Jones, Wyatt star as England take T20I series

Openers Amy Jones and Danielle Wyatt starred for England with a 120-run opening stand after captain Heather Knight chose to bat. Jones was the top scorer, smashing 89 off just 52 balls, which included 11 hits to the fence and three over it. This was Jones' second consecutive half-century of the series after her 39-ball 53 in the first game. She was ably supported by Wyatt, who, in her 100th T20I game, made 55 in 36 balls and was equally impressive.

The century-stand was finally broken when Anam Amin dismissed Wyatt in the 12th over but Jones' presence until the 17th over helped England milk runs at the death and they ended up with a formidable 185/5.

Pakistan, on the other hand, never really looked comfortable at the chase and struggled from the start. The openers Nahida Khan and Javeria Khan failed like last time and their captain Bismah Maroof, who had scored a fighting fifty in the first match, was dismissed even before she reached the double-figure mark. Iram Javed offered some resistance in the middle with a 35-ball 38 but she lacked support from the other end.

The England bowlers kept picking up wickets at regular intervals and did not give the batters any chance to settle. The pressure built up as the required run rate kept creeping up and even Javed's four big sixes were not enough to chip at England's big total. She was the ninth batter to fall in the 18th over by which time, the equation was already out of Pakistan's hands.

Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone and Mady Villiers took two wickets each for England. Ecclestone was simply unplayable, having returned figures of 2/5 in her three overs. For her 89, her highest T20I score, Jones was awarded Player of the Match.

The final T20I will take place at the same venue on Friday, 20 December.