Author: Syd Egan

OPINION: Kia Super League – Credit Where It’s Due

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Lizzy Ammon has a piece in today’s Times headlined: “New era for women’s game begins but stars are paid only £20 a day”. [Link (£)]

The piece raises a number of questions about the Kia Super League, arguing that “the competition is facing the challenge of poorly paid players, low attendances and no TV deal.”

These are certainly legitimate issues to  raise, but they also ignore the other side of the story.

Take the issue of money: it is quite true that there isn’t much of it – no one is going to be dashing off to their Ferrari dealer with their KSL pay cheque, that’s for sure! But £150 is £150 more than anyone gets for playing in the Women’s County Championship; and for players like Katie Levick and Daisy Gardner, this is the first time they have ever been paid at all, for something that they basically consider a hobby!

As for low attendances, we will have to wait and see exactly what transpires, but I’d be happy to bet that even the lowest KSL crowd will dwarf the numbers we usually see for the County Champs, where beyond friends and family, you can usually count the crowd on the fingers of one hand.

And the TV… well yes, that is disappointing; especially if it really was the case that Sky were “concerned about the quality of the cricket”, because that is the one thing which they really don’t need to be worried about – KSL has the stars to ensure the cricket is going to be amazing. But again, the County Championship has never been broadcast, so we haven’t lost anything by the lack of a TV deal, we are just exactly where we have always been!

Do we wish it was on TV, drawing big crowds, and paying the players a bit more? Absolutely! So do the players. (So do the ECB, believe it or not.)

And we do understand that the KSL all looks pretty small potatoes when seen through the prism of even the men’s county game, let alone something like the IPL.

But would we rather be here with “something”, or back where we were a year ago with “nothing”? Looked at from that perspective, the real story of the KSL is one of remarkable progress in a very short space of time; and for that, the ECB deserve credit where it’s due.

KSL CAREER BOWLING STATS

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Rank Player Team Age Matches Wickets Wickets/
Match
1 Ismail, Shabnim Diamonds 27 219 315 1.4
2 Grundy, Rebecca Lightning 26 125 155 1.2
3 Niekerk, Dane van Lightning 23 182 221 1.2
4 Ecclestone, Sophie Thunder 17 42 51 1.2
5 Levick, Katie Diamonds 25 99 120 1.2
6 Farrant, Natasha Vipers 20 59 70 1.2
7 Perry, Ellyse Lightning 25 288 341 1.2
8 Cross, Kate Thunder 24 115 132 1.1
9 Westbury, Izzy Storm 26 76 87 1.1
10 Hartley, Alex Stars 22 99 113 1.1
11 Shrubsole, Anya Storm 24 197 222 1.1
12 Morris, Fi Vipers 22 81 91 1.1
13 Odedra, Sonia Lightning 28 116 129 1.1
14 Hazell, Danielle Diamonds 28 245 267 1.1
15 Kapp, Marizanne Stars 26 197 214 1.1
16 Farrell, Rene Stars 29 214 232 1.1
17 Butler, Steph Diamonds 22 68 73 1.1
18 Marsh, Laura Stars 29 311 332 1.1
19 Taylor, Stafanie Storm 25 208 215 1.0
20 Brunt, Katherine Diamonds 31 284 292 1.0
21 Langston, Beth Lightning 23 74 76 1.0
22 Patel, Nalisha Thunder 18 51 50 1.0
23 Elwiss, Georgia Lightning 25 197 188 1.0
24 Thompson, Katie Diamonds 19 29 27 0.9
25 Tahuhu, Lea Stars 25 163 150 0.9
26 Nielsen, Morna Vipers 26 205 188 0.9
27 Gunn, Jenny Diamonds 30 415 377 0.9
28 Spragg, Laura Diamonds 34 139 126 0.9
29 Fairbairn, Rosalie Storm 32 145 130 0.9
30 Dibble, Jodie Storm 21 75 64 0.9
31 Wyatt, Danielle Thunder 25 270 230 0.9
32 George, Katie Vipers 17 27 23 0.9
33 Gardner, Daisy Vipers 26 111 94 0.8
34 Devine, Sophie Lightning 26 342 285 0.8
35 Sciver, Natalie Stars 23 150 124 0.8
36 Burt, Ellen Vipers 18 34 28 0.8
37 Bates, Suzie Vipers 28 368 292 0.8
38 Hennessy, Georgia Storm 19 67 53 0.8
39 Gauvrit, Amy Lightning 21 73 57 0.8
40 Lakhtaria, Raveena Stars 23 62 48 0.8
41 O’Keefe, Cait Storm 19 66 51 0.8
42 Dunkley, Sophia Stars 18 42 32 0.8
43 Brookes, Thea Lightning 23 90 68 0.8
44 Macleod, Alice Vipers 22 105 78 0.7
45 Davidson Richards, Alice Diamonds 22 92 68 0.7
46 Brindle, Arran Vipers 34 253 185 0.7
47 Lee, Lizelle Storm 24 136 98 0.7
48 Davies, Freya Storm 20 53 38 0.7
49 Matthews, Hayley Thunder 18 62 44 0.7
50 Newton, Laura Thunder 38 177 122 0.7
51 Dattani, Naomi Stars 22 67 46 0.7
52 Mackenzie, Sophie Storm 17 19 13 0.7
53 MacDonald, Alex Lightning 24 79 53 0.7
54 Knight, Heather Storm 25 235 155 0.7
55 Brown, Natalie Thunder 25 110 69 0.6
56 Miles, Natasha Thunder 27 142 89 0.6
57 Holmes, Georgia Thunder 19 49 29 0.6
58 Satterthwaite, Amy Thunder 29 354 206 0.6
59 Gibbs, Grace Stars 21 33 19 0.6
60 Morgan, Beth Stars 34 325 172 0.5
61 Smith, Bryony Stars 18 38 19 0.5
62 Armitage, Hollie Diamonds 19 29 13 0.4
63 Jones, Evelyn Lightning 23 74 32 0.4
64 Dottin, Deandra Thunder 25 197 85 0.4
65 Edwards, Charlotte Vipers 36 555 237 0.4
66 Cranstone, Aylish Stars 21 71 25 0.4
67 Lamb, Emma Thunder 18 61 18 0.3
68 Scholfield, Paige Lightning 20 51 15 0.3
69 Griffith, Cordelia Stars 20 49 9 0.2
70 Adams, Georgia Vipers 22 67 12 0.2
71 Graves, Teresa Diamonds 17 9 1 0.1
72 Boyce, Georgie Lightning 17 37 3 0.1
73 Collis, Isabelle Vipers 19 46 3 0.1
74 Luff, Sophie Storm 22 100 6 0.1
75 Griffiths, Lauren Lightning 29 125 6 0.0
76 Greenway, Lydia Vipers 30 404 17 0.0
77 Nicholls, Anna Diamonds 18 245 10 0.0
78 Wilson, Fran Storm 24 124 4 0.0
79 Blackwell, Alex Diamonds 32 447 8 0.0
80 McGlashan, Sara Vipers 34 434 0 0.0
81 Beaumont, Tammy Stars 25 208 0 0.0
82 Winfield, Lauren Diamonds 25 150 0 0.0
83 Mooney, Beth Diamonds 22 144 0 0.0
84 Priest, Rachel Storm 31 374 0 0.0
85 Carr, Amara Storm 22 91 0 0.0
86 Jones, Amy Lightning 23 135 0 0.0
87 Rudd, Carla Vipers 22 83 0 0.0
88 Threlkeld, Ellie Thunder 17 37 0 0.0
89 Marshall, Laura Thunder 22 50 0 0.0

Senior T20 + One Day matches, including internationals

KSL CAREER BATTING STATS

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Rank Player Team Age Matches Runs Runs/
Match
1 Edwards, Charlotte Vipers 36 555 21,014 38
2 Taylor, Stafanie Storm 25 208 7,003 34
3 Knight, Heather Storm 25 235 7,586 32
4 Bates, Suzie Vipers 28 368 11,721 32
5 Lee, Lizelle Storm 24 136 4,138 30
6 Wilson, Fran Storm 24 124 3,457 28
7 Fairbairn, Rosalie Storm 32 145 3,892 27
8 Brookes, Thea Lightning 23 90 2,345 26
9 Blackwell, Alex Diamonds 32 447 11,421 26
10 MacDonald, Alex Lightning 24 79 1,976 25
11 Satterthwaite, Amy Thunder 29 354 8,799 25
12 Lamb, Emma Thunder 18 61 1,511 25
13 McGlashan, Sara Vipers 34 434 10,275 24
14 Brindle, Arran Vipers 34 253 5,895 23
15 Jones, Evelyn Lightning 23 74 1,689 23
16 Sciver, Natalie Stars 23 150 3,380 23
17 Cranstone, Aylish Stars 21 71 1,598 23
18 Newton, Laura Thunder 38 177 3,960 22
19 Beaumont, Tammy Stars 25 208 4,621 22
20 Hennessy, Georgia Storm 19 67 1,487 22
21 Adams, Georgia Vipers 22 67 1,463 22
22 Winfield, Lauren Diamonds 25 150 3,239 22
23 Mooney, Beth Diamonds 22 144 3,082 21
24 Dottin, Deandra Thunder 25 197 4,176 21
25 Macleod, Alice Vipers 22 105 2,212 21
26 Mackenzie, Sophie Storm 17 19 395 21
27 Luff, Sophie Storm 22 100 2,064 21
28 Niekerk, Dane van Lightning 23 182 3,748 21
29 Matthews, Hayley Thunder 18 62 1,255 20
30 Greenway, Lydia Vipers 30 404 8,170 20
31 Devine, Sophie Lightning 26 342 6,795 20
32 Wyatt, Danielle Thunder 25 270 5,216 19
33 Kapp, Marizanne Stars 26 197 3,793 19
34 Priest, Rachel Storm 31 374 6,877 18
35 Brown, Natalie Thunder 25 110 1,906 17
36 Gunn, Jenny Diamonds 30 415 7,132 17
37 Morgan, Beth Stars 34 325 5,475 17
38 Dibble, Jodie Storm 21 75 1,236 16
39 Miles, Natasha Thunder 27 142 2,243 16
40 Carr, Amara Storm 22 91 1,416 16
41 Perry, Ellyse Lightning 25 288 4,337 15
42 Morris, Fi Vipers 22 81 1,185 15
43 Boyce, Georgie Lightning 17 37 523 14
44 Jones, Amy Lightning 23 135 1,882 14
45 Griffith, Cordelia Stars 20 49 658 13
46 Collis, Isabelle Vipers 19 46 607 13
47 George, Katie Vipers 17 27 353 13
48 Odedra, Sonia Lightning 28 116 1,500 13
49 Armitage, Hollie Diamonds 19 29 350 12
50 Cross, Kate Thunder 24 115 1,362 12
51 Elwiss, Georgia Lightning 25 197 2,224 11
52 O’Keefe, Cait Storm 19 66 742 11
53 Smith, Bryony Stars 18 38 424 11
54 Shrubsole, Anya Storm 24 197 2,193 11
55 Hazell, Danielle Diamonds 28 245 2,715 11
56 Marsh, Laura Stars 29 311 3,392 11
57 Scholfield, Paige Lightning 20 51 540 11
58 Brunt, Katherine Diamonds 31 284 2,726 10
59 Spragg, Laura Diamonds 34 139 1,306 9
60 Dunkley, Sophia Stars 18 42 370 9
61 Farrell, Rene Stars 29 214 1,852 9
62 Westbury, Izzy Storm 26 76 653 9
63 Rudd, Carla Vipers 22 83 671 8
64 Butler, Steph Diamonds 22 68 543 8
65 Gauvrit, Amy Lightning 21 73 579 8
66 Griffiths, Lauren Lightning 29 125 863 7
67 Davidson Richards, Alice Diamonds 22 92 627 7
68 Threlkeld, Ellie Thunder 17 37 242 7
69 Lakhtaria, Raveena Stars 23 62 397 6
70 Dattani, Naomi Stars 22 67 416 6
71 Nielsen, Morna Vipers 26 205 1,157 6
72 Langston, Beth Lightning 23 74 415 6
73 Holmes, Georgia Thunder 19 49 265 5
74 Ismail, Shabnim Diamonds 27 219 1,153 5
75 Ecclestone, Sophie Thunder 17 42 174 4
76 Graves, Teresa Diamonds 17 9 35 4
77 Gardner, Daisy Vipers 26 111 420 4
78 Grundy, Rebecca Lightning 26 125 446 4
79 Tahuhu, Lea Stars 25 163 581 4
80 Gibbs, Grace Stars 21 33 116 4
81 Burt, Ellen Vipers 18 34 113 3
82 Patel, Nalisha Thunder 18 51 151 3
83 Thompson, Katie Diamonds 19 29 65 2
84 Marshall, Laura Thunder 22 50 103 2
85 Nicholls, Anna Diamonds 18 245 315 1
86 Farrant, Natasha Vipers 20 59 72 1
87 Hartley, Alex Stars 22 99 104 1
88 Davies, Freya Storm 20 53 52 1
89 Levick, Katie Diamonds 25 99 96 1

Senior T20 + One Day matches, including internationals

INTERVIEW: Surrey Stars – Marizanne Kapp & Nat Sciver

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It hasn’t been the easiest week for the Surrey Stars. First, they lost their best player – the Mega-Star herself, Meg Lanning – who was forced to withdraw from the Kia Super League with a shoulder injury. Then they were defeated in both rubbers of their warm-up double-header at Loughborough, with the Lightning smashing them for over 200 in the second match.

But South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp is still able to find the bright side:

“Those matches didn’t go as planned but we are still positive. One of the girls made a comment that at least we were bonding, so that’s quite unique – we had a really bad day but we still smiled.”

Stars captain Nat Sciver agrees:

“We had a good day despite the result! It was good fun for a first day out as a team and we can definitely only get better from there!”

Given the traditional rivalry between Middlesex and Surrey, the decision to tie London’s only KSL franchise so tightly to the Surrey brand, has been a controversial one; but Sciver insists this isn’t a problem for the players:

” I think the Middlesex-Surrey rivalry is more with the men – we’ve got some Kent players as well, and based on yesterday, we’ve bonded really well.”

Almost to prove the point, it is two Middlesex players that Sciver points to when asked who we should be looking out for among the more junior members of their squad:

“The young girls that we have are particularly exciting, especially Sophia Dunkley, and also Alex Hartley making her England debut this summer – they’re really exciting prospects.”

The big game for the Stars is their home match versus the Yorkshire Diamonds at The Oval, and Sciver is obviously looking forward to leading the side out at one of the most historic grounds in cricket:

“The two T20 games there against Middlesex have been really good – we’ve had loads of people watching which is really brilliant. We’ve already sold 500 tickets, and hopefully we can sell more.”

Asked about comparisons with the WBBL, Kapp, who reached the final of that competition with the Sydney Sixers, says the same principles apply:

“KSL is shorter [than WBBL] but even for the WBBL you had to be on point from the first game – the same will happen here, we just have to be ready when the first team comes.”

For the Surrey Stars, that team is the Charlotte Edwards’ Southern Vipers, at the Ageas Bowl next Sunday – it should be a cracker!

INTERVIEW: Loughborough Lightning – Georgia Elwiss & Sophie Devine

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Loughborough Lightning are very much the wildcard in the Kia Super League pack. Of the five other teams, there are three – Lancashire Thunder, Yorkshire Diamonds and Surrey Stars – that are based around existing counties; and two – Western Storm and Southern Vipers – that are conglomerates of universities and multiple counties.

Lightning, though, chose to go it alone as a university – something that was realistic because, as the home of both the contracted England Women’s Performance squad and the England Women’s Academy, what they did have was an in-place women’s cricket programme that was second-to-none, and an unrivaled set of facilities which New Zealand’s Sophie Devine believes is what gives Loughborough the edge.

“I’ve been here just over a week now,” she says, “[and] what I’ve seen so far has been absolutely incredible – the facilities available literally right on the doorstep – it makes a massive difference.”

Devine admits though that it is a challenge, jetting in from the other side of the world.

“It’s a bit of a shock for me, coming from the middle of winter where it’s not getting above 5 degrees – we had an open wicket training the other day and my feet were really sore from wearing the spikes; but we’re just trying to take it all on board and learn as quick as we can, because the competition’s coming round really quick.”

Of course, facilities are nothing if you haven’t got the players, and Georgia Elwiss tells us they picked their overseas stars very carefully.

“In terms of our international players we’ve got all all-rounders, so they’re all world-class at batting and bowling, which is obviously a massive help – they are all likely to bat in the top 5 and bowl 4 overs each, so for me [as captain] that’s a dream.”

In terms of preparation, Loughborough have had a warm-up double-header versus the Surrey Stars, winning both games, and scoring over 200 in the second match; but Elwiss is characteristically not getting carried away.

“It’s always good to get a run out and see some of the younger girls really perform and stand up. We had small boundaries [but] power hitting has been a thing that we’ve really focused on over the last 18 months, and it’s nice that it’s coming out in the game now.”

As well as work on the field and in the gym, the girls have taken some time-out at Laser Tag, with New South African skipper Dane van Niekerk leading the winning team: “She had all the game plans and she bossed it!” says Elwiss. (“Don’t talk any more about it!” retorts Devine, who we suspect might have been on the losing side!)

Although she is only here for a month, Devine is keen to emphasise that while she is here, she is a Lightning player and not a New Zealand one.

“I don’t care that Georgia plays for England and I play for New Zealand – for me that goes out the window and it’s just about playing cricket. And if we can help each other get better and if we can help the county players get better, then surely that’s going to be better for the women’s game in general.”

Reflecting on the overall state of the women’s game here, Devine thinks we are in good shape going into KSL:

“Women’s cricket over here in England, from what we see from abroad, is massively popular – the crowds you guys get [and] the following of the English girls is huge. So if KSL gets at least a little bit of the following that the England girls get here I think it will be a really successful tournament.”

“It’s only going to be for the better of the women’s game”, she concludes. “It’s a really awesome experience.”

 

Laura Wright Heroes Single Released At KSL Launch Party

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Heroes – the anthem for England women’s cricket, written and performed by Laura Wright – has been released as a single and is available now for download now on all other major music stores.

Laura performed Heroes last night at the Kia Super League Launch Party in Manchester, in front of everyone who is anyone in cricket… and us!!

The evening also brought us face-to-face with the beautiful KSL trophy for the first time.

County T20 Cup – Warwickshire, Kent & Middlesex Head to “Finals Day” at Beckenham

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Although the Women’s County T20 Finals Day was abolished two years ago, last weekend’s results mean that we will have something close to a de-facto Finals Day at Beckenham next weekend between Warwickshire, Kent and Middlesex.

Here’s how the table looks:

Team Played NRR Points
Warwickshire 5 0.81 17
Kent 5 0.54 12
Berkshire 5 0.12 12
Lancashire 6 -0.23 12
Middlesex 5 0.32 10
Yorkshire 6 -0.51 6
Nottinghamshire 5 -0.41 5
Sussex 5 -1.04 2

After two more wins yesterday, Warwickshire are in the driving seat – if they win either of their games, they are champions.

But if Kent and Middlesex both beat Warwickshire, the winner of their match could (see below!) be taking home the trophy instead.

The one team who could upset the party at Beckenham are Berkshire, who play Sussex and Notts at Hove.

If Berkshire beat Sussex and Notts, they can snatch the cup if either (a) Beckenham is rained off; or (b) Middlesex win both their matches and Kent beat Warwickshire. (There is a theoretical (c) too, if Kent win both their matches and Middlesex beat Warwickshire, but it would require a massive turn-around in NRR.)

Exciting times… and between us at Beckenham, and @WomensCricBlog at Hove, we’ll have full coverage for you next weekend.

REPORT: Middlesex Cruise Past Berkshire Despite Standout Knight

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England captain Heather Knight top-scored with 32 and took 3 wickets for Berkshire, but it wasn’t enough as Middlesex cruised to victory at Wokingham.

Wokingham is getting a bit of a reputation as being a difficult place to score runs – when Berkshire played Kent and Lancashire here 3 weeks ago, the highest score was just 96 – but Berkshire made it even harder for themselves as they gave Middlesex plenty of catching practice after having won the toss and elected to bat.

It started with Maia Bouchier who, after giving away 4 runs with a ghastly misfield on the deep backward point boundary, more than made up for it with a lovely diving catch to her left at mid off, to dismiss Rachel Priest for 6 off Ria Raval.

Lissy Macleod lasted just 5 balls before popping one up to Anna Nicholls at cover; and then Alex Rogers, off the mark with a beautiful cover drive for 4, soon followed, bowled by Holly Huddleston without adding to her score.

Sherisa Gumbs hung around with Knight for a short while, taking the score to 48-3 at the half-way mark, before she drove Naomi Dattani to short midwicket; and then it was Knight’s turn to head back to the pavilion, after slog-sweeping Dattani straight to Fran Wilson on the midwicket boundary. With Alex Hartley also picking up a couple of late wickets – Amanda Potgieter bowled and Emily Gerke LWB – Berkshire finished on 92-8.

With Daisy Gardner clearly still not quite herself (she bowled 1 over in the middle of the innings, going for 8) and Lauren Bell sitting this one out, Berkshire’s attack lacked any real venom, and it was not until Knight brought herself on in the 4th over that a double breakthrough was made, the England skipper bowling Naomi Dattani for 8 and Tash Miles for 10.

This brought Fran Wilson and Beth Morgan together and they simply turned on the cruise control – Wilson making 27 off 21 balls before she became Knight’s 3rd victim, only to be replaced by Maia Bouchier, who just continued where Wilson had left off – ending up on 21* off 19 balls, with Morgan also not out on 21 (off 22) as Middlesex completed the chase with more than 5 overs to spare.

Afterwards Fran Wilson told CRICKETher that the secret to success here is batting “ugly”:

“It is sometimes a tricky pitch playing here, and low scores can be difficult to chase; but the thing is not being scared to bat a bit ugly – doing all the basics well and running hard, and not being too caught up in looking great or playing flary shots.”

The result means that Warwickshire move above Berkshire to the top of the table – after their victories against Sussex and Lancashire in this round, they need just one more win from their two remaining games next weekend, against Middlesex and Kent, to seal the title.

NEWS: Berkshire’s Boswell Appointed Director of Women & Girls Cricket In Oxfordshire

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Former Berkshire player Emma Boswell has been appointed by Oxfordshire Cricket Board as their first Director of Women & Girls Cricket.

Boswell – a retired former Royal Navy submarine officer – is currently Assistant Coach of Berkshire’s Women’s 1st XI, and has also done some work with their age group sides this year, where she is a popular figure with the girls.

Her role at Oxfordshire will be to oversee the promotion and development of Women’s cricket throughout the county. A key focus will be creating an effective pathway – from school, via club, county and Super League, to England – ensuring there are enjoyable and rewarding experiences for the players at every stage.

Boswell is also set to return to the field with Oxfordshire, who are currently 2nd in Division 3 of the Women’s County Championship, with 3 wins from 4 completed games this season.

ANALYSIS: England’s Left Armers v Pakistan

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Not surprisingly, all the plaudits have gone to the batsmen in this series against Pakistan, but we’ve also seen some lovely bowling in the T20s from England’s left-armers. Let’s take a look at a few examples.

Sophie Ecclestone to Sana Mir (2nd T20)

YouTube Link

Sana Mir is Pakistan’s most experienced player, but seventeen-year-old Ecclestone has her for breakfast here.

Ecclestone 1

Ecclestone delivers the ball from very wide of the crease, so regardless of the spin, which would normally move the ball from leg to off (right to left, as we are looking at it) this ball is heading from off to leg (left to right).

Ecclestone 2

Mir’s plan is just to help it on its way by paddle-sweeping it down to fine leg – we can see she is in position with plenty of time to do this. The advantage of the paddle-sweep here is that Mir doesn’t have to worry too much about the lateral (left/ right) movement of the ball – the length of the bat has her covered.

Ecclestone 3

The down-side of the paddle-sweep is that Mir has to judge the bounce perfectly, and this is where Ecclestone does her up like a kipper. This ball in fact doesn’t spin laterally at all – it is a top-spinner, so when it pitches it comes on with more bounce than Mir is expecting – she is already playing underneath it and the ball ploughs into her middle and leg stumps. Beautiful.

Tash Farrant to Nahida Khan (3rd T20)

YouTube Link

Nahida Khan is an experienced batsman, who made her debut all the way back in 2009, but Farrant has a plan to snag her.

Farrant 1

Although this first picture is obviously from behind the bowler’s arm, you can actually see something rather interesting – the ball, which is a slower delivery coming out of the back of Farrant’s hand. England tried a lot of these slower deliveries in the series, and they didn’t always come off, but this one is perfect.

Farrant 2

You can see here that Nahida hasn’t picked it – because the trajectory of the ball is “normal” she thinks it is also coming on to the bat at “normal” pace, and is preparing to unleash a big shot.

Farrant 3

But she is on to it too quickly – the ball takes a lot longer to reach her than she is expecting and by the time it does, she is horribly tucked-up as she tries to adjust – popping up a fairly straightforward catch back to the bowler. Lovely.

Alex Hartley to Bismah Maroof (3rd T20)

YouTube Link

Bismah Maroof is Pakistan’s T20 captain and was their highest run-scorer on this tour. Meanwhile Hartley has had problems with her line to the left-handers in both the matches she has played.

Hartley 1

Maroof is looking to assert herself against the “inexperienced” Hartley so even before the ball is bowled she has started to come aggressively down the pitch – you can see her here dancing forwards just after the moment of delivery, looking to smash it straight back down the ground.

Hartley 2

But Hartley has spotted Maroof coming and she changes what she is going to do at the last instant – instead of a spinner, she fires in a quicker ball – forget the spin, just get it down there – and Maroof has to check her forward march!

Hartley 3

To be fair to Maroof, she picks it and adjusts to try to push it through the leg side, but her feet aren’t in quite the right place – her bat is too late on the shot and the ball sneaks through the gate between bat and pad and she is bowled. Brilliant.

Pictures © ECB/ Sky – See YouTube Links for copyright details – Reproduced as “Fair Dealing” under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act.