Tammy Beaumont ‘proud’ as England beat India off final ball to complete record run chase at Edgbaston after ‘difficult’ series

Tammy Beaumont said she was “proud” that England could end a “difficult” T20 series against India with a five-wicket victory.

“It has been a difficult series for us but credit to India,” England skipper Beaumont told Sky Sports. “They have played some challenging cricket.

“They have come out with power in their batting line-up and at times we haven’t had the answers.

“But I’m really proud of the girls, who put on a show tonight. Particularly Em Arlott and Linsey Smith coming back after a tough start to the series. 

“We maybe haven’t put in our best performances but really glad we got that win tonight.

“It got a bit tight at the end there but we got over the line and that’s the main thing.”

On England’s fielding, Beaumont added: “A lot has been said about our athleticism but that is not something you can fix overnight.

“We are putting the work in and are starting to see more [good] performances under pressure.

“It just might take a bit longer to have the perfect game.”

India set a target of 168 in the fifth and final T20 at Edgbaston, with much of that tally made up of Shafali Verma’s 41-ball 75.

And England looked to be cantering to that target, as Danni Wyatt-Hodge (56), who was dropped on five, and Sophia Dunkley (46) put together a 101-run opening partnership.

But both departed in the space of seven balls, while Beaumont (30) and Amy Jones (10) fell in the final over with just six required. 

And it all came down to the final ball, with Sophie Ecclestone (4no) sprinting a single to secure a five-wicket win by the narrowest of margins. 

England will hope the win can buoy them ahead of their three-match ODI series with India, the first of which is in Southampton on Wednesday.

On the series win, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said: “It’s a great achievement for all of us. 

“I am really happy with the way we played today. It was a very close game. The team put up a great effort in the end. We thought England played really good cricket. But the way we fought back was outstanding.

“Whenever Smriti [Mandhana] and Shafali are batting, they dominate the other team. That has been really positive for us. We want both of them to keep doing well for the team.

“It’s all about how you train and before coming here, the camps we had given us confidence. We have one month of preparations after going back and before the World Cup. We will give our 100% and are looking forward to the main event.

“We always look for six bowling options in the side. We were happy we got that this time. However, whoever got the opportunity, they have done really well. I am really happy how our bowling unit did this series.

“ODI is a format we all love. We will go with the same mindset that we have played in the T20 series.”