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A fine hundred from Sophia Dunkley ensured England sealed a series clean sweep in their third ODI against Ireland at Worcester on Sunday, but not before a disappointing batting collapse.
The hosts, batting first for the first time in the series, had looked on course for a huge total after powerful ball-striking up top from Dunkley, who reached 119, and Maia Bouchier, who made 39. But the innings finished limply with the loss of their last six wickets for 31 runs, as England were bowled out for 291 in 48.5 overs.
In reply, Ireland got off to a flyer thanks to their captain, Gaby Lewis, who struck the ball so forcefully out of the ground on to the concrete concourse that the umpires had to call for a replacement. But when Lewis top-edged a bouncer from Lauren Filer into the deep, the run chase stalled and the required rate quickly became too much of a mountain to climb.
The performance, despite the 3-0 clean sweep, will give England’s head coach, Charlotte Edwards, a winter headache as she tries to figure out how to turn this new-look side into an Ashes-winning outfit.
Neither of England’s two young picks – the 21-year-old left-hander Jodi Grewcock and the 19-year-old Tilly Corteen-Coleman – has yet made a decisive contribution. Grewcock, given a run in the No 3 role this series, contributed 35 runs on Sunday but also faced 26 balls before striking her first boundary. The left-arm spinner Corteen-Coleman finally extracted some turn from the Worcester pitch, outwitting Alice Tector and dislodging the stumps of Louise Little, but remains well behind Sophie Ecclestone and Linsey Smith in the pecking order.
For now, the jury also remains out on the experiment of using Alice Capsey as keeper, although she did add two stumpings to her glovework highlights reel – the second a very decent effort standing up to a Ryana MacDonald-Gay bouncer, as Ireland subsided to 177 all out.
Earlier, Lewis had called correctly at the toss, while she also broke some surprising news: the retirement of the all-rounder Arlene Kelly from international cricket. Kelly, who grew up in New Zealand, was playing domestic cricket in Ireland in 2022 when she received a shock call-up from the then-coach, Ed Joyce. Since then, she has represented her adopted nation 110 times and taken more than 100 wickets. She has now decided the time is right to return to New Zealand.
Handed the new ball in her final ODI, Kelly added a single wicket to her collection - MacDonald-Gay holing out to long-on in the 48th over. Instead, it was the leg-spinner Cara Murray who had a day to remember, finishing with four for 56.
Grewcock plonked a return catch back to Murray, Freya Kemp and Mady Villiers were caught in the deep and the leg-spinner turned one past the bat of Charlie Dean and took her edge.
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Dunkley’s second ODI hundred at the top of the order – her first since 2022 – proved England’s salvation. The right-hander missed the early summer ODIs versus New Zealand to “manage her workload”, but this series has proved her mettle as an ODI opener, muscling her way to 73 in the first match and showcasing her 360-degree ability here, with powerful punches down the ground and some nifty scoops behind square.
Dani Gibson equalled her highest score for England with a quickfire 41 off 37 but was run out in the penultimate over, as the hosts failed to breach 300 in their final international of the summer - although 291 proved more than enough.
