Capsey, Knight Fire World Cup Warning as England Dominate Series

England beat India by 6 wickets in the decider to win the 3-match series 2-1.Context: Final T20I before the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 starts June 12 in England. In the last competitive outing for either side before the T20 World Cup starts in Birmingham on June 12, Capsey and Knight - both in need of a big score - lifted their side to a six-wicket victory with England's joint second-highest successful run-chase in T20Is. Capsey reached 82 off 43 before she fell ramping Arundhati Reddy to short third in the 18th over, while Knight remained unbeaten on 70 off 42, striking Deepti Sharma through backward square for four to bring up the winning runs in timely style. From 38 for 3, Capsey and Knight constructed a 137-run stand for the fourth wicket off 76 balls to secure a 2-1 series win. The Rescue Act – Capsey & Knight England in trouble: Collapsed to 38/3 in 5.1 overs chasing 181, after Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy struck early. Alice Capsey: 82 off 43 balls, 9 fours, 3 sixes, strike rate 190.69. Player of the Match and Player of the Series [116 runs total]. Heather Knight: 70_ off 42 balls, 10 fours. Fastest T20I fifty of her career – 31 balls. Partnership: 137 off 76 balls for the 4th wicket, England’s 2nd-highest for 4th wicket or below. Result: England chased 181 with 9 balls to spare – their highest successful T20I chase in England. Both Capsey and Knight had been under scrutiny for form all summer. Their innings put pressure back on England’s selectors ahead of the World Cup opener vs Sri Lanka on June 12 at Edgbaston. Capsey, who opened in game 1, staked a claim to bat higher. Knight showed she still has the firepower. Bottom line: England romped to a 6-wicket win and 2-1 series victory over India thanks to a match-turning 137-run stand between Alice Capsey [82 off 43] and Heather Knight [70* off 42]. The chase of 181 was England’s highest ever in T20Is on home soil, and both batters sent a World Cup warning to rivals just 10 days out from the tournament. In an eventful 19th over, Harmanpreet would have been run out on 48, seeking a second run but sent back by Deepti, but wicketkeeper Amy Jones fumbled the throw. Deepti bisected two leg-side fielders expertly for her third four before she was beaten on the top edge, then sent Bell's next ball straight up in the air to mid-on. Her dismissal stemmed the flow of runs. With an over to go, Harmanpreet was stranded on 49, but she brought up her fifty off 38 balls carving a full one from Ecclestone through point for four, her seventh boundary of the innings. It was Harmanpreet's 17th half-century in T20Is but, remarkably, her first against England. Harmanpreet Kaur's unbeaten half-century underpinned India's innings, which also had contributions from Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues. She came in with her side struggling at 60 for 3 in the seventh over and helped raise them to 180 for 5 but it wasn't enough.