Record-breaking Beaumont sets up whitewash

Tammy Beaumont became the first English woman to hit back-to-back one-day international centuries as England wrapped up a 3-0 win in their series against Pakistan in Taunton.

Beaumont, who was dropped on 2 and 64, made the most of her good fortune, by posting the second-highest score by an English woman in ODIs, and the fourth-highest overall. In the end, England won by 202 runs with Pakistan, replying to 366 for 4, bowled out for 164, in the 45th over.

Having won the toss on a typically flat Taunton wicket, England found few difficulties in coping with the Pakistan attack. Beaumont and Lauren Winfield, who put on 235 for the first wicket at Worcester last Wednesday, made a decent start before Winfield became Sana Mir's first of two victims, caught by Maham Tariq, at mid-off, at 59 for 1.

Thereafter, there was precious little over which to enthuse for the tourists as England made the most of the friendly conditions and some desperately poor fielding.

Beaumont passed 50 off 70 balls and featured in a thrilling 166-run partnership with Georgia Elwiss, who put behind her two modest contributions with the bat to score 77 from 78 balls. She passed 50 off 57 balls before being bowled by Mir at 225 for 2 in the 39th over.

The arrival of Nat Sciver brought even greater agony for Pakistan. With Beaumont in full flow, the pair added 119 off just 58 balls, in 39 minutes. Sciver struck six fours and a six in her 48 off 22 deliveries.

Beaumont posted her century off 111 balls, with nine fours, and reached 150 off 133 balls with a further eight boundaries. Having scored 70 and 104 in the first two matches of the series, Beaumont took her tally against Pakistan to 342 at an average of 171.00 - setting a new record for runs scored by an Englishwoman in a three-match series.

Pakistan, who were never likely to trouble England's considerable total, found themselves in early trouble when Katherine Brunt held on to a regulation catch to dismiss Sidra Ameen for 9, with the score on 16 for 1. Three runs later, Anya Shrubshole picked up a second wicket, that of Javeria Khan. This time Winfield was the catcher as Pakistan slumped to 19 for 2.

Brunt, who bowled with great accuracy and, at times, hostility, took her first wicket in the eighth over. Nain Abidi attempted to hook a short delivery from the pace bowler. Unfortunately, instead of dispatching the ball to the boundary, as planned, she gloved a catch to wicket keeper Amy Jones, leaving Pakistan 22 for 3.

Faced with a near impossible situation, Pakistan did their best to make a decent fist of things. Bismah Maroof and Sidra Nawaz added 74 off 89 balls for the fourth wicket, and Nawaz and Mir 21 for the fifth. However, when Nawaz departed, bowled by Laura Marsh for 47 in the 31st over, Pakistan's hopes of getting within 150 all but disappeared.

Marsh returned the figures of 3 for 29 and Shrubsole 2 for 17. However, Brunt was the pick of the England attack, finishing with 5 for 30 off 9.5 overs as Pakistan were bowled out for 164 off the penultimate ball of the 45th over.