Nat Sciver-Brunt century drives England to imposing 302 for 5

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Premier batter leads the line for England in series finale in Chelmsford

Nat-Sciver Brunt brought up her fourth ODI hundred in her last nine innings  •  PA Photos/Getty Images

England 302 for 5 (Sciver-Brunt 124*, Wyatt 44, Capsey 39*) vs Pakistan

Nat Sciver-Brunt once again proved herself to be the gold standard of England’s batting with a mighty 117-ball 124 not out, to guide her side into a formidable position at the halfway point of the third ODI against Pakistan at Chelmsford.

Sciver-Brunt’s ninth ODI hundred – her fourth in nine innings and tenth in all formats for England – also took her past 3,500 ODI runs in her 94th innings, at a faster rate than any female batter in history. It lifted England to an imposing 302 for 5 – and given that their opponents have never yet scored more than 209 in their 15 previous encounters, it would take something truly remarkable to now deny England a 2-0 series win.

It wasn’t all plain-sailing for England, who again endured a mixed powerplay against some probing new-ball bowling and were three-down inside the 14th over. But Danni Wyatt – who missed the series opener in Derby through illness – took the initiative in a fourth-wicket stand of 79 with a 42-ball 44, while Amy Jones capitalised on a let-off at midwicket on 6 to keep the innings ticking with a run-a-ball 27.

Alice Capsey then kept Sciver-Brunt company into the death overs with 39 not out from 42 balls, including a one-bounce four down the ground moments after overturning an lbw appeal that was shown to be going over the stumps. Thereafter she was limited to just one more boundary in her first 37 balls until a late brace in the final over, as Pakistan tightened their lines to briefly raise the prospect of limiting England to a total closer to 250 than 300.

No-one could corral for long the poise and power that Sciver-Brunt brought to her innings, however. With the series still on the line after Sunday’s wash-out in Taunton, England’s premier performer trotted out her A-game to reach her century with 12 crisply picked-off boundaries, including back-to-back scoops for four off Sana to march through to three figures from 110 balls.

Aside from a handful of false shots, her only genuine let-off came on 86, when Najiha Alvi spilled a thin edge off Nashra Sandhu that could also have been a stumping chance. With her century banked, however, there was no holding her back. Baig’s final over was clattered for consecutive straight sixes and another lofted four through the covers, as England ransacked 47 runs from the final three overs to put a gloss finish on the innings.

Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket