Kemp Makes the Difference as England Draw Level in Bristol

Freya Kemp – Player of the Match With the bat: 39_ off 13 balls, came in at 116/4 in the 17th over. Smashed 24 off the final over off Arundhati Reddy – 2 sixes, 2 fours. Lifted England from a sluggish 129/5 after 18 overs to 168/5Hit as many boundaries in the last 2 overs as England managed in the previous 11With the ball: 2/15 in 2 overs Dismissed well-set Smriti Mandhana for 32, caught at deep square leg Had Jemimah Rodrigues caught for 1 with a slower ball right after India retired out Yastika Bhatia. Still building her bowling workloads after a lengthy battle with back problems, Kemp also claimed 2 for 15 off two overs, removing the dangerous Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues, either side of Yastika Bhatia - a star of India's opening victory in Chelmsford on Thursday - retiring out on 33 off 36 balls. Charlie Dean bowled 12 dot balls on her way to 2 for 20 off four overs, Lauren Bell also claiming two wickets as India fell 26 runs short. The sides will meet in the series decider at Taunton on Tuesday. India were well placed at 70/1 after 9 overs chasing 169Kemp’s wicket of Mandhana sparked a collapse: India lost last 6 wickets for 31 runs in 28 balls. India’s decision to retire out Bhatia for 33 off 36 balls backfired – first time it’s happened in a women’s T20 between major nations. Just as Kemp was about to bowl her second over, Bhatia walked off and Rodrigues - with whom she had shared a match-winnning century stand at Chelmsford - strode to the crease. With India needing 60 off the last five overs, Kemp had Rodrigues caught at cover off the second ball she faced. Sophia Dunkley was yet to score when she was dropped at backward point by Rodrigues, which would have given Nandani Sharma a wicket with her first delivery after she was entrusted with the new ball following her three-wicket haul on debut in the opening game. Dunkley responded by hammering Arundhati for six over long on in the next over but she fell a short time later when Nandani changed ends and had her caught behind. England bounced back after being outclassed in the series opener at Chelmsford Key prep for T20 World Cup starting June 12 at Edgbaston Kemp returning from long-term back injury, bowling again after more than a year out. Bottom line: Freya Kemp’s 39_ off 13 with the bat and 2/15 with the ball turned the game, powering England to 168 and then helping bowl India out for 142 to square the series in Bristol. In T20Is this season, Knight has scores of 19, 25, 18, 21 and 18. As England's most-capped Women's player - she has played 311 games across formats - her side will be looking for more from her at the World Cup.