Author: Syd Egan

NEWS: Ecclestone Called Up To England T20 Squad But Shrubsole Out Injured

Posted by

8

England have called up Lancashire’s 17-year-old left-arm orthodox spinner Sophie Ecclestone for the T20 series against Pakistan, starting at Bristol on Sunday.

Ecclestone hails from Cheshire, but joined Lancashire in 2015. Earlier this year she impressed for England Academy in the pre-season tri-series with Sri Lanka A and Australia’s Shooting Stars in Sri Lanka, taking 16 wickets on the tour, including a 4-for versus Sri Lanka A in Panagoda.

Additionally, Kent’s Tash Farrant – the leading wicket-taker in the County Championship – is recalled to the England squad, after missing out in the ODIs.

England will however be without vice-captain Anya Shrubsole, who is injury-listed with a side problem.

Full squad:

  • Heather Knight
  • Tammy Beaumont
  • Katherine Brunt
  • Sophie Ecclestone
  • Tash Farrant
  • Georgia Elwiss
  • Jenny Gunn
  • Alex Hartley
  • Dani Hazell
  • Amy Jones
  • Laura Marsh
  • Nat Sciver
  • Fran Wilson
  • Lauren Winfield
  • Danni Wyatt

EDITORIAL: Which Side Are We On?

Posted by

6

One of the most common criticisms we get from our readers is that we are too close to the England team to be objective and we sometimes hold back from criticising players we know personally.

It is a challenge that all journalists have to deal with, and for a “global media circus”, cricket (all cricket, not just the women’s game) is actually quite a small community, so it is a particular challenge in our sport; but the truth is that we are not that close to the players on a personal level.

Unlike the men’s journalists, we don’t stay in the same hotels 200 days a year, and while we have met most of the parents, and the odd boyfriend/ girlfriend, we wouldn’t presume to call ourselves “friends” with any current international player.

We know that some of them follow us on Twitter and read CRICKETher, which is nice; but others (at least two of the currently England team) take a different and equally valid approach – they block us!

Yes – ironically, while some readers think we are too soft on the team, the players themselves often feel like we are harsh, negative and unfair to them.

So which side are we on?

We want to celebrate the achievements of the England team, but we aren’t cheerleaders – what we really want to do is to share with our readers a bit of the insight and perspective that comes from having followed this sport for a long time, at both the domestic and international levels; and hopefully inform a bit of discussion and debate.

So we hope the answer is that we are on everybody’s side – the players, the fans, the women’s game, the wider game… even the ECB’s, believe it or not! It is a bit of a balancing act sometimes, but we’ll keep doing what we do – walking the wire, from point to point, hopefully getting somewhere, but maybe actually more importantly, enjoying the view along the way.

Random Thoughts: England v Pakistan 3rd ODI

Posted by

2

England

This was another ruthless performance from England; but it wasn’t the “same” performance. Moving out the boundaries gave the batsmen different challenges – you could see they were looking to bunt it short and snatch a lot of sharp singles, for example; and Nat Sciver played very differently – knowing there were an extra few yards to find those sixes, she looked instead to find the gaps more along the floor.

Pakistan

Again… Pakistan weren’t awful, but their fielding would be one area where they could really improve things in time for next year’s World Cup. Talking of which… you’d still definitely think they ought to qualify – they might not have been able to derail the England train on this tour, but they will be hard work for the likes of Ireland nonetheless, and if they aren’t back in 2017, it will be a surprise.

Alex Hartley

Mark Robinson (generous with his time, as always, to talk after the close) mentioned that England always intended to try to give Hartley a game in this 3rd ODI of the series; and the only person more delighted than us to see her receive her cap today, appeared to be Hartley herself! Spinners have the hardest job on debut – there is so little margin for error with the art – but Hartley got a good first over in, which was important.

She got a little bit expensive at the end of her first spell, with her economy rate edging towards 10 in overs 3-through-5, so Knight withdrew her; and she then came back later with a strong second spell, with an economy rate of just 3 in her final 5 overs. She didn’t take a wicket, but it was a very good response nonetheless and we will be seeing her again in an England shirt, for sure.

Katherine Brunt

This was Brunt’s first 5-fer since 2011, when she took 5-18 in an ODI against Australia at Wormsley. We mentioned in an earlier Random Thoughts that it is hard for her, because her reputation precedes her and the batsman usually try to just see her off, so it was great to see her get a reward and her name of the board again!

Amy Jones

They say sometimes with goalkeepers in football that they’ve had a good game if you don’t notice them; and it is very much the same with wicket keepers. Has anyone noticed Amy Jones? No – not really, because she hasn’t brought the attention to herself by doing anything horrendous… and that’s the way we like it.

Tammy Beaumont

TB has been England’s outstanding player in this series. Presented with a gilt-edged invitation to succeed, she did so in No Trumps and you can’t ask more than that. There will be harder series to come, but she has probably bought her ticket for a long time to come on the strength of these performances, and she deserves it.

OPINION: England Need Hart As Well As Six Appeal

Posted by

1

There is no doubt it has been a dream start to Heather Knight’s reign as captain, with two stonking victories over Pakistan this week. In the 1st ODI, Knight took command, with a Player of the Match performance; whilst in the 2nd, Winfield, Beaumont and Sciver finally started to look like the players on the pitch that they have always been on paper.

But while England’s much-lauded new “six appeal”  (© Vish Ehantharajah) has been a whole heap of fun to watch, let’s not get carried away. Pakistan’s bowling and fielding has been serving runs up on a plate to England’s batsmen; so is there an argument for playing a different batsman to allow them to join the feast? Coach Mark Robinson thinks not, it seems – Fran Wilson has been released to play for Middlesex on Sunday, suggesting we won’t be seeing her on Monday. And while this is hard on Wilson, who probably deserves to play in her preferred format, it is understandable – why interfere with a batting order which is just coming together?

But cricket is a game of two halves – bat and ball; and if England’s batsmen have finally found their je ne sais quoi, the bowlers still appear to be turning out the drawers in the spare room looking for theirs. So it is time to add some hart [sic!] to that six appeal, and bring in Alex Hartley. Not only is she the best spinner in the country right now, but as a left-armer, she offers something different to really challenge the batsmen – something that neither Cross nor Marsh, who have been workmanlike but nothing more in this series, have quite done.

Interestingly, unlike Wilson, Hartley has not been released to Middlesex, so is Robbo thinking what we’re thinking? I guess we’ll find out at around half past 10 on Monday!

Random Thoughts: England v Pakistan 1st ODI

Posted by

3

Pakistan

The visitors weren’t awful – they weren’t overawed, but ultimately they were overwhelmed. With the bat they preserved their wickets at the expense of scoring runs; and they lacked that little bit of professional sharpness in the field, as witnessed by the massive let-off for Tammy Beaumont when she really ought to have been run out after a horrible mix-up with her skipper when she was on 49. Are Pakistan anywhere near up there with England? No! But do they belong at this level? On the evidence of today, absolutely; and playing in these kinds of conditions now sets them up to be ready for the World Cup next year, for which they will still hope to qualify via the Qualifying Tournament.

England

England’s “Brave New World” didn’t look that brave or that new today – no new cap for Alex Hartley… and not even a game for Fran “Like A New Cap” Wilson. It is to be hoped that we see the two of them later in the ODI series, especially as ODIs rather than T20s would (you’d think) be their preferred environment. But the really important thing is that they got the victory – they aren’t 100% happy with their bowling or their fielding, and rightly so, but a win is a win!

Heather Knight

Those who know Knight won’t be surprised to find that the “burden” of captaincy has quickly affected her form in the most positive of ways. She might not be “flashy”, either as a player or an individual, but as captain at Berkshire, Hobart Hurricanes, and now England, she has stood up and taken responsibility. Bowling-wise, she might not turn it much at all, but she lands it on a spot, and when you build pressure like that, the bad shots will come and the catches will follow. With the bat, she played quite conservatively, a lot off the back foot; but if her role going forward is to anchor the team coming in at 4, that is the game she needs to play in this kind of situation. (But in another situation, she can (and would) play differently.)

Tammy Beaumont

This was TB’s best performance in an England shirt, and it really does start to look as if Robinson might have had a transformative effect on someone who has always been able to do it at county, but has consistently struggled for England. She moved her feet like Ginger Rogers and punched like Nicola Adams; but she does need to remember to play to her strengths, driving in front of the wicket – the only times she looked shaky today were when she became a bit too expansive, not least the terrible shot she got out to.

Katherine Brunt

Brunt finally got her 100th ODI wicket, something which has been weighing a little on her, because it has taken some time to move past 99; but that’s what happens when you are the best – people play you differently, and the wickets are genuinely harder to come by. So don’t panic – she isn’t struggling or losing her form – and she remains key to England’s World Cup prospects next year.

England ODI Squad – County Stats

Posted by

2

You can’t always read too much into a player’s county form – some, like Nat Sciver, always seem to perform better with an England shirt on; whilst others, such as Tammy Beaumont, have never yet seemed able to quite translate their always-impressive county numbers into international success.

But with that caveat, here are the top-level numbers for this season.

Player County Matches Batting Average Wickets
Heather Knight Berkshire 5 52 6
Anya Shrubsole Somerset 1 60 4
Tammy Beaumont Kent 6 52 N/A
Katherine Brunt Yorkshire 3 38 2
Kate Cross Lancashire 3 6 0
Georgia Elwiss Sussex 4 22 12
Jenny Gunn Warwickshire 2 21 0
Alex Hartley Middlesex 2 15 4
Dani Hazell Yorkshire 3 41 5
Amy Jones Warwickshire 3 4 N/A
Laura Marsh Kent 6 23 9
Nat Sciver Surrey 5 21 7
Fran Wilson Middlesex 1 63 N/A
Lauren Winfield Yorkshire 4 25 N/A
Danni Wyatt Sussex 4 37 7

NEWS: England Squad For Pakistan ODIs

Posted by

11

England have announced a 15-player squad for the first two ODIs against Pakistan next week.

  • Heather Knight
  • Anya Shrubsole
  • Tammy Beaumont
  • Katherine Brunt
  • Kate Cross
  • Georgia Elwiss
  • Jenny Gunn
  • Alex Hartley
  • Danielle Hazell
  • Amy Jones (wkt)
  • Laura Marsh
  • Natalie Sciver
  • Fran Wilson
  • Lauren Winfield
  • Danielle Wyatt

For the first time in quite a while, the squad contains an uncapped player – Middlesex’s orthodox left-armer, Alex Hartley – who modestly told CRICKETher less than a month ago that she had “no chance” of being picked. (We always thought otherwise… sorry to prove you wrong Alex!!)

Fran Wilson is also included, as very much expected – she has played for England before, but not in the “professional” era – her last cap was in 2011.

Fast bowler Beth Langston is explicitly listed as injured, whereas Becky Grundy and Tash Farrant (the only other Performance Squad players not included) are just not mentioned at all – perhaps a bit of a surprise, particularly in the latter case, as Farrant has had a very good county season thus far as the highest wicket-taker in the County Championship.

Meanwhile behind the stumps,. Lauren Winfield is officially appointed “Under-Glove-Butler” to Amy Jones, which probably makes sense – there are definitely better wicket keepers in county cricket, not least Berkshire’s Carla Rudd, but Winfield is a much better batsman than Rudd, and Winfield doesn’t let much through, even if she isn’t as “clean” a keeper as some.

NEWS: New Zealanders McGlashan & Priest Head To County

Posted by

New Zealand stars Sara McGlashan and Rachel Priest will warm up for the Kia Super League with some county action in the Nat West T20 Cup.

McGlashan – a middle-order batsman and veteran of over 200 internationals, including 2 Tests – will line up for Sussex, before heading to the Southern Vipers; whilst Priest – a wicket-keeping opening batsman, with an ODI highest score of 157 – will play for Berkshire, before quite literally “going west”, to the Western Storm!

With key players away on international duty (Heather Knight, for Berkshire, and Danni Wyatt and Georgia Elwiss for Sussex) both counties will be mightily relieved to bulk-up their batting; whilst for the players themselves it represents an opportunity to acclimatise to the freezing cold English conditions prior to KSL.

NEWS: Kent Girls Coach Honoured With MBE

Posted by

1

Kent’s long-serving Under-11 Girls coach – David Sear – has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to girls’ cricket.

A retired PE teacher, Sear has been part of the Kent girls’ coaching setup for over 20 years, and amongst those who have been coached by him, many have gone on to play for England, including Lynsey Askew, Lydia Greenway, Tash Farrant and Tammy Beaumont.

John Daniels, Director of Girls’ Cricket in Bexley, congratulated Mr Sear in his regular newsletter:

“David has been a tireless worker for Kent Girls and Women’s cricket for many years… running the Kent under 11 county squad, the under 11s festival days and many other tournaments.”

Wilson & Gardner Back For Berkshire v Middlesex Clash

Posted by

1

The big game in the County Championship this weekend is Berkshire v Middlesex at North Maidenhead.

With Berkshire in 5th place in Division 1, and Middlesex in 6th, just above the dreaded relegation zone, it is a match which both teams will be targeting as a “must win”, and both sides are boosted by the return of key players.

For Middlesex, opening batsman Fran Wilson is back. Having scored 88 for England Academy against Ireland “A” in a 50-over match at Loughborough this week, it looks like the good form with which she started the County Championship, prior to the freak injury which sidelined her for a month, is set to continue; and it will be a massive surprise if she isn’t now also named in the England squad for the Pakistan series later this month.

For Berkshire, fast bowler Daisy Gardner also looks set to get back into the action after injury derailed her season on the opening weekend, since which The Beavers have really missed her penetration with the ball. Seeing her open the bowling in tandem with Lauren “The Shard” Bell should be something of a treat… unless you are a Middlesex batsman!

As usual, it is an 11:00 start on Sunday at North Maids, with free entry for children, OAPS… and anyone in between! [Editor’s Note: He means everyone!]