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 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

The Windies Blog - Part One

It's Sunday 11th November 2018 and I'm sitting at my desk looking out to the north west from the top of the Caribbean island of St Lucia. Several hundred metres below the sea is lapping gently onto a white sand beach sporting the usual paraphernalia of an upmarket resort hotel - sun beds, volley ball net, kayaks, two-man catamarans (I'm sure they have a proper boaty name, but I don't know it). It is a beach we have tried to get down to, but have so far failed. A trek on foot had to be aborted when we were confronted by a neighbour's rottweiler and impossibly dense undergrowth. An excursion by car was met with a barriered entrance to the swanky hotel and two hefty guards. A night raid is being planned...

It is just coming up to 9am and there is some hazy sunshine. It makes a pleasant change. Our group has been in our villa just north of Gros Islet, in the very north of the island, for three days and sunshine has been something which has been in short supply. Rain, on the other hand, has not! Sweeping showers over the first two days gave way to biblical rain yesterday, which left the precipitous roads gushing with water. It was not ideal timing as England were due to open their account in Group A of the Women's World T20 (and I use the term "women's" deliberately. When the men play it is the Men's World T20 - I use the terms not to be sexist, but just to distinguish between the two).

By the time photographer Don and I had  made it into the ground having picked up our Press Passes and negotiated the muddy rivers that flowed around the car park, not to mention the somewhat treacherous stairs to the Media Centre, it was already apparent that the day's game against Sri Lanka would not be taking place. In fact the games scheduled to take place tomorrow here in St Lucia (England v Bangladesh and Sri Lanka v South Africa) are in serious doubt. That would be more bad news for England, as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are both teams that England would expect to beat comfortably - not so South Africa and West Indies - the other two teams in Group A.

Shortly before 4pm the game was officially called off and CRICKETher's Raf and Syd dutifully went off to the "Post Match Press Conference". Mainstream media want quotes, no matter how bland and inane they may be. I'd rather Heather played cricket than had to answer questions to which everyone knows the answer she is going to give. Buzz words - disappointed, looking forward, ready, move on.

In an effort to spice up proceedings journalist Adam Collins lobbed in the grenade question "With the forecast as it is, do you think consideration should be given to moving the games to another country?" Pull pin, count to seven and then lob.....It was not a question that Heather could possibly answer. It was posed to create a hook for a story on a quiet news day and perhaps as a barb at the ICC for scheduling these games here in St Lucia at the back end of the rainy season. It was always a risk, as is our being here to watch the games. The ICC are apparently "considering the idea", although no-one from the ICC has said this is the case. Given that it is now "an issue" it IS probably now being discussed, but at what level and with how much vigour, who knows?

As it is the tournament goes on. Group B based in Guyana - Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and Ireland - has no such weather issues and got off to cracking start with a fine victory for India over New Zealand, which puts them in the box seat to take one of the two semi-final places allocated to the teams that finish first and second in the group. A majestic 103 off 51 balls for Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was possibly one of the best T20I innings that I have ever seen. Superb timing and magnificent shot selection. Not power hitting, but powerful cricket.

Australia then thumped Pakistan, but probably not as hard as they would have liked. They will have tougher games. And then West Indies took on Bangladesh in a Group A clash, presumably scheduled so that the hosts could appear on the first day of their home tournament, despite all their other games being in St Lucia. On a slow, worn pitch Windies would have been worried when they stumbled to 18/3 and then 50/5 with 3/5ths of their overs gone. But they managed to get beyond a 100, and then bowled Bangladesh out for 46, with Deandra Dottin helping herself to a World T20 record of 5/5 by bowling quick and straight. The Bangladeshis lack of a straight bat accounting for most of the carnage.

Which brings us back to today. Two more games are due in Guyana - India v Pakistan and Australia v Ireland. We will all be sitting in front of the tv with the aircon blasting away watching intently.

MD
11/XI/18

Busy week to settle WWC17 places

It is a busy last few days in the ICC Women's Championship this week as the final round of fixtures are played and the four teams that automatically qualify for the 2017 World Cup emerge (subject to the ICC's ruling on the unplayed Pakistan v India fixtures)

On Tuesday England, who have already secured their qualification with victory in the second ODI against Sri Lanka, again take on their hosts at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. It will be interesting to see if Katherine Brunt has recovered from her "niggle" which took her off the field in the last game, and if newbie Emma Lamb is given her first cap?

On Wednesday West Indies have their final chance to secure their WWC17 place for themselves as they take on India in the third and final ODI in Vijayawada. They have failed to score enough runs in the first two games and been well beaten by their Indian hosts. If West Indies are again beaten, then the door remains just slightly ajar for South Africa to sneek past them into the top four, although they will have to beat Australia...three times!
As for India, without the six points from the unplayed games against Pakistan, they will finish in fifth or sixth spot and will be in Sri Lanka for the qualifying tournament.

Also on Wednesday New Zealand can seal their place in WWC17 if they win the fourth ODI against Pakistan. In the three games to date they have been untroubled, although Pakistan did manage to put 263/6 on the board in the last game (the first ICCWC match). New Zealand still chased it down with nearly six overs to spare and eight wickets in hand. Amy Satterthwaite helped herself to a second consecutive unbeaten hundred, and she will be looking for more runs as the teams move to Nelson for the final two ODIs of the series.

On Thursday England conclude their series against Sri Lanka with the fourth ODI in the series. It will be England's last ODI before the World Cup warm-ups, unless they can fit in another "unofficial" series before next June.

On Friday Australia start their five match ODI series against South Africa (with the first three to count towards the ICCWC). It is the final series in the ICCWC competition, with Australia already through to the WWC17, but, by this time, it may already be too late for South Africa to get there without going to Sri Lanka first. The second and third games will be played the following Sunday and Wednesday.

And finally Saturday will see the conclusion of the New Zealand v Pakistan series. How many ODI runs can Amy Satterthwaite finish up with in 2016? She has 730 so far!!

MD
14/XI/16

A week is a long time...in cricket

We are a week and 10 games into the WWT20 and it has been an interesting few days.

In Group A New Zealand have lived up to the expectations of many (me included) and look like the side to beat in this competition. They comfortably beat Australia today and their top order looks extremely powerful. The complete lack of pace from Leigh Kasperek's slllllllll...o...w right arm spin (although to be fair she does not actually spin it much at all - watch the ball in the slowmos!) seems to fox all who bat against her. Her appearance and style are very reminiscent of England's former left-arm spinner Holly Colvin. Short of stature she too threw the ball in the air, allowing it to dip as it got to the batsmen. She did alright too!

I keep expecting someone to work out how to play Kasperek - use your feet and play straight. In the group games they only have South Africa left to play. It will be interesting to see if Dane van Niekerk can get to her.

The Aussies look a bit of a muddled outfit. Which is not like them. I pointed out before the tournament that they did not know who to open the batting with. They still don't. If it were me it would be Mooney and Villani with Lanning at three, but I think Lanning may insist on taking the role against Sri Lanka. Despite their confusion the Aussies are still likely to make the semis - they have Sri Lanka and Ireland still to play. Their narrow victory over South Africa has saved their blushes. But will they make it beyond the semis? In all probability they will meet England there. England will never have a better chance of knocking them out of a major final.

In Group B the first three games went with form with comfortable wins for India, West Indies and England over lower opposition, but India's catatonic batting against Pakistan as they froze under the pressure of their own and their country's expectations, ultimately led to their demise - although you have to say that the rain probably saved Pakistan from throwing away a game that they should have won at a canter. Tomorrow India play England. Should India lose then their tournament may well be over. England's big game experience might just be enough to win it for them, despite a lacklustre start to the tournament against Bangladesh.

Defeat might not be the end for India. West Indies have been unconvincing in their opening two wins against Pakistan and Bangladesh. In fact Pakistan should have beaten them, but ran out of self-belief half way through chasing 103 and ended up four runs short. The Windies still have England and India to play and they could lose both those games, opening the door for India to qualify on net run rate.

I'll be watching the rest of the tournament from Colombo in Sri Lanka where I am headed to follow the England Academy take on the Shooting Stars and the Sri Lankan young guns. The way things are panning out at the moment I would suggest that it looks like a New Zealand v England final, but all that could change as soon as tomorrow. I'll be sitting on my suitcase in the front-room waiting for the taxi to the airport watching England take on India. Will it be new India or old India, and will it be new England or old England? Who knows?

MD
21/III/16

New Zealand the in-form team heading into WWT20

So here is the up-to-date WCB IT20 Standings as the teams go into the WWT20 starting on 18^th March, including all games played up to 9^th March.

No I didn’t believe it either, but New Zealand really are top of the table AND they really are that many points ahead of England and Australia. I have checked lots of times. There are actually numerous reasons why they are top of the tree – Australia and England have not been too flash at T20 cricket of late (Australia have lost their last three T20 series and lost six of their last nine games); New Zealand have won eight of their last eleven games, including wins over England and Australia; and for some reason New Zealand played only 11 T20s between 1 March 2012 and 1 March 2014, which means they have only played 32 T20 games in the last four years compared with England’s 46 and Australia’s 44, so their recent form has a much greater impact on their current standing.

So does that make them favourites for the WWT20? Well the realistic answer is that they have as good a chance as Australia and England, the perennial favourites for these competitions, but also probably just as much chance as India, West Indies or South Africa. This really is the hardest WWT20 to call that there has ever been. Below I have previewed the teams’ chances, based on form, but there is one imponderable which I think might affect the tournament and who goes on to win it, and that is injury. 

For many of the top players the last few months have been jam-packed with cricket, as teams squeeze in ICCWC ODI fixtures, plus the almost obligatory three T20s. The Aussies have played an Ashes series against England, followed by a home series against India and no sooner were they back from New Zealand than they were on the plane to India. In between the entire squad has been involved in the WBBL, as have several of the England, New Zealand, West Indian and South African players. South Africa themselves have finished their latest series (against West Indies) today, which followed swiftly behind England's tour there too. Don't get me wrong I have no problem with plenty of cricket, but it does take it's toll. There will be many players carrying injuries into the tournament or having just recovered from injuries. I expect there may well be more during the tournament and if you lose a key player, then your fortunes can change rapidly. But aside from that caveat it looks like being a great tournament.

Group A
Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland

Australia expect to win. In fact most of the cricketing world expect Australia to win, but I just have this nagging doubt about this side and about the balance of their team. They did not perform that well against England last summer, then lost 2-1 to India at home and then by the same score to New Zealand away just a few days ago. They are struggling to nail down a decent opening partnership, they are relying far too much on Lanning and Perry to get runs and their bowling looks light. It has been a long haul for the Aussie girls since the English summer, including a full-on WBBL and I think this may be a tournament too far.

Antipodean rivals New Zealand will be looking to steal the Aussies’ crown.  After a couple of lacklustre years, including the failure to make the semi-finals of the last WWT20, New Zealand, under charismatic coach Haidee Tiffen, are once again punching above their weight on the international scene.  They seem to have a bit more self-belief now and if skipper Suzie Bates can keep her recent form going they will be tough to beat. But they do have bad days. And when they are bad they are very very bad. Can they string together the five or six wins on the trot that they need? They just might.

South Africa surprised everyone, including themselves, by making the semi-final of the 2014 WWT20. It was a great achievement and the fact that they froze in the semi-final against England was no surprise. Their recent series against England and the West Indies in South Africa shows that that cup run was no flash in the pan. Within their squad they have match-winners in van Niekerk, Lee, du Preez, Kapp and Luus, but their squad is thin. I expect them to win some big games, but possibly lose some they should win. If you want an outside bet though...

Sri Lanka and Ireland will not make it to the semi-finals, but Ireland could well win their first WWT20 match when the two sides meet. Sri Lanka are in a horrible slump of form at the moment. They have lost their last eight T20 games and in truth have never looked like winning any of them. Ireland won the WWT20 Qualifying Tournament in December, just pipping Bangladesh (their fellow qualifiers) in the final. They have great spirit in their team and it may be enough to get them a very precious two points.

Group B
England, West Indies, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

Playing at home and coming off the back of a T20 series win against the Aussies in Australia, plus a drubbing of a rather forlorn Sri Lanka, India are on a high. Things could go one of two ways it seems for them – they could either live up to their own, and the whole of India’s expectations and win the thing, or they could crash and burn. They should get off to a good start as they play Bangladesh on the opening day of the tournament, but their clashes with England (22^nd March) and the West Indies (27^th March), will decide if they make it through to the semi-finals. If they can make it there then their young stars – Smriti Mandhana, Shika Pandey, Anuja Patil and Veda Krishnamurthy,amongst others, may prove fearless enough to get them into the final, although it may have to be at the expense of tournament favourites Australia, which may be a big ask.

England lack consistency over the last couple of years. This tournament has come too early for new Head Coach Mark Robinson to have had any great influence over the outcome for his new team, but a new positive attitude with the bat looks certain. The South Africa tour proved that sometimes it comes off and sometimes it does not. There is no doubt that England have players capable of winning T20 games – Taylor, Knight, Jones, Shrubsole, Brunt – but the question is can they? England look a bit light in the spin-bowling department, with Knight now Charlotte Edwards go-to spin bowler it seems. If England make it out of the group then they are in with a shout.

The West Indies have a remarkably poor record in T20s over the last couple of years. They have only won seven out of the 25 they have played in that time. They have also managed to tie three of those games, which is quite a feat. They have class in Stafanie Taylor, and Deandra Dottin seems to be coming back into some sort of form after a couple of years in the wilderness following her ban, but these two need some back-up. They are a team capable of winning, but they lack a cutting edge.

Pakistan have had a torrid run into the tournament due to security issues in India. At the time of writing they have still yet to get to India, and it has been confirmed they will miss their first warm-up game with New Zealand scheduled for Thursday, and maybe even the warm-up against South Africa on Saturday. Their current T20 form is not that bad and they are a potential banana skin for the big three, but with little or no practice before the tournament they are clearly at a huge disadvantage.

Bangladesh have only beaten Ireland and Sri Lanka in their last 13 games, and lost narrowly to Ireland in the WWT20 Qualifier final. They should not trouble the big boys, but will be keen to get one over on Pakistan if they can.

So the warm-up games start tomorrow and the tournament itself kicks off on next Tuesday (15th March). Some of the group games are being televised as will be the semi-finals and the final. If the tournament can step out of the huge shadow of the men's tournament into the media spotlight, then it should be a great event.

MD
9/III/16

Faith, hope and clarity

Sunday saw India pick up a consolation ODI win, and two potentially vital ICCWC points, against an Australian team that took it's foot off the gas after a long season. A team that prides itself on it's fielding dropped three clear-cut catches and missed a vital stumping, as Mithali Raj rode her luck to score a vital 89, the Indians chasing down the Aussies under par 234/5 with three wickets in hand.

Meanwhile over in Benoni in South Africa England wrapped up a comfortable seven wicket win as thunderstorms reduced an original target of 197 to just 150. For once it was England's batting that shone with confident knocks from Amy Jones (34), Charlotte Edwards (33), Sarah Taylor (41*) and Heather Knight (26*). With the ball Anya Shrubsole was head and shoulders above her contemporaries taking 4/29 as the Proteas slumped to 196 all out having been 119/1 in the 31st over. In the field Jenny Gunn and Lydia Greenway both dropped chances off Katherine Brunt, either one of which would have given her her 100th ODI wicket.

But what struck me about the two games was the varying fortunes of two potential future stars of international cricket - namely Grace Harris for Australia and Amy Jones for England.

Grace Harris burst onto the scene in Australia last year and made her debut for the Southern Stars in the summer of 2015 in Ireland. She is a no-nonsense hard-hitting batsman, with a care-free attitude to match her style of play. She likes to go big over the legside. "Grace" may be her name, but it is not her style.

Her reputation was enhanced early in the WBBL when she formed an exciting opening partnership with Beth Mooney for the Brisbane Heat, including smashing the tournament's only century, scoring 103 off just 55 balls, against the then hapless Sydney Sixers (who would have thought they would go on to reach the final?). She was a shoe-in for the Southern Stars squad to face the Indians, at least in the T20 version of the game, but she was also selected for the ODI squad too. However things could not have gone much worse for her in the series as she has scored 0, 0 and 9 opening in the T20s, and 2 and 0 in the two ODIs she batted in, coming in at 5. She will always be a hit and miss batsmen, but Australia need at least some "hits" to keep her in the line-up. It will be interesting to see how much faith Aussie coach Matthew Mott has in her with the New Zealand series and the T20 World Cup just around the corner.

In contrast Amy Jones has been in and around the England team for several years without ever really getting much chance to show what she can do. In some ways she is hampered by being a very good wicket-keeper. In almost any other international set-up she would be selected as a wicket-keeper batsmen, but England have the best keeper in the world, Sarah Taylor, behind the stumps, whom Jones has had to understudy on tour after tour. She is however a very stylish batsman in her own right.

She finally made her ODI debut in the ill-fated World Cup game with Sri Lanka in Mumbai in February 2013. Batting at 7 she scored a classy 41, second top score for England. England went on to lose and Jones did not play again in the tournament. In fact she did not play an ODI again until almost a year later, when she appeared in the third Ashes ODI at Hobart. She did not bat. 13 months after that she made a couple of appearances in the 11 in New Zealand, scoring 4 on her only visit to the crease, as England got thumped by 9 wickets. It looked as though the Ashes series last year might finally see her picked as a batsman and given a decent run, but after a good looking 15 in the first ODI at Taunton, she made a duck at Bristol in the following game and took no further part in the series, losing her place in the Test squad to Fran Wilson. She showed the management what they were missing by hitting an unbeaten 155 against the full Aussie squad in a three day warm-up game two days later. England went on to lose the Test, the Ashes series and their Head of Performance (Paul Shaw).

In has come former Sussex coach Mark Robinson as Head Coach, who seems to have a knack of getting the best out of players. He turned around the career of Chris Jordan when he came to Sussex from Surrey and has had a similar positive effect with troubled players like Tymal Mills and Ollie Robinson. He has seen something in Jones' batting which he likes, and he put his faith in her sending her in to open with Lauren Winfield in the first ODI against South Africa. Both have obviously been given licence to bat positively - not slog, but hit through the ball when they can and dispatch the bad balls. The first 10 powerplay overs, when only two fielders are allowed outside the circle, are a key area for scoring runs.

Jones rewarded him with 34 off 27 balls, including six fours. She was out hitting a long-hop to midwicket. It was a frustrating end to a confident knock. Listening to Robinson and Assistant Coach Ali Maiden on commentary, they will have been satisfied with her knock. It had the right intent and the right style. Their confidence in her ability allowed her to bat with the freedom she needed. If she can maintain that positive attitude, and they keep faith in her, then she may prove to be an invaluable asset at the top of the batting order, not just in ODIs, but in T20s too, just in time for the WWT20.

The next few weeks will be interesting times for both players and for the coaches that pick them.

MD
08/II/16

England must win South Africa series 3-0

Australia have kicked off the 2016 installment of ICC Women's Championship ODIs (the last year of this World Cup qualifying tournament) with their current series against India. As you will see from the WCB ODI team Rankings Table below they are head and shoulders above any other side in the world having won 25 of their last 31 ODIs (81%) at the start of the series.



After game one of the India series that became 26/32 with a very comfortable 101 run victory after a rather lacklustre run chase by India in pursuit of Australia's 275/6. And after game two it was 27/33 as the Aussies cruised to another comfortable win, chasing down 252 with six wickets in hand.

Current ICCWC Table (05/02/16)

It leaves India in a huge ODI hole with just 5 points from their 11 ICCWC games. They appear to be heading for the qualifying tournament, although they still have series against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the West Indies to come.

Australia play their last game of the India series on Sunday, which is when England kick off their series against South Africa with their first ODI (this is the last series in Round 4 of the tournament). Nothing less than a 3-0 series win will do for England. The six points will take them to 15 in total and a more comfortable third place in the table, with series against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and West Indies to come.

England have had two pretty meaningless warm-up games against South Africa Emerging players. If they are the best they have behind the main squad then South Africa have some worries. The South Africa squad has some familiar names in it - Mignon du Preez, Dane van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp (all have just returned from the WBBL), plus the exciting pace of Shabnim Ismail, who spent just one weekend with the Melbourne Renegades and picked up 3/10 against the Stars (including England's Nat Sciver). Chloe Tryon, Trisha Chetty, Lizelle Lee and Sune Luus make up the bulk of a decent side, which, on paper, looks somewhat short on batting in the ODI format and short on power in the T20 format.

England have a new Head Coach in Mark Robinson, but the team that takes the park on Sunday is likely to have a very familiar look to it for all England fans. Seven of the 15 man squad have spent the past couple of months in the WBBL in Australia - Brunt, Cross, Edwards, Knight, Taylor, Winfield, Wyatt. The other eight are Beaumont, Elwiss, Greenway, Grundy, Gunn, Hazell, Jones, and Shrubsole (Sciver was originally selected but remains in England due to an ankle injury).

The starting 11 may well look like this - Edwards, Winfield, Taylor, Knight, Greenway, Jones, Wyatt, Brunt, Gunn, Grundy, and Shrubsole.

England should be too strong for South Africa in the longer format of the game, but things might be tighter in the T20 format, when you would hope that England will be looking to find the right combinations for the T20 World Cup in India, which starts in March.

MD
05/II/16

Devine Intervention Shows the Way!

New Zealander Sophie Devine has just smashed the fastest ever international T20 fifty, off just 18 balls, to help the White Ferns to an easy victory in the first of their three T20s against the Indians.

Devine came in in the first over at number three after Rachel Priest had fallen to the fifth ball of the first over. New Zealand were 2/1. She left the wicket to the third ball of the fifth over by which time she had scored 70 off 22 balls and New Zealand were 91/2 chasing just 126 to win.

It was an extraordinary innings which contained five 4s and eight 6s and beat the previous 22 ball 50 record of Deandra Dottin.

Unfortunately the game was not being televised so the only highlights were from the analyst's camera (click here for highlights), but it shows this was not a slog. It also shows how teams need to approach the first 6 overs of any T20 game. True this was an extreme example, but women's teams have to adopt a positive attitude in the powerplay overs, when only two fieldsmen are allowed outside the circle. Once the powerplay is done skippers just post five fielders on the boundary in front of square (three on the legside and two on the offside) and boundaries become virtually impossible.

An average score in women's T20 is about 120, with most sides being content to be 30/0 after 6 overs. It would actually be much better if they were 60/2 after 6 overs and then they would still score the same 90 runs off the next 14 overs taking their total to a much more challenging 150. Teams need to look for hard-hitting batsmen who are not afraid to go over the top, nor get out, and the team management need to give them licence to play this way.

Charlotte Edwards has promised a more positive attitude from the England batsmen this summer, so keep a watch on those first six overs in the T20s and the first 10 in the ODIs.

MD
12/VII/15

South Africa go second in ICCWC table after series win against India

South Africa have completed a fantastic 2-1 ICC Women's Championship series win over India in India, and by doing so have moved themselves up to second in the ICCWC points table.

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR	For	Against
Australia Women	6	6	0	0	0	12	+0.952	1196/236.2	1130/275.0
South Africa Women	6	3	2	0	1	7	+0.334	852/216.1	796/220.4
West Indies Women	6	3	3	0	0	6	+0.584	1128/257.3	1111/292.4
England Women	3	2	0	0	1	5	+0.686	367/80.1	312/80.1
India Women	6	1	4	0	1	3	-0.371	793/224.5	855/219.2
Sri Lanka Women	3	1	1	0	1	3	-0.583	315/76.0	364/77.0
Pakistan Women	3	0	3	0	0	0	-1.357	467/125.0	477/93.4
New Zealand Women	3	0	3	0	0	0	-1.712	392/150.0	465/107.3

In the first match of the series they restricted India to just 114 thanks to four wicket hauls from Dane van Niekerk (4/9) and Marizanne Kapp (4/21). At 29/3 their reply looked to be in trouble, but a maiden ODI 50 from Chloe Tryon got the Saffers over the line, with just two wickets in hand. Veteran Jhulan Goswami held the Indian batting and bowling together with 33 and 3/22, but it was not enough to prevent South Africa claiming the two points.

In the second game India chased down South Africa's below par 186/8, in which Chloe Tryon again top scored with 49*, including 18 off the last over of the innings. With India at 73/3 the game seemed to be in the balance, but an 89 run partnership between Shikha Pandey (59) and Harmanpreet Kaur (42*) allowed India to level the series. It was Pandey's maiden ODI 50 as she emerged as a genuine all-rounder.

And so to the deciding game of the series. India were inserted by South Africa and were once again indebted to Pandey, who again made 59, as they struggled to 180 all out. Having been 176/6 it was a total that should have been higher. Harmanpreet Kaur also hit 42 off 39 balls after an extremely cautious start to the Indian innings from Poonam Raut and debutant Deepti Sharma, after Mandhana had gone early. Sunette Loubser (3/28) and Marcia Letsoalo (3/46) were the main wicket-takers, but mention should be made of opener Ayabonga Khaka who opened with five maidens on the trot and went for just 19 off her nine overs. Keeper Trisha Chetty also had a good day behind the stumps with five victims.

In reply South Africa again lost early wickets with Lizelle Lee and Chetty soon back in the hutch, but new girl Nadine Moodley (56) hit her maiden ODI half-century and skipper Mignon du Preez struck 46, before both were out in quick succession with 59 still needed for the win. The nerves will have been jangling as South Africa were without the injured Chloe Tryon, but with Marizanne Kapp and Dane van Niekerk they seemed to have the experience they needed. But when Kapp was run out for 14, the load seemed to be all van Nierkerk's. Thabethe came and went quickly, but the experienced Sunette Loubser (23*), better known for her loopy off-spin, used her experience wisely and became the South African aggressor as van Niekerk (20*) bunkered down. Together they added the 33 runs that South Africa so desperately needed.

India's one day woes continue (they only have 3 points from 6 games), but South Africa have taken another step towards being regarded as one of the top four sides in the world and qualifying automatically for the 2017 World Cup.

MD
28/XI/14

Aussies top ICC Women's Championship Table

Australia's comprehensive 3-0 defeat of the previous high-flying West Indies (remember they beat New Zealand 3-0 back in September?) has sent them back to the top of the ICC Women's Championship table, where they will continue to reside throughout Round 2 of the tournament. In Round 3 they meet with England, in England, and only then can they be knocked off their perch. The points table currently looks like this..

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR	For	Against
Australia Women	6	6	0	0	0	12	+0.952	1196/236.2	1130/275.0
West Indies Women	6	3	3	0	0	6	+0.584	1128/257.3	1111/292.4
England Women	3	2	0	0	1	5	+0.686	367/80.1	312/80.1
South Africa Women	3	1	1	0	1	3	+0.583	364/77.0	315/76.0
Sri Lanka Women	3	1	1	0	1	3	-0.583	315/76.0	364/77.0
India Women	3	0	2	0	1	1	-0.686	312/80.1	367/80.1
Pakistan Women	3	0	3	0	0	0	-1.357	467/125.0	477/93.4
New Zealand Women	3	0	3	0	0	0	-1.712	392/150.0	465/107.3

The remaining second round matches are :-
India v South Africa starting on 24th November 2014
New Zealand v England starting on 11th February 2015

Pakistan v Sri Lanka - on a date to be fixed before the end of February 2015

None of these teams can match Australia's 100% record with six wins out of six, so Australia will hold on to their top of the table spot at least until March next year. Who would back against them staying there for much longer?

India lost the two completed ODIs to England this summer and will be hoping to get their first win under their belts against South Africa, who have won one of the two completed games they played against Sri Lanka. But South Africa will be tough opponents and I think they may even end up winning the series in India (probably 2-1).

New Zealand have home advantage against England, and will be desperate to get something out of that series after their disastrous start in the Caribbean, which leaves them firmly rooted to the foot of the table. New Zealand would normally have been considered to be one for the "Top Four", but their place in the top order is under threat from the likes of Sri Lanka and South Africa, who they play in rounds 4 and 6 of the competition. England's overall record against the Kiwis is not that hot - won 28; lost 31, but they have won the last six, last losing to the White Ferns at Lord's in 2010. They must start as favourites to take the series, and they will be looking for a clean sweep, before taking on the Aussies in the English summer.

Sri Lanka will expect to boost their points tally when they take on Pakistan, which they must do before the end of February next year in the last of the Round 2 matches. In Round 3 they host the West Indies, which should be another great series; New Zealand travel to India for what could be another tricky series; and South Africa are hosted by Pakistan. 

No team can afford to slip up if they want to be in the top four and qualify automatically for the 2017 World Cup. Australia have so far been clinical in all six victories. Can England peg them back in 2015? The Aussies are looking very strong!

MD
17/XI/14

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.

Charlotte Edwards celebrates her record breaking 100
picture courtesy of Don Miles

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

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