On the CRICKETher Weekly:

• Arlott & Dunkley shine as England win
• West Indies woes & why the ICC needs to intervene
• Loans in county cricket: do we need tighter regulation?

I don’t know if Hayley Matthews is a fan of the popular beat combo ‘Linkin Park’ but if she was, she would have recognised the song which blasted through the PA at Hove shortly after the start of England’s innings: The Emptiness Machine. But fan or not, Matthews could probably empathise with the lyrics of singer Emily Armstrong:

Don’t know why I’m hoping – so f***ing naive
Falling for the promise of the emptiness machine

If Matthews and her team actually had any hopes after posting just 81, it took England less than 10 overs to splatter them, as Nat Sciver-Brunt kicked into gear with 55 off 30 balls; whilst the hero of Canterbury – Sophia Dunkley – was able to just chill out at the other end, with a cool all-but run-a-ball 24. Honestly, Dunkley could have popped down to Marrocco’s famous ice-cream parlour on the sea-front for a cornet during her innings and England would still have strolled to victory – West Indies are just that bad right now.

An England win was probably inevitable the moment Hayley Matthews was bowled by Em Arlott in the newbie’s second over. Arlott had been walloped for 4 by Matthews the ball before; but she stuck to her guns, put the ball on a decent length targeting the stumps, and got the reward. It was a very Em Arlott wicket – it wasn’t a Lauren Bell-esque Magic Delivery – but it was about keeping that consistency and that rhythm, and executing the plan.

Four balls later, Sophia Dunkley literally plucked Arlott’s second wicket out of thin air. The ball struck by Zaida James wasn’t going at a million miles an hour, but it was heading for the boundary and apparently well wide of Dunkley at mid on; but Dunkley (whose fielding is sometimes more memorable for the drops than the catches) leapt high to her left and somehow held on with her “wrong” hand.

Alott’s final wicket was less memorable – Stafanie Taylor pushing another good length delivery straight to Charlie Dean – but they all count in the scorebook, and Arlott finished with 3-14 and a Player of the Match “medal” (it is actually a dachshund plushy, courtesy of sponsors Vitality).

Having finished the powerplay 4 down, West Indies responded by shutting up shop. Shemaine Campbelle (26) and Shabika Gajnabi  (22) got through the early middle overs unscathed, but at a run-rate which wasn’t going to set any pulses racing. Issy Wong finally got her hands on the ball again, and delivered a couple of overs which were… fine – no great shakes, but nothing that really troubled Campbelle or Gajnabi too much, until Gajnabi repeated her dismissal from the first match, following a slower ball down the leg side and giving England some more catching practice.

Another collapse followed, with just one over in the last 8 going for more than 3 runs, as the West Indies focussed on getting through the 20 overs intact; but a total of just 81 obviously wasn’t going to be enough unless England had a real nightmare.

The first ball of England’s reply did hint at that – Danni Wyatt-Hodge bagging a platinum duck (maybe someone should sponsor a plushy for that too?) to continue her slightly unconvincing start to the season. But NSB came out determined to stamp her mark on the match; and although she was dropped right at the end of her innings, it was the kind of authoritative performance that definitely qualifies as “leading from the front”. There are a few worries around her captaincy, but the really Big Worry™ is that the burden of the role will result in a drop-off in form. This was the opposite. And that’s good news for Nat Sciver-Brunt; good news for Charlotte Edwards; and good news for England – their machine, at least, is anything but empty.

In the lead-up to this game, all the talk was of a new era under Charlotte Edwards: England (Lottie’s Version)!

But of course the thing with Taylor Swift’s “Taylor’s Version” albums is that they aren’t new “eras” at all – they are note-for-note facsimiles (mostly*) of her previous recordings. Which brings us back to England (Lottie’s Version), in which it turns out, not a lot has really changed.

England’s XI contained 8 of their preferred T20 lineup from the Ashes, including an identical top 6. There were three changes to the bowling, but two of those were mandated by injuries to Sophie Ecclestone and Freya Kemp.

Linsey Smith coming in for Ecclestone was a no-brainer – Smith has been in fantastic form in the One Day Cup, bowling the tough overs, taking 14 wickets and going for under 4 an over. She replicated that form for England today – whilst Hayley Matthews was taking the rest of England’s attack to pieces, Smith conceded just 18 runs in 4 overs. England’s next-best was Em Arlott, who went for 28.

Arlott will probably be written-up as the “Big Call” in selection, making her debut aged 27 off the back of some strong performances for Warwickshire and a general reputation for dependability, which probably gave her the edge over Phoebe Turner who has been the other pacer doing numbers in county cricket. (Scoring a hundred against Essex probably didn’t harm her cause either, and she was carded to bat at 7 above Charlie Dean; but she really isn’t an allrounder even at domestic level, so expectations need to be tempered in that department.)

The actual “Big Call” however was Issy Wong, who looked pretty unthreatening on England’s “A” tour to Australia back in April, and whose returns for Warwickshire back home have been woeful – just 6 wickets at an Economy Rate of over 5.3. It is fair to say that she isn’t bowling as many bad balls as she used to, but the real problem is that she isn’t bowling very many good ones either. The slower ball that got her one wicket today was a genuine change of pace, but it was otherwise a pretty rank delivery well down the leg side, and a smarter cricketer than Shabika Gajnabi would have just left it alone and taken the wide, rather than pumping it to Nat Sciver-Brunt on the ring. Overall, it is fair to say that Lauren Filer doesn’t have too much to worry about when she comes back from injury.

England’s other Lauren – Bell – found a bit of swing early-on, and deserved two wickets she didn’t get, while getting two wickets she didn’t deserve – Qiana Joseph and Zaida James giving themselves away with shocking shots. But she also struggled for consistency and gifted Matthews her century in the final over with some poor deliveries, not to mention a brainless bouncer which was going to be called a wide 8 days a week – the extra run didn’t matter of course, but that’s still no excuse.

Matthews of course was immense – 100 runs off 67 balls at a Strike Rate of 149, whilst the rest of her team scored 40 off 53 at a Strike Rate of 75. Her performance today was the third time she has hit an international white-ball century in a losing cause, bringing her level at the top of that list alongside England’s new captain – Nat Sciver-Brunt.

NSB’s first game as England’s “official” captain obviously ended with a win; but after being much-touted as a skipper who would “lead from the front” she didn’t bowl (she’s still coming back from injury) and served-up a two-ball duck. There was also one slightly worrying moment in the field, where she switched-off after the batters ran through for a single, before suddenly remembering she was supposed to move in from the ring where she’d been fielding at midwicket (Heather Knight continuing to field in the traditional captain’s position at mid off) and shaking her head in an “aren’t I a ditz” sort of a way as she moved to short midwicket.

But England came out on top in the end, thanks to the bats of Sophia Dunkley and Heather Knight; after Danni Wyatt-Hodge had hacked her way to a scratchy 17, before being bowled in about the most ignominious way as possible – padding an awful wide delivery into her own stumps. Dunkley took a lot of risks, and seemed to score most of her runs hacking across the line outside off stump; but it got the job done and she finished not out on 81 – her highest international T20 score.

Meanwhile Knight, as she did in the Ashes, just played smartly, manipulating the field for boundaries and running hard between the wickets to make every ball count. I wouldn’t have kept her in the team; but you can see why Lottie did.

A win is a win is a win, as they say. It’s not the worst start for the new regime; even if it was against a West Indies side that look worse and worse every time we see them. I’m not convinced it was a performance that would have beaten Australia though; and ultimately that’s what matters if this is really going to be a new era rather than a remake of the previous one.

—————
* Yes – I’m still cross about Better Than Revenge!

This week:

• NSB faces the press
• England’s new selector
• Lamb and Arlott in on domestic form
• West Indies series predictions

Once-upon-a-time, not all that long ago, there was a farm-field between the church and the pub in the village of Sindlesham in Berkshire. It had been a farm-field for hundreds of years – being a farm-field was probably all it ever remembered being! In the early 2010s, after months of excavators excavating and builders building, it became the new home of Wokingham Cricket Club.

And for a brief moment in time, it was also the centre of the world for women’s cricket. Charlotte Edwards and Claire Taylor lived nearby; and one of the country’s top teams, Berkshire – featuring Isa Guha and a young Heather Knight – played there.

It was also the place where I reconnected with cricket, after a 10 year estrangement following a dalliance with baseball when I’d lived in America in my twenties. I used to come down with my young son on a Sunday to watch Berkshire and (at the encouragement of Martin Davies – AKA Women’s Cricket Blog) I started my own blog (it’s still there!) through which I met Raf Nicholson. And we all know how that ended, right?

I think it is fair to say that Wokingham Cricket Club changed my life; and so when it came to the choice between going to watch Hampshire v Essex today at The Bowl, or Berkshire v Kent at Wokingham, there was only one place I wanted to be.

Berkshire and Kent have history at Wokingham, though there aren’t too many here today who remember a famous last-ball victory for the Beavers (that’s Berkshire!) in 2016 – the only survivor on either side is Kent’s now-captain Megan Belt, though the scorecard is something of an honours board of women’s cricket superstardom featuring over 1,000 international caps.

There were no such heroics for Berkshire today however, as the difference between Tier 2 and Tier 3 ultimately asserted itself, with Tier 2 Kent the winners by 47 runs over their Tier 3 opponents.

Nonetheless Berkshire did not disgrace themselves. Chasing 162, at the half-way mark they were actually ahead on DLS at 70-1, albeit thanks in part to a series of gifts which included a bowled off a no ball, a bowled off a free hit, and a caught off a free hit. But Berkshire’s chase petered out after Kent struck back in the 11th and 12 overs, with set batters Izzy Storrar (31) and Shristi Patil (40) both dismissed – Patil run out, and Storra bowled by Amy Gordon – the third of three crucial interjections from the former Surrey captain.

Having led Surrey’s county team during the regional era, Gordon had been discarded by her home county with the acquisition of Tier 1 professional status over the summer; but is now enjoying life at Kent. “It feels more stable,” she told us after the game. “I’m absolutely loving cricket this year, and it’s been a good move all round.”

Opening the batting with Kent having been inserted by Berkshire, Gordon had set a positive tone in the very first over, smacking Eliza Bristowe for four 4s, as she contributed 26 off 13 balls to Kent’s rocket-fueled powerplay. Kent hit 52 off the powerplay for the loss of two wickets, which included Grace Pool brilliantly caught by a diving Iqraa Hussain off a thickish edge behind the sticks. Their run-rate subsequently slowed through the middle overs, but they kept enough wickets in hand to throw the bat at the death, smashing 41 off the final 3 overs to post 162 – Tilly Callaghan top-scoring with a run-a-ball 42.

Amy Gordon was then straight into the action again, opening the bowling with her right-arm off-spin, and striking with her very first delivery – Alex Avoth the recipient of a shiny platinum duck. The recovery led by Storrar and Patil was brave, but it wasn’t quite enough. DLS might have had Berkshire ahead at 10 overs, but they were well under half-way to the target, and our WinHer Win Predictor (which is based only on women’s cricket) was probably more realistic, giving Berkshire just a 43% chance at that stage. Only Lily Bowlby followed Storrar and Patil into double-figures as Berkshire were bowled out in the final over.

Berkshire were well short of their target but they had made a game of it – a not inconsequential achievement for “a band of thieves in ripped up jeans” against one of the more professional Tier 2 setups, with Kent having been accompanied to the match by no less than 7 coaches and support staff. The Beavers might not be travelling to Cambridge next weekend for Round 3 of the T20 Cup, but they made sure that Kent knew that Tier 3 perhaps aren’t quite so far behind them as they (and to be fair, we) might have expected.

This week:

• The magic of the County Cup
• England v West Indies: will Lottie make any surprise picks?
• Controversy as UAE retire out their entire team v Qatar

The Blaze ended Hampshire’s unbeaten season on a chilly day in Nottingham, thanks to a century from stand-in captain Tammy Beaumont.

Invited to bowl after Hampshire won the toss, The Blaze opened with two maidens, bowled by Charley Phillips and Grace Ballinger – Ella McCaughan playing and missing several times in the first over, as Phillips ploughed a furrow outside off stump; whist Maia Bouchier was kept pinned-back in her crease by Ballinger bowling wicket-to-wicket.

But McCaughan, having started the day 133 not out following her midweek century against Lancashire, was soon piercing the ring with pinpoint accuracy to find runs on a spacious outfield at Trent Bridge.

Ballinger in particular bowled well, but a rare loose delivery brought the first wicket in the 10th over – Bouchier latching on to an inviting half-tracker well outside off and inside-edging it onto her stumps, as Hampshire finished the powerplay at 41-1.

McCaughan was dropped at cover on 31 off Sarah Glenn, but Glenn did pick up Charli Knott shortly after – bowled trying to cut the England leg-spinner off the back foot – a dismissal which suggested the Australian had not done her homework on Glenn. Glenn then added the wicket of Georgia Adams – the veteran Hampshire captain pinned plumb in front LBW for 13.

The drop aside McCaughan looked largely untroubled, passing 50 for the third consecutive outing in the 25th over. The same cannot be said of Rhianna Southby however – bowled by Sarah Glenn in a copycat of Knott’s dismissal, trying to cut Glenn off the back foot on the stroke of drinks, leaving the visitors 91-4 and looking wobbly.

A lapse in concentration from McCaughan saw her steer a catch to backward point off Josie Groves with 57 to her name, as Blaze continued to press with spin from both ends, Glenn finishing a spell of 10 straight overs with 3-36.

Short on runs, Hampshire could ill-afford to mark time, but that is nonetheless what they found themselves doing. Abi Norgrove and Nancy Harman dug in for a few overs, but Norgrove was caught in the deep by Kathryn Bryce for 17 whilst Harman was LBW to Phillips for 19.

Freya Davies was given a let off by Sarah Bryce, who could only get her glove-tips to a flying edge behind the stumps, on her way to an unbeaten 23 as she and Poppy Tulloch (18) dragged Hampshire to 189-7 at the turn.

With Blaze’s top 6 boasting just the 744 caps between them, Hampshire’s only option was to go on the attack in search of early wickets, posting slips to both opening bowlers. Amy Jones gave a half-chance early-doors to Davies off her own bowling, but it was struck so hard that Davies was not only unable to hold on, but had to leave the field temporarily for medical attention. Unfortunately for Jones however, Davies returned in time to bowl her next over – the England keeper slicing a catch to Lauren Bell at mid off for the opening wicket.

Bell meanwhile was making the batters look uncomfortable, but with no reward until the 10th over, when Kathryn Bryce chased a short, wide delivery she should probably have left alone and was caught by Norgrove at point. At the end of the powerplay, Blaze were 31-2. It wasn’t the 3 wickets in the powerplay they probably needed, but the third wicket wasn’t far behind – Bell striking again as Sarah Bryce spooned some catching practice to Poppy Tulloch, running around the umpire to take the catch at backward at square.

A period of quiet accumulation followed, with Georgia Elwiss playing much the same role for the Blaze that she did so often for Vipers – nudging and nurdling her contribution to a 50 partnership with Tammy Beaumont. Boundaries were hard to come by, but Beaumont brought up her 50 by absolutely hammering a pull through midwicket for 4, and followed it up with another 4 behind of square to put Blaze well in control at drinks on 106-3.

The 50 partnership between Elwiss and Beaumont turned into 100 off 115 balls, with the two old-timers continuing to play low-risk cricket – Elwiss also passing 50 as the finish line drew into view with the asking rate now under 3-an-over.

A century for Tammy Beaumont remained mathematically possible but looked unlikely until she suddenly exploded with a flurry of boundaries, including a six down the ground off Freya Davies, celebrating her hundred off just 110 balls and finishing on 112 off 113 balls as the Blaze won with a country mile to spare.

This week:

• Lottie talks NSB captaincy
• Who will be vice captain?
• 2026 T20 World Cup launched at Lord’s
• Hampshire make the running in T1
• New BBC TV deal

1. England won’t have a permanent vice-captain… at least for now

Charlotte Edwards went for a significant proportion of her own captaincy without a permanent vice-captain, and that’s the model she plans to follow as head coach, at least initially as she works out who in the squad might have the necessary skills to deputise for NSB: “It’s a time where I want to just have a little look at what the squads are going to look like. I don’t want to make that kind of decision just yet.”

She did, however, say that she plans to create a broader “leadership group” which will initially rotate between players across different series and formats. That was something Jon Lewis said he had done, but there was never much evidence of the group actually contributing to team strategy – so it will be interesting to see how visible the “group” (or groups?) is during matches in future.

2. Get your “Heather Knight Is Bowling” klaxons at the ready

Lest there be any doubt, Edwards very much sees Knight as an integral part of the England line-up over the next 2 years: “She’s been great around the group. I genuinely think we’re going to see Heather Knight scoring a lot of runs over the next couple of years.”

The new coach also wants to see a lot more of Knight’s off-spin – which was rarely used in the last 2 years of her captaincy: “We’ve had some good chats around where I see her role in the team. I want to see her bowling more, which she was quite excited about.”

3. Edwards wants the England players to post less on social media

During the World Cup last October, a number of England players attracted criticism when they posted photographs of themselves out and about in Dubai – and then got knocked out of the tournament in the group stages. Edwards is stamping down on that pretty unequivocally:

“We’ve got to look at our professional behaviours and how we go about stuff. We’ve got to change people’s perceptions. We’ve got to stop putting stuff on social media that doesn’t need to be on there. If it’s not going to positively impact on them or us as a group, then it probably isn’t worth posting.”

4. England’s squad to face West Indies will be selected on 12 May – and Emma Lamb should probably stay quite close to her phone

The new national selector will be in post by then and the idea is for that person, Edwards and NSB to sit down together to select the team to face West Indies.

Asked who had particularly impressed so far in domestic cricket, one name came immediately to the fore: “The leading run-scorer is Emma Lamb. She’s performing well – that’s exactly what I’ve asked people to go and do,” Edwards said.