The long road to No.1 and a series to remember: Beaumont’s scorching month

BY THE NUMBERS

Three ODIs
231 runs at 231. Three half-centuries. High score of 88*

DOMINATING NEW ZEALAND

England were clinical in their 2-1 win over New Zealand but the standout performer was Beaumont.

The opener passed 50 in all three of her innings and was only dismissed once, finishing the campaign with 231 runs at an average of just that.

The next highest run-scorers for the series, and in the month, were New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite (135 at 67.50) and England’s Heather Knight (135 at 67.50), both of whom were nearly 100 runs behind.

Beaumont started the series with an impressive 71 off 86 in Christchurch, setting up England’s chase of 179 perfectly. She was caught behind off Lea Tahuhu in that match but with the goal in sight, England just 43 runs away from victory. It was the last time she got out in the series.

Three days later in Dunedin, she stood up again to guide England to victory as they chased down 194 with seven wickets to spare. The win had not always looked so certain, with England slumping to 12/2 in the first three overs. Beaumont’s unbeaten 72, alongside contributions from Nat Sciver (63) and Amy Jones (46*), ensured the early stumble did not prove decisive.

Dunedin turned out to be a happy hunting ground for the 29-year-old, who was the backbone of England’s innings in the final match of the series. Beaumont scored an unbeaten 88 off 113 balls as England were bowled out for 220, with Knight (60) the only other batter to pass 20 for the tourists.

A CAREER FIRST NO.1 RANKING

Heading into the tour, Beaumont had a career-best ICC batting ranking of fourth, achieved in July 2019 during the Ashes.

But her stunning series against New Zealand saw her rise to the top of the ODI batting rankings for the first time ever. Her climb to the pinnacle was sealed in the final match, thanks to her unbeaten 88.

The series also saw her achieve a career-best rating of 765 points.

She is one spot ahead of Meg Lanning on the rankings, with 16 more rating points than the Australian’s 749.

CAPS OFF REMARKABLE RISE

Given her career average of 45.14, it is somewhat surprising that Beaumont had never before been on top of the ODI batting rankings.

However, few would have tipped her to climb that particular summit when she made her debut in the format.

Beaumont started her ODI career as a wicket-keeper batting at No.10, in November 2009. Across her first two years in the England team, the highest she got in the batting order was No.8.

It was not until March 2012 that she was promoted to the top of the order for England. She only averaged 19.85 that year and it would be a few more until she became the batter she is today.

It was in 2016 that she really took off, averaging 55.54 for the year with two centuries and three fifties across 12 innings. She announced herself as a force to be reckoned with that year by smashing two centuries and averaging 171 in a three-match series against Pakistan.

She has not looked back since, averaging more than 40 in every calendar year since 2016, barring 2020 when England did not play an ODI.