Aimee Maguire’s five-fer, followed by skipper Gaby Lewis half-century led the charge as Ireland avoided a whitewash with a famous win in a rain-curtailed encounter.
The hosts Ireland were hit by Tammy Beaumont’s classical century (150* off 139 balls) in the 2nd ODI, as she carried her bat throughout the innings, and was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant match-winning performance. She played a crucial role as England clinched the 2nd ODI and the 3-match series by a massive 275-run margin.
England skipper Kate Cross won the toss and elected to bat first in the 3rd and the final ODI at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast. However, the start was delayed courtesy of persistent showers. The game was initially curtailed to a 25-overs-per-side contest before eventually being a 22-overs-per-side contest.
The England openers Emma Lamb and Tammy Beaumont got their side off to a steady start with a 22-run opening partnership. Alana Dalzell picked up the wicket of Emma Lamb to provide the first breakthrough for Ireland. Hollie Armitage joined Tammy Beaumont at the crease before the rains made a re-appearance and the game was eventually reduced to a 22-overs-per-side contest. The pair stitched a 43-run partnership for the 2nd wicket to take their side past the 50-run mark.
Freya Sargent picked up the wicket of Hollie Armitage to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side. Paige Scholfield joined Tammy Beaumont at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 34-run partnership for the 3rd wicket to take their side close to the 100-run mark. Jane Maguire picked up the wicket of Tammy Beaumont to provide the 3rd breakthrough for Ireland. She completed her well-deserved half-century before getting dismissed.
England suffered a collapse as they lost their next four wickets for just 19 runs. Ryana MacDonald-Gay joined Maddy Villiers at the crease and the duo stitched a 26-run partnership for the 8th wicket to take their side close to the 100-run mark. England were eventually bundled out for 153, with seven balls to spare. Tammy Beaumont (52 off 42 balls), Paige Scholfield (21 off 14 balls), and Ryana MacDonald-Gay (17 off 13 balls), Hollie Armitage (15 off 13 balls), were the top performers with the bat for England.
Aimee Maguire (3.5-0-19-5), Freya Sargent (5-0-38-2), Orla Prendergast (4-0-22-1), Alana Dalzell (4-0-36-1), and Jane Maguire (2-0-17-1) were the top performers with the ball for Ireland. Chasing a target of 154, the Ireland openers skipper Gaby Lewis and wicket-keeper batter Amy Hunter got their side off to a flying start with a 51-run opening partnership. The pair scored over 8 runs an over. Freya Kemp cleaned up wicket-keeper batter Amy Hunter to provide the first breakthrough for England.
Orla Prendergast joined skipper Gaby Lewis at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 35-run partnership for the 2nd wicket to take their side close to the 100-run mark. Maddy Villiers picked up the wicket of Orla Prendergast to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side. Leah Paul joined skipper Gaby Lewis at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 51-run partnership for the 3rd wicket to take their side closer to the target.
Lauren Filer picked up the big wicket of the opposition skipper Gaby Lewis to provide the much-needed breakthrough for England. Ireland then suffered a collapse as they lost their next four wickets for just 14 runs to bring the visitors, England firmly back into the contest. Alana Dalzell managed to hold her nerve to smash a boundary on the last ball of the run chase to take her side over the line with three wickets in hand.
Ireland not only sealed a famous victory but their first win against England in ODI’s since 2001 and only the 2nd overall. Skipper Gaby Lewis (72 off 56 balls), Leah Paul (22 off 23 balls), wicket-keeper batter Amy Hunter (18 off 18 balls), and Orla Prendergast (11 off 14 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Ireland. Mady Villiers (5-0-30-3), Lauren Filer (5-0-22-2), Freya Kemp (3-0-22-1), and Ryana MacDonald-Gay (3-0-22-0) were the top performers with the ball for England.
The 18-year-old left-arm spinner Aimee Maguire was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant match-winning spell (3.5-0-19-5) with the ball. Tammy Beaumont was awarded the Player of the Series for scoring 212 runs at a sensational average of 106 in three innings for her side with the bat. She was also the leading run-scorer of the three-match ODI series.