Ireland’s Kim Garth and Gabby Lewis, plus Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce, have been selected for this year’s WBBL Associate Rookie Program, which gives players from the “minor” nations the sponsored opportunity to be part of a professional cricket setup for a couple of weeks during the competition – benefiting from the same coaching and facilities as the “full time” players on the team.

Irish bowling all-rounder Garth was part of last year’s program – spending a month in Hobart under the wing of Hurricane’s coach Julia Price, and was full of praise for the scheme when she spoke to us last summer:

“[Hobart] was pretty intense – it was training four or five times a week plus gym work [and] I got a good opportunity to work quite closely with Julia Price, who is a brilliant coach, so I did a lot of one-on-one with her on my [batting] technique.”

Garth is headed to the Sydney Sixers this year; whilst her colleague – batting all-rounder Gabby Lewis – is off to Hobart.

Meanwhile Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce – an opening batsman, who has also opened the bowling on occasion – is set to be a Melbourne Star, alongside Meg Lanning!

The three join players from China, Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea on the program.

With England suffering a bit of an injury crisis in Sri Lanka, Dani Hazell is the surprise choice as stand-in skipper, becoming the 22nd woman to captain England across all formats.

With Heather Knight (left hamstring) and Katherine Brunt(left thigh) ruled-out, coach Mark Robinson has turned to the Yorkshire off-spinner to lead the team.

It is an interesting choice – prior to this tour Hazell hadn’t played an ODI since South Africa back in February, missing the series against Pakistan and West Indies, though she played all 3 T20s in the summer; so this might be seen as partly a reward for loyalty over a period when she has had to spend a lot of time on the sidelines.

However, with 3 Super league captains – Georgia Elwiss, Nat Sciver and Lauren Winfield – in the team, might we not have expected one of them to be given the job? Perhaps, but by giving it to Hazell, Robinson effectively avoids a difficult choice which might have been seen to “anoint” a potential successor to Heather Knight in years to come, and left the other two thinking – why not me?

As we write, Hazell has taken her first captain’s wicket too – bowling opener Nipuni Hansika for 29 – you can follow the game here.

New Zealand v Pakistan

• After her success in South Africa, it has been another good week for Amy Satterthwaite, who hit two centuries in the 2nd and 3rd ODIs as the White Ferns took a 3-0 series lead against Pakistan.
• The first two ODIs were easy wins for the Kiwis, as Pakistan simply failed to score runs; but there were signs of things coming together a bit for the visitors in the 3rd ODI, as a century stand between Javeria Khan and Bismah Maroof provided the foundation for a total of 263-6.
• As things stand, New Zealand still need one more win to assure qualification for England 2017 – they have that opportunity on Thursday.

India v West Indies

• West Indies went into this series needing just one win to wrap-up their qualification; but thus far it has been India all the way, and they currently lead the series 2-0.
• In both ODIs, West Indies batted first, but failed to put enough runs on the board (131 in the 1st ODI, 153 in the 2nd) and India chased them down easily.
• West Indies have another chance to qualify again on Wednesday; but…
• There is still a slim hope for India of direct qualification – if they win well on Wednesday and the ICC’s committee decrees that they share the points from their “missing” series with Pakistan, they could directly qualify at West Indies’ expense. UPDATE: Games Won counts before NRR, and West Indies are well ahead on this.

Sri Lanka v England

• This has been a difficult one to follow, with only a barely-live scorecard and the ECB’s official Twitter feed providing information; but we know obviously that England have done the job they went to Sri Lanka to do – qualify for their own tournament with a win in the 2nd ODI – the 1st “Championship” match.
• Although England won the 2nd ODI by a huge margin (over 100 runs) they did get bowled out, albeit off the final ball of the 50 overs, but still clearly questions remain over the fragility of the batting, and it will be interesting to see if Emma Lamb gets a couple of games now that the pressure is off for the last 2 matches.

And Finally…

• There are questions over the participation of West Indies players in future KSL and WBBL tournaments, after the West Indies Cricket Board decided to impose a “release fee” of 20% of the player’s annual contract, before they are allowed to play. Will the host boards pay up? It could add significantly to the cost of employing West Indies stars, so we shall see…!!
• Lastly, if you haven’t already, pop over to the New Zealand Herald right now and read their big interview with Suzie Bates, in which she discusses frankly the state of the game there, in the light of an official report which suggested women’s cricket has become “endangered”.

New Zealand Cricket have accepted the findings of a damning independent report into the state of the women’s game in the country.

The report into the state of women’s cricket in New Zealand was commissioned by the board, and undertaken by Sarah Beaman, a former player and New Zealand age-group captain, who is now a management consultant specialising in sports and recreation.

Beaman’s report finds that beneath the veneer of the current team’s international success, domestic participation has dropped to near-disastrous levels, with over 50% of clubs offering no cricket at all for women or girls. Just 10% of players are female, almost all of whom are young girls who go on to drop out of the game as teenagers. At a management level, women hold only a small fraction of positions on New Zealand’s regional and national boards.

In the report’s executive summary, released today, Beaman writes of having discovered “women having virtually no voice in the governance or leadership of cricket, few women coaching or umpiring, and female players a species on the verge of extinction.”

A statement from New Zealand Cricket acknowledged the issues highlighted in the report and promised to put them right, saying:

“We have neglected the women’s game… We were wrong, and we now need to address the areas we’ve allowed to slip.”

Lancashire’s Emma Lamb has been added to the England squad which will tour Sri Lanka this month, following a successful training camp in Abu Dhabi.

Coach Mark Robinson said that Lamb had impressed in the two internal warm-up games played in Abu Dhabi, as well as during the Kia Super League, when she was the only non-international player to feature among the top ten group-stage run scorers.

Though she opens for Lancashire and Lancashire Thunder, it is likely that if she makes her debut during this series – which begins with the first ODI tomorrow – Lamb will come in down the order, having batted at number 6 in the Abu Dhabi matches.

Her international call-up follows a successful Academy tour earlier this year to Sri Lanka, when she made 85 off 80 balls in a one-day game versus Sri Lanka A and 45 off 29 balls in a T20 against Australia’s Shooting Stars.

Four months after making her international debut, 23-year-old left-arm spinner Alex Hartley has won the Cricket Society’s Most Promising Young Female Cricketer Award.

2016 has been an exciting year for Hartley, after she fought her way back into England contention having been dropped from the Academy 7 years ago. Having impressed new coach Mark Robinson, she was called into the squad for the summer series’ against Pakistan, and took her first international wicket in the final T20 at Chelmsford, finishing with figures of 2-19.

She performed brilliantly in the inaugural Super League for Surrey Stars, ending the competition with 8 wickets, including 3-11 against Lancashire Thunder.

Most recently in England’s ODI series in the Caribbean she took 13 wickets at an economy rate of 3.4 – a record total for England in a bilateral series.

Hartley said: “I’m so excited to have won this award – thank you to everyone at the Cricket Society.”

“Looking through the names of previous recipients, it is incredible to think that my name has now been added to that list.”

“The past 12 months have flown by in a bit of a blur, but I have loved every second of it. I’m still learning so much with every match I play, and I now can’t wait to see what 2017 and the possibility of playing in a home World Cup has to bring.”

The award has run since 2002, with previous winners including Nat Sciver (2013), Heather Knight (2010) and Katherine Brunt (2004). It will be formally presented at the Cricket Society’s annual autumn dinner this evening.

The ECB have announced a restructuring of the England Women’s “Pathway” – splitting the Academy and age-group squads up into two new sections – a “Senior Academy” under ex Lancashire glove-butler John Stanworth and an “Academy” headed up by Loughborough Lightning Coach Salliann Briggs; with six “Regional Development Centers” beneath that, based on the six Super League franchises.

The squads for the 2016/17 winter training program are:

Senior Academy

Georgia Adams (Sussex)
Hollie Armitage (Yorkshire)
Georgia Boyce (Nottinghamshire)
Thea Brookes (Worcestershire)
Ellen Burt (Sussex)
Alice Davidson-Richards (Kent)
Freya Davies (Sussex)
Sophia Dunkley (Middlesex)
Sophie Ecclestone (Lancashire)
Kate George (Hampshire)
Georgia Hennessy (Warwickshire)
Evelyn Jones (Staffordshire)
Hannah Jones (Surrey)
Emma Lamb (Lancashire)
Sophie Luff (Somerset)
Paige Scholfield (Sussex)
Bryony Smith (Surrey)
Linsey Smith (Berkshire)
Ellie Threlkeld (Lancashire)

As predicted, Alex MacDonald and Steph Butler are out of the picture, with Alice Davidson-Richards and Georgia Hennessy coming back in from the wilderness.

Academy

Lauren Bell (Berkshire)
Maria Bouchier (Middlesex)
Izzy Cloke (Kent)
Charlie Dean (Hampshire)
Alice Dyson (Derbyshire)
Emily Edgcombe (Cornwall)
Danielle Gibson (Gloucestershire)
Sarah Glenn (Derbyshire)
Amy Gordon (Surrey)
Eva Gray (Surrey)
Lucy Higham (Leicestershire)
Anna Nicholls (Middlesex)
Tara Norris (Sussex)
Millie Pope (Middlesex)
Rihanna Southby (Surrey)
Alex Travers (Surrey)
Katie Wolfe (Middlesex)

This squad is always going to be more fluid as players mature at different rates, but two notable absences from last year – Megan Belt, despite a very good county season, topping the bowling rankings; and Cordelia Griffith, who we understand was selected but has chosen to concentrate on her studies.

This article was updated on 4/11/2016 re. Cordelia Griffith’s situation.

WNCL

• The New South Wales Breakers hit the top of the table this weekend, after an Ellyse Perry century (101 off 120 balls) saw them thrash the bottom-placed Western Fury by 107 runs.
• Tasmania Roar keeper-batsman Georgia Redmayne became the first Tasmanian ever to hit a WNCL century as the Roar pulled off a thrilling last-ball run chase of 246 to beat the ACT Meteors.
• The following day was somewhat less fun for the Roar however, as they got Lanninged. The Megastar hit 190 off 153 balls – breaking her own WNCL record high score of 175 – whilst Jess Cameron played second-fiddle at the other end with a “mere” 108 off 120, as the Vic Spirit posted 320-3 in Hobart – the Roar were bowled out for 163 in reply.
• Fast bowler Julie Hunter has announced her retirement from the WNCL after a 13-year career which included 23 ODIs for Australia. She will continue to play in the WBBL.

WBBL

• Anya Shrubsole will join Katherine Brunt at the Perth Scorchers for this year’s WBBL – this is the first time Shrubsole has ever been persuaded to play domestic cricket other than for her “home” sides – Somerset and Western Storm.
• Shrubsole effectively replaces Charlotte Edwards at the Scorchers – Edwards confirmed earlier this month that she will play for the Adelaide Strikers, as expected given that she is currently playing WNCL there for the South Australia Scorpions.
• It’s been announced that Channel Ten will broadcast a standalone women’s cricket weekend in December as part of the WBBL season, with four (F.O.U.R!!!) WBBL games being shown across one weekend.

India

• India have announced their squad for their Women’s International Championship ODI and T20 series versus West Indies, with Harmanpreet Kaur promoted to the T20 captaincy, but Mithali Raj retaining the role for the ODIs.
• Meanwhile, there is still no official word on what happens to the points from India’s “missed” series against Pakistan, which the BCCI essentially refused to play. Bizarrely the Indians seem to think they may be entitled to some of the points, and it is apparently going to an ICC committee to decide. (The two teams are also supposed to be competing later this year in the Asia Cup in Thailand, but there are now clouds over that too.)

And Finally…

• In case you missed it, this is awesome – Eileen Ash (née Whelan) played the last of her 7 Tests in 1949. On the pitch Whelan was a bowler, taking 10 wickets in a career which was curtailed by the war. More than half a century later though, she is still at the crease of life – currently (as of today, Sunday) batting 105 not out and reckoned to be the oldest living Test cricketer of either gender.

England have named 14 of the 15-strong squad who will travel to Sri Lanka next month for 4 ODIs. 

Fran Wilson has recovered from a broken finger and is back in to bolster the batting; but Anya Shrubsole is ruled out. With Sophie Ecclestone unavailable due to school, England have left one spot free in what is otherwise an unchanged squad from the recent West Indies tour. 

• Heather Knight
• Tammy Beaumont
• Katherine Brunt
• Georgi Elwiss
• Jenny Gunn
• Alex Harley
• Dani Hazell
• Amy Jones
• Beth Langston 
• Laura Marah
• Nat Sciver
• Lauren Winfield
• Fran Wilson
• Danni Wyatt

The 15th spot is likely to be taken by one of the players additionally selected for a pre-tour camp in Abu Dhabi:

• Georgia Adams
• Kate Cross
• Alice Davidson-Richards
• Sophia Dunkley
• Sophie Ecclestone 
• Georgia Hennessy
• Hannah Jones
• Emma Lamb
• Bryony Smith

New Zealand’s 7-match ODI series in South Africa ended this week with the visitors sealing a 5-2 victory, with Amy Satterthwaite scoring her 3rd 50 of the series in the final match, as the White Ferns posted 273 – South Africa slumping to 147 all out in reply.

The numbers below show this was very-much Satterthwaite’s series – she topped the batting rankings with 344 runs at an average of 69 and the bowling rankings with 11 wickets going at under 3 an over.

For New Zealand, Katey Martin and Rachel Priest (with the bat) and Erin Bermingham and Morna Nielsen (with the ball) also put in their shifts, as Suzie Bates was eclipsed for once – coming in at 6th in the batting rankings, and at 13th in the bowling, having not bowled a huge amount of overs. The selectors will probably not be worried by Bates’ personal form – there is a positive to be taken out of it in terms of their strengths elsewhere; but they will want to be sure that Bates does get an opportunity to rest properly at some stage before the World Cup, after basically playing non-stop for the past year or so.

For South Africa, Mignon du Preez emphasised her continued importance to the team after relinquishing the captaincy with 232 runs; whist Ayabonga Khaka had a bit of a breakthrough with 11 wickets – she’d taken just 6 wickets in 14 ODIs prior to this series.

Batting Rankings

Bowling Rankings

Batting Ranking = Runs * Strike Rate
Bowling Ranking = Wickets / Economy