“I had no idea[about the record],” Ecclestone said. “When I looked at the screen, I didn’t know I had taken so many wickets for England. Catherine is someone I’ve always looked up to and I’ve gotten her autograph a few times, but to overtake her… It’s a little surreal. We’re both passionate on the field and we care about each other, and I think she’ll be happy.”
The cool early summer evening in Northampton attracted a large crowd and many Pakistan supporters. The greenish pitch was a far cry from the conditions England will face at the World Cup in Bangladesh in October, but Pakistan performed well in their bowling and fielding, forcing them to work towards a total of 144 runs, making the match a far cry from the conditions England will face at the World Cup in Bangladesh in October. The results were good.
Other than Nat Silver-Blunt, whose 31 off 21 balls was the brightest innings of the night, Alice Capsey was named player of the match for his five powerful four-fours in the power play. No one seemed really calm.
The concern for England was how they struggled to move the ball against the spinners, despite their big outfield and many gaps, and they have some thoughts. Most innings were either fours or dots. England will hit hard with the bat and hit the boundaries, but Bangladesh will need more options against slower pitches and spinners throttling them.
Shiver-Brant was the only hitter on either team with good timing, walking his first pitch after missing the series opener recovering from egg freezing and showing no signs of rust. Giving her Pakistan too much width, she hit three fours in four balls and also had the shot of the night, a reversal over backward point. However, Shiver Brandt fell in the 15th over as Pakistan continued their breakthrough to corner England. It took a huge hit by Daniel Gibson, hitting 17 off the last five balls of the innings, to realistically lift her target beyond Pakistan’s reach.
