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Fifty-over cricket is Charlotte Edwards’s Big Project. The day she was announced as the new England head coach, she declared England had “underperformed” in the one-day format of late and that she was making it her “first priority” ahead of the World Cup in India in October.
All eyes, then, on England’s three-match one-day international series against India, which began on Wednesday at Southampton with a four-wicket win by India, albeit a narrow one.
After England’s sloppiness in the T20 series defeat, India returned the favour, putting down catches off the two players – Sophia Dunkley and Alice Davidson-Richards – who crafted England’s recovery from 97 for four to 258 for six. India then did their level best to mess up what should have been a relatively straightforward run chase: the lowlight was a horrendously casual piece of running by Harleen Deol which led to her being dismissed purely because she couldn’t be bothered to ground her bat.
The opener Pratika Rawal struck a neat 36 but was bowled going back to Sophie Ecclestone’s arm ball and was visibly frustrated, shoulder-barging Ecclestone on the way off the pitch – evoking a whiff of the tensions which have beset the men’s teams of late. The captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, was then out lbw trying to sweep Charlie Dean, after a judicious referral to DRS by England.
A 90-run partnership between Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues – built around sensibly putting away the one bad ball an over for four – looked like it would see India home; but Rodrigues ditched the sensible approach with 45 runs still needed, caught behind attempting a ramp to Lauren Filer.
Deepti herself could easily have gone for 40, struck in line trying to sweep Lauren Bell, but England bafflingly failed to back up Bell’s half-hearted appeal. Deepti progressed to 62 not out and a neat cameo of 20 not out from 14 balls by Amanjot Kaur, including two well-placed fours in the 49th over, finished the job with 10 balls to spare.
Earlier, England had wobbled perilously after choosing to bat first. Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones – who shared consecutive double-century partnerships earlier in the summer against West Indies – fell within the opening four overs, and the usually solid Nat Sciver-Brunt met with relative failure in her first innings back after a groin injury, falling to a sprawling catch by Rodrigues at short midwicket for 41.
England, though, found a measure of salvation in the unlikely shape of Dunkley and Davidson-Richards, who shared a 106-run partnership for the fifth wicket across 23 overs. Unlikely because, under Jon Lewis, Dunkley failed to find a settled role in the ODI side (batting anywhere from No 1 to No 5), while Davidson-Richards failed to find any role at all – this being her first ODI since September 2023.
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Theirs was a partnership built on the most unglamorous of foundations – 69 of the 106 runs were singles – and both were dropped along the way, but given the track record of England’s brittle middle-order, it did offer hope that players who do not have the name Heather Knight or Nat Sciver-Brunt might be capable of digging England out of a hole. Acceleration did eventually come in the last nine overs: Davidson-Richards dashed down the track and was stumped; then Dunkley proceeded to score 33 more runs off 22 balls, bowled swinging off the final ball of the innings.
Edwards watched on from the same balcony, at the same ground, from where she commanded Southern Vipers to five domestic titles, mentally assessing whether this is the XI who might win her similar glory on the international stage. The jury is out.
