Third T20 - Talking Points

Ermmmm where to start?

Well Australia batted first and got 178/2 with Beth Mooney making a chanceless 117*. It was the highest T20I total in Australia, and the second highest individual score in a T20I, beaten only by Meg Lanning's 126 against Ireland. Mooney again looked very classy.

It meant England needed to make 179, which itself would be a record run chase. They did it! Courtesy of some sublime hitting (mainly over the off side) by Danni Wyatt (100) and Heather Knight (51), but also courtesy of some truly appalling catching from Australia. Four simple chances were put down, two skied chances by Alyssa Healy with the gloves on. Unforgivable. Wyatt was dropped on 13 by her and Knight was dropped on 14 and 23.

It has been some few days for Danni Wyatt. She scored her first 50 for England in her 124th game for England in the first T20I, which saw her promoted back to the top of the order for the second and third games. She struck the ball nicely in game two but was caught for 19. Tonight she made her first ever century for England off 56 balls. She and Knight added 139 for the fourth wicket, with England having been 30/3 when Knight walked to the crease. With the guidance of Mark Robinson this could be the turning point in her career, and a very welcome addition to England's batting stocks.

The result means that England won the T20I series 2-1 and the Ashes Series was drawn 8-8. The Ashes therefore remain with Australia, but only just, and this chase will remain with both teams for some time. The Aussies have still not won a T20I series since 2015, and there will be some soul searching after this defeat. Beth Mooney looked distraught after the teams had shaken hands. Her valiant effort with the bat allowed to be usurped by Wyatt's, who won the player of the match - a plaudit that Mooney deserved, even in defeat.

And so we move on to the WBBL, after another weekend of WNCL fixtures, and then into 2018, which will all be about the build-up to the WWT20 in November in the West Indies. It seems that England and Australia will meet again out in India in February, with a tri-series apparently scheduled out there. England then have series against South Africa and New Zealand at home this summer. This will be followed by the extended KSL (twice as many league games now).

As for this blog it is time to sign off. After five years of blogging, over 500 posts and 400,000 page views, the time is right to go back to just sitting quietly on the boundary and enjoying the cricket. The game has come a long way in those five years, but it still has a long way further to travel. In England we need to sort out second tier cricket properly - the KSL T20 is not enough. Players below the contracted elite need to be rewarded. It will all come I am sure, in time, but it is time for someone else to take up the campaign.

Thanks to everyone that has read this blog over the years, and all those who have commented - good or bad - either on the blog itself, on twitter or to me personally. Most of the comments have been positive, certainly from the people who care about the women's game.

It's been fun!!

MD
21/XI/17