Heading to the World Cup

I have just finished typing all the World Cup games into the WCB Women's Cricket Fixtures calendar [you will find them here if you need them], which got me thinking about how England might fare and how the tournament, as a whole, might pan out. It all starts in 8 weeks........and about 4 weeks later Australia will be World Champions for the eighth time.

Is it really that clear cut? Is it really that much of a foregone conclusion? Should I be putting my life-savings on Australia to win the 13th Edition of the Women's Cricket World Cup? Well, probably not.

Cricket, as they say, is a funny game, and the tournament is being played in the sub-continent, on pitches that should suit spin bowlers, and batters that are nimble of foot and agile in mind. It would not surprise me if Sri Lanka, Pakistan or Bangladesh cause a few upsets, but they are unlikely to win the tournament. Given that all the eight teams play each other, and then the top four go into the semi-finals, this is a tournament about consistency. You need to win more games than you lose. In fact in the last edition West Indies qualified for the semi-finals with a 3-3 record, having had one game called off. This time they have not even made the competition. 

Consistency should reward the "better teams". So you would expect Australia, India and England to win more games than they lose. I think the last slot might just go to Pakistan, who are playing all their games at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, in Sri Lanka, so do not have the travel issues that all the other teams face, and will be playing every game on the same pitch. This is a huge advantage. Some might say so big that it is unfair?

So from the group stage it becomes a simple knockout tournament, where the best team on the day will win. In T20 cricket this can often be on the performance of one individual, but that is less likely in 50 over cricket, although it can happen - Chamari Athapaththu, Harmanpreet Kaur and Anya Shrubsole spring to mind. One day cricket tends to be much more of a team performance and this favours Australia and India, so, provided they avoid each other in the semi-final, these would be my two teams in the final.

And so to the final. India playing in front of 40,000 screaming Indians in the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangaluru. The pressure on them will be enormous. It is not something they have dealt with well in the past, and despite the pressures of playing in front of large crowds in the WPL, it might just prove too much for them again. 

So what of England? They are a "new team", under a new coach and a new captain. The problem is that they are not really a "new team" at all. Unfortunately this summer has not seen the blooding of some new players such as Ella MacCaughan, Jodi Grewcock, Charis Pavely or Rhianna Southby. The West Indies series was a golden opportunity to experiment, but it just produced false hope in some of the existing players, which has subsequently been crushed, by not only losing both the T20 and the ODI series to India, but by looking second best in almost every facet of the game. With a genuinely "new team" at the World Cup England might be forgiven for not making the Final. The fact that they might struggle to even make it to the semi-finals with a squad that looks so similar to the one that lost 16-0 to Australia in The Ashes seems an opportunity missed.

But then who knows? England might just go and win the whole thing. I wouldn't be putting my house on that though.

Martin Davies
23/VII/25

Women's U19 T20 World Cup - Format and Warm Up Games

Welcome to our coverage of the inaugural Women's U19 T20 World Cup. First of all let's have a look at the format of the competition. Initially the sixteen qualifying teams are divided into four groups.

Group A - Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, USA Group B - England, Pakistan, Rwanda, Zimbabwe Group C - Indonesia, Ireland, New Zealand, West Indies Group D - India, Scotland, South Africa, UAE Each team will play two warm-up games (see below). In the Group Stage they will play each team in their group once. The top three teams in each group will then enter the Super 6s Leagues. Super 6 League 1 - A1, A2, A3, D1, D2, D3 Super 6 League 2 - B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3

In the Super 6 Leagues teams will only play two more games (not three). The top two sides from the Super 6s Leagues go on to the semi-finals, and then the winners to the final.

Warm-up games are on Monday and Wednesday this week and the competition proper starts on Saturday 14th January 2023. Here are the warm-up games.

Monday 9th January 2023

Scotland v USA Ireland v Pakistan Indonesia v Zimbabwe India v Australia UAE v Sri Lanka New Zealand v Rwanda West Indies v England South Africa v Bangladesh

Wednesday 11th January 2023

Bangladesh v India England v Indonesia Rwanda v Ireland South Africa v Australia Zimbabwe v West Indies Pakistan v New Zealand Sri Lanka v Scotland

We will try and keep you up-to-date with all the scores, results, performances and standings.

Martin Davies 08/I/23

The Windies Blog - Part Six - Done & Dusted

After nearly three weeks in the Caribbean I am, unfortunately, back behind my desk in a rain swept and grey city in the south of England. The odyssey is over and, not surprisingly, the Australians are the 2018 Women's World T20 champions, or should that be the Women's T20 World Cup champions - on the eve of the final the ICC decided they would change the name of the tournament "henceforth".

Either way the Aussies won it, and at a canter. They demolished the Windies in their semi-final and steam-rollered England in the final, despite a nervy fielding performance, which gave Danni Wyatt, England's top scorer with 43, three lives before she was eventually caught by a tumbling Meg Lanning at extra cover.

Overall the cricket in the tournament was a bit of a disappointment, with very few tight games and the divide between Australia and the rest very noticeable. Australia will undoubtedly continue to dominate women's cricket for several years to come, as no other nation has yet grasped the nettle of having a professional domestic structure, as the Aussies did two years ago. It is a level which is required below the elite contracted few at the top of the pyramid, so that there is competition for places amongst the elite, and so that there is also a natural financial progression, both up and down, a player's cricketing career.

Australia now have over 100 fully professional women cricketers. Cricket really is a realistic career option in Australia for young girls. It is not in any other country. To decide to be a cricketer in England, South Africa, India or the West Indies is still a leap of faith that you will make it to the top 20 in your country, and that you will stay there. If you cannot stay in that top 20 then cricket will not support you. If you have a potential career as a doctor, a lawyer or an accountant, then it is a very stark choice.

Despite the Aussie dominance there were glimmers of hope for other nations. England will be pleased that they made it to the final, despite their batting never really coming to terms with Windies' conditions. India looked like a side that had suddenly worked out how to play T20 cricket, and their win over Australia was thoroughly deserved, but they became too formulaic in their semi-final against England and paid the price. T20 is a dynamic game, which needs dynamic captaincy. The Windies too were a treat to watch, with their swashbuckling batting at the fore in St Lucia, along with their seam attack, both suited by the Daren Sammy Stadium pitches. On the Antigua pudding they were always going to struggle. They could be a force to be reckoned with on Australian wickets in 15 months time, when the next Women's T20 World Cup will be held.

And talking of the West Indians, the crowds, particularly in St Lucia, were brilliant. The atmosphere for the West Indies v England game was fabulous, and when the Windies won they were genuinely dancing in the stands. They all seem to have natural rhythm, although they must also all have hearing problems!

Another gripe though has to be the umpiring, which was poor, and in some cases laughable. Quite how any umpire, at any level, could have missed the massive snick that Nat Sciver got to a wide deliver that she edged behind in the Windies game, is beyond comprehension. I loved Dan Norcross' tweet later in the game when Anya Shrubsole clubbed one to Deandra Dottin at cover point...

There were also a lot of poor lbw decisions, many of them missed on review by teams that had no experience of the DRS system that was available to them for the first time. And the whole "running on the wicket 5 penalty runs" drama in St Lucia was ridiculous, and put added pressure on young inexperienced cricketers, just trying to play the game. Women's cricket deserves the best umpires that are available, not the ones that may be the most politically correct. Let's hope that the best get to stand in Australia in 2020.

And finally how did I get on with my predictions :-

No 1 - Chloe Tryon will be the leading player for South Africa
No I can't claim that one, although to be fair, none of the South Africans looked that flash in this tournament.

No 2 - Ireland will break several records...that they don't want to break
It was a tough tournament for Ireland, as it was always going to be. They are the only amateur set-up in the tournament. They did lose to New Zealand by eight wickets, with 75 balls to spare, which was a T20 World Cup record.
The other "record" Ireland broke was that they were the first team to successfully use DRS to overturn an umpiring decision.

No 3 - Mithali Raj will open the batting for India and bat too slowly

Well not right, but perhaps the thinking behind the prediction tallied with that of the Indian management, as Raj did not open in India's opening victory over New Zealand, but helped herself to 50s at the top of the order against Bangladesh and Ireland, and then missed the Australia group game through "illness". She was then dropped for the semi-final rematch with the Aussies, which India lost, since when all Hell has been broken loose.
So, wrong, but in a "rightish" sort of way?

No 4 - Shemaine Campbelle will be the West Indies player of the tournament
Others had better tournaments, but Campbelle showed her potential with her match-winning knock of 45 against England. One for the future.

No 5 - Nat Sciver will be England's player of the tournament

I think I will claim this one. In St Lucia she turned up with the ball as England filled their team with spinners, perhaps at the expense of her batting. In the semi-final she and Amy Jones used both their skills and their noggins, to get England into the final, as the Indians lost the plot.

No 6 - New Zealand will not make it to the semi-finals

Spot on. After their opening defeat to India they were always playing catch up and by the fourth day of the tournament their T20 World Cup was over as they lost to Australia.

No 7 - Sri Lanka will win a big game against England, South Africa or the WindiesThat's a definite "No", although they did take a point off of England...but only with the help of the rain. If Bangladesh could bat then they would have lost to them as well, but they can't so they will be at the 2020 T20 World Cup as of right. Let's hope they can reverse the current downward trend.

No 8 - Harmanpreet Kaur will be India's player of the tournament

Well she was certainly up there for the Indians. Her majestic 103 against the Kiwis was the innings of the tournament, and her 43 against the Aussies was only overshadowed by Mandhana's 83. Her captaincy in the semi-final was my only concern. 

No 9 - Sophie Molineux will be THE player of the tournament

Molineux actually had a very quiet tournament, even though she played every game ahead of Jess Jonassen. She only took 4 wickets and got hit for 45 runs in the Indian defeat. Aussie management obviously have a lot of faith in her though. Watch out for her in the WBBL.

No 10 - THE BIG ONE - Australia will win the WWT20
It's the one I actually started with when I first wrote my predictions down and there was never much doubt, despite the wobble against the Indians.

It was a great three weeks, in two great countries, and it was a privilege to be there. It was a shame that most of the "mainstream cricketing press" weren't.

Martin Davies
28/XI/18

The Windies Blog - Part Five

And then there were two! And perhaps not surprisingly it is the two with the most professional set-ups, who have made it through to the final - Australia and England.

Last night at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium Australia trounced the Windies, with Alyssa Healy recovering from her concussion to win her fourth Player of the Match award for her 46 at the top of the Aussie innings. It set up a score of 142/5, which looked a decent score on a slow outfield, but not insurmountable. But the Windies lost Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin with their score on 15, and from there they never looked like getting into the game. Players came and went at regular intervals and the Windies were soon all out for just 71.

It was a disappointing end to what had been a good tournament for the team. They had beaten England in their group game in St Lucia and topped Group A, but in front of 10,000 passionate Antiguans they couldn't deliver when it mattered against a team that could.

So it also proved with England against India. On a wicket that was getting slower and more difficult to score on as the evening went on, India had themselves well placed at 88/2 with Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur at the wicket. They had just taken 10 off the 13th over from Nat Sciver and had then launched Kirstie Gordon for a 4 and a 6 in the 14th over, before Rodrigues was needlessly run out going for a second run. In Gordon's next over Kaur then tried to go big again, but only succeeded in lobbing up a catch to Sciver at cover point. It was the beginning of the end of the Indian innings. From 88/2 they slumped to 112 all out in the last over of their 20.

But still this game was far from dead. India had gone into the game with six spinners and, in turn, they were each thrown the ball, but every one of them bowled too short, and with no-one in close on the leg-side after the initial powerplay, Amy Jones and Nat Sciver simply milked the ball to the legside for 1s, 2s and the occasional 4. 62 of the 82 runs off the bat after the powerplay came on the legside.

Skipper Kaur never looked to change the tactic and England just continued to make steady progress, after losing Tammy Beaumont and Danni Wyatt early, both to the slog sweep. The game was won by a 4 from Jones in the 18th over, which took her to 53* - her maiden T20I 50, including her first 6. Sciver finished 51*.

So Friday is a day off. Some of the middle order batsmen will probably go for a bit of a hit, just in case they are needed in the final, which will be at the same ground on Saturday at 8pm local time. We can only hope for a better, quicker wicket, but this ground at Antigua rarely, if ever, produces one. Let's also hope that the locals turn up again, even though their beloved Windies girls will not be in the final. It is likely to be a good match, but Australia will start as firm favourites. The carrot for England is that they have the chance of being double World Champions - both 50 over and 20 over.

Interestingly only five of the England players that will take the field tomorrow (we'd expect an unchanged team) played in that tense 50 over World Cup final against India. For the other six, including non-contracted Academy players Kirstie Gordon and Sophia Dunkley, it will be an almost dream-like scenario.

The team that wins will be the team that handles that pressure the best.

Martin Davies
23/XI/18

The Windies Blog - Part Four

So we have moved on from St Lucia, where it was raining again as we left, to Antigua, for Thursday's two semi-finals - West Indies v Australia and India v England, and then the final on Sunday.

Somewhat bleary-eyed we made it to the small George F L Charles Airport, just outside Castries, in the north of the island shortly after 6am to catch the Liat Airlines ATR 72 twin-propellered plane for the 55 minute north to Antigua. Joining us on the flight were Nasser Hussein, Charlotte Edwards, Natalie Germanos, Henry Moeran, and Ebony Rainford-Brent, amongst others, plus the tv production crew complete with cameras and other bulky equipment. If this plane went down then women's cricket coverage could have been set back several decades. Well we'd all like to think so anyway. The painful truth is few people would actually notice. As it was the plane obeyed the laws of physics and stayed in the air, until we touched down safely in Antigua, where it was sunny and hot.

We collected the people carrier at the airport and drove south across the island, following the detailed instructions we'd be given by Debbie to English Harbour and her luxury villa, our home for the next 7 days. Greeted by Charmaine we quickly made ourselves at home, before wandering out to the gorgeous Pigeon Beach and then into town to find somewhere to eat that evening.

On the way we had driven past the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, which looked a little forlorn whilst empty, but will be rocking on Thursday, with the Windies playing in the first game. Should they make it to the final there is likely to be bedlam in the stadium, and tickets for Saturday's game will become a prized commodity.

Tuesday at the villa was a quiet day with frequent heavy rain showers, but hot sunshine in between the showers. It was a pleasant day to wallow by the pool and watch a myriad of cream butterflies float up the hill and over the villa, and the yellow finch (turns out it is actually called a Bananaquit - much more fun)

Bananquits feeding (C) Don Miles

and hummingbird battle for sugared water from the feeder.

Meanwhile in the harbour the Magnificent Frigatebirds (and they are well-named) splashed violently into the blue water close to the moored boats, fishing, not outside the off-stump, but for real.

Tomorrow the build-up to the semi-finals starts for real with the pre-match Press Conferences at the ground. I am not sure what you can usefully say before a game, apart from we'd really like to win and we'll be trying our hardest to do so. There will be idle speculation about the pitch, balance of the teams, and opposition players who are deemed to be threats. It all means very little. What matters is what happens on the field on Thursday. I am very fortunate to be able to say that I will be there.

Martin Davies
20/11/18

The Windies Blog - Part Three

We have our semi-finalists - India, Australia, England and West Indies.

An unchanged England team beat an abject South Africa on Friday here in St Lucia to effectively secure their place in the semis, which was confirmed a few hours later when a rampaging West Indies pulverised the plucky Sri Lankans. The St Lucia crowd were in fine voice and there are rumours of a sell-out crowd of over 10,000 for the West Indies v England game on Sunday, which will decide who tops Group A and will play the Aussies in the semi-final.

Yes the Aussies, because they lost comfortably yesterday to India in their table-topping match. Smriti Mandhana finally found the form she had left in England after the KSL, smashing the Aussie attack for 83 off 55 balls. It allowed the Indians to put 167/8 on the board and the Aussies never looked like getting there, hampered as they were by Alyssa Healy not batting as she had "mild concussion" after colliding with Megan Schutt as they both attempted to take a catch. Denied her boundary-laden start the Aussies looked strangely inept. Beth Mooney has not really been timing the ball too well, and her new opening partner Elyse Villani also looked out of sorts. It meant a powerplay that elicited only 39 runs with both openers gone. Meg Lanning and Rachel Haynes tried to rebuild, but could not do so and then got out, to leave the lower middle order with far too much to do. The Aussies were bowled out for 119 in the last over.

The bookies still make the Aussies favourites to win the tournament, and by some margin, with England second favourites, followed by India and the West Indies. As for me, having nailed my colours to the Aussie mast before the tournament I will stick with them, but I have been pleasantly surprised by both the Indians and the West Indies. Both have played some great cricket and they will both believe they can win this tournament.

As for England they have not really been tested yet. This afternoon with 10,011 West Indians against them they will be. It is going to be a tough challenge, but a win for England will set them up mentally for a semi-final against the old enemy. A loss means a re-run of the 2017 World Cup final with the Indians, who might just have the self-belief to get over the line this time. It is going to be a tense afternoon.

Martin Davies
18/XI/18

WWT20 favourites Australia name their squad

Three times WWT20 winners Australia have added two players to the squad that demolished the Kiwis 3-0 in their recent T20 series to make up their WWT20 squad. Joining the 13 players (only 11 of whom actually played in the series) are spinner Jess Jonassen, assuming she is fit after having minor knee surgery in September, and left-handed opener Nicole Bolton.

The full squad for the WWT20 is :-
Meg Lanning, Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Warehem.

There is no place for Aussie contracted leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington, whose role has been taken by Georgia Wareham, and previously tried seamers Lauren Cheatle, Tahlia McGrath and Belinda Vakarewa are all overlooked in favour of the untested, and largely unproven, 19 year old quick Tayla Vlaeminck.

The Aussie starting XI looks pretty clear with the fire power of Healy, Mooney, Gardner and Villani up front, followed by the tactical nous of Lanning, Haynes and Perry for those tricky situations, and Kimmince and Molineux no mugs with the bat at 8 & 9. 10 and jack, Schutt and Wareham, will be hoping they never even need to get their pads out of their kit bags. If Jonassen is fit then she may step in for Molineux, although 20 year old Molineux may already have taken the left-arm spinner's mantle from her 25 year old compatriot, whose numbers in India in March were not that great. Bolton looks like cover for the currently out of sorts Mooney, who has struggled slightly with the bat of late, after her scintillating ton against England in the Ashes at the back end of 2017. I think Mooney will get the nod to start in the first group games against Pakistan and Ireland, with the Aussies hoping she can rack up some runs and get her mojo back before they take on New Zealand and India, in what should be tougher games.

With the top two in Group B going through to the semi-finals it is difficult to see the Aussies not waltzing into the play-off stages of the competition, which will be held in the Sir Vivian Richards' Stadium in Antigua. Conditions there may be very different to the Province Stadium in Guyana, where all the Group B games are being played. Four warm-up games at the Sir Vivian Richards' Stadium on 3rd and 4th November, including England v Australia, and five at the Province Stadium between 4th and 7th November will be good indicators of the type of pitches the girls can expect to face.

Whoever Australia meet in the semi-finals, which is likely to be one of England, West Indies or South Africa, they will back themselves to power on to the final two days later and then bring home the trophy for the fourth time in the six times it has been held. Only England and the West Indies (the current holders) have managed to prevent the Aussies from winning it more times. They will have their work cut out to try and do it again.

MD
09/X/18

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

Second T20 - Talking Points

If only.....

If only England could have batted like that in the first T20...

If only Brunt and Gunn could have bowled like that in the first T20....

If only Beth Mooney could have run herself out in the first T20.....

Ah the vagaries of cricket.

As it was England were very good and the Aussies weren't. Aussie hangover? Maybe. England more relaxed and more focused? Probably.

England's 152/6 was their highest ever score against Australia in a T20 in Australia. Their win by 40 runs was their largest ever margin of victory over the Aussies in this format (with thanks to @hypocaust). It was a comprehensive win.

And yet at the turnaround England's 152 looked to be slightly below par. They had run well, but failed to find as many boundaries as they would have liked. The pitch was quick and true and the outfield like glass. 165 looked like the score they needed to post.

As it was 152 was plenty, but with the Aussies at 45/0 in the fifth over that didn't look to be the case. Healy looked in good touch (as she so often does just before she gets out), even if Mooney wasn't quite as fluent as she had been in the first T20. She then thumped one straight to Jenny Gunn at mid-off and set off for a run. She was well short as the ball clattered into the stumps at the bowler's end. The next four overs turned the game on its head...

Brunt came on for her first over (the seventh of the innings). New bat Elyse Villani played and missed at the first three balls; to the fourth she walked down the wicket, swished wildly to leg and was stumped by Sarah Taylor.

In the next over Healy meekly hit Gunn straight down long-on's throat.

In the next over Ellye Perry contrived to hit a Brunt short ball onto her front foot and then back onto her stumps.

In the next over the much-hyped Ash Gardner hit Danni Hazell for a beauteous 6, and then holed out at deep midwicket, to a shot described on CA's livestream ball by ball commentary as a "slog".

Australia were now 65/5 after 10 overs - GAME OVER.

And so we move to the final game of the tour, and the penultimate entry on this blog. The last will follow the final T20.

The Aussies really want to win the last game so they can say they have won the series 10-6, and the T20 series 2-1. England will be desperate to square the series at 8-8, even though that means they have to leave Australia without the Ashes. I doubt there will be any changes to the England line-up unless there are injuries. As for the Aussies I think Villani may well give way to Alex Blackwell. Villani has had a poor Ashes series with scores of 38, 1, 8, 14, 17, and 1. Blackwell may be the calming influence they need to try and chase down any target England can set in the final match.

You should be able to watch it online here in the UK for free. I think it's going to be tight.

MD
20/XI/17

First T20 - Talking Points

The Ashes are gone and the first thing to say is that the Beth Mooney's innings deserved to be a game winner and, perhaps, an Ashes winner too. She batted like a woman possessed, striking the ball very cleanly. I have to admit I have always been a fan, having seen her play for Yorkshire in county cricket here in England back in 2015. Her timing and her ability to play in the V were a joy to watch. I only say "perhaps" as I'm not sure of the true merit of T20 cricket as a deciding format for an Ashes Series, or indeed any other multi-format series. T20 cricket is just too hit and miss. But it satisfies the needs of those that seem to need instant gratification and it keeps the television producers and the cricket boards happy, so it ain't gunna change any time soon.

England have really not had the rub of the green with some of the umpiring decisions in this series. Heather Knight's dismissal tonight was the third time she has been on the wrong end of a poor decision. This time by the third umpire! Wicketkeeper Healy's gloves were fractionally in front of the stumps before Knight hit the ball, and therefore the correct call was a no ball. Instead she was given out. England were further hampered in setting any sort of decent total when Sarah Taylor was given out lbw after the ball had struck her thigh pad. It was clearly too high, but there was no review.

The fact that England then made it to 132/9, having been 16/4 in the fifth over, will have pleased coach Mark Robinson. Danni Wyatt's first ever 50 in her 124th game for England, shows a degree of belief in her abilities, which is perhaps hard to fathom. Perhaps finally Robinson is the man to get the best out of her?Personally I'd like to see her open in the next two T20s, rather than Heather Knight, who looks far more comfortable down the order. Wyatt could be England's Alyssa Healy. What have England got to lose? At the moment they do not have the right combination at the top of the order. I know Wyatt has had her chances to open before and blown those chances, but she deserves another go, perhaps with a bit more guidance and support from the sidelines.

As for Katherine Brunt she is not a first ten overs bat. Her technique and temperament does not merit her being that high. It seems the more that is expected of her as a bat, the less she is able to perform. Free her from expectation and she does not try so hard, and then she succeeds. I think she should bat at 7, and be elevated only if quick runs are needed late in the innings. As for her bowling she has taken just four wickets in three ODIs, a Test and now one T20. England will have to decide if she is still the force that she once was, and the opening bowler they need for the WWT20 in the Windies in just 12 months time.

Somehow England also need to find a space for Elwiss in the next two T20s too, and realistically that has to be at the expense of Jenny Gunn. Again looking forward England need to decide if Gunn is part of the squad for that WWT20 next year. It is a moot point.

England will be disappointed, but it was in the 50 over format where they should have racked up some points. They are better than the Aussies in this format. Despite no real warm-up games due to the weather, they should have won the first ODI, and taken a 4-2 lead into the Test, and then a 6-4 lead into the three T20s. It was not to be, but it should not take the gloss off what has been a very rewarding 2017 for England.

The challenge now is to have an equally rewarding 2018!!

MD
17/XI/17

T20 Ashes Showdown!!

So it all comes down to the last three T20I games, starting with the first on Friday on the same pitch at North Sydney Oval, under lights. If England lose then the next two games will be academic, but if they win then the battle will continue at the Manuka Oval in Canberra, two days later, and, if needed, two further days after that.

England will choose their starting XI from the same 15 players that have been selected for the whole series. It is doubtful there will be many changes in personnel, but Alex Hartley may get the nod this time ahead of Sophie Ecclestone,  and Georgia Elwiss may have muscled her way back into contention, after showing some character with the bat in the Test, if not speed.

We will have a better idea of what is in Mark Robinson's mind when England play the Governor General's XI at Drummoyne Oval on Wednesday evening.

The fact that Nicole Bolton has been given the job of captaining the young GG's XI side may be an indicator that she will not be included in the full Australian side to play on Friday. Indeed Australia are yet to name their T20 squad.

It would be no surprise to see Alyssa Healy back up into the opener's spot, perhaps accompanying Beth Mooney this time. As well as the usual candidates I'd expect to see a couple of young guns named in the squad and perhaps even making the final XI. Heather Graham, Georgia Redmayne, and Molly Strano could all be hearing from coach Mott in the next 24 hours or so. Existing youngsters Ash Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Lauren Cheatle (if recovered from injury - she is named to play in the GG XI game?), and Amanda-Jade Wellington are also likely to feature on Friday, meaning some of the more established faces may have to give way, as Australia look to build their T20 squad for next year's World Cup in the West Indies. Under threat are Elyse Villani, Alex Blackwell, Jess Jonassen and even skipper Rachael Haynes. It is doubtful all would go en masse, as the side needs some experienced campaigners, but I'd expect to see some fresh faces in the squad, and out on the park if Australia win either the first or second game and have the Ashes safely back under lock and key.

England haven't played a T20 game since their series against Pakistan in the summer of 2016. The Aussies last series was against New Zealand in February of this year - a series that they lost 2-1. With everything riding on it it should be a nail-biting affair, with the pressure perhaps more on the Aussies to get over the line, as everyone expects them to do, than on England, who know their chances of winning all three games are pretty low. Of course if England should win the first, and then the second games then the pressure will shift to them in the third, as they get to within touching distance of an unlikely Ashes Series win. It could all be in the mind!

MD
13/XI/17

Ashes Test - Final Thoughts

Ultimately both teams were beaten by the North Sydney Oval pitch, as England comfortably held off the Aussies on the final day, ending with a handshake an hour before the scheduled close of play on 206/2. Heather Knight (79*) and Georgia Elwiss (41*) saw England to the draw after Tammy Beaumont and Lauren Winfield had fallen midway through the first session of the day. Knight and Elwiss simply dug in and on a slow pitch there was little that the Aussies could do.

This leaves the Aussies 6-4 up in the series and needing to win just one of the three T20Is, which start on the same pitch on Friday. England cannot afford any more slips.

Whilst the last day may have been a bit of an anti-climax, the Test has been an absorbing contest and once again sparked the debate about why the women don't play more Test cricket. The simple answer is because the ICC don't want them to. The reason is that it is not a format they can see being lucrative. That is not likely to change anytime soon, more's the pity.

This will always be the Test that is remembered for Ellyse Perry's magnificent double hundred. She is the consummate professional and the game is lucky that she decided to pursue a career in cricket rather than in football. She will continue to dominate bowling attacks around the world for many years to come, but Australia will need to rely less and lesson on her bowling. She cannot be expected to carry both, and her batting is now far superior to her bowling. Whilst her T20I and ODI batting numbers are good, you definitely feel that, given more opportunities, her Test stats would be out of this world.

The series seems to have captured the attention of the Aussie public, with 12,000 turning up to watch the Test. Crowds for the three T20Is are likely to also be very good. It will be the most watched Women's Ashes series in Australia to date.

The series will be swiftly followed by the WBBL, again with increased television coverage and bigger crowds.

Women's cricket in Australia has become mainstream. It has become a viable career option. Who would have thought that five years ago?

MD
12/XI/17

Ashes Test Day Three - Talking points

So England ended Day Three 128 runs behind Australia after Ellyse Perry's mammoth knock of 213* took Australia to 448/9 declared. It was simply magnificent. A chanceless double hundred. The first time she has ever got into three figures in international cricket. A pleasure to see no matter what your affiliations may be.

England were 40/0 at the close of the third day, but not without a few flutter. They will have 100 overs to negotiate tomorrow to draw the Test and keep their Ashes hopes alive. If they lose then the Ashes are gone.

But is an England win completely out of the question? The bookies think so. You can get 80/1 on England winning the Test, but just hang on a minute....

There are 100 overs to be bowled tomorrow. If England treated the game like a 50 over game and could score at 5 runs an over then after 50 overs they would be 122 runs ahead of the Aussies. Bat another 10 overs and they could take that lead to 200, if they have wickets in hand. Declare and that would leave Australia 38 overs to score 201 to win. Would they go for it? Of course they would, at least to start, which could open the door for England with the final session under lights.

It would be a risky strategy, yes, but one that I am sure Mark Robinson will at least be thinking about, albeit only briefly. England are not good at simply batting out time, so why not take the positive route. Let the batsmen express themselves. That is how they bat best.

True if England lose the Test then they lose the series, but if they draw then the Aussies will only need one win in the three remaining T20Is to keep the urn anyway?

Come on England let's go down all guns blazing!

MD
11/XI/17

Ashes Test - Day One - Talking Points

Who will be happier after the end of Day One? It has to be the Australians.

Midway through the second session England were 129/1 with Tammy Beaumont (70) and Heather Knight (62) seemingly in control. Within seven overs both were gone and England's innings began to stumble. Beaumont chased a wide leg-spinner from Wellington and edged it to slip, and Knight was harshly given out lbw sweeping at Jonassen.

At 214/4 England were still not in too bad a shape. True they had lost Nat Sciver, also to a somewhat dubious lbw decision, but Sussex pair Georgia Elwiss (27) (in for Gunn) and Sarah Taylor (29), batting at 6, seemed to have the measure of the pitch even if they were not scoring quickly, but then they both got out to Ellyse Perry playing ugly shots. With Brunt wafting a wide one to backward square England closed on 235/7 and had handed the advantage to Australia, who will look to knock them over for less than 250. England will now be pleased if they can get to 300.

It is not a disaster by any stretch of the imagination, but this looks a good batting pitch, even if the outfield is a little slow. 350-400 would have been a decent first innings score.

The positive is that the Aussies have had to field all day and will have to come out again tomorrow afternoon for at least one more stint. If England can take them beyond the first break that will be 8+ hours in the field, which is very sapping, particularly when you are not used to it. England will then need early wickets to get the Aussies on the back foot. If they can get them 20/2 chasing 315, then that will look a tall order.

As for the Aussies they generally bowled decent lines, but Ellyse Perry looked extremely tired as she bowled her last over. She was still good enough to react to Taylor's uppish straight drive and get an arm out to parry it up, so that she could catch it. Just when she seemed to be at a really low ebb.

For all her talk Amanda Wellington has no variation ball that she bowls. If its in her armoury then she is keeping it there....but when for? Last over of the day surely you bowl the googly if you have it? She didn't.

Schutt, McGrath and Jonassen toiled away solidly, with the latter two picking up two wickets each. But England will feel that they got themselves out, rather than they were got out. If he were dead then Geoff Boycott would be spinning in his grave!

All in all a decent day of Test cricket and nicely set up for Day Two.

MD
09/XI/17

Ashes Test Preview

The stage is set for the biennial Ashes Test, this time at the North Sydney Oval in Australia, to be played as a day/night game, with a pink ball. Like you didn't know that already?

It all kicks off on Thursday 2.30pm local time, which is 3.30am GMT.

The warm-ups are done and here is our best guess at the probably line-ups

Australia

Mooney, Bolton, Blackwell, Perry, Villani, Haynes, Healy, Gardner, Wellington, Schutt, Cheatle

England

Beaumont, Winfield, Knight, Elwiss, Sciver, Taylor, Brunt, Gunn, Marsh, Shrubsole, Ecclestone

The issue for Australia is in the bowling department - should left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen or medium pacer Tahlia McGrath replace Gardner or Cheatle? Whichever they run with, it looks like the Aussies are a bit light on bowling, with only five front-line bowlers. It would be no surprise to see part-timers Villani, Haynes or Bolton twirling their arms over if England can bat long. Beware the rank long-hop England!

For England that may be their major issue - batting long. One of their top six needs to bat, and bat, and bat. Their two imponderables are whether a space should be made for Alex Hartley or Fran Wilson. Two left-arm spinners is a bit of a luxury so the Hartley question comes down to a straight choice between her and Sophie Ecclestone, with Ecclestone likely edging it. Wilson has kept her place in the ODI team, but may be passed over in favour of Georgia Elwiss. Both could play if Jenny Gunn were to be dropped, but that seems unlikely. The XI above is stacked with bowling - eight realistic options. Given that England really need to win and therefore need to take 20 wickets, it is a line-up that will give skipper Heather Knight plenty of options.

So who will win? Well the Aussies are favourites with the bookies on home soil and you would say that Test Match batting will suit Bolton, Blackwell and Haynes. England will need to winkle each one of them out, but England have the better, varied bowling attack, so it should not be impossible. 

Stickability is not a quality much evident in England's top six, with the exception perhaps of Beaumont and Knight. The rest need to bat around these two. If England can get on top of the thin Aussie bowling attack then they could go very big. Any score in excess of 350 on the board in the first innings and England will be in the box seat.

So what is the answer then? Who is going to win? Your guess is as good as mine! Which is how it should be. An even contest. I am sure both coaches will be telling their players that now is the time to pull out that top performance. It is time to stand up and be counted. This is an Ashes Test! [Is that strains of Jerusalem I hear in the background?]

Someone is going to put in a key performance, probably with the bat. The question is who will it be?

MD

07/XI/17

Aus & England warm-ups - Day Three

Both Australia and England will have been happy with the final day of their warm-up games today, both sides ultimately drawing their games, but both gaining some much needed time with both bat and ball in hand.

Australia started the last day on 126/2 with Villani and Haynes at the crease. Villani went on to make 70, and there were runs too for Blackwell (45) and Wellington (33*). Wellington's obvious competency with the bat (she recently hit a ton for South Australia in the WNCL) may well see her picked ahead of Kristen Beams for the Test side. Australia declared on 287/9 leaving ACT needing 270 in a minimum of 44 overs. As it was they made it to 68/3 before Australia decided, with half an hour still to play, that they had had enough practice - to be fair Villani had started to bowl so it was probably a fair call!
Aus scorecard

As for England they resumed Day Three on a slightly more precarious 87/3 and Heather Knight was an early casualty for 35, but Sarah Taylor (85*), Nat Sciver (42), Fran Wilson (45) and Katherine Brunt (43*) took England to 305/7 declared, leaving CA XI a notional 266 to win, with 42 overs to bowl. England took the opportunity to give eight bowlers a go (without using Brunt, Ecclestone, Hartley or Hazell), and they managed to claim seven wickets (three for Knight in three overs at the death, and two for Marsh) as CA XI finished on 182/7. The only worrying trait was the poor economy rate from all but, Shrubsole, Elwiss and Gunn.
Eng scorecard

MD
05/XI/17

Aus & England warm-ups - Day Two

Both Australia and England will be reasonably pleased with their second attempts with the bat (perhaps Australia more than England?), but probably not quite so thrilled at their efforts with the ball.

ACT started the day on 71/4, which became 86/5 with the run out of Jess Jonassen, but from there it was hard work for the Aussie bowlers, with Ange Reakes hitting an unbeaten 103 and Marizanne Kapp, coming in at 9, an unbeaten 61, sharing an unbroken stand of 112. ACT declared on 290/7 with a lead of just 18. Only Ellyse Perry picked up more than one wicket (2/45), and there were no wickets again for Amanda-Jade Wellington.
On their second knock the Aussies finished on 126/2 with Alyssa Healy opening and hitting a brisk 27 before she was out. Bolton was the other wicket to fall for a more measured 38 off 73 balls. Villani (48) and Haynes (13) are not out overnight, with Australia leading by 108 runs on 126/2.
scorecard here

As for England they too had a bit of a tough time with the ball eventually bowling out CA XI for 271, with a lead of 40. Naomi Stalenberg was the mainstay of the CA XI innings with 114. Katherine Brunt took 4/37.
England ended the day on 87/3, and with some work to do, with Lauren Winfield (7) and Tammy Beaumont (24) the early wickets to fall. Georgia Elwiss fell as the day drew to a close for 8, which left Heather Knight still there on 34 and England with a slender lead of 47 runs. Nat Sciver was 9* and will hope to bat long tomorrow.
scorecard here

MD
04/XI/17

Aus & England warm-ups - Day One

Australia and England have had pretty similar days in their first day of the their three day warm-up games for the only Test which starts next Thursday.

Australia are playing ACT (with Marizanne Kapp, Dane van Niekerk, Belinda Vakarewa, Tahlia McGrath and Jess Jonassen in their ranks). Australia batted first and Beth Mooney would appear to have nailed the opener's slot alongside Nicole Bolton, as she racked up an unbeaten 118 in Australia's total of 272/8 declared. Ellyse Perry also hit 58. Chief destroyer for ACT was Kiwi outcast Hayley Jensen who took 5/26 off 13 overs. In response ACT ended the day on 71/4 with wickets for Lauren Cheatle, Megan Schutt and Perry, which looks to be the fast bowling line-up they will take into the Test.

scorecard here

As for England they had a poorer day with the bat scoring only 231 against a young Australia XI, but there were some welcome runs for Lauren Winfield, who scored 82 off 161 balls - some decent time at the crease for her. Beaumont, Sciver, Taylor and Brunt all got into the 20s before they fell. In response Brunt took two early CA XI wickets, and, just before the close of play, Sophie Ecclestone and Laura Marsh picked up a wicket each, to leave CA XI on 82/4. This XI for England looks like it is the one that will start the Test, provided they stay fit - Beaumont, Winfield, Knight, Elwiss, Sciver, Taylor, Brunt, Gunn, Shrubsole, Marsh, Ecclestone.

scorecard here

MD
03/XI/17

Third Ashes ODI - Talking Points

England have their first Ashes' points and their first ICCWC points on the board, after a 20 run (D/L) victory over Australia in the third ODI.

Using the same pitch as used for the second ODI, it was almost inevitable that whoever won the toss would opt to bat, and would expect to score around 300. Heather Knight called right, and after the early loss of Winfield, and some early gasp-inducing high jinks from Sarah Taylor, a serious score always looked on the cards for England - in fact their final 284/8 might have been a slight disappointment to them.

Winfield's form in 2017 is quite troubling, but to be honest England have no-one sitting in the wings to replace her at the top of the order. Her scores in 2017 have been - 26, 24, 1, 11, 11, 20, 24, 48, 2, and 0. That is 167 runs in 10 innings - an average of 16.7. Her overall career average is 23.42 in 35 innings. I am not convinced that her batting style suits the opener's role, but with whom do you replace her? I have always been a fan of Amy Jones's batting, and the enigma that is Danni Wyatt. Building towards the T20 World Cup perhaps it is time to look at some other options at the top of the order, if not on this tour, then pretty soon.

Sarah Taylor is, well....Sarah Taylor. She is like the naughty child, who sits in the middle of a messy room and smiles innocently at her exasperated parents. Quite why she thought stepping across her stumps to try and ramp the third ball of her innings when England were on 2/1 was a good idea was beyond the rest of us, but it made sense to her. She missed it, but she didn't get out and she went on to dominate a 122 run stand with Tammy Beaumont that put England in a great position at the half-way stage. Her exit to a tame half-tracker leg cutter from Megan Schutt, who seems to find ways to take wickets even when she doesn't deserve to, was another deep sigh moment, but we still love her. The unnecessary and inappropriate send-off from Schutt was less endearing.

As they neared 200 England wobbled losing Beaumont, Sciver and Wilson (another no DRS victim!). In days of yore it would have been the start of an England collapse. But Heather Knight, who played beautifully, steered the lower middle order through the last 12 overs accumulating 83 runs with Brunt, Gunn, Shrubsole and Ecclestone (who scored just 29 of them). It was the difference between England reaching 284 and them reaching 240. It was a winning knock.

But it looked iffy for a while. Fran Wilson will have been mighty relieved that England got over the line, as her drop of Alyssa Healy on 4 cost England another 67 runs and allowed Australia to put on 118 for the first wicket at a decent rate. [follow this link to watch - sorry Fran!]

Healy has relished the chance to open the batting, and England have failed to negate her up-tempo batting style. She might not get the job in the Test Match, but she undoubtedly will in the T20s, so England will need to find a plan for her at the top of the order - perhaps spin is the answer? Her demise brought Perry to the wicket, who had bowled all 10 of her overs on a hot morning, and fielded at deep mid-wicket on both sides of the square, where she did another great job, but will have taken a lot out of herself. She looked tired with the bat and with Nicole Bolton also unable to break the shackles, England started to exert some pressure. Bolton, Perry and Villani all holed out going straight and with Australia needing 104 off 15 overs - the rate was up to almost 7. It never got lower as Sciver, Shrubsole, Hartley and Gunn squeezed the life out of the Aussie innings. Australia continue to ask an awful lot of Perry.

And so the focus changes now to the four day day/night pink ball Test (starts 9th November). The Aussies lead the series 4-2, so if they win the Test then the Ashes will be theirs. England will want to win and take the four points on offer, but they would take a draw, although that would still leave them needing to win all three T20Is!

It should be a great Test. Let's hope the wicket is a bit better and quicker than the last Test between the two sides at Canterbury. I expect both sides to play positive cricket - ie not traditional Test cricket. That is not a game that suits either side. After all they hardly ever play multi-day games. It should be fascinating, but, Aussie or England supporter, prepare to be both entertained and exasperated all in good measure.

MD
29/X/17

Second Ashes ODI - Talking points

The Aussies are 2-0 up in the ODI series, and already 4-0 up in the Ashes Series overall, after a resounding victory in the second ODI at Coff's Harbour. Set initially 297 to win, England never looked like getting there, and they ended 76 runs short of the D/L score of 285, after four overs were lost to rain early in England's innings.

For Australia there were half-centuries for Bolton, Healy, Perry and Haynes, but it was Rachael Haynes' knock of 89* off 56 balls which took the Aussie total beyond 275, which looked to be the par score on a good track. I hold up my hand and say I misjudged Haynes' abilities. I did not think she had a knock like that in her. She found the boundary 12 times in her innings, including three maximums. True she was badly dropped on the boundary by Tammy Beaumont on 60, but in truth the damage was already done by then. It was a sensational knock.

Things actually started to go wrong for England at the toss - they won it! With thunderstorms scheduled later in the evening it made sense to bowl first so that if targets were adjusted, as the side batting second, you knew what you needed. As it turned out most of the rain fell in the innings break and England suffered with a much slower outfield, and the fact that they are not good chasers. Had they batted first, which they undoubtedly would have done in normal circumstances, then who knows what might have happened. But hindsight is a wonderful thing.

England included 18 year old Sophie Ecclestone for her first Ashes' outing, replacing Marsh, and Australia were without Ash Gardner, who was suffering with concussion, having been hit on the head whilst batting in the first ODI - Beams took her place. Ecclestone bowled her 10 overs and took the wicket of Healy with her "arm ball". Her 1/49 was the most economical spell. In contrast Alex Hartley looked ragged in her first spell, although she improved in her second. Having said that I'd guess that Ecclestone's name is first on the team sheet out of the two of them now.

England never really recovered from being 20/2 with Winfield and Beaumont both lbw to Schutt's induckers playing across the line to full balls. Taylor then gave Tahlia McGrath her first international wicket, nicking behind (only bowling as Perry was mistakenly withdrawn from the attack by the umpires for bowling two balls over waist height - the second was not dangerous, which it needed to be under the ICCWC Playing Conditions); Sciver slapped Jonassen to mid-on before she had even got going; and Knight was adjudged lbw sweeping at Wellington. Replays showed she had edged the ball, but there is no DRS available for this series, despite the cameras and the obvious availability of hotspot technology. England were 91/5 and the game was gone.

Katherine Brunt scored her maiden ODI 50 at a run-a-ball, but the rate kept climbing and England simply ran out of batting.

At 4-0 down they are in a hole. The Aussies only need 4 more points. A win on Sunday is going to be essential, but it will take all of Mark Robinson's and Heather Knight's collective self-belief to get them there. I'd still push Sciver up to 4, and I think Robinson might look at playing Danni Hazell, perhaps instead of Hartley, to try and trouble the lefthanders outside their off-stump. But if the batting line-up can't find some runs, then who bowls is actually going to be irrelevant.

MD
26/X/17