Taylor’s side managed 116 for 6 in their 20 overs chasing an England total of 163 for 8 set by the hosts who took first strike. England’s match-winning total was due largely to the innings of Player of the Match Tammy Beaumont who scored 62 from 49 balls aided by some wayward bowling from the Caribbean women.

Deandra Dottin led the scoring for the West Indies with a 59-ball 69 but no other made double figures as the West Indies struggled to keep pace with the required rate of just over eight runs an over.

Taylor was not happy with the performances.

“It's not one of our best [performances]. We didn't adapt well to the pitch,” she said.

 Tammy batted really well and set the game up nicely for them. Looking back at that, we thought we were always behind and had to gain some momentum going into the batting.”

Taylor conceded that the bowlers and the batters let the team down.

“Some bowlers bowled well in patches but... not the best, really. Deandra batted well, but she needed someone to stay there with her,” said the despondent Windies captain.

“We thought too many dot balls strangled us a bit. We needed to go back to the footage and assess it and see areas we can improve on. We have a training day tomorrow just to fine-tune for Wednesday's game.”

The next match in the five-match series bowls off on Wednesday.

Sciver’s side know a win at the Showground would almost certainly put them into the semi-finals, marking a significant comeback since their opening defeat to South Africa in Perth.

But the all-rounder feels a tough test is in store when they face the 2016 champions, despite Stafanie Taylor’s side failing to hit their straps Down Under - edging out Thailand before losing to Pakistan.

England themselves have been far from perfect, particularly with openers Amy Jones and Danni Wyatt struggling for form, prompting Sciver to rein in expectations of a comfortable victory.

“I think the pressure of these two games has brought the best out in us,” she said. “We’ve had two pretty clinical performances and put things right that we didn’t do well against South Africa.

“You don’t know what you’ll get from West Indies on the day. The two games they’ve had probably makes them more dangerous. We’ll have to be on our game.

“It’s a tight turnaround, I’m not sure how much training we’ll be doing. We’ll have a review meeting so we know what we need to know about their batters and bowlers ahead of the game.

“It’s hard when batters have a run when they don’t get as many runs as they want to, really. It’s hard to keep putting yourself out there and keep going for the shots that are your strengths.

“I thought Danni did that well against Pakistan and tried to get a few away. She got some luck, which is helpful when you’re feeling a bit out of form.

“I’m hoping that between now and Sunday she can rethink or just take her mind off it.”

For West Indies, meanwhile, there’s no room for anything less than clinical cricket.

Women’s T20 World Cup champions just four years ago, expectation follows Taylor’s charges at every turn but they have flattered to deceive with two far-from-perfect performances to date.

Victories over both England and South Africa are likely required if they are to reach the last four, but belief is still evident for a team that knows they have plenty more to offer.

“It’s about putting partnerships together, believing in themselves and being able to handle the situation as it comes,” said coach Gus Logie.

“Hayley Matthews, Deandra Dottin – these are the people you expect to do well. The captain has been getting scores, but we just haven’t got big scores to put pressure on the opposition.

“It’s do-or-die. The players know that if you win you can go through, but lose and you go home. The onus is upon everyone to dig deeper and produce the performances which they know they can.

“They have done well against England and South Africa in past World Cups, they know they can beat them.

“There’s nothing in the stars that say we can’t make the semi-finals so we have to believe we can.

“The approach will have to be positive and that’s what we’re looking at.”

The English batted first and posted 131-8, their lowest total batting first in the series, after winning the toss.

Sophia Dunkley continued her good form this year by top scoring with 35 while Katherine Brunt (24 not out) and Amy Jones (21) also had meaningful contributions against Cherry Ann Fraser’s career best 3-20 and Sheneta Grimmond’s 3-33.

The Windies chase once again fell short as only Captain Hayley Matthews (23), Shemaine Campbelle (17) and Afy Fletcher (14 not out) managed to reach double figures as England needed just 16 overs to bowl out the hosts for 82.

Pacer Lauren Bell was the pick of the bowlers with a brilliant 4-12 from three overs while Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean took two wickets each.  

West Indies Head Coach Courtney Walsh still had praises for his players despite the loss.

"I thought restricting them to 131 was a positive for us. We had a couple injuries during the match with Gajnabi unable to return to bat and Campbelle getting cut so we were hampered in that aspect. The bowlers stood out today, they're all showing but the consistency we're working on. Fraser and Grimmond lead with the ball today but Afy and Hayley have been the most consistent for the series. We have one more game to play and we're going to regroup and come with one last push."

West Indies will have one last chance to get a positive result in this series as the two teams return to Kensington Oval for the final encounter on Thursday.

Filer was held back until the 17th over and almost had the dream start after getting an lbw verdict on Ellyse Perry from her first ball, only for an undetected edge to reprieve Australia’s batting linchpin.

But Filer vindicated her selection ahead of Issy Wong as her extra pace continued to cause issues and the tall seamer had her maiden international wicket when Mooney slashed to gully on 33 at Trent Bridge.

Kate Cross made the initial breakthrough to end a promising innings from Phoebe Litchfield, out for 23 on her first Test knock after neglecting to review an lbw verdict that would have missed off-stump.

England might have seen the back of Mooney on nine and 19 but missed tough chances in the field while their seamers were on the whole expensive as Australia raced to 100 for two after winning the toss.

Cross was entrusted with the first delivery and served up a no-ball in an opening over which yielded nine runs but she found a hint of sideways movement alongside Lauren Bell on a green-tinged pitch.

There were few alarms for the elegant Litchfield or the more cagey Mooney until Cross’ eventful fifth over. Cross was unable to cling on to a one-handed return catch off Mooney but found some succour after Litchfield shouldered arms to one that straightened and struck the left-hander’s front pad.

Litchfield eschewed a review as she trudged off and Hawk-Eye showed the ball would have sailed past off-stump.

In walked Perry with a titanic 75.2 average in this format. England have been on the receiving end of Perry’s might in the past but the hosts brought on their trump card in a bid to stifle the all-rounder.

Filer’s first ball clattered into Perry’s pads but the on-field lbw decision was overturned because of a thick inside edge discerned on replay. But Filer’s pace continued to hurry Perry in her opening over.

But it was Mooney, the top-ranked batter in ODIs and second on the list in T20s, who provided Filer with her first England wicket after a back-foot punch took the edge and carried to Cross at gully. It was a welcome wicket after Test debutant Danni Wyatt put down a diving chance off the Australia opener.

Perry (31 not out) and Tahlia McGrath (11no) ushered Australia to the lunch interval with no further alarms.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced payments to Heather Knight’s side are being brought into line with those made to Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and their team-mates in the wake of record crowds and increased viewing figures.

The increase will take effect immediately, starting with this week’s Vitality IT20 series against Sri Lanka.

ECB chief executive officer Richard Gould said: “This summer’s thrilling Metro Bank Women’s Ashes series demonstrated how women’s cricket is continuing to grow at pace in this country, with record attendances and TV viewing.

“Growing the women’s and girls’ game is a key priority for us and in recent years we have considerably increased investment both in building a domestic women’s structure to produce the players of the future and in increasing player rewards.

“In the years ahead, we will continue to invest ahead of revenues. We are currently considering all the recommendations made by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket, but equalising match fees is one immediate step we are pleased to make now.

“We all want cricket to be the team sport of choice for female athletes and – with the investments we are making and increasingly-lucrative opportunities around the world – we are seeing cricketers become some of the highest earning female athletes in UK team sports.

“However, we know there is still much further to go as we ultimately strive for equality across the game.

“As we continue to grow women’s cricket, we will continue to focus on making considered investments that stretch far-and-wide across the women’s cricket structures, delivering a thriving, profitable and future-proofed game.”

A total of 110,00 people watched the drawn summer series, which saw Australia retain the Ashes in front of crowds of 19,527 at Edgbaston, 20,328 at the Kia Oval and 21,610 at Lord’s which set successive new records for a home England Women bilateral fixture, while 23,207 tickets were sold for the five days of the Trent Bridge Test.

Broadcast viewing figures of 5.3 million, in addition to 47 million video views, were double those in 2019.

England skipper Knight said: “It’s really important that we continue to drive the women’s game forward and it’s fantastic to see equal match fees for England Women and England Men.

“The direction of travel for the women’s game has always been the most important thing, creating a sustainable product that people want to watch and play and I’m sure this will make cricket an increasingly-attractive sport to girls and young women as we continue to grow the game.

“I would also like to thank the PCA and England Women’s Player Partnership for their support in representing the players and the growth of the professional game.”

The ECB currently funds 80 professional women’s domestic cricketers in addition to its 18 England Women’s centrally-contracted players.

Last year, the governing body announced a £3.5milion increase in funding for the women’s regional game to run until the end of 2024, while the salary pot per team was raised to £250,000, meaning the average salary for a women’s regional cricketer will be £25,000.

Heather Knight (62) and Nat Sciver (36) continued their fine form as England posted 158 for seven, enough to seal back-to-back wins and close the gap on South Africa in Group B.

Glenn (three for 15) and Ecclestone (two for 12) exercised unrelenting control over the Pakistan run-chase as Bismah Maroof’s side failed to back up their opening win over West Indies.

Diana Baig had terrorised the West Indies and found early movement once again as Pakistan chose to field, trapping Amy Jones (2) in front with the opener’s review unsuccessful.

Any partnership between Danni Wyatt and Sciver is attractive to watch and the former showed shades of form with three boundaries off an Aiman Anwar over.

Sciver crashed three fours to take the score to 40 for one from four but Wyatt (16) slashed at an Aiman delivery and offered a catch to Muneeba Ali.

Knight and Sciver, fresh from a record-breaking stand against Thailand, look at home batting together and the skipper took ten off an Aliya Riaz over to keep things ticking.

Reaching 74 for two at the halfway stage, England looked comfortable before a moment of brilliance from wicket-keeper Sidra Nawaz, who stumped Sciver off a wide to turn the tide.

Fran Wilson stayed with her captain for six overs, Knight showcasing her increasing range with power through cover and midwicket and Wilson bringing out the sweep.

Pakistan squandered chances in the field, Omaima Sohail dropping Knight on the boundary and return catches squandered by Aiman and Diana.

Knight cleared long-on with a six in the penultimate over but wickets tumbled late on as she was dismissed alongside Tammy Beaumont (6) and Katherine Brunt (0).

England joined the dots at the start of the Pakistan chase and when teenager Muneeba Ali tried to break the shackles, she misjudged an Anya Shrubsole cutter and was bowled.

Javeria Khan was also slow out of the blocks but took a liking to the medium-pace of Sciver, striking back-to-back off-side boundaries amid a slew of dot balls.

Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof (4) was unable to repeat her match-winning hand against West Indies, shaping to ramp and offering a tame catch to keeper Jones.

Glenn then went to work, coming back from being hit for four by Javeria (16) to bowl the experienced opener before accounting for Iram Javed (4) with a beautifully-flighted ball.

Ecclestone and Glenn proved potent in tandem and the left-armer reaped the rewards of remorseless accuracy with the key wicket of Nida Dar, plumb lbw for 5.

Knight put pace back on the ball and that suited pinch-hitter Aliya Riaz perfectly, planting Sciver over long-on for six and then taking Brunt for two boundaries.

But it didn’t last as Ecclestone bowled Sidra Nawaz (6), Aliya was castled on 41 attempting another slog and Shrubsole took her 100th T20I wicket by dismissing Diana caught and bowled.

Brunt then took the tenth and final wicket by trapping Sadia Iqbal lbw in the last over.

Scores in brief

England beat Pakistan by 42 runs, Manuka Oval, Canberra

England 158-7, 20 overs (Heather Knight 62, Nat Sciver 36; Aiman Anwar 3-30)

Pakistan 116 all out, 19.4 overs (Aliya Riaz 41; Sarah Glenn 3-15, Anya Shrubsole 3-25)

It was India’s first Test match on home soil since 2014 but they settled in to their task after choosing to bat, with Satheeth Shubha (69), Jemima Rodrigues (68), Yastika Bhatia (66) and Deepti Sharma (60no) all making half-centuries.

Kaur thought she had also reached the landmark for the first time but was surprised to find herself given out for 49 after raising her bat to acknowledge the applause of her team-mates.

She had prodded a delivery to cover and scampered through for what she believed to be her fiftieth run after Danni Wyatt’s return throw hit the stumps and ricocheted away from wicketkeeper Amy Jones.

The TV umpire subsequently reviewed the replays and found Kaur, who had been in no pressure whatsoever to make her ground, had accidentally lodged her bat just in front of the crease line and was short by an inch as the bails were lifted.

It may not have been lost on England that the bowler at the time was Charlie Dean, victim of a controversial ‘Mankad’ run out at the non-striker’s end under Kaur’s captaincy at Lord’s in 2022.

England may already find victory a tough ask with India’s highest ever home total and healthy run rate of 4.36 carving out a strong position.

This summer’s women’s Ashes series included a five-day Test, allowing enough time for the game to reach its natural conclusion, but the reversion to the conventional, unloved four days means a draw may be the best realistic result for Heather Knight’s tourists.

England had started the day well, Lauren Bell bowling Smriti Mandhana via an inside edge and Kate Cross cleaning up Shafali Verma inside the first nine overs. Bell returned to dismiss Rodrigues’ impressive knock by attacking the stumps again and finished with figures of two for 64.

Sophie Ecclestone, the world’s number one white-ball spinner, struggled to assert herself as she mustered one for 85 in 22 overs and there was one wicket apiece for Dean and Nat Sciver-Brunt, who landed a late blow to remove Sneh Rana in the closing minutes.

The tourists needed just 29 from 29 balls with eight wickets in hand, seemingly cruising in their pursuit of 156, when Maia Bouchier’s dismissal triggered the loss of six wickets for 25 runs.

Knight’s side needed eight runs from the final over but Suzie Bates only conceded four as the White Ferns cut England’s lead to 2-1 in the five-match series.

“A lot of good stuff and a quite frustrating end,” Knight told TNT Sports.

“We needed to be a bit more smart and show composure at the back end.

“Maia batted outstandingly. She came out with the intent we wanted and showed her class.

“A frustrating one not to finish off but remembering we are an inexperienced group and are missing a few players. Those girls will learn a hell of a lot.”

Bouchier made 71 from just 47 balls, sharing a second-wicket stand of 93 with Tammy Beaumont to put England in control, but when the two departed to leave England 127 for three the wheels came off.

Knight, Amy Jones and Bess Heath all fell quickly, with Hollie Armitage and Charlie Dean also departing in the final over as New Zealand claimed a three-run victory.

Earlier, skipper Sophie Devine made 60 and shared a 99-run partnership with Amelia Kerr (44no) as New Zealand posted 155 for three from their 20 overs.

Armitage made her England debut as a concussion substitute after Sarah Glenn hit her head in the field and had to be replaced.

England hope to have Danni Wyatt, Alice Capsey, Sophie Ecclestone and Nat Sciver-Brunt back and available for Wednesday’s fourth match in Wellington after their participation in the Women’s Premier League.

England lost by eight wickets after they were skittled for 104 with Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu smacking 55 in quick time to secure victory for the tourists’ with 40 balls to spare.

It levels the three-match T20 series ahead of Wednesday’s decider in Derby and resulted in Knight facing questions over the decision with head coach Jon Lewis to experiment against the eighth best country in Twenty20 cricket.

Sophia Dunkley and Nat Sciver-Brunt were rested while England selected five players aged 22 or younger in Saturday’s XI, but captain Knight defended their right to rotate with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh only a year away.

Knight said: “We want to expose people to international cricket and we were pretty clear that was the goal at the start of this series.

“No one was saying anything at Hove when we smashed 180 off 17 overs so no, I wouldn’t change a thing.

“In a busy summer, we knew there was a slight opportunity to try a few new players. You don’t get a huge amount of opportunities to do that because we haven’t got too many games before that World Cup in Bangladesh.

“It wasn’t about underestimating Sri Lanka at all. It was about what is best for us as a side moving forward and we needed to get some caps into young players to see where they are at.

“We’ve had a bad day, we’ve lost a game of cricket but there will be no big enquiry into it.

“Sri Lanka have played very well and they have given us some humble pie to be honest, but it is a good lesson for youngsters that if you are not quite on it and not able to execute your skills how you want, then you can get punished.”

After posting 186 for four in Sussex on Thursday, this batting display could not have been more chalk and cheese with England reduced to 21 for three inside the powerplay.

Knight and Amy Jones briefly rebuilt before the excellent Inoka Ranaweera accounted for them on her way to figures of two for 25.

When England were faltering on 66 for eight, an unwanted record looked on the cards but Charlie Dean hit 34 to help the hosts beyond their previous lowest T20 total of 87 – posted against Australia in 2015.

Sri Lanka seamer Udeshika Prabodhani ended Dean’s 33-run partnership with Issy Wong and yorked Dean soon after to dismiss England for 104.

Wong would go on to struggle with the ball, producing an array of no-balls in a 10-delivery opening over.

Athapaththu never blinked in the chase though, smashing Kate Cross for 21 before she added another maximum in a scintillating 26-ball fifty that helped the tourists clinch a first T20 win over England at the 10th time of asking.

“We all had a bad day at the same time unfortunately,” Knight reflected.

“I thought they bowled really well, their spinners were impressive and the lengths they bowled. Credit to them but yeah sometimes this happens in cricket.

“We’ve obviously got a very inexperienced side and a lot of people who are learning their trade, so it identifies areas where we need to get better at.

“Even before this game we identified spin as an area where we can keep getting better and with the World Cup in Bangladesh that will be something potentially on the radar out there.

“Look, quite a humbling day but it is now an opportunity for us to hone in on what we can do better moving forward.”

Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu added: “Today was really good for us, we executed the right plans and especially the spinners were really good.

“The wicket was helpful, so finally we won, that’s really good for us. For myself and my team, this is a huge moment for women’s cricket in Sri Lanka.”

Nat Sciver-Brunt hit an unbeaten 111 in Hampshire but it was not enough to guide England to victory in pursuit of 283 with the hosts finishing on 279 for seven after a thrilling sixth encounter of the multi-format series.

After trailing 6-0 following defeats in the one-off Test and opening T20, England had stormed back to win three matches in a row and keep alive their faint chances of winning back the Ashes for the first time since 2014.

Only victory in the final two ODIs would be enough for Knight’s team, but the tourists proved too strong with Ellyse Perry’s 91 and a game-changing knock of 37 not out from Georgia Wareham, with 26 runs coming off the final over bowled by Lauren Bell, helping Australia make 282 for seven.

Sciver-Brunt was able to produce more heroics against Australia, after she hit 148 not out in last year’s World Cup final, but with 15 runs needed from the last six deliveries, Jess Jonassen held her nerve and England will aim to level the series at 8-8 in Tuesday’s final ODI in Taunton.

“God it was an unbelievable game again wasn’t it? It has got to be the best series there has ever been in the history of the women’s game,” Knight reflected.

“Two sides going toe-to-toe, fighting it out and every game has been pretty close. Yeah, obviously disappointment but real pride as well over the fact we got so close.

“The way Nat played was unbelievable. To nearly marshal the tail in that chase was brilliant, but probably left a little bit too much to do.

“Overall, we’ve put in another thriller of a performance, but the Ashes are gone which is disappointing.”

Before Sciver-Brunt’s third ODI century against Australia, the big momentum-swinger occurred in the final over of the tourists’ innings.

With Australia on a below-par 256 for seven after 49 overs, England would have fancied their chances but Wareham proceeded to hit seamer Bell for three maximums, two over midwicket, and another brace of fours.

The 26-run over went a long way to deciding the latest nail-bitter in the series, but Knight backed her young bowler to learn from the experience.

“No, not for me (the most decisive moment). Lauren has been outstanding at the death for us all series, but she is a young bowler, she will make mistakes and have days like that sometimes where it doesn’t quite go right,” Knight added.

“I think she will learn a lot from that experience.

“There is a one-day series victory on the line and it would be a really good achievement to win the T20 series and ODI series to draw the series 8-8.

“We have to rally around people, it is obviously quite a quick turnaround and there will be some emotion in that dressing room.

“But we head to Taunton tonight, down to the Holiday Inn and we have a day to regroup and go again. I think if we can end the series on a high, we can have huge pride in how we’ve played throughout the series.”

Knight had got England over the line in Wednesday’s opening ODI match in Bristol and admitted it was “horrific” to have no control in this chase.

Reflecting on Sciver-Brunt’s innings, Knight added: “It was kind of written in the stars for her to do it today.

“Unfortunately just a little bit too much but great character by her to get us even anywhere close.

“It was another unbelievably entertaining game of cricket and unfortunately we’ve been on the wrong side of this one.”

Australia spinner Alana King, who claimed three for 44, was delighted to retain the Ashes but insisted they want to win the series 10-6.

She said: “We have retained it, which is awesome but as we have said all along, we have come to win it so we have one more game to win the Ashes.”

Bouchier’s 91 off 56 balls, her second successive half-century, helped England to 177 for three, Charlie Dean taking four wickets as New Zealand were restricted to 130 for seven.

England lost Danni Wyatt, back in the side after playing in the Women’s IPL, early but Alice Capsey and Bouchier – hampered by a quad injury – added 75 in 10 overs.

Captain Heather Knight (21 not out) and Nat Sciver-Brunt (29 not out) smashed 35 off the final 14 balls to set the hosts a daunting target.

That target was made more daunting without captain Suzie Bates, injured in the field, and England struck at regular intervals.

Dean grabbed four for 26, and Brooke Holliday was at the top scoring, with 25 for the hosts.

The win gives England an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series, which concludes in Wellington on Friday.

All-rounder Sciver picked up from where she left off to score her third half-century of the tournament, helping England to post 143 for five on a tricky track.

West Indies’ response never got going with Lee-Ann Kirby top-scoring with 20 at the Sydney Showground.

That was largely thanks to the spin trio of Sophie Ecclestone (three for seven), Sarah Glenn (two for 16) and Mady Villiers (one for 30), helping dismiss West Indies for 97 to win by 46 runs.

England started afresh with Tammy Beaumont joining Danni Wyatt atop the order but the move didn’t work out, the new opener trapped lbw by Shakera Selman in the first over.

Wyatt then fell to a superb catch in the deep from Hayley Matthews off Anisa Mohammed but in Sciver and captain Heather Knight, England had the best duo for the rebuild job.

With more than 70 per cent of their team’s runs in the tournament, the importance of Knight and Sciver is not lost with the latter reaching her third half-century in four games in this Women’s T20 World Cup.

By then Knight (17) was run out brilliantly by Selman and Fran Wilson had holed out to Britney Cooper at deep midwicket off Afy Fletcher, with England 102 for four with four overs remaining.

Amy Jones, in a new role at No.6, found back-to-back off-side boundaries off Stafanie Taylor but had to watch Sciver finally depart for 57 in the same over to take her tournament tally to 202 runs in four matches.

Just six balls remained as Brunt joined Jones in the middle, the bowler striking boundaries from the last two balls of the innings to take England to 143 for five.

West Indies also tinkered with their top order as Deandra Dottin opened up, but her innings ended on just nine with Ecclestone having her snaffled by short midwicket.

Taylor struck two boundaries off Brunt to end the Powerplay but that was to be her last significant contribution, stretchered off in the eighth over and retiring hurt from the innings.

From there England seized the impetus as star leg-spinner Glenn got into her work, bowling Hayley Matthews with her eighth ball to leave West Indies two down in the ninth over.

It was to get even better for the spin unit, off-spinner Villiers marking her first Women’s T20 World Cup over with a wicket maiden after taking a smart return catch off Shemaine Campbelle.

At 42 for three come halfway, West Indies had work to do with 102 still required and their task was tougher still when Chedean Nation edged Glenn to wicket-keeper Jones without scoring.

Lee-Ann Kirby (20) did her best to inject some momentum with towering sixes off Glenn and Villiers but Anya Shrubsole ended her exploits when the big-hitter was held by Sciver at long-on.

England boast the best economy rate for spinners in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 and with each of Ecclestone, Glenn and Villiers bowling a maiden, they weren’t letting up.

Ecclestone, who has now taken wickets in her last 18 T20I matches, had Britney Cooper stumped while Villiers completed back-to-back run-outs of Afy Fletcher and Aaliyah Alleyne.

Ecclestone then had the last say, taking her 100th international wicket by bowling Anisa Mohammed to send England into the last four.

Scores in brief

England beat West Indies by 46 runs, Sydney Showground

England 143-5, 20 overs (Nat Sciver 57, Danni Wyatt 29; Anisa Mohammed 1-23)

West Indies 97 all out, 17.1 overs (Lee-Ann Kirby 20; Sophie Ecclestone 3-7, Sarah Glenn 2-16)

Head Coach Courtney Walsh told CWI Media,”It was a poor series by us, we didn’t play the type of cricket we wanted to play, England outplayed us. I know we can play better cricket than that, so I am disappointed. We bowled and fielded better in the last two matches; we have to focus everything now on the T20 series.”

Walsh added, “We have to make sure we get something out of this series as we have a tri-series and World Cup early next year. What is pleasing to me is the bowling we were able to rally in the last two games. I am pleased with Hayley’s captaincy and her rotation of bowlers. The highlight was Rashada Williams have two good peformances with the bat. And the debut of Kaysia Schultz, she’s been around the team for a long time so we wanted to see how she performed so it was very pleasing to see her get the two early wickets, she will only get better from this exposure and experience.”

Scores: England Women 256 all out from 43.3 overs (Nat Sciver 85, Amy Jones 32, Shakera Selman 3-29, Hayley Matthews 3-56) West Indies Women 105-9 (Hayley Matthews 28, Sophie Ecclestone 3-9, Nat Sciver 2-16).

Sciver finished with 180 runs from three innings and was named player of the series.

The five-game T20I series bowls off on Sunday at the same venue.

After being dismissed for a duck in the first match on Monday, opener Tammy Beaumont bounced back with a stellar 81-run stand to get England off to a hot start at Seddon Park.

Once Maia Bouchier was caught by Hannah Rowe for 20, England captain Heather Knight set about building an intimidating target alongside Beaumont.

The pair combined for 70 runs before Knight was dismissed by Jess Kerr.

Beaumont was not fazed however, continuing to belt boundaries despite the quick exits of Nat Sciver-Brunt and Alice Capsey.

She lifted England to 158 for five before she was finally dismissed by Rowe.

Amy Jones took the baton from there, contributing 48 from 40 balls as England set a lofty target of 253.

Despite a staunch 57 from Brooke Halliday and a blistering 47 off 48 balls from Izzy Gaze, New Zealand’s batters were unable to threaten England’s score, ultimately being bowled out for 196.

Sciver-Brunt led the way for England’s bowlers with three wickets from her seven overs.

The final match of the series takes place on Sunday.

In previous ICC tournaments England have come out on top, beating India in both the 2017 50-over final and the 2018 Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final - but this time their opponents are in inspired form as the only side to win all their group matches.

One of them has the tournament’s top wicket-taker and the other the top run-scorer — but who else could be crucial in deciding their side’s final fate?

Shafali Verma v Anya Shrubsole

There’s no doubt England know who they need to remove early for their strongest chance of beating India on Thursday.

Teenager Shafali Verma has taken world cricket by storm in Australia for her fearless brand of batting has helped her become the top-ranked batter in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings.

The 16-year-old prodigy is India’s highest run-scorer in the competition with 161 and her team will be relying heavily on their opener for another good start in Sydney.

England will take comfort in the fact that Verma’s lack of fear could make her liable to an early exit - something her more experienced opponents have cottoned onto.

Against Australia and Bangladesh, Ellyse Perry and Panna Ghosh took her crucial wicket and England will have been studying her performances in detail in order to do the same.

While England aren’t short of talented bowlers, one who just might be able to suss out Verma best is the experienced Anya Shrubsole.

Only India’s Poonam Yadav has more wickets than Shrubsole at this edition and she became the first England bowler to 100 T20I wickets when hitting the milestone against Pakistan.

With 41 scalps, Shrubsole also the most wickets in the history of the Women’s T20 World Cup and if any team are aware of her threat, it’s India.

Shrubsole’s match-winning six for 46 helped England down India to win the 50-over title at Lord’s in 2017 by nine runs - this time she’ll be keen to stop them getting anywhere near the title.

Harmanpreet Kaur v Sophie Ecclestone

While stopping Verma is the first task, the key for England will be preventing India’s batters from stepping up collectively in Sydney.

A lack of firepower in the middle order is still a concern for India and that’s exactly where their opponents will need to target.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur is one to have underwhelmed thus far, hitting double figures in just one of their four group wins, and India will need their star players to step up now more than ever if they want to make it to Sunday’s Final at the MCG.

But England may just have the perfect weapon to keep her away.

The skipper has struggled with spin in Australia with Jess Jonassen, Leigh Kasperek and Shashikala Siriwardena all taking her wicket throughout the group stages.

And England are certainly not lacking in the spin department themselves.

England’s young triumvirate of Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn and Mady Villiers have stolen the headlines Down Under, with Ecclestone now the top-ranked bowler in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings.

Ecclestone has taken wickets in her last 18 T20I matches and has confidence in abundance in this tournament, trusted enough to take the ball in the Powerplay.

Aged 20, she already has 50 T20I wickets to her name – eight of those coming in this Women’s T20 World Cup at the cost of just 49 runs.

Nat Sciver v Poonam Yadav

Nat Sciver has been in the form of her life in Australia.

The 27-year-old all-rounder has had an outstanding tournament so far, scoring three half-centuries to top the run-scoring charts and steer England to the knockout stages.

Judging by her past record, she’s more than capable of taking that up to four against India.

Sciver scored a half-century against Thursday’s opponents in the 2018 semi-final in the West Indies to pip them to a spot in the final showdown.

But there’s a certain India bowler who has no problems with dismantling the greats.

Poonam Yadav finished as the highest wicket-taker of the pool stages with nine after ripping through Australia’s batting unit on the opening night of the tournament.

If the tournament’s highest wicket-taker comes up against her batting equivalent on Thursday, expect to see fireworks - they’ll both be determined to come out as top dog.

Djenaba Joseph and Trishan Holder have been called up as replacements for Shakera Selman, who has been ruled out and Chedean Nation, who sustained injuries during in the CG United ODI series that the home side lost 3-0.

Joseph and Holder are currently in Antigua for a high-performance camp with the U19 Rising Stars ahead of the ICC Women’s U19 World Cup in South Africa in January 2023.

Meanwhile, off-spinner Karishma Ramharack returns to the squad after missing the CG United ODI series due to injury.

“The upcoming T20 series is vitally important as the team continues its preparations for the World Cup in February 2023. With some of the senior players missing out through injury, it is an ideal opportunity for the other players to start cementing a place in the World Cup team,” said lead selector Ann Browne-John.

Full squad: Hayley Matthews (Captain), Shemaine Campbelle (Vice Captain), Aaliyah Alleyne, Afy Fletcher, Cherry Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Trishan Holder, Djenaba Joseph, Kycia Knight, Karishma Ramharack, Kaysia Schultz and Rashada Williams.

After bowling England out for 260, the West Indies Women were skittled out for a 118 in just 31.3 overs to lose by 142 runs, a similar margin to the loss in the first ODI on Sunday in which England made 307-7 and then bowled the home side out for 165.

The result means England takes an unassailable 2-0 lead in the CG United One Day International series.

“In both games we haven’t batted well,” Walsh said after Tuesday’s humiliating defeat. “We were a lot better with the ball in this game on a good batting track and for the score where we had them at 260, I thought we would have batted better.”

Walsh reserved praise for Rashada Williams, who stood out among the batters.

“We lost those early wickets and just never recovered,” he said.

“The batters can take a lot from Rashada’s performance. I am pleased with how she went about it and showed that it can be done. We have a lot at stake with one game remaining and we need to get championship points. Our momentum is good but performance and execution, we have to try and get better.”

Batting first, England owed their competitive score to Amy Jones, who scored an unbeaten 70 and Sophia Dunkley’s unbeaten 57 as the local bowlers restricted England’s ability to build big partnerships.

Leading from the front Hayley Matthews took 3-50 and was supported by Afy Fletcher, who returned figures of 2-41 and Aaliyah Alleyne 2-47.

The West Indies Women’s reply got off to a disastrous start losing four wickets inside the first four overs with just eight runs on the board.

Williams offered the only real resistance with an unbeaten 54 that allowed the West Indies Women to push past 100 runs. Chedean Nation and Chinelle Henry with scores of 17 and 13, respectively, were the only other batters in double figures as Lauren Bell wreaked havoc taking 4-33.

Charlie Dean took 2-9 and there were also two wickets each for Sophie Ecclestone (2-25) and Kate Cross (2-35) in the rout.

The teams meet again on Friday, December 9 at the same venue.

The 2016 World T20 champions made 135-7 from their 20 overs, their highest total since December 2022, after winning the toss and electing to bat first.

Captain Hayley Matthews was the top run getter for the Windies with a 32-ball 42 including eight fours while Shemaine Campbelle chipped in with 34 off 37 deliveries including four fours.

Left arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, the number one ranked T20I bowler in the world, led the way with the ball with 3-23 from her four overs.

The English then made quick work of the modest total, needing only 14.3 overs to reach 138-3.

Nat Sciver-Brunt exercised her usual dominance with 40* off 30 balls while skipper Heather Knight ended 32* as the pair guided the 2009 champion home.

Sciver-Brunt’s knock included six fours and a six while Knight’s innings came off 22 balls and included four fours and a six.

Sophia Dunkley had earlier made an 18-ball 34 including four fours and a six.

Chinelle Henry took two of the three wickets to fall while conceding 30 runs off three and a half overs.

The West Indies will next play India on February 15 while England will next face Ireland on February 13.

Scores: West Indies Women 135-7 off 20 overs (Hayley Matthews 42, Shemaine Campbelle 37, Sophie Ecclestone 3-23)

England Women 138-3 off 14.3 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 40*, Sophia Dunkley 34, Heather Knight 32*, Chinelle Henry 2-30)

In what was their poorest display of the series, the home side were skittled out for just 43 runs in 16.2 overs at Kensington Oval in Barbados. Djeneba Joseph (11) was the only West Indies batter in double figures as Alice Davidson-Richards took 3-5, Freya Davis 3-2 and Charlie Dean 2-8 combined to rip the batting to shreds.

Natalie Sciver was 20 not out as England reached their target of 44 in 5.3 overs. Their only disappointment would have been losing the wickets of openers Danni Wyatt for 11 to Karishma Ramharack and Sophie Dunkley to Captain Hayley Matthews for seven along the way.

Ramharack took 1-1 from the only over she bowled while Matthews took 1-12 from the two overs she bowled.

Matthews, however, chose to find something positive from the harrowing experience of being swept.

"I think we need to look at the positives from the series. It's really good to have the youngsters joining the squad and it's going to be a big improvement in bolstering our squad and getting the experience,” she said.

“Yes, the series didn't go our way but I believe this is the start of something good."

​The West Indies Women's next assignment will be a tri-series against India and South Africa in South Africa in January, ahead of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in February.

The eighth edition of the marquee event will begin on 10 February with hosts South Africa taking on Sri Lanka. Cape Town, Paarl and Gqeberha will host the matches in the tournament with the knockout matches set to be played in Cape Town. The final will be held on 26 February.

The 10 teams will be drawn in two groups as follows, Group 1: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh; with Group 2: England, India, West Indies, Pakistan and Ireland.

West Indies and England will contest three day/night CG United ODIs starting at 2pm local time/1pm Jamaica time. All three CG United ODIs in the series will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS) in Antigua on 4, 6 and 9 December as part of the ICC Women's Championship.

Lead Selector Ann Browne-John said: “The return of Shemaine Campbelle and Kycia Knight to the ODI squad after missing the last series due to injury will bolster the team in the absence of the experienced Stafanie Taylor who is still recuperating from injury sustained during September’s series against New Zealand. The CG United ODI matches are vital as points earned will take us a step closer towards automatic qualification for the next ICC Women’s World Cup in 2025.”

She added: “This series against England comes on the heels of the New Zealand tour to the West Indies and continues our important preparation for the upcoming Tri Series against India and South Africa and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to follow. It gives the players a great opportunity to develop and push for final selection for the Tri Series and World Cup.”

The CG United ODI Series is the second opportunity for the West Indies to gain points in the ICC Women’s Championship (IWC). The top five teams in the IWC will automatically book a berth for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2025. The remaining five teams in the IWC will have to go through the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier. The T20I Series which follows provides both teams with important preparation for the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa which begins on 10 February 2023, with West Indies and England drawn to play each other in Group 2 of the tournament.

Tickets are available in advance for the first two CG United ODIs and the first T20I in Antigua from the Windies Tickets service, presented by Mastercard - tickets.windiestickets.com. Tickets are just US$9/EC$25. The third CG United ODI in Antigua will be free for local and visiting fans as it falls on V.C. Bird Day, a national holiday in Antigua and is being supported by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda. ​ Fans who purchase tickets will receive their tickets securely into their online Windies Tickets account to save to their mobile device or print out for presentation at the stadium, avoiding the need to queue at or travel to the stadium ticket offices. Ticket offices at each venue will be open on the day of each match.

All matches will be available to view in the West Indies live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel as well as on the ESPN Play app. Fans in the UK will be able to view on BT Sport with fans based in the USA able to watch live on ESPN+.

FULL SQUAD

(1^st and 2^nd CG United ODIs)

• Hayley Matthews (Captain)
• Shakera Selman (Vice Captain)
• Aaliyah Alleyne
• Shemaine Campbelle
• Afy Fletcher
• Cherry Ann Fraser
• Shabika Gajnabi
• Sheneta Grimmond
• Chinelle Henry
• Kycia Knight
• Chedean Nation
• Karishma Ramharack
• Kaysia Schultz
• Rashada Williams