After two warm-up games against the England Academy, tomorrow Mignon du Preez will lead her South African team at Chelmsford against England in the first of three T20Is. These games are important to both teams. For England they need to find a formula that works for them in the shortest format of the game. That formula includes the right personnel in the right places, and a game plan that can get them over the line against the best in the world (Australia that is). The next T20 World Cup is less than two years away so time is already running short. As for South Africa they surpassed even their own expectations by reaching the semi-final of the last T20 World Cup earlier this year, and need to show that this was not just a one-off. With a newly-created professional squad of 14 players the expectations are high (only Sunette Loubser on the current tour is not contracted). T20 is undoubtedly the Saffers best format of the game. It suits their hard-hitting style of play and they are an athletic team in the field.
They will have been disappointed to lose the first of the warm-up T20s against the EWA, but the game was actually taken away from them by two contracted England players - Danni Wyatt and Laura Marsh. They shared an opening stand of 108 in under 16 overs as South Africa bowled eight different bowlers in the first 10 overs, whether by design or necessity. Wyatt hit a well-paced 72 off 54 balls with some flowing drives through the covers and has undoubtedly put herself in contention to face South Africa again this week. For South Africa none of their bowlers looked particularly troubling, particularly leg-spinners Dane van Niekerk and Sune Luus and off-spinner Sunette Loubser, who went for a combined total of 33 off just four overs. They will need to bowl better than that.
Having made 139/2 the pressure was always going to be on the South African batsmen. Having made 6 from 13 balls van Niekerk charged Laura Marsh in her first over and was comprehensively stumped; Lizelle Lee was run out without troubling the scorers and Mignon du Preez was rather harshly adjudged lbw to a short ball from Odedra. South Africa were 27/3 after 6 overs. There was no way back for them from there. Trisha Chetty did score 52* off 51 balls and Marizanne Kapp made 26 off 34 balls, but it took them until the 17th over to get the score to 95/4. It may have been useful time at the crease but it gave South Africa no real chance of the win. They particularly struggled against the darty off-spin of Laura Marsh (1/10 in 4 overs with 17 dot balls).
scorecard here
Game Two was a different story as EWA struggled to post a competitive score second time around. This time without Danni Wyatt they could only manage 96/9, with Amy Jones the only bat to show any kind of fluency. She hit five of the nine boundaries recorded (and two of the remaining four were as a result of overthrows). Left-arm seamer Moseline Daniels ripped out the heart of the EWA batting with a spell of 4/5 in four straight overs - three bowled and one lbw. Despite three run outs (two by Chetty behind the stumps) South Africa did not field well - three relatively straightforward catches went down and a simple run out was missed as Lee fumbled the ball at the stumps. England need to put them under pressure in the field from the word go.
Chasing a much easier target allowed South Africa more time to settle despite the early loss of van Niekerk to Freya Davies, who was generating some good pace and bounce. A quick clatter of wickets with the score in the 50s might have unsettled South Africa but skipper du Preez (17*) and a confident Sune Luus (21*) brought South Africa home with 13 balls to spare. Lizelle Lee (22) looked dangerous after a slow start and Luus looks to be a sweet timer of the ball. Marsh again was the best bowler for EWA (2/12 off four overs). England will miss her control next week, but will hope Hazell and Knight can emulate her efforts.
scorecard - here
One player can have a huge influence on a T20 match, and South Africa have those types of players in their ranks - watch out for Lee and Luus with the bat; and Shabnim Ismail, Daniels, Kapp and van Niekerk with the ball. It should be a good series.
Just for reference South Africa player numbers are:-
Sunette Loubser 3
Andrei Steyn 6
Marizanne Kapp 7
Trisha Chetty 8
Marcia Letsoalo 11
Bernadine Bezuidenhout 12
Moseline Daniels 15
Mignon du Preez 22
Chloe Tryon 25
Lizelle Lee 67
Dane van Niekerk 81
Shabnim Ismail 89
Sune Luus 96
Ayabonga Khak 99
MD
31/VIII/14
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Sunday, 31 August 2014
Thursday, 28 August 2014
Is Sofa Dan the new voice of Women's Cricket?
If you are a cricket fan then you are almost certainly a fan of TMS, or to give it is full title Test Match Special - the BBC's ball-by-ball cricket commentary on the radio, which started in earnest back in 1957. Back then the programme covered just Test Cricket, but it has diversified over the years to cover all formats of the game, and has been a big supporter of the women's game over the last few years, starved as it has been of television coverage. One might say that TMS has been at the vanguard of promoting women's cricket to a wider audience.
In fact TMS first covered a women's game in full in 2004 - it was England v New Zealand in the first ever T20 international match. Clare Connor was skipper of the England side (one of only two T20Is she ever played in), which contained Charlotte Edwards, Lydia Greenway and Jenny Gunn. Since then TMS has provided excellent coverage of women's cricket including full coverage of last year's Women's Ashes Series, the Women's World Cup and the T20 World Cup. They will cover the Ashes series again here next year, and you will probably hear coverage of England's tour to New Zealand in February, subject to dates.
This year TMS will have covered every ball of the women's summer internationals - the England v India Test and ODI series are done, and they will be providing ball-by-ball commentary on the England v South Africa T20 series which starts next Monday. "Its the coverage that women's cricket deserves and should be getting," says TMS producer Adam Mountford. "What I am most proud of is that we have shown consistent support (of the women's game). I'm also very pleased that next year the fixtures will have women's games separate to the men's games. Next year we can have a real summer of Ashes' cricket".
For the past couple of years Charles Dagnell (Daggers) has been the voice of women's cricket on TMS. He is a keen follower of the women's game at the highest level and it shows in his informed commentary. This year, as Daggers moves up the TMS echelons to men's cricket, others are being given the chance to show what they can do. Perhaps the brightest prospect is Dan Norcross - described to me as the "Aggers soundalike" (a reference to Jonathan Agnew of course). It is true that he does have the clipped English private school accent (he was educated at Dulwich College in London), but his delivery is much more quick fire than Aggers and perhaps slightly more irreverent.
At the Test Match in Wormsley Dan was making his TMS debut. I asked him how it felt. "I'm stoked. I am on Test Match Special. I've got a Test Match special cap. I'm in. I opened the programme, with the sound of Soul Limbo going, and it's my voice, and I'm kind of welling up. I feel like kissing the accreditation badge". He looks like a kid in a sweetshop throughout the whole four days.
So how did he go from being a project manager in IT, and a self-confessed very unsuccessful scriptwriter, to a cricket commentator on TMS? Well the answer lies on the sofa - Test Match Sofa that is, the alternative cricket commentary, which Dan started with a mate in his front room in 2008. "I had been obsessed with cricket since I was seven. Saw my first Test in 1976. I've talked and thought about nothing else. I had brothers in the States and they couldn't hear Test Match Special in the States. I had a kind of crazy idea that there were enough people who couldn't get access to radio commentary that it was worthwhile setting up a service for them". So that is what he did - internet-based Test Match Sofa was born. Little did he realise what ructions it would cause with the powers that be, including with the real TMS. "I never even thought of the three letter acronym. We referred to ourselves as the 'the Sofa'", he explains. The ECB weren't happy either. Here was an unlicensed broadcaster treading on their toes and paying nothing for the privilege.
The Sofa gained a kind of cult status and developed a loyal following of several thousand, but by 2012 money was beginning to run out and the Cricketer magazine bought Test Match Sofa. Dan stayed on until the beginning of 2014, when he decided that the Sofa was perhaps doing more harm than good to cricket. "The purpose had been to provide entertainment and to reach out to a wider audience, because I passionately believe that cricket needs a wider audience. I didn't want in any way to harm English cricket". Shortly after he left, Test Match Sofa came off the air.
After five years as an "amateur" cricket commentator Dan decided to contact Adam Mountford, the producer of TMS, to see if he could turn his passion into a living. Having heard him on the Sofa Mountford agreed to try him out on a couple of county games and see how it went from there. A couple became a few, and then a few more. Mountford explains "Dan Norcross is someone who, through his time with Test Match Sofa has commentated on hours and hours and hours of cricket, and I have always thought he was a very talented broadcaster. What I wanted to hear from him this year was to hear him at grounds". Having heard him around the country commentating on county games Mountford felt he had the ability to step up to international cricket - hence his first gig at Wormsley.
And he made a good job of it too. He had watched the girls on television and done his research, although eight Test debutants and no names or numbers for the Indians was quite a challenge. He really does sound as though he is enjoying the game, and wants to share it with all his mates (the listeners). Off-mike he is just as affable, always wanting to chat to anyone... about cricket of course. As he says himself, it is early days, but he has made a solid start. The bat is coming down nice and straight and there have been one or two nice clips to the boundary. The question is can he go on from here?
I suppose as a commentator I ought to let Dan have the last word (for now). "Its been mental frankly. I've just absolutely loved it. From being just a really enthusiastic observer and obsessive to suddenly finding that I am rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mike Gatting. You pinch yourself. It's bizarre".
MD
28/VIII/14
In fact TMS first covered a women's game in full in 2004 - it was England v New Zealand in the first ever T20 international match. Clare Connor was skipper of the England side (one of only two T20Is she ever played in), which contained Charlotte Edwards, Lydia Greenway and Jenny Gunn. Since then TMS has provided excellent coverage of women's cricket including full coverage of last year's Women's Ashes Series, the Women's World Cup and the T20 World Cup. They will cover the Ashes series again here next year, and you will probably hear coverage of England's tour to New Zealand in February, subject to dates.
This year TMS will have covered every ball of the women's summer internationals - the England v India Test and ODI series are done, and they will be providing ball-by-ball commentary on the England v South Africa T20 series which starts next Monday. "Its the coverage that women's cricket deserves and should be getting," says TMS producer Adam Mountford. "What I am most proud of is that we have shown consistent support (of the women's game). I'm also very pleased that next year the fixtures will have women's games separate to the men's games. Next year we can have a real summer of Ashes' cricket".
For the past couple of years Charles Dagnell (Daggers) has been the voice of women's cricket on TMS. He is a keen follower of the women's game at the highest level and it shows in his informed commentary. This year, as Daggers moves up the TMS echelons to men's cricket, others are being given the chance to show what they can do. Perhaps the brightest prospect is Dan Norcross - described to me as the "Aggers soundalike" (a reference to Jonathan Agnew of course). It is true that he does have the clipped English private school accent (he was educated at Dulwich College in London), but his delivery is much more quick fire than Aggers and perhaps slightly more irreverent.
At the Test Match in Wormsley Dan was making his TMS debut. I asked him how it felt. "I'm stoked. I am on Test Match Special. I've got a Test Match special cap. I'm in. I opened the programme, with the sound of Soul Limbo going, and it's my voice, and I'm kind of welling up. I feel like kissing the accreditation badge". He looks like a kid in a sweetshop throughout the whole four days.
So how did he go from being a project manager in IT, and a self-confessed very unsuccessful scriptwriter, to a cricket commentator on TMS? Well the answer lies on the sofa - Test Match Sofa that is, the alternative cricket commentary, which Dan started with a mate in his front room in 2008. "I had been obsessed with cricket since I was seven. Saw my first Test in 1976. I've talked and thought about nothing else. I had brothers in the States and they couldn't hear Test Match Special in the States. I had a kind of crazy idea that there were enough people who couldn't get access to radio commentary that it was worthwhile setting up a service for them". So that is what he did - internet-based Test Match Sofa was born. Little did he realise what ructions it would cause with the powers that be, including with the real TMS. "I never even thought of the three letter acronym. We referred to ourselves as the 'the Sofa'", he explains. The ECB weren't happy either. Here was an unlicensed broadcaster treading on their toes and paying nothing for the privilege.
The Sofa gained a kind of cult status and developed a loyal following of several thousand, but by 2012 money was beginning to run out and the Cricketer magazine bought Test Match Sofa. Dan stayed on until the beginning of 2014, when he decided that the Sofa was perhaps doing more harm than good to cricket. "The purpose had been to provide entertainment and to reach out to a wider audience, because I passionately believe that cricket needs a wider audience. I didn't want in any way to harm English cricket". Shortly after he left, Test Match Sofa came off the air.
After five years as an "amateur" cricket commentator Dan decided to contact Adam Mountford, the producer of TMS, to see if he could turn his passion into a living. Having heard him on the Sofa Mountford agreed to try him out on a couple of county games and see how it went from there. A couple became a few, and then a few more. Mountford explains "Dan Norcross is someone who, through his time with Test Match Sofa has commentated on hours and hours and hours of cricket, and I have always thought he was a very talented broadcaster. What I wanted to hear from him this year was to hear him at grounds". Having heard him around the country commentating on county games Mountford felt he had the ability to step up to international cricket - hence his first gig at Wormsley.
And he made a good job of it too. He had watched the girls on television and done his research, although eight Test debutants and no names or numbers for the Indians was quite a challenge. He really does sound as though he is enjoying the game, and wants to share it with all his mates (the listeners). Off-mike he is just as affable, always wanting to chat to anyone... about cricket of course. As he says himself, it is early days, but he has made a solid start. The bat is coming down nice and straight and there have been one or two nice clips to the boundary. The question is can he go on from here?
I suppose as a commentator I ought to let Dan have the last word (for now). "Its been mental frankly. I've just absolutely loved it. From being just a really enthusiastic observer and obsessive to suddenly finding that I am rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mike Gatting. You pinch yourself. It's bizarre".
MD
28/VIII/14
Tuesday, 26 August 2014
Can South Africa upset England in T20s?
With the ODI series against India finishing in rather damp fashion at Lord's on Monday, attention now shifts to the shortest format of the game as South Africa slot in three T20s against England, before moving on to three more against Ireland in Solihull.
First the South Africans have two warm-up games against the England Academy at Garon Park in Southend on 29th (2.00pm) and 30th August (10.30am) and I expect the Proteas to be a strong team. Their cricket has come a long way in the last couple of years, including reaching the T20 World Cup semi-finals earlier this year (having beaten New Zealand in their group match), when they were a little overawed by the occasion, losing comfortably to England. CSA has also just announced that the number of contracted players on the books is now 14, up from six last year. They are a "professional" outfit.
T20 suits the hard-hitting Saffers with the likes of Lee, du Preez, van Niekerk, Tryon and Luus, and they have some good wicket-taking bowlers in opening quicks Ismail and Daniels, and spinners van Niekerk and Luus. They have absolutely nothing to lose in the series against England and I expect them to acquit themselves very well, and they may even win the series.
As for England T20 is not their best format. The importance of their top order batsmen seems to dictate that they do not go too hard at the ball in the first 10-15 overs in the hope that they can build momentum in the last five. But without the big boundary hitters this approach simply does not work. It will be interesting to see the batting line-up that takes the field in the first T20 at Chelmsford next Monday evening. In the squad England have the following batsmen - Beaumont, Edwards, Greenway, Gunn, Jones, Knight, Sciver, Taylor, Winfield, and Wyatt, but only seven, or possibly eight at a push (with Gunn, Knight and Sciver making up 8 overs between them) can play. If you add Edwards, Taylor and Greenway (despite her lack of current form) to the three all-rounders then it is two from Beaumont, Jones, Winfield and Wyatt.
My line-up, in batting order, would be Winfield, Knight, Taylor, Edwards, Sciver, Greenway, Wyatt, Gunn, Hazell, Brunt, Shrubsole, with Winfield being given free-reign to go at the ball from the outset and Sciver and Wyatt being given similar instructions further down the order. However that does not mean that they should go in and slog, but just be prepared to put their hands through the ball and not be afraid to go aerial. It would be good to see a much more positive batting performance from England, but with positivity comes risk. It is all in the execution.
All three games are going to be live on Sky and will be covered on the radio by BBC TMS. Better still get down and watch the games for real (http://www.ecb.co.uk/tickets/england-women-tickets).
The fixtures are :-
Mon 1st Sept England v South Africa - Chelmsford 6.30pm
Wed 3rd Sept England v South Africa - Northampton 6.30pm
Sun 7th Sept England v South Africa - Egbaston 10.30am
MD
26/VIII/14
First the South Africans have two warm-up games against the England Academy at Garon Park in Southend on 29th (2.00pm) and 30th August (10.30am) and I expect the Proteas to be a strong team. Their cricket has come a long way in the last couple of years, including reaching the T20 World Cup semi-finals earlier this year (having beaten New Zealand in their group match), when they were a little overawed by the occasion, losing comfortably to England. CSA has also just announced that the number of contracted players on the books is now 14, up from six last year. They are a "professional" outfit.
T20 suits the hard-hitting Saffers with the likes of Lee, du Preez, van Niekerk, Tryon and Luus, and they have some good wicket-taking bowlers in opening quicks Ismail and Daniels, and spinners van Niekerk and Luus. They have absolutely nothing to lose in the series against England and I expect them to acquit themselves very well, and they may even win the series.
As for England T20 is not their best format. The importance of their top order batsmen seems to dictate that they do not go too hard at the ball in the first 10-15 overs in the hope that they can build momentum in the last five. But without the big boundary hitters this approach simply does not work. It will be interesting to see the batting line-up that takes the field in the first T20 at Chelmsford next Monday evening. In the squad England have the following batsmen - Beaumont, Edwards, Greenway, Gunn, Jones, Knight, Sciver, Taylor, Winfield, and Wyatt, but only seven, or possibly eight at a push (with Gunn, Knight and Sciver making up 8 overs between them) can play. If you add Edwards, Taylor and Greenway (despite her lack of current form) to the three all-rounders then it is two from Beaumont, Jones, Winfield and Wyatt.
My line-up, in batting order, would be Winfield, Knight, Taylor, Edwards, Sciver, Greenway, Wyatt, Gunn, Hazell, Brunt, Shrubsole, with Winfield being given free-reign to go at the ball from the outset and Sciver and Wyatt being given similar instructions further down the order. However that does not mean that they should go in and slog, but just be prepared to put their hands through the ball and not be afraid to go aerial. It would be good to see a much more positive batting performance from England, but with positivity comes risk. It is all in the execution.
All three games are going to be live on Sky and will be covered on the radio by BBC TMS. Better still get down and watch the games for real (http://www.ecb.co.uk/tickets/england-women-tickets).
The fixtures are :-
Mon 1st Sept England v South Africa - Chelmsford 6.30pm
Wed 3rd Sept England v South Africa - Northampton 6.30pm
Sun 7th Sept England v South Africa - Egbaston 10.30am
MD
26/VIII/14
Saturday, 23 August 2014
England v India 2nd ODI
Charlotte Edwards led her team to victory from the front with a magnificent 108* in England's total of 214/9. It was a record breaking ninth hundred for the England captain in ODIs, going past former teammate Claire Taylor and Aussie Karen Rolton, who, alongside Edwards, both had eight, and she rightly celebrated in some style as she brought up her three figures.
It was just as well for England that she did what she does best, because England's next best score was just 23 from Sarah Taylor. England's batting will be a concern to the management. The top order had a poor Test Match and Winfield, Greenway, and Beaumont all look sadly out of nick.
Heather Knight, after her 53 in the first ODI, found batting hard work, although she was facing Jhulan Goswami, who was in inspired form. The veteran Indian fast bowler, playing in her 135th ODI, will rarely have bowled a better 10 overs. She took 3/30 which does not do her justice. When she opened from the Trafalgar Square End she was getting lift and carry through to the keeper Jain, and frequently got past the bat of both Knight and Edwards, but without ever finding the edge. Goswami's opening partner Niranjana was a little less threatening and a little more wayward, but England still had trouble getting the ball off the square. After 10 overs they had made just 26 runs, as opposed to the 62 runs they had scored in the same period in the first ODI.
The pressure obviously told on Knight (13) as just after the powerplay ended she took off for a suicidal run to Pandey at orthodox mid-on. Pandey picked the ball up cleanly and threw down the stumps at the bowler's end to run Knight out by several feet. Sarah Taylor (23) joined her skipper and looked good with a couple of flowing drives through the covers, but having taken the score to 76 she swept early at a loopy ball from Gayakwad (4/42) and only succeeded in gloving it over her own head and on to her leg stump. Lauren Winfield then spent 30 minutes at the crease for her 10 runs, but never looked comfortable. She was stumped off Gayakwad with England on 112.
Goswami returned to bowl the first over of the batting powerplay and she got Greenway (8) lbw with her first ball and then had Beaumont plumb in front with the next. Nat Sciver (17) came to the crease on a hat-trick, but looked as calm as ever and she looked likely to get England motoring again. For the first time batting looked easy, and India spilled a vital chance as Jain dropped Edwards off a mishit ramp shot when she was on 80. Next over Sciver went for another big hit but holed out at long off off Gayakwad. With six overs left Goswami came on for her last and off her very last ball produced a peach which accounted for Gunn (6) clipping the top of her off stump. Dani Hazell (6), hampered by a hamstring injury, fell to Pandey and Shrubsole (4) to Bisht, when Edwards was on 99. Number 11 Kate Cross did what she needed to do as she straight-batted the last ball of the 48th over back to the bowler. It allowed Edwards to complete her hundred in the next over off 138 balls. She ended on 108* as England closed on 214/9.
In reply India made a solid start through the once-again impressive Smriti Mandhana (32) and new opening partner Poonam Raut (11). It was Kate Cross that made the breakthrough in the 10th over when she had Raut caught and bowled. Karuna Jain's dismal tour continued when she became Jenny Gunn's first of four victims (4/23) lbw for 1. Mandhana (31) and Mithali Raj (30) seemed to hold the key India and when Gunn had Mandhana caught at cover point by Lydia Greenway (who had earlier dropped her off Cross), England probably felt they had the game at their mercy.
But India were not done. Harmanpreet Kaur (43) looked cool and calm, even when Raj fell lbw to the golden arm of Heather Knight (2/29). In Vellaswamy Vanitha (23) she found a belligerent partner and together they added 41 in quick time before Vanitha played one shot too many and was well caught by Taylor off Shrubsole. India still needed only five an over, but much rested on Kaur and Jhulan Goswami (18). They brought the equation down to 45 off the last 10 overs, but Gunn then pulled off a remarkable one-handed catch off her own bowling to remove Goswami and swing the game England's way. Pandey came and went, and then Gunn took a great catch at long on to remove Kaur off Shrubsole's bowling. India were 172/8. The tail did what they could but Gayakwad finally fell to Hazell caught at mid-off to leave India 13 runs short of England's total.
England had wrapped up the series; they had another 2 points in the ICC Women's Championship; and Charlotte Edwards was rightly named as Player of the Match. The final game in the series will be played on Monday at Lords.
Full scorecard here
MD
23/VIII/14
 |
| Charlotte Edwards celebrates her record breaking 100 picture courtesy of Don Miles |
Heather Knight, after her 53 in the first ODI, found batting hard work, although she was facing Jhulan Goswami, who was in inspired form. The veteran Indian fast bowler, playing in her 135th ODI, will rarely have bowled a better 10 overs. She took 3/30 which does not do her justice. When she opened from the Trafalgar Square End she was getting lift and carry through to the keeper Jain, and frequently got past the bat of both Knight and Edwards, but without ever finding the edge. Goswami's opening partner Niranjana was a little less threatening and a little more wayward, but England still had trouble getting the ball off the square. After 10 overs they had made just 26 runs, as opposed to the 62 runs they had scored in the same period in the first ODI.
The pressure obviously told on Knight (13) as just after the powerplay ended she took off for a suicidal run to Pandey at orthodox mid-on. Pandey picked the ball up cleanly and threw down the stumps at the bowler's end to run Knight out by several feet. Sarah Taylor (23) joined her skipper and looked good with a couple of flowing drives through the covers, but having taken the score to 76 she swept early at a loopy ball from Gayakwad (4/42) and only succeeded in gloving it over her own head and on to her leg stump. Lauren Winfield then spent 30 minutes at the crease for her 10 runs, but never looked comfortable. She was stumped off Gayakwad with England on 112.
Goswami returned to bowl the first over of the batting powerplay and she got Greenway (8) lbw with her first ball and then had Beaumont plumb in front with the next. Nat Sciver (17) came to the crease on a hat-trick, but looked as calm as ever and she looked likely to get England motoring again. For the first time batting looked easy, and India spilled a vital chance as Jain dropped Edwards off a mishit ramp shot when she was on 80. Next over Sciver went for another big hit but holed out at long off off Gayakwad. With six overs left Goswami came on for her last and off her very last ball produced a peach which accounted for Gunn (6) clipping the top of her off stump. Dani Hazell (6), hampered by a hamstring injury, fell to Pandey and Shrubsole (4) to Bisht, when Edwards was on 99. Number 11 Kate Cross did what she needed to do as she straight-batted the last ball of the 48th over back to the bowler. It allowed Edwards to complete her hundred in the next over off 138 balls. She ended on 108* as England closed on 214/9.
In reply India made a solid start through the once-again impressive Smriti Mandhana (32) and new opening partner Poonam Raut (11). It was Kate Cross that made the breakthrough in the 10th over when she had Raut caught and bowled. Karuna Jain's dismal tour continued when she became Jenny Gunn's first of four victims (4/23) lbw for 1. Mandhana (31) and Mithali Raj (30) seemed to hold the key India and when Gunn had Mandhana caught at cover point by Lydia Greenway (who had earlier dropped her off Cross), England probably felt they had the game at their mercy.
But India were not done. Harmanpreet Kaur (43) looked cool and calm, even when Raj fell lbw to the golden arm of Heather Knight (2/29). In Vellaswamy Vanitha (23) she found a belligerent partner and together they added 41 in quick time before Vanitha played one shot too many and was well caught by Taylor off Shrubsole. India still needed only five an over, but much rested on Kaur and Jhulan Goswami (18). They brought the equation down to 45 off the last 10 overs, but Gunn then pulled off a remarkable one-handed catch off her own bowling to remove Goswami and swing the game England's way. Pandey came and went, and then Gunn took a great catch at long on to remove Kaur off Shrubsole's bowling. India were 172/8. The tail did what they could but Gayakwad finally fell to Hazell caught at mid-off to leave India 13 runs short of England's total.
England had wrapped up the series; they had another 2 points in the ICC Women's Championship; and Charlotte Edwards was rightly named as Player of the Match. The final game in the series will be played on Monday at Lords.
Full scorecard here
MD
23/VIII/14
Thursday, 21 August 2014
England v India 1st ODI
England duly completed a comprehensive win over India in their first ICC Women's Championship game, truncated by heavy showers during the day, and finally ended when the rain returned at about 5.20pm. India had scored 193/8 in an innings reduced to 47 overs after two rain delays of five minutes and 51 minutes. An opening stand of 110 between Charlotte Edwards (57) and Heather Knight (53) in 20 overs ensured England were never in trouble and they were 153/5 when the rain ended the game.
The Indian innings was built around another fine knock from 18 year old Indian opener Sriti Mandhana, who made a stylish 74 (99 balls), driving with exquisite timing off both the back and front foot. She and skipper Mithali Raj (34) added 64 for the third wicket, but that was India's only major partnership. Mandhana lost her opening partner Kamini (2) early on to Shrubsole caught behind by Taylor, and Shrubsole then accounted for Jain (1), well caught at first slip by Heather Knight coming forward. India were 13/2 in the 6th over. Mandhana and Raj then put the innings on a more even keel, but they still found boundaries hard to come by.When Raj went it was in the 22nd over and India still only had 77 on the board.
Kaur (8 off 31 balls) did little for the run rate as she continued her scratchy tour. She eventually paddled a filthy legside ball from Knight to Edwards at backward square leg to end the agony. Mandhana then found a willing partner in Vellaswamy Vanitha (27) and they began to pick the run rate up a little. Mandhana was looking imperious, but then set off for a non-existent run from the non-striker's end and was rightly sent back by Vanitha. Gunn picked the ball up at square leg and threw it to Shrubsole at the stumps and Mandhana was run out by about a yard. It was a sad end to another very good innings.
With seven overs left Vanitha and the new bat Goswami then decided it was time to swing the bat, but neither had the required timing to get the ball far off the square. Goswami (2) then fell in similar fashion to Mandhana, setting off for a run which was not there, being sent back and being well out - Sciver returning the ball to bowler Gunn, who threw down the stumps from two yards away. In the next over Vanitha lost her head a little, when she needed to keep it firmly on her shoulders. She charged down the wicket at Knight and was easily stumped by Taylor as she ran past the ball. India were 159/7 with five overs less one ball to come. In Knight's next over she had her third victim (3/26) as Niranjana advanced down the wicket and yorked herself. Shikha Pandey hit a couple of lusty blows towards the end of the India innings, but they could only manage to work the score to 193/8, which looked under-par.
And so it proved. England never really looked like they were going to struggle to get the runs they needed, no matter what the weather did. They raced away with boundaries flowing freely from the bats of Edwards and Knight. They sprinted to 44/0 after just five overs and never really looked back after that. Having got ahead of the rate they were content to push three or four an over in singles, with even Edwards dabbing and running the occasional quick single. It was a surprise when Edwards (57) played on to Bisht attempting to cut a ball that was a bit too close to her, which came in with the arm. It was the 43rd ODI fifty from the England skipper. A couple of overs after Edwards fell Knight got to her own 50, only to fall three overs later slog sweeping Bisht to cow corner where Vanitha took a good diving catch. Sarah Taylor (20*) and Lauren Winfield (15) took the score to 148, but just before the black clouds turned into heavy rain, Winfield mishit an on-drive off Goswami straight to Mandhana at mid-on. It was the last significant action as the rain ended the game with England having taken their score to 153/5. The DL score at this stage was 111, so they ended up winning by 42 runs. Heather Knight was duly named Player of the Match - quite a turnaround after her 1 and 0 in the Test Match last week.
England have claimed their first two points in the ICC Women's Championship. There are two more ODIs to come in this series - one here on Staurday and then at Lord's on Monday.
(full scorecard here)
MD
21/VIII/14
The Indian innings was built around another fine knock from 18 year old Indian opener Sriti Mandhana, who made a stylish 74 (99 balls), driving with exquisite timing off both the back and front foot. She and skipper Mithali Raj (34) added 64 for the third wicket, but that was India's only major partnership. Mandhana lost her opening partner Kamini (2) early on to Shrubsole caught behind by Taylor, and Shrubsole then accounted for Jain (1), well caught at first slip by Heather Knight coming forward. India were 13/2 in the 6th over. Mandhana and Raj then put the innings on a more even keel, but they still found boundaries hard to come by.When Raj went it was in the 22nd over and India still only had 77 on the board.
Kaur (8 off 31 balls) did little for the run rate as she continued her scratchy tour. She eventually paddled a filthy legside ball from Knight to Edwards at backward square leg to end the agony. Mandhana then found a willing partner in Vellaswamy Vanitha (27) and they began to pick the run rate up a little. Mandhana was looking imperious, but then set off for a non-existent run from the non-striker's end and was rightly sent back by Vanitha. Gunn picked the ball up at square leg and threw it to Shrubsole at the stumps and Mandhana was run out by about a yard. It was a sad end to another very good innings.
With seven overs left Vanitha and the new bat Goswami then decided it was time to swing the bat, but neither had the required timing to get the ball far off the square. Goswami (2) then fell in similar fashion to Mandhana, setting off for a run which was not there, being sent back and being well out - Sciver returning the ball to bowler Gunn, who threw down the stumps from two yards away. In the next over Vanitha lost her head a little, when she needed to keep it firmly on her shoulders. She charged down the wicket at Knight and was easily stumped by Taylor as she ran past the ball. India were 159/7 with five overs less one ball to come. In Knight's next over she had her third victim (3/26) as Niranjana advanced down the wicket and yorked herself. Shikha Pandey hit a couple of lusty blows towards the end of the India innings, but they could only manage to work the score to 193/8, which looked under-par.
And so it proved. England never really looked like they were going to struggle to get the runs they needed, no matter what the weather did. They raced away with boundaries flowing freely from the bats of Edwards and Knight. They sprinted to 44/0 after just five overs and never really looked back after that. Having got ahead of the rate they were content to push three or four an over in singles, with even Edwards dabbing and running the occasional quick single. It was a surprise when Edwards (57) played on to Bisht attempting to cut a ball that was a bit too close to her, which came in with the arm. It was the 43rd ODI fifty from the England skipper. A couple of overs after Edwards fell Knight got to her own 50, only to fall three overs later slog sweeping Bisht to cow corner where Vanitha took a good diving catch. Sarah Taylor (20*) and Lauren Winfield (15) took the score to 148, but just before the black clouds turned into heavy rain, Winfield mishit an on-drive off Goswami straight to Mandhana at mid-on. It was the last significant action as the rain ended the game with England having taken their score to 153/5. The DL score at this stage was 111, so they ended up winning by 42 runs. Heather Knight was duly named Player of the Match - quite a turnaround after her 1 and 0 in the Test Match last week.
England have claimed their first two points in the ICC Women's Championship. There are two more ODIs to come in this series - one here on Staurday and then at Lord's on Monday.
(full scorecard here)
MD
21/VIII/14
Wednesday, 20 August 2014
EWA v India 50 over game unofficial scorecard
| INDIA | batsman | how out | bowler | runs | balls | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mandhana | ct Jones | Marsh | 34 | 66 | |||
| 2 | Kamini | ct Farrant | Marsh | 22 | 64 | |||
| 3 | Jain | ct Jones | Butler | 3 | 23 | |||
| 4 | Raut | ct Jones | Davies | 24 | 50 | |||
| 5 | Kaur | ct Wilson | Farrant | 48 | 45 | |||
| 6 | Vanitha | ct Davidson-Richards | Davies | 6 | 15 | |||
| 7 | Rath | bowled | Davies | 0 | 1 | |||
| 8 | Niranjana | bowled | Farrant | 2 | 7 | |||
| 9 | Pandey | not | out | 8 | 9 | |||
| 10 | Verma | ct Jones | Farrant | 7 | 11 | |||
| 11 | Yadav | not | out | 3 | 6 | |||
| extras | 31 | |||||||
| 188 | for | 9 | ||||||
| O | M | R | W | |||||
| bowling | Farrant | 8 | 1 | 33 | 3 | |||
| Davies | 10 | 1 | 36 | 3 | ||||
| Hennessy | 7 | 1 | 20 | 0 | ||||
| Marsh | 11 | 2 | 32 | 2 | ||||
| Butler | 8 | 2 | 33 | 1 | ||||
| Davidson-Richards | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||||
| Wyatt | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||||
| EWA | batsman | how out | bowler | runs | balls | |||
| 1 | Adams | run out | (Raut) | 30 | 46 | |||
| 2 | Miles | ct Verma | Pandey | 9 | 40 | |||
| 3 | Wyatt | bowled | Niranjana | 52 | 77 | |||
| 4 | Jones | ct & bowled | Yadav | 6 | 32 | |||
| 5 | Wilson | not | out | 54 | 61 | |||
| 6 | Hennessy | bowled | Rath | 23 | 28 | |||
| 7 | Marsh | not | out | 0 | 0 | |||
| 8 | Butler | did not | bat | |||||
| 9 | Davies | did not | bat | |||||
| 10 | Farrant | did not | bat | |||||
| 11 | Rudd | did not | bat | |||||
| extras | 18 | |||||||
| 192 | for | 5 | ||||||
| bowling | Niranjana | 10 | 2 | 32 | 1 | |||
| Pandey | 9 | 1 | 35 | 1 | ||||
| Gayakwad | 8.4 | 1 | 37 | 0 | ||||
| Rath | 7 | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||||
| Yadav | 8 | 0 | 40 | 1 | ||||
| Kaur | 4 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||||
EWA v India 50 over game
As a warm-up for the England v India ODIs, the Indians took on an England Women’s Academy team at Harrogate on Tuesday, which included four
contracted England players, one non-contracted England player, and four EWA
players.
The EWA team was Fran Wilson (capt), Georgia Adams, Steph
Butler, Alice Davidson-Richards, Freya Davies, Tash Farrant, Georgia Hennessy,
Amy Jones, Laura Marsh, Tash Miles, Carla Rudd (wkt), Danni Wyatt.
India omitted Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami from their team
which was Karuna Jain (capt), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Thirush Kamini, Harmanpreet
Kaur, Shriti Mandhana, Nagarajan Niranjana, Shikha Pandey, Punam Raut,
Swagatika Rath, Vellawamy Vanitha, Sushma Verma (wkt), Poonam Yadav
Invited to bat India made a cautious start through openers
Mandhana and Kamini against the pace attack of Farrant and Davies. Occasionally
Farrant overpitched and Mandhana drove her for four, but Davies gave little
away and after 10 overs India had only made it to 28/0. At the start of the 20th
over they had only taken the score on 58/0 but Kamini (22) fell in that over
driving Marsh off the outside edge to cover point. EWA continued to keep it
tight and when Butler joined Marsh with the ball they strung together four
maidens on the trot and each claimed a wicket – Marsh had Mandhana (34) caught
by Jones at extra cover and then Butler had Kaur caught in the same manner by
the same fielder for a laboured 3. India were 72/3 after 27 overs and in danger
of a low score on what looked like a very decent batting track.
Harmanpreet Kaur (48) and Punam Raut (24) then put together
a decent partnership of 54 in 13 overs with Kaur using her feet well to the
spinners. In the final over of the powerplay Davies (3/36) returned and
accounted for Raut, Jones taking the catch at midwicket. She then had Vanitha (6) well caught by Davidson-Richards at deep
mid-on, and continued to clean up Rath’s stumps first ball to reduce India to
162/6. In the last six overs India swung the bat in the vain hope of reaching a
decent total, but they could add only 26 to the total as batsmen came and went
with Farrant (3/33) claiming three late wickets. India finished on a below par
188/9.
In reply EWA got off to a solid start through Adams (30) and
Miles (9), Miles eventually falling caught behind in the 13th over,
as she had threatened to do throughout her innings. New bat Wyatt then ran out
Adams as she called her through for a quick single that was always going to be
tight. Wyatt and Jones then made batting look quite tough against the spin of
Gayakwad and Rath, and Jones (9) ended her spell at the crease as she chipped
one back to the diminutive leg-spinner Yadav, who had taken over from Gayakwad.
The EWA were 75/3 at this point in the 24th over. But Jones’s
dismissal brough Fran Wilson (54*) to the crease and she and Wyatt (52) took
the game away from the Indians with some good running between the wickets and
some lusty blows from Wyatt’s bat. Wyatt had just reached her 50 when she
advanced down the wicket to Niranjana and aimed an ungainly heave at the ball,
which she missed and was bowled. It was an unfortunate end to an innings which
had started nervously but had developed well. But Wilson had matters well under
control as she and Hennessy (23) gradually brought the run rate down. With just
three needed Hennessy was bowled by Rath, but Wilson managed to get to her 50
with a two, and then finished the game with a four with 3.2 overs still left to
bowl.
On this showing India showed their batting frailties in the
shorter format of the game. They have some beautiful stroke makers in their
midst – Mandhana, Raj, Raut, Kaur etc – but they are content to wait for the
bad ball. In the Test this was sufficient to win them the game, but it will
probably not be in the ODIs, and it may explain their reluctance to play a T20
series against an England team which finished runners-up in the recent T20
World Cup.
England take on India in an ODI tomorrow at Scarborough, and again on Saturday and then at Lord's on Monday.
England take on India in an ODI tomorrow at Scarborough, and again on Saturday and then at Lord's on Monday.
MD
20/VIII/14
20/VIII/14
Sunday, 17 August 2014
A chat with Clare Connor on The Future of Women's Cricket
No-one can deny that women's cricket has come a long way in the last few years, and by "a long way" I mean from a true minority sport for women to a sport that now attracts 60,000 women to play it every week and where those at the top can genuinely call themselves "professionals". A great deal of that development in the game can be put down to the work of Clare Connor, the Head of Women's Cricket at the ECB for the last seven years, and the huge injection of cash that has come from the ECB themselves. She is a massive supporter of England Women's cricket and works tirelessly for the sport she so clearly loves.
But there is always more to do, and the growing number of women's cricket fans always want more, so I took the opportunity at the Test Match at Wormsley to have a chat with Clare about what the future may hold and how the women's game can develop further. We covered a range of topics and here is what she had to say.
WICL
Earlier in the year a company called 14 Degrees announced that they were trying to put together a two week T20 tournament featuring all the top women players in the world, akin to a cut-down version of the IPL. The players, who had been promised sums of up to £20,000 for their efforts, were naturally excited at the prospect. However the ECB and Cricket Australia seem to have kiboshed the whole idea when they stated that they would not support the competition. So where are we now?
CC "I think we have shut the door on it if it is only going to be a privately run tournament, because the powers that be at Cricket Australia and ECB jointly won't condone privately run cricket. Some of the privately run stuff in the past has set some rather strong alarm bells (ringing) for certain people.
I think there is a strong feeling from Australia and England that such a tournament is worth considering, once we have really established the ICC Women's Championship, which has been the priority for the last 12 to 24 months, but only if it was run by probably England or Australia. We want everything to be for the good of the game. We want the money to go where the money is most needed.
There are concerns around corruption approaches now; other regulatory stuff; medical support; players actually being paid. A huge amount of effort has gone into integrating women's cricket into the ICC, which I would argue has been a huge benefit to the top eight and the developing nations in terms of how women's cricket is run and developed and in terms of what the future looks like for women's cricket. And the joint World Twenty Twenty has been a big part of that in terms of profile and opportunity, and it is felt that, at the moment, we are not quite ready for another Twenty Twenty operation or competition. That is not to say that we would feel the same in 12 or 24 months."
Test Cricket
Is there really a future for Test cricket in the women's game?
CC "There is no doubt that it is hanging by a thread. Its difficult to see a future for Test cricket. I would love to combine a multi-format series with the three ODIs for the Women's Championship, and that is what we tried to do with India for this summer. For whatever reasons India didn't want that schedule, which is why we have got South Africa coming over as a separate competition to play those three Twenty Twenties.
It is really hard to justify why we are going to continue to play Test cricket I think. The reason we came up with the multi-format Ashes series is because Cricket Australia didn't want to play more than one Test. We wanted three; we were prepared to play two, Australia didn't want to play more than one.
I would love to see every one of at least the top five or six playing a Test as part of a multi-format series, which also included the three Women's Championship ODIs. The sad reality is that New Zealand do not want to play any Test cricket. They have not played a Test since 2004. The ECB would like to play more Test cricket (as part of a multi-format competition). I think it could be commercially viable (if it was part of the multi-format series). That really did capture the imagination last summer of the public and the media."
ECB Contracts
In May the ECB announced that 18 England players were being given contracts. It transpired that there were three levels of contract - tiers 1, 2 and 3. Much was made in the media of the fact that the girls were now "full-time professional cricketers", but is this actually the case? First of all how long are the current contracts?
CC "The new contracts will begin 1st October 2015, so the current contracts are 16 months. We won't take a player off a contract during that time, but we can add players if we want".
Can you see any way that the gap between the contracted players and those immediately below, who have no income from cricket, can be closed?
CC "Yes but probably not drastically. It might be that we can secure extra budget to have maybe, in the next couple of years, 50% of the Academy on some sort of contract. Our ability at the moment to extend that type of budget or give bigger financial payments or incentives to counties - we are some way from that".
And is the tier system here to stay?
CC "I think we have got to be open to reviewing it. It may be that it is tweaked a little bit. I can't see it changing drastically. We were able to increase the tier 3 contract to nearer the tier 2 contract. There is a bigger gulf between tier 1 and tier 2".
Is tier 3 a liveable wage?
CC "Nearly I'd say. By the time you have added in player appearance fees and other bits and pieces that the players can earn, then yes".
County Championship
Many have been calling for sometime for the County Championship to be white ball and for there to be more games. What are the ECB's plans?
CC "2015 will be white ball cricket, but probably not for every single county team. Certainly for the top two divisions".
So that would include coloured clothing, white ball - extra funding from the ECB for that?
CC "Yes. And in 2016 more significant changes I would envisage. We have a consultation starting with counties on 29th September and that will be chaired by someone independent. I don't want to say too much, but I think we have got to get to a point by 2016, really, where the top-flight of women's county cricket is more top-flight, more high profile, more of the best playing the best more often, with more ECB investment, whilst recognising that we also need to invest heavily in certain areas of club cricket and developing counties".
So where does Super 3s fit into that?
CC "That is part of it. We need to use Super 2s, 3s or 4s as best we can for the talented players. It is tricky to work out what that looks like with young players with exams, players having to be monitored for workloads, players with injuries".
Do you think you get anything out of the Super 3s competition?
CC "Not as much as we would like. That will be looked at closely as well for next year, and of course we can make whatever changes we want as that is ours, to work out what the right format for that looks like".
Ashes Series in 2015
The Ashes Series next year will be the same multi-format series with 1 Test (possibly worth only 4 points and not 6); three ODIs and three T20s.
CC "The three ODIs will be part of the ICC Women's Championship. I don't know if that is complicated? I don't think it is. Those three ODIs are the Women's Championship games with their own points. The good news is that next summer we won't clash with the men's game".
And the Ashes Test will be at Wormsley?
CC "No almost certainly not. We would like it to be at Lords, which would be historic. It would be the first Women's Test at Lords. Lords are great supporters and enthusiastic about doing it. We will know hopefully in the next few weeks. Fingers crossed we can make it happen there."
Thanks to Clare for taking the time to talk with me so frankly.
MD
17/VIII/14
But there is always more to do, and the growing number of women's cricket fans always want more, so I took the opportunity at the Test Match at Wormsley to have a chat with Clare about what the future may hold and how the women's game can develop further. We covered a range of topics and here is what she had to say.
WICL
Earlier in the year a company called 14 Degrees announced that they were trying to put together a two week T20 tournament featuring all the top women players in the world, akin to a cut-down version of the IPL. The players, who had been promised sums of up to £20,000 for their efforts, were naturally excited at the prospect. However the ECB and Cricket Australia seem to have kiboshed the whole idea when they stated that they would not support the competition. So where are we now?
CC "I think we have shut the door on it if it is only going to be a privately run tournament, because the powers that be at Cricket Australia and ECB jointly won't condone privately run cricket. Some of the privately run stuff in the past has set some rather strong alarm bells (ringing) for certain people.
I think there is a strong feeling from Australia and England that such a tournament is worth considering, once we have really established the ICC Women's Championship, which has been the priority for the last 12 to 24 months, but only if it was run by probably England or Australia. We want everything to be for the good of the game. We want the money to go where the money is most needed.
There are concerns around corruption approaches now; other regulatory stuff; medical support; players actually being paid. A huge amount of effort has gone into integrating women's cricket into the ICC, which I would argue has been a huge benefit to the top eight and the developing nations in terms of how women's cricket is run and developed and in terms of what the future looks like for women's cricket. And the joint World Twenty Twenty has been a big part of that in terms of profile and opportunity, and it is felt that, at the moment, we are not quite ready for another Twenty Twenty operation or competition. That is not to say that we would feel the same in 12 or 24 months."
Test Cricket
Is there really a future for Test cricket in the women's game?
CC "There is no doubt that it is hanging by a thread. Its difficult to see a future for Test cricket. I would love to combine a multi-format series with the three ODIs for the Women's Championship, and that is what we tried to do with India for this summer. For whatever reasons India didn't want that schedule, which is why we have got South Africa coming over as a separate competition to play those three Twenty Twenties.
It is really hard to justify why we are going to continue to play Test cricket I think. The reason we came up with the multi-format Ashes series is because Cricket Australia didn't want to play more than one Test. We wanted three; we were prepared to play two, Australia didn't want to play more than one.
I would love to see every one of at least the top five or six playing a Test as part of a multi-format series, which also included the three Women's Championship ODIs. The sad reality is that New Zealand do not want to play any Test cricket. They have not played a Test since 2004. The ECB would like to play more Test cricket (as part of a multi-format competition). I think it could be commercially viable (if it was part of the multi-format series). That really did capture the imagination last summer of the public and the media."
ECB Contracts
In May the ECB announced that 18 England players were being given contracts. It transpired that there were three levels of contract - tiers 1, 2 and 3. Much was made in the media of the fact that the girls were now "full-time professional cricketers", but is this actually the case? First of all how long are the current contracts?
CC "The new contracts will begin 1st October 2015, so the current contracts are 16 months. We won't take a player off a contract during that time, but we can add players if we want".
Can you see any way that the gap between the contracted players and those immediately below, who have no income from cricket, can be closed?
CC "Yes but probably not drastically. It might be that we can secure extra budget to have maybe, in the next couple of years, 50% of the Academy on some sort of contract. Our ability at the moment to extend that type of budget or give bigger financial payments or incentives to counties - we are some way from that".
And is the tier system here to stay?
CC "I think we have got to be open to reviewing it. It may be that it is tweaked a little bit. I can't see it changing drastically. We were able to increase the tier 3 contract to nearer the tier 2 contract. There is a bigger gulf between tier 1 and tier 2".
Is tier 3 a liveable wage?
CC "Nearly I'd say. By the time you have added in player appearance fees and other bits and pieces that the players can earn, then yes".
County Championship
Many have been calling for sometime for the County Championship to be white ball and for there to be more games. What are the ECB's plans?
CC "2015 will be white ball cricket, but probably not for every single county team. Certainly for the top two divisions".
So that would include coloured clothing, white ball - extra funding from the ECB for that?
CC "Yes. And in 2016 more significant changes I would envisage. We have a consultation starting with counties on 29th September and that will be chaired by someone independent. I don't want to say too much, but I think we have got to get to a point by 2016, really, where the top-flight of women's county cricket is more top-flight, more high profile, more of the best playing the best more often, with more ECB investment, whilst recognising that we also need to invest heavily in certain areas of club cricket and developing counties".
So where does Super 3s fit into that?
CC "That is part of it. We need to use Super 2s, 3s or 4s as best we can for the talented players. It is tricky to work out what that looks like with young players with exams, players having to be monitored for workloads, players with injuries".
Do you think you get anything out of the Super 3s competition?
CC "Not as much as we would like. That will be looked at closely as well for next year, and of course we can make whatever changes we want as that is ours, to work out what the right format for that looks like".
Ashes Series in 2015
The Ashes Series next year will be the same multi-format series with 1 Test (possibly worth only 4 points and not 6); three ODIs and three T20s.
CC "The three ODIs will be part of the ICC Women's Championship. I don't know if that is complicated? I don't think it is. Those three ODIs are the Women's Championship games with their own points. The good news is that next summer we won't clash with the men's game".
And the Ashes Test will be at Wormsley?
CC "No almost certainly not. We would like it to be at Lords, which would be historic. It would be the first Women's Test at Lords. Lords are great supporters and enthusiastic about doing it. We will know hopefully in the next few weeks. Fingers crossed we can make it happen there."
Thanks to Clare for taking the time to talk with me so frankly.
MD
17/VIII/14
Saturday, 16 August 2014
Day Four at the Test
India wrapped up an historic and well-deserved victory by six wickets on the final morning of the only Test, with skipper Mithali Raj finishing on 50 not out, and Shikha Pandey (28), the nighwatchman, hitting the winning runs, after a great innings.
The day had started with India needing 62 runs to win, having finished the day on 119/4. England threw Shrubsole and Cross at India first up, but Raj and Pandey looked solid. Gunn and Sciver then took over, but all the bowlers came alike to the Indians, who were patient and careful as they accumulated the runs they needed without too many alarms, apart from the odd lbw shout.
After 80 overs England took the new ball with Shrubsole and Cross coming back into the action, but it made no odds to the Indians at all. They continued to dab and nudge and the scoreboard continued to tick over. England finally managed to fashion a chance when Raj hit a horrible slap off Gunn straight to Charlotte Edwards at mid-off, but she contrived to drop it, and with it went any slim chance of putting pressure on the Indians.
The only question was whether Raj could get to her 50 before India got the runs they needed to win. It looked doubtful with only nine needed to win, but Raj smashed Sciver over extra cover to move to 49 and then in the next over struck a ball firmly to extra cover and a misfield by Cross allowed her to go through for her 50 (off 157 balls). Next over Pandey finished the game off when she stroked Sciver through extra cover for four to take India to 183/4.
The rest of the Indian team invaded the pitch before the ball was even halfway to the boundary with whoops and squeals of delight. There is no doubt this is a big win for them and may be the kick up the backside the BCCI need to get behind women's cricket in India.
It will also be a kick up the backside to "professional" England. Much has been made of their new status, but actually it is a bit of a nonsense. As Jenny Gunn said after Day One, the girls have been training like professionals for several years. The only difference now is that they get some money.
England's batting on Day One cost them the game. As Charlotte Edwards said after the game, not many sides can win a Test if they only score 92 in their first innings. That they got close was almost entirely down to Jenny Gunn with ball and bat, and Sarah Taylor who kept beautifully, and scored well in both knocks, but again without going on beyond 40. Gunn was named Player of the Match, but it will have been little consolation after a poor game by England.
The two sides now move on to three ODIs, but they are not part of a series - the Indians declined to play a multi-format series including T20s (hence the South African series). The ODIs are the first to be played in the new ICC Women's Championship (the Aussies also have a series starting next week against Pakistan). England will need to get their collective fingers out.
Full scorecard here
MD
16/VIII/14
The day had started with India needing 62 runs to win, having finished the day on 119/4. England threw Shrubsole and Cross at India first up, but Raj and Pandey looked solid. Gunn and Sciver then took over, but all the bowlers came alike to the Indians, who were patient and careful as they accumulated the runs they needed without too many alarms, apart from the odd lbw shout.
After 80 overs England took the new ball with Shrubsole and Cross coming back into the action, but it made no odds to the Indians at all. They continued to dab and nudge and the scoreboard continued to tick over. England finally managed to fashion a chance when Raj hit a horrible slap off Gunn straight to Charlotte Edwards at mid-off, but she contrived to drop it, and with it went any slim chance of putting pressure on the Indians.
The only question was whether Raj could get to her 50 before India got the runs they needed to win. It looked doubtful with only nine needed to win, but Raj smashed Sciver over extra cover to move to 49 and then in the next over struck a ball firmly to extra cover and a misfield by Cross allowed her to go through for her 50 (off 157 balls). Next over Pandey finished the game off when she stroked Sciver through extra cover for four to take India to 183/4.
The rest of the Indian team invaded the pitch before the ball was even halfway to the boundary with whoops and squeals of delight. There is no doubt this is a big win for them and may be the kick up the backside the BCCI need to get behind women's cricket in India.
It will also be a kick up the backside to "professional" England. Much has been made of their new status, but actually it is a bit of a nonsense. As Jenny Gunn said after Day One, the girls have been training like professionals for several years. The only difference now is that they get some money.
England's batting on Day One cost them the game. As Charlotte Edwards said after the game, not many sides can win a Test if they only score 92 in their first innings. That they got close was almost entirely down to Jenny Gunn with ball and bat, and Sarah Taylor who kept beautifully, and scored well in both knocks, but again without going on beyond 40. Gunn was named Player of the Match, but it will have been little consolation after a poor game by England.
The two sides now move on to three ODIs, but they are not part of a series - the Indians declined to play a multi-format series including T20s (hence the South African series). The ODIs are the first to be played in the new ICC Women's Championship (the Aussies also have a series starting next week against Pakistan). England will need to get their collective fingers out.
Full scorecard here
MD
16/VIII/14
Friday, 15 August 2014
Day Three at the Test
India are poised on the verge of winning the first Test they have played in eight years, needing just 62 runs to beat England with six wickets still in hand. But England, who took two late wickets through Cross (3/34) and Knight will still feel they are in with a shout. That six wickets will probably be only five because Shublakshmi Sharma left the field halfway through the day with a dislocated shoulder and seems unlikely to bat.
At the start of the day England had 110/6 on the board - a lead of just 88 - but they had Sarah Taylor on 30 and Jenny Gunn on a resolute 2, having batted for more than an hour. They must have hoped that the two of them would stay together for the majority of the first period of play, but after a positive start by both batsmen Taylor (40) was bowled by Sharma, perhaps deceived by a slower ball. It was a bitter blow, but it seemed to galvanise Jenny Gunn, who has looked up for this game from Day One. She and Anya Shrubsole set about taking England from 123/7 and a lead of 101, past 150 and then past 175 and into lunch at 181/7 - a lead of a precious 159. Had you offered them that at the start of the day they probably would have been happy to take it.If they could add 50 more they would have felt they were really in the driving seat.
But first ball after lunch the complexion of the game changed again as Shrubsole was lbw to Goswami for a battling 14. The pair had added 58 runs - the first 50 partnership of the match. Two overs later Gunn brought up her 50 - her first in Test cricket, which actually means something for her as this is her 11th Test Match. Only Greenway and Edwards have played more for England. Sonia Odedra (1) and Kate Cross (2) did their best to keep her company as long as they could facing 36 balls between them, but Odedra edged Goswami through to Jain and Cross gave Jain her third victim this time off Pandey. Gunn finished on 62 not out, to add to her fivefer and her 7 not out in the first innings. England ended with 202 and India needed 181 to win.
Ten minutes later England were sprinting out into the field, keen to get at the Indians, but Thirush Kamini (28) and Smriti Mandhana (51) blunted the England attack which included Shrubsole, Gunn, Cross, Odedra, Sciver and Knight (England's token spinner). They were comfortably placed at 33/0 at tea and beyond tea Mandhana in particular looked in cracking form with crisp backfoot drives and flowing front foot drives. The pair took the total to 76/0 with almost no alarms, but then Kate Cross, who had looked the most likely to take a wicket, had Kamini lbw as she bowled round the wicket to the lefthander propping forward. Then two overs later she had Mandhana out in similar fashion, just after she had got to her maiden Test Match 50. India were 82/2 and suddenly the body language of the England players perked up. They had Poonam Raut in on a pair, but they also had Mithali Raj walking to the crease. Had Knight held on to a tough chance to complete Raut's pair at slip off Cross, England would have been cock-a-hoop, but the chance went down and when Raj moved onto eight with two sumptuous fours through cover point off Jenny Gunn it looked ominous for England.
But Raj and Raut decided to put up the shutters and they had made it to 112 with just a handful of overs before the day's end, when Raut was brilliantly caught by Jenny Gunn low down to her right at first slip off the part-time off spin bowling of Heather Knight. Harmanpreet Kaur came to the crease, but was soon walking back to the thatched pavilion as she was caught by Sarah Taylor behind the stumps standing up to Kate Cross. The celebrations were worthy of an Ashes winning wicket, which shows what this match means to England. They truly believe that they can win this match and an early wicket of either nightwatchman Pandey, or the prize scalp of Mithali Raj, and it really will be game on. This is why Test cricket is such fun. Oh that more people wanted to come and watch it.
Full scorecard here
MD
15/VIII/14
At the start of the day England had 110/6 on the board - a lead of just 88 - but they had Sarah Taylor on 30 and Jenny Gunn on a resolute 2, having batted for more than an hour. They must have hoped that the two of them would stay together for the majority of the first period of play, but after a positive start by both batsmen Taylor (40) was bowled by Sharma, perhaps deceived by a slower ball. It was a bitter blow, but it seemed to galvanise Jenny Gunn, who has looked up for this game from Day One. She and Anya Shrubsole set about taking England from 123/7 and a lead of 101, past 150 and then past 175 and into lunch at 181/7 - a lead of a precious 159. Had you offered them that at the start of the day they probably would have been happy to take it.If they could add 50 more they would have felt they were really in the driving seat.
But first ball after lunch the complexion of the game changed again as Shrubsole was lbw to Goswami for a battling 14. The pair had added 58 runs - the first 50 partnership of the match. Two overs later Gunn brought up her 50 - her first in Test cricket, which actually means something for her as this is her 11th Test Match. Only Greenway and Edwards have played more for England. Sonia Odedra (1) and Kate Cross (2) did their best to keep her company as long as they could facing 36 balls between them, but Odedra edged Goswami through to Jain and Cross gave Jain her third victim this time off Pandey. Gunn finished on 62 not out, to add to her fivefer and her 7 not out in the first innings. England ended with 202 and India needed 181 to win.
Ten minutes later England were sprinting out into the field, keen to get at the Indians, but Thirush Kamini (28) and Smriti Mandhana (51) blunted the England attack which included Shrubsole, Gunn, Cross, Odedra, Sciver and Knight (England's token spinner). They were comfortably placed at 33/0 at tea and beyond tea Mandhana in particular looked in cracking form with crisp backfoot drives and flowing front foot drives. The pair took the total to 76/0 with almost no alarms, but then Kate Cross, who had looked the most likely to take a wicket, had Kamini lbw as she bowled round the wicket to the lefthander propping forward. Then two overs later she had Mandhana out in similar fashion, just after she had got to her maiden Test Match 50. India were 82/2 and suddenly the body language of the England players perked up. They had Poonam Raut in on a pair, but they also had Mithali Raj walking to the crease. Had Knight held on to a tough chance to complete Raut's pair at slip off Cross, England would have been cock-a-hoop, but the chance went down and when Raj moved onto eight with two sumptuous fours through cover point off Jenny Gunn it looked ominous for England.
But Raj and Raut decided to put up the shutters and they had made it to 112 with just a handful of overs before the day's end, when Raut was brilliantly caught by Jenny Gunn low down to her right at first slip off the part-time off spin bowling of Heather Knight. Harmanpreet Kaur came to the crease, but was soon walking back to the thatched pavilion as she was caught by Sarah Taylor behind the stumps standing up to Kate Cross. The celebrations were worthy of an Ashes winning wicket, which shows what this match means to England. They truly believe that they can win this match and an early wicket of either nightwatchman Pandey, or the prize scalp of Mithali Raj, and it really will be game on. This is why Test cricket is such fun. Oh that more people wanted to come and watch it.
Full scorecard here
MD
15/VIII/14
Thursday, 14 August 2014
Day Two at the Test
Day Two of the Test looked like it was going to end prematurely at just before 3pm as the promised torrential rain materialised over a slightly less picturesque Wormsley. At the time the game was intriguingly poised with England holding a 51 run lead with seven wickets still in hand. But thanks to the stirling efforts of the groundstaff play resumed at 5.30pm with 33 overs still to be played. It was a two hour period that England could have done without.
India started the day on 87/6 and Goswami (17) and Niranjana (27) had added only eight to the overnight score before Goswami was completely bamboozled by a ball from Gunn which looked to be travelling towards the leg-stump and then hit the top of off. It was Gunn's fifth wicket of the innings and it was nothing more than she deserved. She kept the ball full and gave away nothing. Most of the time it was just outside off, but the ball that got Goswami was a peach. She actually finished the day with figures of 18-9-19-5, by far her best Test bowling figures.
The wicket opened up one end for England and both ends became free to the bowlers when Niranjana was the 11th lbw victim of the match to a rather leg-side looking ball from Cross. She top scored for the Indians to add to her four wickets in the England first innings. Surprisingly Gunn gave way to Odedra and she managed to pick up her first England wicket with another full delivery that clipped Sharma on the toes - lbw number 12. Cross ended the Indian first innings in the next over when Sharma walked across all her stumps and the ball thudded into her pads - lbw number 13. India were 114 all out - a lead of 22.
England really needed a good start to their second innings, but they did not get it. Second ball Heather Knight lunged at a wide swinging delivery from Goswami and edged through to Jain who caught a simple catch in front of first slip - 0/1. Tammy Beaumont came in to join Lauren Winfield and the two of them used every part of their bats to accumulate a few runs before lunch. Winfield looked in more positive mode and was prepared to throw her hands through the ball if it was pitched up. She went into lunch with 21 to her name thanks to a couple of booming cover smites and Beaumont had 8. England had a lead of eight as they sat on 30/1.
After lunch India made the early breakthrough they wanted as Beaumont fell lbw for the second time in the match, this time trying to play a forward lunge to Bisht, but playing outside a non-spinning full ball from the left-arm spinner. She looked unhappy but it looked a fair decision. Two balls later it looked as though Charlotte Edwards had done exactly the same thing. The Indians certainly believed so, but umpire Billy Taylor said no. She got a single at the end of the over and then survived an equally vociferous shout by Pandey that probably looked even more out. The Indians stood aghast for some time, but umpire David Millns remained unmoved (for a change).
Charlotte Edwards looked more nervous than I have ever seen her, but to her credit she fought her way through it and finally her feet began to move and she unleashed her trademark cover drive and square cut. The slower the bowling though the more Winfield struggled to score. She had only 6 runs in an hour after lunch when Pandey returned to replace Bisht, who had gone for just six off eight overs. You could almost see the load lift off Winfield's shoulders as she pulled her first ball for four and then hit a couple of twos, but then another short ball seemed to keep slightly low and evaded Winfield's attempted pull. Umpire Millns said it would have hit the stumps, although it looked high to those looking on. She became the fifteenth lbw victim with 35 runs to her name (top score in the game so far).
There was just time for Sarah Taylor to come to the crease and face one ball before the heavens opened and the players left the pitch with England on 73/3. When they resumed two and a half hours later they lost Charlotte Edwards (20) to the very first ball from Bisht caught behind and Lydia Greenway (1) then became the sixteenth lbw victim of the game with Goswami's first ball. England were 74/5.
That became 84/6 when Nat Sciver was bowled by a perfect yorker from Sharma and it looked like the game wouldn't last two days let alone four. But Sarah Taylor (30 off 86 balls) took root and Jenny Gunn (2 off 47 balls) dropped anchor. They added an unbeaten 26 to the total in a drab 17 overs of play, most of them bowled by Ekta Bisht who ended with 2/11 off 21 overs.
It means that England have a lead of 88 with four wickets in hand. They will want to try and double that tomorrow. A more positive approach will be encouraged by the Press Tent, but England will be content to build a lead slowly. They must just hope that they don't get a ball with their name written on it. If they do they will be villified. If they bat all day and give England a lead of 200 and England win then they will be heroes.
Full scorecard here
MD
14/VIII/14
India started the day on 87/6 and Goswami (17) and Niranjana (27) had added only eight to the overnight score before Goswami was completely bamboozled by a ball from Gunn which looked to be travelling towards the leg-stump and then hit the top of off. It was Gunn's fifth wicket of the innings and it was nothing more than she deserved. She kept the ball full and gave away nothing. Most of the time it was just outside off, but the ball that got Goswami was a peach. She actually finished the day with figures of 18-9-19-5, by far her best Test bowling figures.
The wicket opened up one end for England and both ends became free to the bowlers when Niranjana was the 11th lbw victim of the match to a rather leg-side looking ball from Cross. She top scored for the Indians to add to her four wickets in the England first innings. Surprisingly Gunn gave way to Odedra and she managed to pick up her first England wicket with another full delivery that clipped Sharma on the toes - lbw number 12. Cross ended the Indian first innings in the next over when Sharma walked across all her stumps and the ball thudded into her pads - lbw number 13. India were 114 all out - a lead of 22.
England really needed a good start to their second innings, but they did not get it. Second ball Heather Knight lunged at a wide swinging delivery from Goswami and edged through to Jain who caught a simple catch in front of first slip - 0/1. Tammy Beaumont came in to join Lauren Winfield and the two of them used every part of their bats to accumulate a few runs before lunch. Winfield looked in more positive mode and was prepared to throw her hands through the ball if it was pitched up. She went into lunch with 21 to her name thanks to a couple of booming cover smites and Beaumont had 8. England had a lead of eight as they sat on 30/1.
After lunch India made the early breakthrough they wanted as Beaumont fell lbw for the second time in the match, this time trying to play a forward lunge to Bisht, but playing outside a non-spinning full ball from the left-arm spinner. She looked unhappy but it looked a fair decision. Two balls later it looked as though Charlotte Edwards had done exactly the same thing. The Indians certainly believed so, but umpire Billy Taylor said no. She got a single at the end of the over and then survived an equally vociferous shout by Pandey that probably looked even more out. The Indians stood aghast for some time, but umpire David Millns remained unmoved (for a change).
Charlotte Edwards looked more nervous than I have ever seen her, but to her credit she fought her way through it and finally her feet began to move and she unleashed her trademark cover drive and square cut. The slower the bowling though the more Winfield struggled to score. She had only 6 runs in an hour after lunch when Pandey returned to replace Bisht, who had gone for just six off eight overs. You could almost see the load lift off Winfield's shoulders as she pulled her first ball for four and then hit a couple of twos, but then another short ball seemed to keep slightly low and evaded Winfield's attempted pull. Umpire Millns said it would have hit the stumps, although it looked high to those looking on. She became the fifteenth lbw victim with 35 runs to her name (top score in the game so far).
There was just time for Sarah Taylor to come to the crease and face one ball before the heavens opened and the players left the pitch with England on 73/3. When they resumed two and a half hours later they lost Charlotte Edwards (20) to the very first ball from Bisht caught behind and Lydia Greenway (1) then became the sixteenth lbw victim of the game with Goswami's first ball. England were 74/5.
That became 84/6 when Nat Sciver was bowled by a perfect yorker from Sharma and it looked like the game wouldn't last two days let alone four. But Sarah Taylor (30 off 86 balls) took root and Jenny Gunn (2 off 47 balls) dropped anchor. They added an unbeaten 26 to the total in a drab 17 overs of play, most of them bowled by Ekta Bisht who ended with 2/11 off 21 overs.
It means that England have a lead of 88 with four wickets in hand. They will want to try and double that tomorrow. A more positive approach will be encouraged by the Press Tent, but England will be content to build a lead slowly. They must just hope that they don't get a ball with their name written on it. If they do they will be villified. If they bat all day and give England a lead of 200 and England win then they will be heroes.
Full scorecard here
MD
14/VIII/14
Wednesday, 13 August 2014
Day One at the Test
Its 7.15pm at Wormsley and the first day of the Test ended just 25 minutes ago. The stark figures are that England were bowled out for 92 having been inserted by India on a green and grassy wicket. India in reply had cruised to 40 without loss before they subsided to 64/6 and eventually finished the day on 87/6 just five runs behind England.
That is a lot to take in and perhaps needs just a little bit of explanation. The trouble is I am not sure that I can explain it. Sure it was a green top and the Indians bowled full and straight for the most part. Niranjana in particular with 4/19 off 14.2 overs reaped the benefit of bowling stump to stump. England's batsmen however played their own part in their downfall, with seven of them falling lbw with the majority playing to leg when they should have been playing straight. Only Sarah Taylor put together an innings on any significance with 30 before she was a leg-side clip lbw victim. This was almost like watching an u15 game of cricket with the batsmen failing to apply themselves properly.
In reply the Indian openers Kamini (17) and Mandhana (22) looked to have summed up the wicket perfectly. Shrubsole, Cross and Odedra all came alike as they moved the score onto 40/0 without too many alarms. England with no spinner in their team (Lauren Winfield and Sonia Odedra were debutants at the expense of spinners Dani Hazell and Steph Butler). Jenny Gunn had been champing at the bit to bowl, frequently warming-up in the gully, next to her skipper. It was not until the 18th over that she got her chance and within two overs she had the first of four wickets under her belt (4/13 off 12 overs) as Kamini feathered one through to Sarah Taylor standing up behind the stumps. It was the start of a rout, in fact Raut was the next victim, falling to Kate Cross bowled neck and crop. Gunn then cleaned up Mandhana and the key wicket of Mithali Raj, before Shrubsole joined the party getting Jain lbw. 50/5 became 64/6 when Gunn took her fourth - another lbw victim. Goswami and Niranjana then played out the last 16 overs, both finishing on 13 not out as England desperately tried to force home their slim advantage.
Tomorrow England will look to knock over the last four Indian wickets quickly and restrict the Indian lead to a minimum. Any more than 50 could be an issue. They will then hope to bat better in their second dig. They could hardly bat worse.
Full scorecard here
MD
13/VIII/14
That is a lot to take in and perhaps needs just a little bit of explanation. The trouble is I am not sure that I can explain it. Sure it was a green top and the Indians bowled full and straight for the most part. Niranjana in particular with 4/19 off 14.2 overs reaped the benefit of bowling stump to stump. England's batsmen however played their own part in their downfall, with seven of them falling lbw with the majority playing to leg when they should have been playing straight. Only Sarah Taylor put together an innings on any significance with 30 before she was a leg-side clip lbw victim. This was almost like watching an u15 game of cricket with the batsmen failing to apply themselves properly.
In reply the Indian openers Kamini (17) and Mandhana (22) looked to have summed up the wicket perfectly. Shrubsole, Cross and Odedra all came alike as they moved the score onto 40/0 without too many alarms. England with no spinner in their team (Lauren Winfield and Sonia Odedra were debutants at the expense of spinners Dani Hazell and Steph Butler). Jenny Gunn had been champing at the bit to bowl, frequently warming-up in the gully, next to her skipper. It was not until the 18th over that she got her chance and within two overs she had the first of four wickets under her belt (4/13 off 12 overs) as Kamini feathered one through to Sarah Taylor standing up behind the stumps. It was the start of a rout, in fact Raut was the next victim, falling to Kate Cross bowled neck and crop. Gunn then cleaned up Mandhana and the key wicket of Mithali Raj, before Shrubsole joined the party getting Jain lbw. 50/5 became 64/6 when Gunn took her fourth - another lbw victim. Goswami and Niranjana then played out the last 16 overs, both finishing on 13 not out as England desperately tried to force home their slim advantage.
Tomorrow England will look to knock over the last four Indian wickets quickly and restrict the Indian lead to a minimum. Any more than 50 could be an issue. They will then hope to bat better in their second dig. They could hardly bat worse.
Full scorecard here
MD
13/VIII/14
Tuesday, 12 August 2014
To Wormsley and beyond..........
It is the day before the England v India Test Match at Wormsley (women's obviously) and I am sitting in a hotel room in Shrewsbury. Being a southern lad I had no idea where Shrewsbury was until I looked it up on a map when I knew I would have to come here to watch the England U19 Super 3s week. It's almost in Wales!!
The best 39 U19 girls in England are here (well they are at Shrewsbury School actually) fighting it out to try and prove that they are better than their counterparts, and deserve the opportunity to progress up the England Women's Cricket Development Ladder. Junior Super 3s is always a tense week. Some of the girls here are just 14 years old - they are away from home for the week and they are being expected to perform. It is tough.
I am just here for today and then early tomorrow (7am) I will make a bee line for Wormsley and a seat in the Press Tent. It is a shame that the two events clash, not for me, but for the girls that are in Shrewsbury. If ever there was a target audience for the Women's Test it is the best 39 U19 girls in England and their families. They should have been given free tickets to the Test and told that it was part of their Development Programme to turn up and watch the likes of Sarah Taylor, Mithali Raj, Anya Shrubsole and Jhulan Goswami strut their stuff.
But it is not to be. Weather permitting it should be a cracking Test and closer than many people think - it's the Pros v the Amateurs - back to the good old days of the Gentlemen v the Players. If you can only get along to one session a day then make it the last. It will be when all the action happens. The girls rarely, if ever, play more than 50 over cricket, so, having been in the field or batting for 60+ overs already at tea, they come out for the last session to a whole new world.
After four days at Wormsley it will be back to West Sussex before heading north to Harrogate on Monday for Tuesday's England Women's Academy (EWA) v India 50 over game. It is a warm-up for the Indians ahead of their ICC Series against England proper. On Wednesday I head further north to Scarborough to cover the two ODIs between England and India and then return home briefly (not sure how yet as I have no car), before setting off to Lords on Monday for the final ODI. That done it is home for a day and then to the delight that is Garon Park in eastern-most Essex - a fine hotel in Southend with a promised sea view await apparently, along with two T20s for the EWA v South Africa (warming them up for their three match series against England).
And so from Essex its home for a day or two (not sure how many to be honest) before the small matter of the jaunts to Northampton, Chelmsford and Egbaston at the beginning of September for the T20Is v South Africa. I haven't even booked hotels for these yet - booking.com here I come.
MD
12/VIII/14
The best 39 U19 girls in England are here (well they are at Shrewsbury School actually) fighting it out to try and prove that they are better than their counterparts, and deserve the opportunity to progress up the England Women's Cricket Development Ladder. Junior Super 3s is always a tense week. Some of the girls here are just 14 years old - they are away from home for the week and they are being expected to perform. It is tough.
I am just here for today and then early tomorrow (7am) I will make a bee line for Wormsley and a seat in the Press Tent. It is a shame that the two events clash, not for me, but for the girls that are in Shrewsbury. If ever there was a target audience for the Women's Test it is the best 39 U19 girls in England and their families. They should have been given free tickets to the Test and told that it was part of their Development Programme to turn up and watch the likes of Sarah Taylor, Mithali Raj, Anya Shrubsole and Jhulan Goswami strut their stuff.
But it is not to be. Weather permitting it should be a cracking Test and closer than many people think - it's the Pros v the Amateurs - back to the good old days of the Gentlemen v the Players. If you can only get along to one session a day then make it the last. It will be when all the action happens. The girls rarely, if ever, play more than 50 over cricket, so, having been in the field or batting for 60+ overs already at tea, they come out for the last session to a whole new world.
After four days at Wormsley it will be back to West Sussex before heading north to Harrogate on Monday for Tuesday's England Women's Academy (EWA) v India 50 over game. It is a warm-up for the Indians ahead of their ICC Series against England proper. On Wednesday I head further north to Scarborough to cover the two ODIs between England and India and then return home briefly (not sure how yet as I have no car), before setting off to Lords on Monday for the final ODI. That done it is home for a day and then to the delight that is Garon Park in eastern-most Essex - a fine hotel in Southend with a promised sea view await apparently, along with two T20s for the EWA v South Africa (warming them up for their three match series against England).
And so from Essex its home for a day or two (not sure how many to be honest) before the small matter of the jaunts to Northampton, Chelmsford and Egbaston at the beginning of September for the T20Is v South Africa. I haven't even booked hotels for these yet - booking.com here I come.
MD
12/VIII/14
Sunday, 10 August 2014
Grundy out of England squad
Rebecca
Grundy ruled out of England women’s summer internationals through injury
Injury
has forced Warwickshire’s Rebecca Grundy out of the England women’s squad to
play against India and South Africa this summer. The left-arm spinner has
sustained a femoral stress reaction in her left groin.
Grundy
will now begin a rehabilitation programme and has been ruled out of all forms
of cricket for the rest of the season.
Nineteen
year old off-spinner Stephanie Butler from Staffordshire will replace Grundy in
the squad that will take on India in the Kia Women’s Test match, which starts at
Wormsley Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
Nottinghamshire’s
right-arm medium pace bowler Sonia Odedra will subsequently remain with the
England women’s squad for the three-match Royal London One-Day International
series against India, having originally only been named in the Test squad.
All-rounder
Danielle Wyatt (Nottinghamshire) has been recalled to the Twenty20
International squad to face South Africa in the three NatWest T20Is in
September.
Speaking
about Grundy’s injury status and her replacements in the squad, Head of England
Women’s Performance, Paul Shaw, said: “This is very disappointing news for
Becky and it is clearly unfortunate to lose her from the squad before our
summer internationals against India and South Africa have even got underway.
She will now undergo the necessary treatment and rehabilitation to get back to
full fitness as quickly as possible.
“We
are in a very strong position to be able call-up three very talented players to
replace Becky across seven matches that we have this summer.
“Young
Stephanie Butler from Staffordshire has been included in an England women’s
squad for the first time, after enjoying a good season with the ball in county
cricket and also impressing with her performances for the England Women’s
Academy in Sri Lanka over the winter. I’m sure she will learn a lot from
the experience.
MD
10/VIII/14
Saturday, 9 August 2014
India warm-up against England Academy
So we have had our first glance at the Indian team in a two day warm-up game at Loughborough against an England Academy side that included five currently contracted players Katherine Brunt, Tash Farrant, Laura Marsh, Amy Jones and Danni Wyatt. The game ended in a draw after India had scored 294 all out in 106.1 overs and England had scored just 97/5 in reply in 41.4 overs, before rain curtailed play at tea on the second day. [unofficial scorecard below]
Number 7 bat Vanitha hit a very nice 94 off just 90 balls, hitting beautifully in the V with a straight bat. She looks like a good bat. Opener Mandhana also looked good scoring 59.
India had made fairly serene progress to 112/2 with Mandhana and skipper Mithali Raj at the crease. Katherine Brunt had claimed the first wicket trapping Kamini (5) lbw with a pitched-up delivery, and Laura Marsh had accounted for Jain (33) caught off the glove at slip trying to cut a ball that was too close to her. India looked to be in good shape, but Sonia Odedra picked up the key wicket of Raj, and Freya Davies removed Mandhana and Pandey with the first two balls of her first spell, to put the Indians on the back foot. But Mandhana and Kaur (31 off 133 balls) added 123 for the 6th wicket to put India back in control of the game. Both eventually went in quick succession and there followed a dull last hour to the first day as Goswami and Niranjana scored just 25 runs in 16 overs, never looking like they wanted to play any shots. They opened up the next day in more positive fashion, but Odedra returned to account for them both, with Cecily Scutt picking up the final wicket.
Danni Wyatt and Georgia Adams opened the batting for the EWA, facing the evergreen Goswami and new young talent Niranjana first up. Wyatt (1) went early edging Goswami to Kaur at third slip. She was replaced by Laura Marsh, who edged her first ball from Goswami straight to Kaur again, but she spilled the chance. In Goswami's next over the bowler suffered the same fate, this time with Adams on strike, with Kaur again the culprit in the field. Adams and Marsh decided to dig in. Marsh (3) took 26 balls to hit her first run as she attempted to replicate her Wormsley innings from last year, but when Goswami gave way to Sharma (after a seven over spell of 1/1) she attempted a pull shot, but only succeeded in top edging the ball over the keeper to Raj back-pedalling from first slip.
EWA went into lunch precariously perched on 24/2, which became 38/3 early in the afternoon session when Adams was lbw to left-arm spinner Bisht, playing for spin which did not materialise. Amy Jones (33) and Fran Wilson (30) then put together a decent partnership of 59, with Jones playing a couple of glorious straight drives, while riding her luck a little bit as aerial shots avoided the fielders. As the skies darkened over Loughborough Jones was given out lbw to Bisht, and then Wilson saw the ball trickle on from her bat to her stumps from the same bowler. It turned out to be the last action in the match, as EWA finished on 97/5.
On this form India could be a good test for England, particularly in the Test Match itself. Several of their batsmen seem to have the right mindset to bat long. Goswami still leads the seam attack well and with some gusto. A solid defensive push that hits the middle of the bat was frequently greeted with a Goswami expectant gasp and a solid stare. Bisht is a true "slow" left arm bowler and England will need to find a way to cope with her flighted deliveries, and find some way to score off them.
As for England, potential Test debutant Sonia Odedra did her cause no harm with 3/28 off 15 overs. Her nagging accuracy could prove to be effective if selected for the Test. Recovering seamer Katherine Brunt was restricted to just eight overs in the match, but seemed to be moving well. She could do with getting a few more overs under her belt before the ODIs. If anything she bowled a little too short in her two spells. Tash Farrant got through 10 overs in two five over spells without too many problems, although she seemed reluctant to throw the ball from the outfield. It will be interesting to see how big a part they both play in this summer's series.
MD
09/VIII/14
Number 7 bat Vanitha hit a very nice 94 off just 90 balls, hitting beautifully in the V with a straight bat. She looks like a good bat. Opener Mandhana also looked good scoring 59.
India had made fairly serene progress to 112/2 with Mandhana and skipper Mithali Raj at the crease. Katherine Brunt had claimed the first wicket trapping Kamini (5) lbw with a pitched-up delivery, and Laura Marsh had accounted for Jain (33) caught off the glove at slip trying to cut a ball that was too close to her. India looked to be in good shape, but Sonia Odedra picked up the key wicket of Raj, and Freya Davies removed Mandhana and Pandey with the first two balls of her first spell, to put the Indians on the back foot. But Mandhana and Kaur (31 off 133 balls) added 123 for the 6th wicket to put India back in control of the game. Both eventually went in quick succession and there followed a dull last hour to the first day as Goswami and Niranjana scored just 25 runs in 16 overs, never looking like they wanted to play any shots. They opened up the next day in more positive fashion, but Odedra returned to account for them both, with Cecily Scutt picking up the final wicket.
Danni Wyatt and Georgia Adams opened the batting for the EWA, facing the evergreen Goswami and new young talent Niranjana first up. Wyatt (1) went early edging Goswami to Kaur at third slip. She was replaced by Laura Marsh, who edged her first ball from Goswami straight to Kaur again, but she spilled the chance. In Goswami's next over the bowler suffered the same fate, this time with Adams on strike, with Kaur again the culprit in the field. Adams and Marsh decided to dig in. Marsh (3) took 26 balls to hit her first run as she attempted to replicate her Wormsley innings from last year, but when Goswami gave way to Sharma (after a seven over spell of 1/1) she attempted a pull shot, but only succeeded in top edging the ball over the keeper to Raj back-pedalling from first slip.
EWA went into lunch precariously perched on 24/2, which became 38/3 early in the afternoon session when Adams was lbw to left-arm spinner Bisht, playing for spin which did not materialise. Amy Jones (33) and Fran Wilson (30) then put together a decent partnership of 59, with Jones playing a couple of glorious straight drives, while riding her luck a little bit as aerial shots avoided the fielders. As the skies darkened over Loughborough Jones was given out lbw to Bisht, and then Wilson saw the ball trickle on from her bat to her stumps from the same bowler. It turned out to be the last action in the match, as EWA finished on 97/5.
On this form India could be a good test for England, particularly in the Test Match itself. Several of their batsmen seem to have the right mindset to bat long. Goswami still leads the seam attack well and with some gusto. A solid defensive push that hits the middle of the bat was frequently greeted with a Goswami expectant gasp and a solid stare. Bisht is a true "slow" left arm bowler and England will need to find a way to cope with her flighted deliveries, and find some way to score off them.
As for England, potential Test debutant Sonia Odedra did her cause no harm with 3/28 off 15 overs. Her nagging accuracy could prove to be effective if selected for the Test. Recovering seamer Katherine Brunt was restricted to just eight overs in the match, but seemed to be moving well. She could do with getting a few more overs under her belt before the ODIs. If anything she bowled a little too short in her two spells. Tash Farrant got through 10 overs in two five over spells without too many problems, although she seemed reluctant to throw the ball from the outfield. It will be interesting to see how big a part they both play in this summer's series.
MD
09/VIII/14
EWA v India - Scorecard
Unofficial scorecard from the EWA v India game
| INDIA | batsman | how out | bowler | runs | balls | |||
| 1 | Kamini | lbw | Brunt | 5 | 17 | |||
| 2 | Mandhana | ct Wyatt | Davies | 59 | 132 | |||
| 3 | Jain | ct Adams | Marsh | 33 | 54 | |||
| 4 | Raj | bowled | Odedra | 16 | 41 | |||
| 5 | Kaur | lbw | Farrant | 31 | 133 | |||
| 6 | Pandey | lbw | Davies | 0 | 1 | |||
| 7 | Vanitha | ct Wilson | Butler | 94 | 90 | |||
| 8 | Goswami | ct Rudd | Odedra | 30 | 83 | |||
| 9 | Niranjana | bowled | Odedra | 12 | 63 | |||
| 10 | Bisht | st Rudd | Scutt | 5 | 19 | |||
| 11 | Gayakwad | not | out | 0 | 5 | |||
| extras | 9 | |||||||
| 294 | all | out | ||||||
| O | M | R | W | |||||
| bowling | Brunt | 8 | 0 | 32 | 1 | |||
| Odedra | 15 | 6 | 28 | 3 | ||||
| Farrant | 10 | 3 | 17 | 1 | ||||
| Hennessy | 15 | 2 | 62 | 0 | ||||
| Marsh | 20 | 7 | 55 | 1 | ||||
| Butler | 14 | 4 | 37 | 1 | ||||
| Davies | 15 | 7 | 29 | 2 | ||||
| Wyatt | 7 | 1 | 26 | 0 | ||||
| Scutt | 2.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| EWA | batsman | how out | bowler | runs | balls | |||
| 1 | Wyatt | ct Kaur | Goswami | 1 | 12 | |||
| 2 | Adams | lbw | Bisht | 18 | 57 | |||
| 3 | Marsh | ct Raj | Sharma | 3 | 34 | |||
| 4 | Jones | lbw | Bisht | 33 | 71 | |||
| 5 | Wilson | bowled | Bisht | 30 | 71 | |||
| 6 | Brunt | not | out | 0 | 6 | |||
| 7 | Hennessy | not | out | 0 | 0 | |||
| 8 | Odedra | did not | bat | |||||
| 9 | Rudd | did not | bat | |||||
| 10 | Farrant | did not | bat | |||||
| 11 | Butler | did not | bat | |||||
| extras | 12 | |||||||
| 93 | for | 5 | ||||||
| bowling | Goswami | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Niranjana | 6 | 3 | 12 | 0 | ||||
| Pandey | 8 | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||||
| Sharma | 6 | 1 | 17 | 1 | ||||
| Bisht | 7.4 | 2 | 15 | 3 | ||||
| Kaur | 4 | 1 | 12 | 0 | ||||
| Gayakwad | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
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