Key events
36th over: England 260-3 (Capsey 28, Kemp 27) England on a go slow as the finish line approaches. Just three off the returning Cara Murray.
35th over: England 257-3 (Capsey 27, Kemp 25) A couple of singles edge England closer to the record total.
34th over: England 255-3 (Capsey 26, Kemp 24) Freya Kemp is getting England home in style! A scorching cover drive is followed by a loft over mid off that is fizzing with confidence. Kelly drags her length back, Kemp is waiting for it and smashes it over midwicket for the third four in a row. Make that four in four! Another full ball, another cover drive. Another boundary. Kemp defends the last but the damage is well and truly done. England need 27 more.
33rd over: England 239-3 (Capsey 26, Kemp 8) Eleven runs off Little’s over with four byes down the leg side and Freya Kemp pouncing on the full and straight overcorrection with a powerful slam down the ground for four.
32nd over: England 228-3 (Capsey 25, Kemp 2) Freya Kemp joins Capsey, England are 54 runs away from pulling off their highest ever ODI chase.
WICKET! Maia Bouchier c Prendergast b Kelly 104 (England 223-3)
A century and out! Bouchier is caught at long on going for a big one off Kelly. England only need 50 or so more and she’ll be disappointed not to get them over the line. Still, top knock and she’s more than done her job today.
31st over: England 223-2 (Bouchier 102, Capsey 22) There it is! Maia Bouchier drives crisply for four through the covers to bring up her second ODI ton! She’s been a delight to watch, Swiss clock timing and needle threading placement. She was on six off 18 balls but goes to three figures off 91 deliveries, a marker of how well she has got into her groove in this innings.
30th over: England 216-2 (Bouchier 98, Capsey 21) Capsey goes back to pull and cue ends a tough chance through to the keeper who actually does well to stop it going for four. A quarter chance at most for Amy Hunter behind the sticks. Just one off Kelly’s over, one of the very few overs where Ireland have managed to contain England in this innings.
29th over: England 215-2 (Bouchier 97, Capsey 21) Kia McCartney returns but drags down to Capsey who doesn’t miss out, pulling for four with ease. Bouchier collects two singles to take her to 97. Charlotte Edwards looks excited/nervous on the England boundary.
28th over: England 208-2 (Bouchier 95, Capsey 16) Bouchier will be desperate to add to her solitary ODI ton. She gets a full toss from Murray and cloths the shot but because mid on is up in the ring she picks up four anyway. That’s the bit of luck you need to get to three figures. One hit away now…
27th over: England 200-2 (Bouchier 89, Capsey 14) The 200 is up for England, they need just 82 runs now for a record ODI chase. Capsey glides Prendergast for four and Bouchier continues on her merry way to a century.
26th over: England 191-2 (Bouchier 86, Capsey 9) Bosh! Alice Capsey smashes England’s first SIX of the innings! Maguire drops short and is dispatched over the leg side with relish.
25th over: England 182-2 (Bouchier 84, Capsey 2) Half way mark and six runs off the over with no alarms and no surprises for England. Ireland are bringing Prendergast back for one last throw of the dice, they need a clattering of wickets pronto.
24th over: England 176-2 (Bouchier 79, Capsey 1) Alice Capsey joins Bouchier, she’s off the mark with a firm push into the off side.
WICKET! Jodi Grewcock b Murray 9 (England 172-2)
Bowled! Lovely bowling from Murray who draws Grewcock forward and then spins one back through the gate. Timber!
23rd over: England 172-1 (Bouchier 74, Grewcock 9) Maguire returns… gah! A full bunger is easily swished off the hip by Bouchier. Close! Bouchier then almost yorks herself by coming down the track, she gets a cue end that saves her and squirts away for two runs.
22nd over: England 163-1 (Bouchier 68, Grewcock 8) Bouchier is lucky to get away with a leading edge that loops down the ground and lands safe. Hands on head for Cara Murray. England need 119 off 28 overs and have plenty of batting in the hutch.
21st over: England 157-1 (Bouchier 64, Grewcock 6) Bouchier clips a couple of twos into the leg side after Grewcock nudges off her hip fine for her first four. Shot! The Mighty Bouch lifts down the ground for four. 13 runs off the over, Ireland need a flurry of wickets to slow England’s charge.
20th over: England 144-1 (Bouchier 56, Grewcock 1) Left handed Jodi Grewcock is in at first drop for England. Big chance for her to make a match winning score with the foundations laid. She’s off the mark with a punch down to long on for one.
WICKET! Sophia Dunkley c & b Murray 73 (England 143-1)
Gone! Dunkley doesn’t go on to the hundred that was there for the taking, she’s undone by a nice bit of bowling by Murray, a bit of drift and turn sees a return catch offered and snaffled.
19th over: England 142-0 (Bouchier 55, Dunkley 73) Louise Little comes on with her medium pacers. Dunkley ramps for two and then plays an extraordinary shot whereby she lifts the ball over her own helmet and over the keeper for four on the off side. She’s in decent knick!
18th over: England 135-0 (Bouchier 55, Dunkley 67) Bouchier slams Murray for four through the leg side, England have peppered the boundary hoardings at Grace Road, nineteen fours and counting. Bouchier then plays a wild hack and sends a swirling catch down the ground but it lands safe, Kelly never looked like getting there tracking back from mid on.
17th over: England 125-0 (Bouchier 50, Dunkley 62) Bouchier clips into the leg side for four, thencuts for a single to to bring up her own 53 ball fifty. Dunkley sees England to drinks with comprehensive drive down the ground for four. Ireland could do with a stiff beverage.
16th over: England 113-0 (Bouchier 43, Dunkley 58) Ireland turn to Cara Murray’s leg spin and Dunkley greets her first ball with a sweep for four. Two more come off the over, England need 169 more from 34 overs to pull off their highest ever ODI chase.
15th over: England 107-0 (Bouchier 42, Dunkley 53) A 40 ball fifty for Sophia Dunkley who looks much improved this year, playing with a much straighter blade. She biffs another four through cover and is bossing this chase at the moment for England.
14th over: England 99-0 (Bouchier 39, Dunkley 48) Kelly manages to tighten things up momentarily, just three singles off her third over.
13th over: England 96-0 (Bouchier 37, Dunkley 47) Ten more off the latest as Ireland struggle to contain England, Kia McCartney spears down three wides and then two byes to gift five runs with England not having to lift a finger. Ireland desperate for a breakthrough now.
12th over: England 86-0 (Bouchier 32, Dunkley 47) Kelly continues, a decent over is spoiled by a drag down that Dunkley rasps away to the point fence. The camera pans to Alice Capsey and the rest of the England camp on the balcony, they look pretty content at the moment.
11th over: England 77-0 (Bouchier 30, Dunkley 40) Off spin introduced in the form of Kia McCartney. It’s a decent first over too, five singles nudged and nurdled.
10th over: England 72-0 (Bouchier 27, Dunkley 38) It’s gone a bit gloomy at Grace Road and the floodlights are beating down now. Ireland do make a change, Arlene Kelly replaces Maguire and nearly gets the breakthrough with her third ball! Dunkley smashes a return catch at her that is too hot to handle and the sharp chance is spilled. Salt, meet Wound. Dunkley then carves for four.
9th over: England 68-0 (Bouchier 27, Dunkley 34) I think Ireland need to change it up, Dunkley and Bouchier are lining up Prendergast and Maguire. Dunkley scythes another cut through the off side for four.
8th over: England 62-0 (Bouchier 26, Dunkley 29) Ireland have just had the wind knocked out of their sails by this opening partnership from England, eleven more off Maguire, England on for the record chase as it stands. Long way to go mind, 220 runs to be precise.
7th over: England 51-0 (Bouchier 23, Dunkley 21) England are cruising now, Dunkley crashes two boundaries through the off side off Prendergast to bring up the fifty opening stand.
6th over: England 39-0 (Bouchier 22, Dunkley 12) Shot! Maguire overpitches and Bouchier lofts with sweet timing over long on for four. Bouchier is ticking now, playing two lovely square punches for consecutive boundaries. Ireland take out a slip and put in another backward point. A misfield at cover sees the fourth four of the over, deep breaths Jane Maguire!
5th over: England 23-0 (Bouchier 6, Dunkley 12) Bouchier throws her head back in frustration as she middles a full bunger straight to Tector at short cover, a boundary was there for the taking. Three from the over in leg-byes, this opening pair are a little feast or famine, they love to hit boundaries but struggle to nudge the ones, twos and threes to keep the scoreboard ticking.
4th over: England 20-0 (Bouchier 6, Dunkley 12) Just two off Maguire’s first five balls and a bit of pressure beginning to mount… Dunkley releases the valve with a fine shot down the ground for four.
3rd over: England 14-0 (Bouchier 5, Dunkley 7) Brilliant pressure from Prendergast who stitches together an immaculate maiden to Bouchier. This will be a good test for this England side, they have lots of talent but are raw – the average of this team is 22, the youngest it has been since 2001.
2nd over: England 14-0 (Bouchier 5, Dunkley 7) Jane Maguire shares the new ball, Dunkley plays quite an agricultural hoick to get a length ball up and over the leg side for four. Not pretty, but ‘look in the book’. Dunkley tries to cut the next but it’s far too close to the body. She tries again with the last ball of the over, nails it… straight to the fielder. Dot.
1st over: England 8-0 (Bouchier 5, Dunkley 1) Prendergast goes too full and Bouchier drives with fast hands to pick up England’s first boundary. England sporting their aqua/quartz blue kit and Ireland in a green and blue combo. Orla P loses her line and slips in a couple of leg side wides, Bouchier and Dunkley start with some sharp running to pick up a quick single each. Eight runs off the first – England are up above the rate after one!
Orla Prendergast has the ball in hand for Ireland. Maia Bouchier and Sophie Dunkley scratch their guards, let’s play!
Thanks Geoff and hello all. Where’s your moolah for this one then? We’ll be underway with England’s chase very soon. Sky Sports are showing a nice segment on Kate Cross who is hanging up her bowling boots at the end of this season.
Geoff Lemon
That’s my part done for the day. I’ll leave you with Jim Wallace for the chase.
England need 282 to win
There you go. The target doesn’t look stratospheric, but it would still require England’s biggest one-day run chase. Their best was 267 against Australia in 2023. They have some batting power, so you’d think they are a good chance to do it, but at least Ireland have given themselves a good chance to defend. They could have had a bigger score had Lewis gone on, but Stokell did well, certainly above her career form line, to push them up to where they are.