Jones Shows Class As England Openers Make West Indies Pay Again

England took advantage of the absence of Hayley Matthews to thrash West Indies by 143 runs in the second ODI at Leicester yesterday.

- Raf Nicholson

Having waited 12 years to score a maiden international hundred, Amy Jones resolved to achieve the feat twice in five days, and this time did so in just 76 balls; while Tammy Beaumont followed up with a second consecutive hundred of her own. The decision of the head coach, Charlotte Edwards, to reunite the pair after a five-year break now looks like a masterstroke after they became the first players in ODI history to share consecutive partnerships of more than 200.

Matthews had been ruled out before play due to a shoulder injury, presumably sustained after carrying the entire weight of her team all tour. She spent the England innings stalking the boundary in a sling; it seems unlikely that she will be able to play any part in the final ODI at Taunton on Saturday.

West Indies were also without their hard-hitting opener Qiana Joseph, who is suffering from flu, but the 20-year-old Realeanna Grimmond proved a ready replacement, striking a 64-ball half-century on ODI debut.