The Irish women’s cricket team suffered a crushing loss to England in their second One-Day International (ODI) encounter held in Belfast, with England claiming victory by an impressive margin of 275 runs, courtesy of Tammy Beaumont’s extraordinary performance. Snubbed from England’s T20 World Cup squad earlier, Beaumont responded strongly by scoring an unbeaten 150 runs, setting a new record. This secured England’s resounding dominance, bowling out the hosts at a mere 45 runs.
Recording her tenth century, Beaumont became the first Englishwoman to achieve this feat in ODIs. She also holds two out of the top four highest individual scores for England in ODIs, with her score of 168 not out against Pakistan in 2016 still the best.
Beaumont stated in her speech that she has been overcoming challenges and proving doubters wrong since she was very young. She emphasised that she’s not playing to prove anything anymore but for the love of the game and camaraderie with her team.
The second ODI starkly contrasted the first one held on Saturday, where England’s four-wicket win left spectators on edge. Beaumont’s performance alone turned the game into less of a contest with England scoring 320 for eight wickets. The immense pressure led to Ireland’s collapse at only 45 – their lowest ever total in Women’s ODIs. With this win, England secured sufficient Championship points for automatic qualification to the 2025 World Cup.
The Irish team felt the void left by their three best players, who were dismissed in the first nine balls bowled by English captain Kate Cross. Lauren Filer also capitalized on the opportunity handing her a unique test-match fielding configuration and rattled the middle-order of the Irish team with her speed, claiming three wickets.
England’s newcomer Georgia Davis got to bowl for the first time during the power play. By then Ireland was already struggling at 24 for six. Davis exploited the situation, outwitting Alice Tector, the 16-year-old player, before putting an end to the innings in the 17th over by bowling out the 18-year-old Freya Sergant.
Beaumont’s versatility as a cricketer was on full display during Monday’s match, requiring her to act as a pivot first. After witnessing her co-opener Emma Lamb’s run-out, she maintained a steady stiff upper lip and continued to secure the runs. By the 25th over, England’s score stood at 115 with three out. Beaumont noted that each time she was prepared to hit out, the team lost a wicket.
She then played a supportive role in establishing a 101-run partnership with Freya Kemp. Despite a near collision with Beaumont, Kemp took full advantage of a lucky break, capitalising on Ireland’s short ball tactics to smash her first ODI half-century in merely 37 balls.
Kemp, having not sent down an over in the first ODI, bowled for three overs, claiming two wickets for just seven runs. This proved beneficial for the left-arm pace bowler, who was dispatched by England’s head coach Jon Lewis to Ireland to regain her momentum before she joins the T20 World Cup Squad in a few days.
Despite the unlucky end to Kemp’s innings, the momentum didn’t falter. Beaumont reached her ton in the 44th over, and added fifty more runs in only 22 balls. Her magnificent performance propelled England’s total over 300, extinguishing any hopes Ireland might have harboured. – The Guardian