Freya Kemp smashed an unbeaten 39 from 13 balls as England finally unleashed some batting firepower to post 168 for five and beat India by 26 runs in the second T20 international. Kemp found able support from Dani Gibson as England’s two finishers added 39 from the final two overs to level the series.

The pressure told on India’s fielders, who – after earlier offering Sophia Dunkley a life on nought – twice let the ball slip through their fingers, as Kemp and Gibson showed off their athleticism between the wickets. But mostly the runs came courtesy of good placement and huge power hitting, as Kemp in particular let loose her arms, smashing two sixes and four fours down the ground.

A record Bristol crowd were then treated to the extraordinary sight of India retiring out Yastika Bhatia on 33 from 36 balls, after captain Harmanpreet Kaur adjudged her batting partner to be chugging along too slowly to chase down the required 60 runs from the final 30 balls.

But the decision disrupted the rhythm of India’s faltering run chase, with Bhatia’s replacement, Jemimah Rodrigues, caught slog-sweeping after facing just two balls, Harmanpreet herself edging behind the stumps trying to wallop Charlie Dean over the in-field, and India collapsing to 142 for nine.

The series – the last for both teams before the World Cup gets under way on 12 June – is now all square, setting up an intriguing decider at Taunton on Tuesday.

Before this match, Kemp had sent down just six overs across the summer, as England carefully manage her return from a serious back injury, but here she returned two for 15 in her two overs including the crucial scalp of Smriti Mandhana, who top-edged to Alice Capsey in the deep.

Gibson followed up her own batting cameo with two excellent catches: the first leaping up at cover to see off Shafali Verma in the third over of the chase, before dashing in from deep midwicket to dismiss Richa Ghosh and end India’s hopes.

Earlier, Danni Wyatt-Hodge had reclaimed her spot at the top of the order after a period of parental leave, scoring 29 from 25, while Amy Jones and Capsey contributed 28 runs apiece, and Heather Knight responded to criticism of her strike rate in the previous match by sweeping her way to 18 off 14 balls.

But left-arm spinner Sree Charani continued her form against England by taking three for 25, flighting it beautifully to cut short promising starts from Wyatt-Hodge, Jones and Knight.

The match was watched by a record number of spectators for a women’s international at Bristol, with 4,463 tickets sold, surpassing the 4,430 set during the 2023 Women’s Ashes.

This was the nearest to an England World Cup starting XI we are likely to see given that Nat Sciver-Brunt is still out injured: Sophia Dunkley and Wyatt-Hodge opening up, with Jones making a good case for the No 3 spot, and Linsey Smith returning with the ball in the powerplay.

Wyatt-Hodge has experienced a whirlwind 10 days after the birth of her daughter, Daisy, but the cricket calendar stops for no one, and the England opener looked to be readjusting well, striking three well-placed boundaries before upper-cutting to short third on 29.

Meanwhile Capsey, Knight, Kemp and Gibson continue to fight it out for spots in the middle order. Kemp’s contribution with the bat at Bristol, combined with the proof that she can bowl if required, might just have settled the question in her favour.