Lauren Filer leads fightback as England beat India to keep series alive

When Nat Sciver-Brunt was named as England captain in April, her teammate Tammy Beaumont might have had cause to feel slight disappointment at being overlooked, given her own success leading Welsh Fire.

But at The Oval on Friday evening, with Sciver-Brunt out of the third T20 international against India with a groin injury, Beaumont finally got the chance to lead her side. More to the point, she managed a feat that has so far eluded Sciver-Brunt this summer – a win against the Indian tourists, albeit by the skin of their teeth. India had looked to be racing to victory after Shafali Verma smashed 47 from 25, while Smriti Mandhana glided her way to a half-century – but after Mandhana top-edged Lauren Filer to mid-on in the 16th over, England fought back at the death to seal a narrow five-run win.

Filer thought she had Richa Ghosh next ball, caught at point, but England’s DRS review was in vain as replays showed it had actually pinged off Ghosh’s helmet. Lauren Bell – who had earlier shelled Shafali at deep third – then put down a tricky chance off Ghosh diving forward at short fine leg, but Charlie Dean held on to a brilliant diving catch in the deep in the 19th to make good the error.

India were left needing 12 from the final over, and six from the final ball, but Harmanpreet Kaur could only fire the ball straight into the hands of mid-off.

It should never have got so deep: earlier, Beaumont had contributed only two runs amid a mind-boggling late-innings collapse of nine for 31, as England squandered all the hard-won advantage of a 137-run partnership between Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge for the first wicket.

England’s Sophia Dunkley hits out during her 75 off 53 balls. Photograph: Steven Paston/PA

Half-centuries apiece for the opening pair should have laid the perfect platform for England, especially after Wyatt-Hodge was put down twice off the left-arm spinner Shree Charani in the ninth, by Jemimah Rodrigues at deep midwicket and Harmanpreet Kaur at cover.

But Dunkley – who somehow never quite looked in control in her innings of 75 – charged down the track and got a leading edge back to the bowler Deepti Sharma, before Harmanpreet held onto a second chance proffered by Wyatt-Hodge to cover.

Three Indian bowlers were handed the opportunity for hat-tricks – Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani and Deepti Sharma – as Amy Jones, Issy Wong and Filer all fell to first-ball ducks, meaning England came breathtakingly close to handing India a series win. Instead, the series remains alive ahead of the fourth T20 at Manchester on Wednesday.