek takes on former Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins.

Seventh seed Andreeva plays in the first match on Court One (13:00 BST) against Wimbledon debutant Hailey Baptiste, followed by Krejcikova’s tie against 10th seed Emma Navarro of the United States.

There are no British players in singles action on Saturday, but the three doubles events contain home interest and the juniors’ tournaments also get under way.

Fifth seeds Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool are in show court action as they take on Hendrik Jebens and Albano Olivetti last on court two in the second round of the men’s doubles.

Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski – the sixth seeds – also continue their quest for the men’s doubles title when they take to court 15 for their second-round match against Nicolas Barrientos and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli.

Salisbury returns to the same court later as he partners Luisa Stefan of Brazil in the mixed doubles.

It might be a day off from the singles for home hope Sonay Kartal, but she is back in action alongside Jodie Burrage as they face 11th seeds Beatriz Haddad Maia and Laura Siegemund in the women’s doubles second-round on court 16.

Also in the women’s doubles, Ella McDonald and Mimi Xu take on American pairing and 16th seeds Caroline Dolehide and Sofia Kenin third on court three.

Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, one of the most impressive performers during the first week, will be among those first in action when play on the outside courts begins at 11:00 BST.

She is up against Denmark’s 23rd seed Clara Tauson, while former Eastbourne champion Daria Kasatkina, now representing Australia, is first on court three against Russian Liudmila Samsonova.

In the men’s draw, Alex de Minaur could meet Djokovic in round four if he gets past Danish qualifier August Holmgren, while Grigor Dimitrov may meet Sinner in the last 16 should he defeat Austria’s Sebastian Ofner.

11:00-19:15 – Live coverage – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

11:00-21:30 – Live coverage of outside courts – BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

12:00-16:30 – Live coverage – BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds app and BBC Sport website

12:20-16:00 – Live coverage – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – Live coverage – BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds app and BBC Sport website

19:15-22:00 – Live coverage – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

Jamie Smith was the 17-year-old tipped for international honours by England legend Alec Stewart.

He has packed more into the past 12 months than most have managed in the seven years since.

Next week’s third Test at Lord’s will mark the first anniversary of Smith’s Test debut on the same ground.

Since then he has been out in the nineties in his third Test, made his maiden hundred in his fourth, missed a tour of New Zealand to become a father for the first time, struggled at his first international tournament and been made an opener – a position he had never held in professional cricket – in England’s white-ball teams.

On day three of the second Test at Edgbaston came the moment to top all of those others, on the field at least.

Much was made of how harsh it was for England to drop Ben Foakes, the world’s best gloveman and an able batter, in favour of Smith at the start of last summer.

Little thought was given to how challenging it must have been for Smith to not only replace the man he sat next to in the Surrey dressing room but also impose himself and be the aggressive number seven England craved.

This innings at Edgbaston was England’s wish in perfect technicolour.

Smith emerged after Joe Root and Ben Stokes had been dismissed by consecutive deliveries. He drove his first delivery for four before he set about flaying India’s bowling to all corners of this ground in an epic partnership of 303 with Harry Brook.

Smith flogged anything short and creamed drives whenever the ball was full.

When Prasidh Krishna’s bouncer ploy was pumped for 23 runs in one over, Stokes was applauding high above his head in the dressing room.

While Smith hit four sixes against India and has previously cleared the Hollies and Lord’s Father Time with towering blows in his short career, he was not always blessed with such power.

Prior to his Test debut, having been unable to secure a top-order place in Surrey’s T20 side, he turned down a trip with England Lions to instead play in the ILT20 in the United Arab Emirates.

There he worked on his power hitting, while also bulking up in the gym.

Though the 80 balls Smith took to reach three figures meant Gilbert Jessop, England’s fastest centurion, can rest easy as he holds onto his record further into a 123rd year, it did mean Smith tied for second place in terms of fastest Test tons by a wicketkeeper.

Ahead of Smith is only Australia’s Adam Gilchrist – the greatest keeper-batter of them all.

The way the Whitgift School-product pulls pace bowlers from back-of-a-length over mid-wicket is a reminder of some of the greatest Australians – and whets the appetite for England’s winter ahead.

Australia is yet to see the best of Smith – he averages 23. 16 against them from six one-day internationals – and any suggestions he is Gilchrist’s heir will be met by sniggers down under.

Gilchrist scored 17 Test hundreds as he switched between a destroyer of tiring attacks to a man overqualified for a rebuild from number seven when the great Australian top order did fail.

One thing Smith has on his side is time, however, given he made his first Test century aged 24. Gilchrist did not make his debut until two weeks before his 28th birthday.

While ending his career with a record to match Gilchrist’s remains optimistic, the road to becoming England’s best looks within reach given Smith’s talent and the ease in which he has taken to international level.

He has been in the Test arena less than a year but already only five wicketkeepers – Alan Knott and Jonny Bairstow with five, Stewart six, Matt Prior on seven and pre-War great Les Ames on eight – sit ahead in terms of most centuries for England.

Should he continue as he has started, injuries or England deciding to relieve him of the gloves look to be the only hazards in Smith’s way.

While solid enough – he has a catch percentage of 96% from his 11 completed Tests – as a gloveman he does not move quickly enough to reach opportunities others could lay a hand on, while his missed stumping of Rishabh Pant in the first innings in Leeds last week was a regulation chance that Pant did not fully punish.

A change looks a long way off, however, with Smith a favourite of the Stokes-McCullum regime.

Pressure could one day come from recent England call-up James Rew, who has 10 first-class hundreds for Somerset and is still aged 21, or his younger, possibly even more talented, brother, Thomas. The younger Rew is 17 and made the fastest century for England Under-19s earlier this week.

For now Smith has the role to himself and he will soon be a favourite of England’s vocal support.

The loudest noise during the third day was the Hollies chanting of Harry Brook’s name to the tune of a Boney M track as he raised his bat.