Three wickets from Em Arlott, playing just her second international match, decimated West Indies as England ran away with victory in the second T20I at Hove and an unassailable 2-0 lead in their three-match series.

Arlott’s impressive spell accounted for key batters Hayley Matthews,  who had scored 100 of her side’s 146 runs in the first game at Canterbury, and Stefanie Taylor, who had returned from injury to bolster the tourists’ line-up. She also removed Zaida James, courtesy of one of two strong catches by Sophia Dunkley, and took a catch of her own to dismiss Shermaine Campbelle,  the West Indies’ highest scorer for the match with just 26.

That was off Charlie Dean, who took back-to-back wickets to finish with 2 for 12 from her four overs, while Lauren Bell took 3 for 28, including one in the opening over to set the tone for the match. Issy Wong was also economical with 1 for 10 in four overs.

Player of the match Arlott had waited a long time to make her debut in Canterbury, having been called up to the England squad during India’s visit in 2021 without playing. She missed out again the following year when she left England’s camp before the home series against South Africa began, because she was suffering the after-effects of Covid. At that point she feared her chances of playing for her country were gone. But she made up for lost time as West Indies were restricted to 81 for 9.

After losing opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge on the first ball of the reply, captain Nat Sciver Brunt and Dunkley reeled in the target with 64 balls to spare.

Matthews needed someone to go with her this time following her gallant century in a losing cause on Wednesday. But fellow opener Qiana Joseph fell cheaply once more, spooning a return catch to Bell on the third ball of the game. A double-wicket over from Arlott left West Indies reeling at 18 for 3 in the fourth over with their inspirational captain, Matthews, back in the dugout with just six runs to her name. Matthews had tried to play across the line of a length ball from Arlott which shaped in and moved off the seam and clattered into the stumps. Four balls later, Dunkley held a stunning catch, leaping to her left and tumbling at short midwicket to dismiss James.

England’s fielding demons from the T20 World Cup match between these two teams looked to be exorcised. Arlott was on a roll when she had the experienced Taylor well caught at short extra cover by Dean for a second-ball duck. That gave Arlott 3 for 7 in 14 balls. She finished her allocation with 3 for 14, including 18 dot balls.

Campbelle was also back from injury and she made some semblance of a start in trying to drag West Indies out of their predicament, reaching 26 off 36 balls. But hers was the first of two wickets to fall in as many balls to Dean with Arlott in the action again, taking a comfortable catch at long-on. Mandy Mangru followed, bowled attempting to paddle sweep and West Indies were 63 for 6. Shabika Gajnabi survived the hat-trick ball but, in the over between, Bell had Aaliyah Alleyne caught behind.

Gajnabi fell when Dunkley took another catch at backward point off Wong and Bell had her third wicket when Afy Fletcher holed out to Sciver-Brunt. England conceded just six more runs from that point but they were unable to bowl out West Indies, who set a paltry target of 82.

If failing to take 10 wickets was a hiccup in the display of ruthlessness that new England head coach Charlotte Edwards had called for on the eve of the series, her side were able to make up for it with a rapid run-chase. Wyatt-Hodge’s dismissal, bowled by James with the first ball of the innings, didn’t augur well. But Sciver-Brunt, England’s new captain, batted with authority, marshalling a powerplay of 49 for 1 and bringing up the team fifty with the first of back-to-back fours off Matthews, driven through the covers then reverse-swept.

She brought up her half-century when she was dropped by Cherry-Ann Fraser moving to her right from deep midwicket and ran two for her 17th fifty in T20Is. She then struck the winning runs with a leg-side four off Afy Fletcher. Meanwhile Dunkley, who had top-scored for England with an unbeaten 81 in the previous game, played the supporting role with an unbeaten 24 off 25 balls as England cruised to 82 for 1 in 9.2 overs.

Brief scores:

England Women 82 for 1 in 9.2 overs  (Nat Sciver-Brunt 55*, Sophia Dunkley 24*; Zaida James 1-12) beat West Indies Women 81 for 9 in 20 overs (Shemaine Campbelle 28, Shabika Gajnabi 22; Em Arlott 3-14, Lauren Bell 3-28, Charlie Dean 2-12, Issy Wong 1-10)by nine wickets

[Cricinfo]