Lauren Bell is tipped to become England’s all-time leading bowler with partner Sophia Dunkley after taking four wickets against West Indies in the second ODI.
Bell collected figures of 4-33 from eight overs, including a double in his first innings, as England bowled out their opponents for 118 in Antigua to take an unbeaten 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Tuesday’s 142-run victory followed a similar victory in Sunday’s opening ODI and England will be looking to sweep the final on Friday, also in Antigua.
Dunkley said of the 21-year-old seamer Bell: “I had the chance to play with him in The Hundred for Southern Brave and I watched him knock down the top order and get us into some games to see his brother like him. It was a great night.
“He is still very young and has a lot to experience and improve his game. I believe he can lead the team and do many great things. He has great energy and wants to be involved. He will be a great leader in the years to come.
‘We want to be brave and take the game to the opposition’
Sophia Dunkley: “We want to be brave and take the game to the opposition, to be as aggressive as we can be. I think we did very well.”
The ODI series is the first in charge of England Women’s head coach Jon Lewis, who said after his appointment that he wanted his team to play aggressive cricket.
Dunkley feels the team has delivered that in the first two games of his tenure.
The victim said: “From the beginning [Lewis] he came in, he’s been very clear about what he wants us to do. Encourage and entertain in every game we play.
“We want to be brave and really take the game to the opposition, be aggressive in the way we do it. I think we’ve done really well and I’m sure if we have more time we can get into it.”
Friday’s final ODI is followed by five T20 internationals, which will serve as preparation for the T20 World Cup in South Africa in February, a tournament England will be looking to win for the first time since its inception in 2009.
Dunkley feels that a semi-final exit at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham could inspire the team to do well at the next big event.
He added: “The Commonwealth Games were very disappointing, but what we learned was a lot of wisdom, a lot of knowledge to go into the next tournament.
“Hopefully we won’t make the same mistake twice. We have a talented team and I’m sure they can do big things.”
