Author: Syd Egan

Random Thoughts: Women’s Ashes Test Day 1

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“Even Stevens”

England quickie Anya Shrubsole’s said afterwards that she felt it was “Even Stevens” at the end of Day 1; and I think she’s basically right – it is nicely poised. England are probably slightly disappointed not to have cleaned-up the tail, while the Australians will be greatly relieved to have reached 268, from a position where a sub-200 total looked a real possibility. There’s everything to play for on Day 2, including personal milestones tantalisingly in-reach for the day’s stars: Shrubsole and Jess Jonassen.

Anya Shrubsole

The cloudy, damp conditions which persisted all day at Canterbury were tailor-made for England’s swing-meister-in-chief, Anya Shrubsole, who took full advantage to take 4/59. Her lines were slightly off earlier on, particularly to the left-handed Bolton, but she came roaring back in her second spell, assisted by some excellent slip-catching from Heather Knight, who bagged two chances which while straightforward were never easy. Like Brunt, Shrubsole looked tired by the end of the day, but she’ll be back tomorrow and fired-up looking for that fifth wicket to get her name on the board.

Jess Jonassen

Although technically a “Test débutante” Jess “JJ” Jonassen has played over 50 internationals for the Southern Stars, so she has plenty of experience which she called upon today in making 95* – her highest international score to date. It wasn’t a faultless innings; and it wasn’t a chanceless innings, but it was exactly what Australia needed to take an under-par total to something which they will feel is very defensible as the pitch starts to work more in favour of the spinners later in the Test.

The Declaration That Wasn’t

Jonassen admitted in the press conference that Australia were looking to declare around half-way through the final session. After the new ball was taken, the message was sent out to “have fun” and look to put enough runs on the board to have a dart at the English openers tonight. However, England wised up to the plan, moved the fielders back, and it wasn’t to be.

It would have been an interesting scenario though – certainly England wouldn’t ideally have wanted to face just a handful of overs tonight; but as it is, we’ll be back tomorrow to see if Jonassen can complete her century and/ or Shrubsole her five-for.

It’s A Test!

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It’s a cold, wet Tuesday morning in Canterbury but there is a palpable sense of excitement in the air. The press box is already full and the England batsmen are practising in the nets below us. Everyone knows: this actually isn’t just “a” Test… it’s “The Test”.

Unlike in The Other Game, Women’s Test matches aren’t two-a-penny – 2014 was unusual in that there were three in an entire calendar year – Australia v England, England v India and India v South Africa.

This year, this is likely to be the only Women’s Test played anywhere in the world; and for these teams, this could be the last Test they play until 2018.

So you can understand why both captains seemed just that little bit more ‘up for it’ in their press conferences yesterday; and why all the players this morning are wearing such broad smiles of excitement tinged with perhaps a touch of nerves, as they warm-up in their brand new, starch-white jerseys.

For everyone here, Test cricket is still the pinnacle; and its relative scarcity means its value is beyond priceless.

It is a huge day for the players, a huge day for England and Australia, and a huge day for Women’s Cricket.

We can’t wait to get started!

POLL: Pick Your England Test Team

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You’re not Charlotte Edwards* but if you were, who would you be walking out onto the field with at Canterbury tomorrow?

(Plus see below for our teams!)

 

Syd’s Team

“For what it’s worth, I’d pick Wilson and Winfield, and rest Nat Sciver whose batting is more suited to a One Day role.”

  1. Edwards
  2. Knight
  3. Wilson
  4. Taylor
  5. Winfield
  6. Greenway
  7. Brunt
  8. Shrubsole
  9. Gunn
  10. Cross
  11. Grundy

Raf’s Team

“Were she available for selection, I’d have to go with Amy Jones, after her 155* for the Academy last week. But she isn’t…so I’ve picked the next best batting line-up! I’d play Laura Marsh instead of Becky Grundy to shore up the lower-order batting (I think we’re gonna need it!)”

  1. Edwards
  2. Knight
  3. Taylor
  4. Wilson
  5. Greenway
  6. Sciver
  7. Brunt
  8. Gunn
  9. Marsh
  10. Shrubsole
  11. Cross

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* At least… we assume you’re not Charlotte Edwards. However, if  you are Charlotte Edwards, then we do have just one question: WHY ARE YOU WASTING YOUR TIME MESSING ABOUT ON SILLY INTERNET POLLS THE DAY BEFORE A WOMEN’S ASHES TEST?!?!

Women’s Test Records

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Highest Total: 569 (Australia)

At Guildford in 1998, Australia declared at 569/6 in their first innings, after England (batting first) had posted 414. The match ended in a draw, with England 160/1 in their second knock.

Highest Score: 242 (Kiran Baluch, Pakistan)

At Karachi in 2004, opener Kiran Baluch hit 242 as Pakistan posted 426/7d batting first against West Indies. Pakistan bowled West Indies out for just 147 and enforced the follow-on; but West Indies saved the game with a second-innings of 440.

Lowest Total: 35 (England)

At Melbourne in 1958 England won the toss and asked Australia to bat – a decision which seemed vindicated as the Aussies were bowled out for the (then) lowest ever total in Women’s Tests – 38. It wasn’t a record that lasted long however; as Australia then knocked England over for 35. Amazingly however, the 3-day match still ended in a draw, as both teams made better work of their second knocks.

Best Bowling: 8/53 (Neetu David, India)

Indian spinner Neetu David is the only women to have taken 8 wickets in a Test innings, taking 8/53 in England’s second innings at Jamshedpur in 1995. It wasn’t quite enough however – England won the match by just 2 runs!

Women’s International Championship Update

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With Round 3 of the Women’s International Championship now completed, Australia sit way out ahead after their 4-2 points victory over England. Meanwhile, coming up in Round 4, England face South Africa and Australia travel to India.

Australia 16
South Africa 11
West Indies 10
England 9
Pakistan 8
New Zealand 8
Sri Lanka 5
India 5

With the top 4 teams automatically qualifying for the 2017 World Cup, England’s defeat in the Women’s Ashes ODI series means they end Round 3 in the right half of the table… but only just! Given that Australia have all-but qualified, the real battle is for places 2-through-4 and no one is out of that scrap yet by any means.

The big series of Round 4 is England v 2nd-placed South Africa. England will play 3 ODIs (February 7th, 12th & 14th) and 3 T20s (February 18th, 19th & 21st) against the Women Proteas in South Africa; and three wins for Mignon du Preez’ side would not only leave them very nicely placed for automatic qualification but potentially put England in a bit of trouble, given that New Zealand will be looking to take a maximum 6 points from their home series with Sri Lanka.

Also next February, Australia host India. Those matches take place just days after the climax of the Women’s Big Bash, so the Southern Stars will be match-fit, but (the Indians might also be hoping) perhaps also a little tired after the intensities of their domestic season. India will obviously be desperate to take something from that series; but keep in mind that the bottom 4 teams can still make the World Cup via the qualifying tournament – something which you’d certainly expect India to do.

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UPDATE: This article was updated on 09/08/15 – thanks to The Clanger for calling-out my dodgy maths – see below!

Random Thoughts: England’s Test Squad

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A few brief thoughts on England’s Test squad:

Fran Wilson

Wilson has been rewarded for a solid season with the bat, both for the Academy and for Middlesex. It is a big step up from Division 2 to Division 1 – as Lancashire are proving, having cruised Division 2 last season and completely tanked in Division 1 with basically exactly the same team. In making that step, Wilson has shown the one thing England really need right now: temperament! If she plays (and that is still a big “if”) it will be for that.

Amy Jones

Jones has been very unlucky. Again. (And how many times have we said that?) Her unbeaten century for the Academy, against exactly the same bowlers England will face in the Test, bowling their hearts out because their team isn’t inked-in yet, shows that she has the technique; but yet it all seems to fall apart when she steps into the arena of full international cricket. Why? It can only be a mind thing; and being in and out of the team like a yo-yo, never quite sure of her place, really really can’t be helping!

Alex Hartley

England have missed a trick in not considering Hartley – the best (available) attacking spinner we have at the moment – in a series-situation where (I think… others disagree) that they need to attack. I have an inkling that this is partly because she is perceived as a bit of a “Genuine No. 11” but honestly… if England are selecting their No. 11 partly for her batting, then God help them!

It does also seem that England’s management find it very hard to accept that players can change. Two years ago, Hartley was apparently going nowhere… so as far as England are concerned, she’s still going nowhere! But people do change – they grow up between 19 and 21 – and Hartley is a different player now to the one they (rightly) didn’t rate when they were first discussing who would (and would not) get a contract. England seem to be doing themselves a disservice by not recognising that.

OPINION: We Need To Talk About Play Cricket

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Play Cricket is the official scorecard for the women’s county cricket in this country; but there’s no way to sugar-coat this: it’s not fit for purpose.

Let’s try to look up the stats of England’s surprise Test squad selection, Middlesex’s Fran Wilson – something that quite a lot of journalists are probably trying to do right now.

So… do we mean this Fran Wilson, who plays for Middlesex and averages 32; or this Fran Wilson, who plays for Middlesex and averages 70? Yes… Fran is in there twice – each Fran having played 4 games!

A similar problem (now apparently corrected) occurred earlier this year with Tammy Beaumont, but at least there was a (sort-of) excuse that time: she was listed as “Tammy” and “Tamsin”.

The folks who developed Play Cricket would probably argue that this is “user error” (also known in the trade as a “BCK Exception” – standing for “Between Chair and Keyboard”) but good software doesn’t let users hang themselves like this – it should be checking for similar (or in the case of Fran identical) names when the scorecard is uploaded!

But these aren’t the only problems. Off the top of my head:

  • There is no search facility. (Unless I’ve missed it… in which case this is still the developers’ fault!)
  • The site is quite literally unusable on an iPhone because the menus are broken.
  • The user experience on any tablet or mobile (or indeed any laptop or netbook with a screen-height of 768px or less – i.e. an awful lot of them) is terrible, with nested scroll-bars and a plethora of popups which make back-navigation impossible.

In short, Play Cricket needs to go for a walk.

A long walk.

A “Captain Oates” walk.

Because we’ve got a brand-new Super League coming next year for women’s cricket in England; and it needs an official scorecard that works.

OPINION: England Should Bowl At Canterbury

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Cricket folklore says that if you win the toss, nine times out of ten you should bat. (And the other time? You should think about it… then bat!)

But when it comes to the Women’s Ashes Test at Canterbury, cricket folklore might just be wrong in England’s case.

Here are 3 reasons why Charlotte Edwards should put Australia in if she has the opportunity:

  1. When you’re the underdog (as England surely are) you have to play your best suit first; and England’s bowling is undoubtedly a lot stronger than their batting.
  2. The weather on Tuesday looks like being warm and cloudy – swing-friendly conditions which Anya Shrubsole in particular should relish.
  3. The wicket at Canterbury probably won’t deteriorate much over the 4 days, and England haven’t got the attacking spinners to take advantage of it in on the final day even if it did, so batting 4th should hold no particular fears.

Oh… and in the immortal words of Lt. Colombo: One more thing!

Say England bowl, what’s the worst that could happen? Australia finish Day 1 on 250/0?

On the other hand if England bat, there is every chance that Australia could finish Day 1 on 50/0… having already bowled England out – and that really would be a disaster!

But what do you think?

(Plus, look out tomorrow for Raf’s Rebuttal™!)

NEWS: Sarah Taylor To Return To Oz

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England glove-butler Sarah Taylor looks set for a Return to Oz this winter, having been named in the South Australia… sorry… “Breezair” Scorpions squad for this (Australian) summer’s 50-over WNCL.

Taylor was named Player of the Season in 2014/15, as the Scorpions made the final for the first time since 2008; but the Scorps were well beaten on the day by the NSW Breakers – cruising to their 16th title in the 18 year history of the competition.

However, this years’ WNCL could be the most open in years, as the deck is reshuffled due to the impact of the Women’s Big Bash League, with many players moving cities as they sign new WBBL contracts.

The Scorpions themselves will be much-strengthened (and the Breakers consequently weakened) by the move of Southern Stars quickie Sarah Coyte (currently on Women’s Ashes duty in England) from NSW to SA.

Match Report: Middlesex Bowlers Shine In Berkshire / Surrey T20s

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Middlesex’s bowlers were the story of the day at Merchant Taylors’ in their T20 triple-header with Berkshire and Surrey. Alex Hartley took 4/14 as Berkshire were bowled out for 70 in the first match; while in the final game, Australian Julie Hunter took 4/6 as Surrey were knocked-over for just 25. In the day’s other encounter, an unbeaten half century from Alex Rogers ensured Berkshire beat Surrey.

Middlesex v Berkshire

Having won the toss against Middlesex, Berkshire captain Lissy Macleod may soon have been regretting electing to bat, as spinner Alex Hartley ripped through the Beavers’ top order. Only 3 Berkshire batsmen made it to double-figures; and it was left to No. 9 Fi Morris to drag them to a hint of respectability as she top-scored with 15.

Chasing 71 to win, Middlesex lost Sophia Dunkley early, but were carried to an easy victory with no real alarms by Tash Miles(25*) and Cath Dalton (35*), as Berkshire opted largely for defence over attack – a justifiable decision in theory, but one which meant that in practice their best bowler (Daisy Gardner) bowled just the one over right at the end, by which time it was all over bar the shouting.

Berkshire v Surrey

On what was (later events notwithstanding) really quite a good pitch, Surrey skipper Cecily Scutt also chose to bat when she won the toss in Game 2. Surrey made it to the 10-over mark at 45/1 before Kirstie White (35) was brilliantly run out by a direct hit from Emily Gerke at midwicket, sparking a mini-collapse before Hannah Jones (22*) and New Zealander Rachel Candy (21*) rebuilt – taking Surrey to 106 at the turn.

In reply, Berkshire soon lost young opener Anna Harris for a duck and Lissy Macleod for a typically brisk-and-brusque 9; but Alex Rogers (59*) and Crinny Hall (41) then conspired to take the game away from Surrey. Rogers in particular now seems to have well and truly shaken-off her early season slump, passing 50 for the second time in the T20 campaign, as Berkshire made the runs with an over to spare.

Speaking to CRICKETher afterwards, Rogers admitted that Berkshire had maybe tried too hard to “hit” runs in the first game, rather than working the singles; but told us that a change of tactics was what had worked for them in the second match, as well as paying tribute to the Australian Hall, who has had to sit out so much of the season due to Alex Blackwell occupying the “overseas” place in the Berkshire line-up.

Rogers said:

“We stepped up our game… 100 was a good score, but me and Crinny ran so well between the wickets – she brings that to the team – she knows exactly when you can get a single and when you can get a two; and she keeps you level-headed in the breaks too – I like to hit fours, but she tells me to calm down and go for the singles.”

It was good advice, which served her and her team well.

Middlesex v Surrey

In the day’s final encounter, Middlesex captain Izzy Westbury opted to bowl; and it was the Meatballs’ new Aussie import – seamer Julie Hunter – who did the damage this time, taking 4/6 largely by employing the same tactics that her compatriots did in the recent Women’s Ashes ODIs – keeping it full and straight! Alex Hartley then added two more to her day’s haul, as Surrey were bowled out for just 25 off 13 overs.

Chasing such a low total, Middlesex’s usually lively batting was oddly subdued for the 6 overs it took them to reach their target for the loss of 1 wicket – Dunkley bowled by Scutt for 11.

Nevertheless, the smiles were clearly theirs at the end of the day, and very much deserved as they got their campaign back on track after a disappointing pair of losses in the last round.