(ESPNCRICINFO) – England’s experiment with Amy Jones at the top of the order paid dividends as she and opening partner Tammy Beaumont scored centuries in a 108-run victory over West Indies in the first ODI in Derby.
It was Jones’ maiden international century after 12 years and more than 200 games across formats for England, helping to set a lofty victory target of 346 after captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, who chimed in with a 35-ball fifty, won the toss.
Linsey Smith, the left-arm spinner on ODI debut following a career resurgence in 2024 after nearly five years on the outer, claimed a five-wicket haul to bowl West Indies out for 237 with 10 balls to spare despite a 91-run opening partnership between Hayley Matthews and Qiana Joseph.
Jones and Beaumont both scored at better than a run a ball and shared a 222-run stand for the first wicket as England reached 345 for 6.
Jones had opened the batting 22 times previously in ODIs, but not since the 2019 Women’s Ashes – and 18 times in T20Is, most recently during the World Cup in Australia five years ago.
But perhaps in a sign of what was to come, she had opened with Beaumont in all seven of her innings for The Blaze in this year’s domestic one-day cup competition and scored 80, 52 and 41 in her last three outings there.
Jones’s innings was chanceless until, on 92, she drove the ball hard back at bowler Jahzara Claxton who couldn’t hold on despite getting both hands to it. Karishma Ramharack missed a similarly well-struck return catch off Jones in the next over.
Jones displayed excellent placement and timing, highlighted by a beautiful cover drive off Zaida James for four followed by two more boundaries off the same bowler, threaded expertly between backward and cover point and plundered over mid-on. She brought up her half-century in 59 balls with a single into the leg side off Matthews.
Beaumont was more circumspect in raising her fifty although an assertive six over wide long-on, also off Matthews, put her in touching distance and she met the milestone off 74 balls with a cut single off Afy Fletcher.
Beaumont signalled a remarkable shift in tempo when she followed back-to-back fours off Aaliyah Alleyne immediately with another six pulled over deep square leg. Her third maximum came off Claxton through wide long-on and she showed great innovation moments later to uppercut a four through deep third before edging Claxton’s next ball just past wicketkeeper Mandy Mangru for four more.
Suddenly Beaumont had moved to 92 off 93 and it became a century race between the openers after they posted a first-wicket stand worth 200 for only the fourth time in England Women’s ODI history.
Beaumont reached the landmark first, having faced just 22 balls for her second fifty, as she struck two fours in three balls off Ramharack for her 11th ODI ton.
She could have fallen three balls later had Mangru held a faint edge as Beaumont looked to work a Ramharack delivery fine and she capitalised with another six over wide long-on off Matthews.
Jones brought up her century with a four through extra cover off Cherry-Ann Fraser, prompting a satisfied smile to spread across new head coach Charlotte Edwards’ face.