Natalie Sciver and Anya Shrubsole inspired England to a four-wicket victory over India, in their third match of the T20 Tri-Nations Series in Australia.

Shrubsole took 3-31 whilst Sciver scored 50 as England chased down 124 in just 18.5 overs.  

England had lost the first game of this series against India just seven days prior to this, but have since bounced back well to claim a super-over victory against hosts Australia. This win now puts them top of the group, with one game to play against Australia again this Sunday, before the top two teams face off in the final on the 12th February.

India had started this game well but was restricted to just 123/6 thanks to Shrubsole’s three key wickets and good economical bowling from Heather Knight- 0/10 off three overs and Katherine Brunt 2/23 off four.

In response, England lost early wickets with Amy Jones and Danni Wyatt both dismissed cheaply before Deepti Sharma ran out Brunt for just eight. Sciver controlled the innings from that point forward, however, combining with captain Knight initially before putting on 49 with Fran Wilson to help steer England home.

On the victory, Sciver said “We bowled well to keep them to 120-odd and I'm happy to have stayed out there and got us towards the win. I didn't feel great throughout my innings and I would have liked to have been there at the end but it was a good win.”

The last two matches will certainly please England head coach Lisa Keightley. With this series taking place in Australia, all teams will see it as suitable practice for the upcoming World T20 championship which gets underway later this month.

England is top of the group at the minute with two wins from their three games, but a place in the final is not secure yet. If India beat Australia tomorrow and England loses to Australia on Sunday, then the table could be decided on the net-run rate.

These may be promising signs for England at just the right time, but it is clear that the hard-work on the quest for World Cup glory, has only just begun.