Lancashire battled their way to the T20 title on a windy day at Banstead Cricket Club in leafy Surrey, with victories over Surrey and Yorkshire.

Surrey v Lancashire

After heavy overnight rain, the first match between Surrey and Lancashire was delayed by a damp outfield and eventually reduced to 9 overs per side. After winning the toss, Lancashire reached 66-6 – Emma Lamb starring with 37 off 26 balls, as she found the boundary on 6 occasions, whilst for Surrey Beth Kerrins took 3-12 in the two (reduced) overs she was allotted.

Needing above 7-an-over, Surrey started off well enough with 7 off the first over, but quickly fell away, losing wickets at regular intervals, including 3 run-outs as they drifted towards a final tally of 45-7, 21 runs short.

Lancashire v Yorkshire

In the day’s second match, Yorkshire won the toss and elected to bat versus Lancashire; who already knew they were champions, after news of Warwickshire’s loss to Kent had come in via Twitter.

For Yorkshire, Jess Watson and Hannah Buck joint-top-scored with 20 each as the White Roses were bowled out for 87 in 17.2 overs. Natalie Brown and Rachel Dickinson took 2-apiece; but Sophie Ecclestone was really the pick of the bowling with 1 wicket for just 9 runs in her 4 overs.

It looked a massively under-par total compared with the previous game, with the ball flowing more feely over the outfield as it dried; but Lancashire actually made quite hard work of it – struggling to get the ball off the square as the Yorkshire bowlers pegged them back, led by leg-spinner Katie Levick who took 3-7 in her 4 overs. However, with Levick bowled out, Kate Cross (22*) and Sophie Ecclestone (14*) accelerated, taking Lancashire over the line eventually with 3 overs to spare, and time for the celebrations to begin.

Afterwards, victorious Lancashire captain Megan Fairclough told CRICKETher:

“We came here knowing we needed to win both games, depending on what happened elsewhere; but we took it a game at a time. The girls showed great character and worked well under pressure, especially towards the end of the last game. It feels fantastic.”\

Surrey v Yorkshire

The third match of the day was thus a dead rubber, but ended up a thriller, with Yorkshire needing 15 off the final over, and eventually falling just 4 runs short of their target.

Surrey originally looked to have set a formidable total, finishing on 138-8 having raced along at 7 an over for most of their innings to set up far and away the biggest run chase of the day. For Yorkshire, Katie Levick (3-21) once again starred with the ball, and at one point it looked like she had well and truly spoiled Surrey’s party, racking up 2 wickets in the space of 3 balls to leave her opponents 68-5 with 9 overs still left to face.

But a rallying effort from Surrey’s no. 8 and 10, Aylish Cranstone (29*) and Molly Sellars (20*), ensured a strong finish for the home side.

Yorkshire’s reply was held together by Maddie Walsh, as they pushed forward towards their target, keeping up with the rate but losing wickets steadily along the way. When Walsh was out for 25 in the 14th over, pushing the ball into the hands of Amy Gordon at midwicket, it looked as if her side might fall well short – 6 wickets down and still needing 50 runs – but some sloppy fielding from Surrey almost cost them dearly, with Yorkshire still in with a shout until the last ball of the match.

It was left down to captain Cecily Scutt to bowl the final over; and for a minute it looked as if Surrey might have thrown it all away, as her first two balls were dispatched to the boundary by Izzy Bunn. Bunn, though, was caught on the leg side trying to repeat the feat, and Scutt then kept her cool to ensure the last three balls each went for only a single – Surrey winning by 3 runs.

— Raf Nicholson

The news that plans for a “KSL-50” – a 50-over Super League to accompany the T20 KSL – have officially been abandoned (link) means that the Women’s County Championship is set to muddle-along for the next couple of years at least.

The problem with the KSL-50 was that it was the wrong thing to do in practice – there was no space for it in the calendar and the overseas stars who make the KSL what it is were not going to be available for a much longer competition with a very small budget.

But in principle, an elite 50-over competition is a “must” if England are going to look to successfully retain their World Cup in four years time – somewhere to blood the new players we will need by then, given that several members of the current team are unlikely to make it to 2021.

When the KSL-50 was first mooted, the suggestion was that the County Championship would become an “Age Group” feeder competition; but in a way that has already happened – with the England players mostly unavailable due to World Cup commitments, this was always going to be a year when the counties needed to raid their age-group squads for new talent.

But ironically, the KSL has actually made things worse in some cases, as older “county” players have found the pressure of County + KSL + Job + Life too much, and have decided to call it a day with cricket.

So whilst Australia press-on with the full-scale professionalisation of their domestic structures – both 50 and 20-over – we have Div 1 counties fielding teams of teenagers, with a dearth of senior players to support them as they inevitably struggle.

The importance of having senior players on the pitch can’t be underestimated. Earlier this year, I saw a young fast bowler struggling, as she sent down two wides at the start of an over. She was wobbling; but New Zealand wicket-keeper Rachel Priest came over… had a chat… and the bowler bounced back to take 2 brilliant wickets in the spell!

But without those senior players, the County Championship will count for less and less.

The good news is that there is a relatively easy fix – arrange the calendar so that all the England players can play all of the County Championship. After all – it is in the name – it is a County Championship… so make it count!

The ECB have today announced the full squads for this year’s edition of KSL, which starts on Thursday 10 August and runs until Finals Day on Friday 1 September.

The squads are as follows:

Lancashire Thunder

• Danielle Hazell (C)
• Sarah Taylor
• Kate Cross
• Amy Satterthwaite
• Jess Jonassen
• Lea Tahuhu
• Sophie Ecclestone
• Emma Lamb
• Eve Jones
• Ellie Threlkeld
• Natasha Miles
• Natalie Brown
• Alice Dyson
• Rachel Dickinson
• Ella Telford

Loughborough Lightning

• Georgia Elwiss (C)
• Amy Jones
• Beth Langston
• Ellyse Perry
• Kristen Beams
• Elyse Villani
• Paige Scholfield
• Thea Brookes
• Georgia Boyce
• Becky Grundy
• Sonia Odedra
• Marie Kelly
• Sarah Glenn
• Lucy Higham
• Abi Freeborn

Southern Vipers

• Charlotte Edwards (C)
• Tash Farrant
• Danni Wyatt
• Arran Brindle
• Suzie Bates
• TBC – 3rd overseas*
• Hayley Matthews
• Georgia Adams
• Katie George
• Linsey Smith
• Ellen Burt
• Tara Norris
• Izzy Collis
• Carla Rudd
• Charlie Dean

Surrey Stars

• Nat Sciver (C)
• Tammy Beaumont
• Laura Marsh
• Alex Hartley
• Marizanne Kapp
• Harmanpreet Kaur
• Rene Farrell
• Bryony Smith
• Sophia Dunkley
• Grace Gibbs
• Aylish Cranstone
• Cordelia Griffith
• Hannah Jones
• Naomi Dattani
• Kirstie White

Western Storm

• Heather Knight (C)
• Anya Shrubsole
• Fran Wilson
• Holly Huddleston
• Stafanie Taylor
• Rachel Priest
• Georgia Hennessy
• Sophie Luff
• Freya Davies
• Danielle Gibson
• Claire Thomas
• Lauren Parfitt
• Jodie Dibble
• Amara Carr
• Alice Macleod

Yorkshire Diamonds

• Lauren Winfield (C)
• Katherine Brunt
• Jenny Gunn
• Chamari Atapattu (Replaces Beth Mooney*)
• Sune Luus
• Sophie Devine
• Hollie Armitage
• Alice Davidson-Richards
• Anna Nicholls
• Katie Levick
• Katie Thompson
• Steph Butler
• Laura Crofts
• Teresa Graves
• Maddie Walsh

* Beth Mooney (Yorkshire Diamonds) and Dane van Niekerk (Southern Vipers) have withdrawn through injury and their replacements will be announced in due course.

On Sunday at Lord’s, women’s cricket statistician Marion Collin was honoured with a special presentation by ECB Director of Women’s Cricket, Clare Connor.

Clare Connor with Marion Collin at Lord’s

Marion has chosen this summer to end a 44-year career devoted to the collation of statistics in women’s cricket. The day that England won a World Cup was not a bad one to go out on, as it happens.

Her involvement in cricket began at school, and she went on to play for the Redoubtables Women’s Cricket Club in Surrey. Fellow club member Margaret Dickens, then official keeper of the England Women statistics, passed over the baton to Marion in 1973.

In 1995 she took early retirement from her job as local government finance officer to begin collating statistics for the International Women’s Cricket Council (then the international governing body of women’s cricket) full-time.

When the ICC took over in 2005, she retained her position as Honorary Women’s Cricket Statistician.

It has not been an easy job, involving many hours of communications with those in countries all around the world to ensure a complete record now exists of all international women’s cricket since the first Test match was played in December 1934.

Marion has also overseen the transition from pen and paper to computer scoring: it took four years of work to ensure that all the paper scorecards which she had collected were slowly and painstakingly made available online.

Since we at CRICKETher have been covering women’s cricket, Marion has been a constant presence in the press box, always ready with the latest stat to enhance our writing. We’d like to say congratulations, and thank her for her long service to our sport.

Pace bowling

Before today only Marizanne Kapp could really claim a rightful place as a pace bowler in any team of the tournament: it’s been not just a batsman’s tournament, but one dominated by spin as well. What a time for that all to change.

Two of the greats of the game today showed exactly why they are considered such: firstly Jhulan Goswami, whose spell of 3 wickets for 2 runs in 10 balls changed the course of England’s innings. Then Anya Shrubsole wreaked utter havoc, finishing with the best ever figures in a World Cup final and proving precisely why the inswinging yorker is her trademark delivery. It wasn’t even a particularly seam friendly pitch. It just proves that when you need them to, your best bowlers will come good, every time.

DRS

As the first women’s tournament where DRS has been in use, today was again a mixed bag for both sides – for England, Lauren Winfield overturned an incorrect LBW decision, but Nat Sciver later proved that it isn’t only male cricketers who will use DRS out of hope rather than good judgement. India, too, struggled: Punam Raut asking for a review but being turned down because the umpire said she had taken too long to reach her decision.

It’s been a big ask for female players to become accustomed to DRS in such a short space of time, especially when it’s only available at certain matches – it’s not like you can have a “DRS net session” – but that didn’t stop Heather Knight being pretty unequivocal about her views on its use post-match: “I think it’s a brilliant addition to the game… it’s important that it continues [being used].” I agree. Let’s hope the ICC do as well.

Bottom order contributions

“Batting is something everybody needs to do”, Mithali Raj said in the post-match press conference. She couldn’t have hit the nail on the head more if she tried. The key difference between the sides today was the fact that India’s last 7 wickets fell for 28 runs – whereas Jenny Gunn and Laura Marsh were able to put on 32 runs between Katherine Brunt being run out in the 46th over and the end of England’s innings. “The last 4 or 5 [Indian] batters couldn’t handle the pressure,” admitted Mithali.

In fact, since their loss to India in game one, England haven’t been bowled out in this tournament, and that’s been crucial to their success. In the Australia match it was Gunn and Katherine Brunt putting on 85 for the 7th wicket which dragged them up to a competitive total – in the semi-final against South Africa Gunn and Fran Wilson put on 40 for the same. Most teams say they bat deep. England actually do.

New England

New England still get things wrong: Sarah Taylor does, occasionally, miss stumpings; Heather Knight does drop catches (and so does Jenny Gunn). But they also never give up. They looked absolutely dead in the water today, and then the miracle happened. One minute I’m eating scones at the back of the press box, the next Anya Shrubsole is on fire and the game is turning on its head. Amazing to watch. Frankly, all the tributes in the world aren’t enough for Mark Robinson, who has somehow transformed this side into world-beaters.

And finally…

What a day! What a match! The atmosphere. The roar from the crowd that went up as Goswami bowled her first ball. The ticket touts lining the streets from the tube station to the ground. The queues at the gate to get in. The flags, the drummers, the kids wrapped in Indian and English flags. Whether you’re an England fan or not – what a magical, magical day for women’s cricket.

Wow!

Three months ago, when asked if England could win the up-coming World Cup, Mark Robinson was a bit non-committal:

“You want to win it,” he said, clearly more in hope than expectation.

Now, his New England are World Champions!

And they did it the hard way.

England didn’t dominate the tournament – the Australia game was close… the South Africa semi-final was closer… the final against India was closer still.

With two overs to go, the sensible money was still on India, needing less than a run-a-ball with two wickets in hand. But that reckoned without Anya Shrubsole, holding her nerve for the second time in the knock-out stages: against South Africa, they needed runs – Anya Shrubsole got ’em; against India, they needed wickets – she got ’em! In the end, in a batsman’s tournament, it was a bowler who stood tall at the crucial moments and grabbed hold of the trophy with her Player of the Match performance.

It is truly remarkable – the way that Mark Robinson has, in just 18 months, coaxed England to a whole new level of fitness, of professionalism, of self-belief, of sheer will to win. That has been the difference between England and the other sides – they held their nerve through mini-collapses and dropped catches; they still believed the could do it; their heads didn’t drop, and this is their reward – their World Cup.

But they have Mark Robinson to thank for it.

Impressionistically, the 2017 Women’s World Cup has been a batsman’s tournament, with the bowlers suffering 14 hundreds scored by 13 different players.

Looking just at England v India, we have had four centurions in each team: Nat Sciver, Sarah Taylor, Tammy Beaumont, and Heather Knight for England; and Harmanpreet Kaur, Mithali Raj, Smriti Mandhana, and Punam Raut for India.

However, the numbers overall hint that this might be a Batting versus Bowling final.

In the 8 matches played, England have the batting edge – they’ve scored 2,039 runs at an average strike rate of 89; to India’s 1,723 runs at 74.

But India have the bowling wind at their backs – their bowlers have taken 58 wickets at an average economy rate of 4.37; whereas England’s have taken only 51 wickets at an economy of 4.53. In the field, India have also effected more run outs – 8, to England’s 5.

Of course – they haven’t been playing on the same pitches, so it might not be wise to read too much into this. Our inside info on the pitch at Lords suggests there should be good runs in it; but as for who will prevail on the day, as the Australia v India semi-final showed, all it takes sometimes is one special performance – it could be anybody’s game!

Batting Ranking = Runs * Strike Rate

Bowling Ranking = Wickets / Economy

Yesterday, during one of the most nail-biting games of cricket I have ever seen, it was announced that this World Cup will culminate in a sell-out final at Lord’s.

It’s being proclaimed as a “record-breaking finale” for the tournament. But just how big a deal is it for the women’s game?

Here’s some statistics to put it into perspective:

1. Attendance at previous World Cup finals held in England:

• 1973 at Edgbaston: 1500 spectators
• 1993 at Lords: 5000 spectators

2. Previous women’s internationals held in England which have sold out:

• 2013 and 2015 England v Australia T20s at Chelmsford: 6500 spectators
• 2015 England v Australia T20 at Hove: 7000 spectators

3. Previous highest attendance at a women’s international match in England:

• 1951 England v Australia Test match at The Oval: 15,000 spectators

4. The record attendance at a Women’s World Cup match:

• 1997 World Cup final: 80,000 spectators*
• (*But it should be noted that these were not all paying spectators. Most of them had been bussed in by the Sports Minister of West Bengal in a specially commandeered fleet of 1600 buses.)

5. Lords 2017:

• Overall, more than 26,500 spectators are expected to be in attendance on Sunday. England will be playing either Australia or India in front of a sell-out crowd – the majority of whom have purchased tickets in order to be able to attend.

Just take a minute to digest that.

It’s a very, very big deal.