A Close Game?

With Stars eventually winning by a mere 4 runs (via the D/L Method), on the surface of it this match ended in a close result. In actual fact the only reason Vipers got so close to the required total were the 16 runs Tash Farrant and Suzie Bates hit off the 16th over – largely a result of Stars’ misfielding an incredibly slippy ball, thanks to several previous overs of constant rain. While no one likes the weather intervening, justice therefore probably was done this time around.

Lizelle Lee

You could tell that Lizelle Lee was furious with herself when she hit the ball straight to Bates at cover in the 5th over, but she’s a risk-taking player, and sometimes when you take risks you get out! With 40 off 20 balls, you’d have to say that she did a good job in laying a foundation for her side to launch from – and though the runs dried up once she departed, that was hardly her fault.

Vipers Vanquished

Prior to this game we’ve had plenty of people asking if (when) we were intending to revise our prediction that Vipers wouldn’t retain their KSL crown. But, while Vipers absolutely annihilated their opponents in the first two matches of the tournament, today was always going to be the big one as far as we were concerned, with Stars our favourites to take home this year’s KSL title. And so it proved. Vipers are still a good team – but they aren’t invincible this time around. On that note…

Vipers Batting

In some ways it was a familiar story today, with Suzie Bates once again ploughing her way to 50 not out. Unfortunately for the Vipers, she can’t bat at both ends. Indeed in some ways they were victims of their own success – before today, they had never lost more than 4 wickets in a KSL game, and as such their middle / lower order were always going to find it difficult coming out to bat in the middle of a tricky run chase.

Ultimately it was losing the cluster of wickets in the 13th-15th overs that really made the difference and ensured that the Vipers ended up having to play D/L catch-up. Something to work on, perhaps, as a still-likely spot in Finals Day looms on the horizon.

Opening Gambit

Both Stars and Vipers have shipped in international openers this year, acquiring Lizelle Lee and Hayley Matthews. In turn, that’s meant that last year’s KSL openers Bryony Smith and Georgia Adams have been booted down the order – today coming in at 5 and 6, and scoring 5 and 0, respectively. It’s unfamiliar territory for players who both regularly open for their counties, and it shows in their unease walking out to bat. Might an experienced international player like Lee be better able to cope with coming in further down the order? Or should you always play your “best” openers up top? It’s a dilemma not easily resolved, but a dilemma nonetheless.

Domestic Cricket Matters

The best preparation for KSL is of course high-quality domestic cricket in the lead-up; for non-international players that’s a particular concern. On that note, it’s interesting to look at the contrasting fortunes of two of today’s Vipers’ players: Charlotte Edwards and Arran Brindle.

Exhibit A: Edwards, who now plays her domestic cricket for Bishop’s Stortford CC’s women’s team, and Hampshire (who sit in Div 2 of the Women’s County Championship). Exhibit B: Brindle, who (with two young children) is no longer able to play women’s county cricket, but still regularly plays 1st XI men’s cricket for Louth CC in Lincolnshire. Edwards today was out for a 5-ball duck. Brindle, meanwhile, took 1-19 in her 4 overs, and hit 19 off 17 balls to boot. It seems pretty clear who was the better prepared of the two.

So could it be that there are issues with the quality of domestic women’s cricket in this country, below the elite level? We’ll leave you to ponder that one…

On a muggy day at The Ageas Bowl in Southampton, in front of a crowd of 1,700, the Stars won the toss and elected to bat against the Vipers, as the only two unbeaten sides in the tournament went head-to-head, with direct qualification for the final potentially at stake.

Lizelle Lee got the Stars off to a racing start, hitting 19 of the 21 runs that came off the first two overs – Tammy Beaumont hardly got a look-in before she was the victim of a fine catch on the deep midwicket boundary by Danni Wyatt, leaping up to save the six and dismiss her England colleague for a duck.

The carnage continued, as Lee hit 13 off a Hayley Matthews over. She was dropped by Georgia Adams at long off on 28 off Linsey Smith, and then raced on to 40 before she was finally caught by Suzie Bates at cover off Tash Farrant – at that point Stars were on 47 in the 5th over, with only a single run having come off a bat other than Lee’s.

Lee’s dismissal finally stemmed the bleeding, with the run rate slowing considerably in the post-powerplay overs. Nat Sciver ran herself out for 14, taking on the arm of Hayley Matthews at mid off and losing out to a direct hit; Bryony Smith holed-out to Bates for 5 off 10 balls; and Sophia Dunkley became another run-out victim after calling for a suicidal single that Marizanne Kapp was having none of.

Kapp herself meanwhile played steadily, picking up the pace after a watchful start, eventually caught behind by Carla Rudd for 42 from 48 balls.

Laura Marsh was cleaned-up by Matthews in the penultimate over for 4 off 8; and with Kirstie White another run-out victim in the final over, the Stars ended up perhaps 10-15 short of where they might have hoped to have been after such a cracking start – 127-8 off the 20.

The Stars opened the bowling with Laura Marsh and Marizanne Kapp, who kept Suzie Bates and Hayley Matthews in check for the opening 4 overs. Nat Sciver then brought herself on and saw her first two balls smacked for consecutive 4s by Bates – the over eventually going for 15, to put the Vipers right back on track.

The Vipers finished the powerplay at 35, where the Stars had been at 56, with the required rate a shade over 6.5, but with no wickets down. That soon changed however when Hayley Matthews made the mistake of trying to get after Alex Hartley, horribly slicing a lofted drive to Bryony Smith at point.

The return of Laura Marsh at the Pavilion End brought 2 further quick wickets – Mignon du Preez, in her first at-bat since the World Cup, made just 2 before she was stumped by Tammy Beaumont, and Danni Wyatt was soon following her back to the dugout, bowled for a duck, as 35-0 became 41-3.

With Bates still at the crease there was always hope for the Vipers, as she was joined by Arran Brindle, who made 19 in a partnership of 37 before being given out LBW to Nat Sciver.

Then came the duck parade – Georgia Adams was run out for nought, guilty of just not running hard enough after being called for a quick single; Charlotte Edwards, playing her first “pro” innings since WBBL, was bowled by Sciver for another quacker; and then Carla Rudd became the third duck in a row – LBW also to Sciver.

With the rain coming down hard, Suzie Bates and Tash Farrant took 16 from an Alex Hartley over, taking Bates to 50; but when the umpires finally called the players off in the 17th over, the Vipers were still 4 behind on Duckworth Lewis at 100-7.

And that was how it stayed – the Stars winning by 4 runs on D/L when play was abandoned, to put themselves at the top of the table on 3 wins out of 3 and well on course for Finals Day.

Speaking afterwards, the Stars’ Marizanne Kapp told CRICKETher:

“We are pleased with the win – it would have been a bit close at the end there, but we held our nerve. Any win, we’ll take it, and hopefully we can keep the momentum going into the next two games and they’ll go our way and we’ll go straight into the final.”

Comparing this season to last, when the Stars failed to qualify for Finals Day, she explained:

“Last year we didn’t know each other – it is difficult, especially if you only have five games and you have to fire from game one. Last year we didn’t start too well; but this year we know the girls, we know the role each player plays and I think that is what ultimately is working for us.”

Jake Perry reports

Netherlands 129-6 (SL Kalis 48, K McGill 2 for 26) beat Scotland 111-7 (KE Bryce 23, HDJ Siegers 3 for 29) by 18 runs

The Netherlands claimed victory over Scotland in the final match of the ICC Women’s World T20 Europe/Americas Qualifier in Stirling thanks to a fine all-round performance from Heather Siegers. The Dutch captain’s 21 ball 32, together with 3 for 29 with the ball, proved to be decisive as her side ended a difficult week on a high. Overall victory was to be Scotland’s, however, as Abbi Aitken’s side topped the table on net run-rate.

Fresh from their earlier victory over USA the Netherlands were put into bat for a second time and opener Sterre Kalis duly got the innings underway with a second ball boundary. The first over was to end with the run out of Babette de Leede (1), however, and with Samantha Haggo making another breakthrough in the seventh, too, as Cher van Slobbe (6) was caught by a back-pedalling Lorna Jack, the Netherlands were reduced to 32-2.

Kalis has showed that she was in fine form during her 88 against the USA and the young all-rounder looked to cut loose again, taking back-to-back boundaries off a Priyanaz Chatterji over which cost twelve. With Heather Siegers finding her range, too, Scotland suddenly found themselves under pressure as the pair took their score to over a run-a-ball.

Two quick wickets were to change the complexion of the innings, however, as Siegers’ slow turn ended in her being run out before Chatterji knocked back the stumps of Kalis (48) two balls later. The bowlers applied the shackles once more with Katie McGill picking up two wickets in the 19th over, Miranda Veringmeier (13) being bowled before Kathryn Bryce took a fine catch at long on to dismiss Helmien Rambaldo (12), and in restricting the Netherlands to 129-6 Scotland’s bowlers had fought back well.

The opening pair of Jack and Bryce began watchfully against an improved display from the Dutch seamers, but on a pitch that had seen both sunshine and showers over the course of the day regular wickets thwarted the attempts of the batting side to build momentum. The fall of Jack (12), Kathryn Bryce (23) and Sarah Bryce (9) reduced Scotland to 60-3, and with Lois Wilkinson (3), Rebecca Glen (10) and Elizabeth Priddle (2) following, too, with Scotland over fifty runs short and less than four overs remaining net run-rate became the most likely way of finding the winners of the tournament.

In an exciting finish the seventh wicket pair of Katie McGill and Priyanaz Chatterji both found the boundary as a late flurry of runs took Scotland beyond 100, and despite McGill (13) falling in the final over Scotland had done enough to confirm their position at the top of the table.

“I’m excited, delighted, but relieved,” said Abbi Aitken. “It’s been a very frustrating week watching the rain fall and wondering if the tournament was going to go ahead. It’s been really difficult for the girls and I’m sure it has been for the other two teams as well.”

“All credit to the Netherlands today. It wasn’t the best performance from us but it’s great to be able to finish the tournament as winners.”

“Conditions were tricky for us all today. It was wet and slippy, very difficult to move around in the field, and the pitch we were on was a bit more sticky than the one we played on earlier in the week.”

“But so much credit has to go to the ground staff for managing to get something prepared so we could get some cricket in. They have done a fantastic job throughout the week.”

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Jake Perry writes on Scottish cricket for Cricket Scotland and CricketEurope and is a regular contributor to HoldingWilley.

Twitter: @jperry_cricket / Facebook: Jake Perry Cricket

Jake Perry reports

Netherlands 184-4 (SL Kalis 88, S Ramautar 1 for 26) beat USA 148-5 (OT Wallerson 40*, L Klokgieters 2 for 32) by 36 runs

To the accompanying strain of bagpipes as the annual Stirling Highland Games got underway nearby the much-anticipated encounter between USA and the Netherlands at the ICC Women’s World T20 Europe/Americas Qualifier finally played out. It was a game which had taken on added significance as defeat to Scotland then the weather had ensured that the quest for the one remaining place at the Global Qualifier for the 2018 showpiece would become a winner-takes-all affair.

A superb 88 from Netherlands all-rounder Sterre Kalis was to propel her side to a 36-run victory as despite a late flourish from Onika Wallerson the rawness of the USA was to show in an inconsistent display in the field. Kalis chipped in with a wicket, too, as a much-improved performance from Sean Trouw’s team put their loss to the Scots earlier in the week behind them.

After two days without play the second reserve day had offered one last opportunity to complete the four matches required to constitute a tournament, and after the original pitch had been deemed unplayable a decision was taken late on Thursday to switch the remaining games to the second pitch at New Williamfield. Thanks to the Stirling County ground staff play began only half an hour behind schedule but with rain beginning to fall once more conditions on the field remained highly challenging.

Having been put into bat the Netherlands openers Kalis and Babette de Leede made a skittish start against the USA seamers as de Leede was dropped at point before a run-out opportunity was missed as Candacy Atkins slipped on the greasy surface. The two were soon into their stride, however, with Kalis helping herself to back-to-back boundaries off Neha Anand and de Leede finding the rope off Triholder Marshall.

Although Marshall was to have the final word as de Leede’s swing-and-miss saw her bowled for 17 the Netherlands were looking ominous, however, and Kalis hit the first maximum of the tournament by hoisting Wallerson over square. The opener added another as she raced past fifty, and with Cher van Slobbe (14) and then Heather Siegers providing support aggressive running and regular boundaries saw the Netherlands pass 150 at the beginning of the 18th over.

Kalis had played a terrific knock, fully deserving of a hundred, but immediately after striking her fourth six of the innings a mix-up with Siegers ended with her run out. Kalis’s 55 ball 88 had given her side the platform they had so badly lacked against Scotland,though, and with the young Dutch captain (51*) reaching her half century too, the Netherlands total of 184-4 always looked like too many.

It had been a difficult morning for the USA. Dropped catches and misfields had proved costly and with spinner Claudine Beckford overstepping three times in a final over which cost 21, too, Sindhu Sriharsa’s side left the field knowing that they had not helped their own cause.

The Netherlands bowling attack had hardly aided theirs against Scotland, though, and USA opener Shebani Bhaskar immediately signaled her attacking intentions with a six off the second ball. Early American hopes were dashed as the Netherlands quickly struck back with a double breakthrough, however, as first Bhaskar (8) was brilliantly caught by Helmien Rambaldo before a diving Sriharsa (1) was narrowly run out as the Dutch remained firmly in control.

At 18-2 Nadia Gruny and Erica Rendler picked up the chase well, taking their side beyond fifty at the end of the Powerplay – and ahead of their opponents at the same stage – but when they also fell in quick succession, Rendler (40) run out before Gruny (30) skied to the wicketkeeper, any lingering hopes of an American comeback had been dashed.

“I am really proud of the team and that we did it today,” said Player of the Match Sterre Kalis.

“It was the most important game for us and that we won it was perfect.”

“In the beginning the pitch was very soft and a bit wet but the ground staff did really well. After a whole week of rain it was amazing that we could play the game and we’re hoping to end the tournament with another good performance against Scotland later.”

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Jake Perry writes on Scottish cricket for Cricket Scotland and CricketEurope and is a regular contributor to HoldingWilley.

Twitter: @jperry_cricket / Facebook: Jake Perry Cricket

Diamonds bt. Lightning by 17 runs (Report)

Chamari Atapattu

In the space of an English summer, the Sri Lankan has gone from Atapat-who to Atapat-woo! After hitting the biggest innings of the World Cup – 178* against Australia – and finishing the tournament with an average of over 50, she is now bringing some really classy batting to the Super League. She is quite a traditional player, and you won’t catch her ramping or reverse sweeping, so she is maybe missing out behind the wicket; but she is making her game work for her so far, and it is hard to argue with the runs she is scoring in KSL (107) or the Strike Rate at which she is scoring them (130).

Katherine Brunt

I’ve been reluctant to call her an “all-rounder” but who has the highest Strike Rate in KSL so far? Suzie Bates? Nat Sciver? Nope – it’s Katherine Brunt, with 77 runs at 197! And it would have been more yesterday, if not for a very dodgy call from Atapattu, who was on 49 at the time and desperate to get to her 50. Brunt then opened the bowling, and took 2-2 in the powerplay. And they were “proper” wickets too – Jones bowled and Perry LBW – not cheap “caught at cow corners”.

The Toss

Lightning won the toss and put the Diamonds in. With weather around, the potential advantage is that you know exactly what you’ve got to do in a Duckworth-Lewis situation in the second innings. But in a game which had already been shortened by a third, it is a risky move too. With less overs to get through, the team batting first can really go for it – wickets hardly matter – and consequently in the reply, the required run-rate always looks bigger than it perhaps actually is.

Not only that, but just a couple of low-scoring  overs early-on can really pile on the psychological pressure as the rate starts to climb, and this is what we saw here: the required rate started at 8.5; but after two overs of Katherine Brunt it was closing-in on 10, even though Davidson-Richards had been hit for 11 in the over in-between. Georgia Elwiss gave it her best shot, hitting 41 off 28 balls; but once Villani was out, there was really no chance – Thea Brookes and Sonia Odedra are good players, but not 10-an-over players, and so it proved with the Lightning ending more than a run-an-over short.

In a game reduced to 13 overs per side, after the match was delayed by an hour and a half due to a torrential downpour at Loughborough just before the scheduled start time, Yorkshire Diamonds came out on top thanks to a superb all-round performance by their overseas Chamari Atapattu.

After two losses leading up to this fixture, the Lightning nevertheless opted to go unchanged; whilst Yorkshire were able to bring back Jenny Gunn for Katie Thompson.

Batting first after being put in, the Diamonds got off to a good start as Chamari Atapattu and Lauren Winfield raced to 25, before Winfield was caught on the square boundary by Beth Langston off Sonia Odedra.

This brought Sophie Devine to the crease, who struggled as she looked to drive, but couldn’t get past mid on/ mid off, and was eventually bowled for 2 off 9 balls, missing a straight one from Georgia Elwiss.

Meanwhile Atapattu continued to play classily all around the wicket, including a couple of big sixes down the ground. She got a little nervous in the 40s – she was dropped by Langston on 47 off Perry, and then managed to run out Katherine Brunt when she was on 49, as she bunted Kristen Beams into the on side and called for the run but only ended up running out Brunt, who had been looking good for a rapid 21.

With the overs closing in, Alice Davidson-Richards tried to play a bit too expansively early-doors to Beams and was bowled for 1 off two balls. Jenny Gunn lasted just one ball longer – hanging out her bat to try to run Beth Langston down to third man, she ended up bowled in a rather sheepish fashion by her England colleague.

But Atapattu continued to push calmly on, eventually finishing on to 66 not out off 40 balls, with nine 4s and two 6s, as Yorkshire closed on 110-5.

The Lightning reply began with a stutter, as Katherine Brunt bowled Amy Jones off the last ball of the first over for 2 with the total on 2; but 11 runs off the second over from Davidson Richards got things going for the Lightning.

However, Brunt struck again with her very next ball at the start of the third over – Ellyse Perry unimpressed to be given out LBW, though the analyst cam in the press box suggested it was good decision. Georgia Elwiss saw off the hat trick ball but there was just 1 off the over from there and the ball was back in the Diamond’s court once again.

Atapattu bowled Elyse Villani with her first ball – a slow, languid delivery which Villani found herself on to too quickly; and Sophie Devine soon joined the party, tempting Thea Brookes into a big shot which only found Lauren Winfield at deep mid off, leaving the Lighting in some trouble at 31-4.

Elwiss finally took the fight back to the Diamonds, hitting 16 off the 10th over bowled by Jenny Gunn; but with Lightning needing another big over, Katie Levick held her nerve, going for just 7 despite some big swooshes, and there was no way back for the Lightning from there, especially when they lost Elwiss for 41, well caught by Maddie Walsh off Atapattu – the Sri Lankan finishing with 2-11 as the Diamonds closed well short on 93-5.

Afterwards Sophie Devine was full of praise for Chamari Atapattu:

“She has been fantastic – to think that she only got brought in last minute – to do the job she has done is a credit to her – we all knew how well she played in the World Cup, and she’s just continued that on. Her strength is to play in the ‘V’ and to play straight, and she showed that today – it doesn’t matter who the bowler is or what the field is – if she backs herself she’ll be able to execute.”

The result puts the Diamonds back on course for Finals Day, but leaves the Lightning all-but out of it now, with 3 losses.

Southern Stars skipper Meg “Megastar” Lanning will miss the entire Australian season, including the Women’s Ashes this October/ November, after having undergone an operation on her right shoulder.

The shoulder troubled Lanning throughout the recent World Cup, and it was clearly only a matter when, not if, she had the surgery.

Team physio Kate Mahony said:

“Meg underwent surgery earlier this week and we expect that she will require a long rehabilitation period of 6-8 months.”

It will be interesting to see who captain’s Australia during the Ashes – Alex Blackwell, the official vice-captain, was overlooked when Lanning sat out of a couple of games at the World Cup, in favour of Rachael Haynes, even though Haynes can’t hold a place in the side on merit – the only matches she played were the ones she captained.

Coach Matthew Mott said at the time that Haynes was “a captain of the future” but she is 30 – 5 years older than Lanning – so that would presumably be a future where Cricket Australia have invented a time machine!

The more prosaic truth seems to be that Blackwell has fallen out of favour and Mott didn’t want to create a “line of succession” or cause ill-feeling between the younger players by nominating one over another; but that might now be a call circumstances will force him to take.

Martin Saxon reports

Surrey Stars comfortably made it two wins from two, and look in fine shape going into the business end of the Kia Super League competition. Lancashire Thunder however will almost certainly need to win all three remaining matches to reach Finals Day after collapsing to a second defeat.

Many observers had tipped the Thunder for bigger things this year. However, most of their elite players are bowlers once again – Sophie Ecclestone, Danni Hazell, Kate Cross and Lea Tahuhu. Jess Jonassen is of course a more than capable batsman, but may not score fast enough for T20, leaving Sarah Taylor and Amy Satterthwaite to shoulder a large burden.

The Stars meanwhile look much more solid, with an experienced bowling attack complementing a powerful top four of Tammy Beaumont, Lizelle Lee, Marizanne Kapp and Nat Sciver.

Indeed, the period when Taylor and Satterthwaite were batting together was the only stage at which a home victory looked likely. Taylor in particular looked in fine form, but her wish to play a shot off every ball ultimately proved her downfall. At this stage, the required rate did not call for all-out attack, but after striking the first ball of a Rene Farrell over for four, Taylor still felt the need to play the ramp shot to the second delivery, and duly perished for 34 in doing so.

From 75-2 and 86-3, the Thunder’s collapse to 100 all out was a sorry tale indeed, and in no way could it be described as a good advert for elite women’s cricket. Farrell finished with 5-26, Laura Marsh with 2-12 and Alex Hartley 2-25. There was a fine catch by Lee during the collapse, then an even better take from Farrell off her own bowling to wrap things up.

The Stars had already posted a total of 133, thanks to a glut of runs early and late in the innings. Beaumont looked in ominous form as she led the way in her side scoring 50 in the six-over powerplay. Having the ‘fastest bowler in women’s cricket’ is proving more of a curse than a blessing for Thunder, for whom Tahuhu was once again wayward and expensive.

Although Ecclestone conceded only two in the seventh over, and picked up a wicket, this meant that Sciver joined Beaumont at the crease – a powerful combination by any measure. However, Beaumont was duly dismissed by Hazell for 36 in the next over. This heralded a period when the Thunder were on top, with the run rate for the period between the 7th and 16th overs barely rising above four. For all their weaknesses in other areas, the Thunder undoubtedly have a fine spin attack, with Hazell finishing with figures of 2-16 and Ecclestone a return of 1-19.

However, all that changed when the run rate increased to ten per over for the final four overs, as Sciver (40*) and Sophia Dunkley (24*) pressed the accelerator. Their efforts were more than enough to take the game away from the home side.

Emerging players watch

Dunkley played a vital role in the Stars’ acceleration in the closing overs. Evelyn Jones made 26 from 28 deliveries, with five fours, opening up for the Thunder, playing some genuinely good cricket shots rather than the usual T20 mix of big hitting and improvisation. Less positively, every bowler used in this match was already a fully capped international.

In light of this match, I am aware that comments have already been made about this issue on this site. Some players must know going into the match that they won’t be bowling, and will only be batting if their side lose a lot of wickets – this probably applied to Natasha Miles on the Thunder side and Grace Gibbs and Hannah Jones for the Stars. Quite apart from the issue of it being disheartening for the players themselves, it’s also far from ideal for their family and friends, who may have travelled significant distances and taken time off work to watch their loved ones in what should be ‘the biggest game of their lives’.

In this respect, having six teams leaves us somewhere between a rock and a hard place. Either you reduce the teams to four, and make it more of an elite competition that better showcases women’s cricket; or you have eight or nine teams, cut the England and overseas representation in each squad to two and force teams to make more use of some of their non-international players. Only in the latter case could the Super League really be said to be ‘bridging the gap’.

The match experience

Inevitably, when the match began at 2.30, a small crowd was scattered around the cavernous Old Trafford arena – all part of the trade-off that is apparently necessary to get these matches on television. Regular watchers of Lancashire CCC did comment however that the ground looked fuller than for many weekday men’s county championship fixtures.

The 90-minute gap between the women’s and men’s matches seemed almost interminable.

An on-field interview with Taylor and Hazell was broadcast on the big screen just before the men’s match commenced, and the pair did show off the World Cup trophy during that item. However, surely a trick was missed by not allowing the two players to do a full lap of the ground with the trophy?

@MartinSaxon

Jake Perry reports

Scotland’s place at the ICC Women’s World T20 Global Qualifier was confirmed as heavy rain thwarted hopes of completing the first round of matches at the Europe/Americas Qualifier in Stirling. Having beaten USA for their second win of the tournament on Wednesday morning, the cancellation of USA v Netherlands in the afternoon meant that with four points already secured and two spots in the next phase available Abbi Aitken’s side could finish in second place at worst.

Whilst the news rubber-stamped what had already appeared inevitable thanks to two clinical performances from the Scots the returning rain was the last thing that their opponents needed to see. After both had struggled against the hosts their two games against each other were likely to prove decisive, and now, unless an extra gear or two can be found for the second round, the destination of the remaining qualification berth is likely to rest on the outcome of a single match as Netherlands and USA finally get to play each other on Thursday afternoon.

In their matches against Scotland both sides had been left to rue below-par performances in the first inings. The Netherlands, having been put in to bat in the opening match, struggled to pierce the field in the early stages and relied on Heather Siegers and Helmein Rambaldo at four and five to get them up to a reasonable total. Without boundaries at the top of the order, however, the Dutch were always swimming against the tide, and Lorna Jack and Kathryn Bryce quickly batted them out of the game when Scotland replied.

The USA top order struggled against Scotland’s bowlers, too, and after posting only 19 in the Powerplay the Americans looked to captain Sindhu Sriharsha and half-centurion Shebani Bhaskar to get them out of trouble. The tactical inexperience of USA was to prove telling too, however. Sriharsha’s decision to come in at four, sending Onika Wallerson in at three, was intended to give the big-hitting Wallerson an opportunity to kick-start the innings, but when in practice the opposite happened as Wallerson alternated scampered singles with swings-and-misses, 28 deliveries had been consumed for her 11. By the time Sriharsha replaced her thirteen overs had passed by with only 48 runs to show for it, and although she and Bhaskar fought well, the damage had already been done.

Once again it was the performance of the Scotland openers that showed the way as Jack and Bryce looked to manoeuvre the ball into gaps rather than go for the all-or-nothing hoo-hah, and with loose deliveries to punish, too, the platform they built put the game beyond the reach of their opponents.

But for all that it is the Netherlands who are nursing perhaps the biggest headache of all. Whilst Tuesday’s performance with the bat had been mixed, with the ball it had been little short of disastrous. Siegers was to go through eight bowlers as with a string of full tosses, long hops and leg-side freebies the very definition of buffet bowling was served.

With so few runs to defend the game quickly slipped away as Scotland duly feasted, and, whatever else may happen in the remainder of the tournament, against a USA side keen to impress the Netherlands cannot afford such generosity a second time.

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Jake Perry writes on Scottish cricket for Cricket Scotland and CricketEurope and is a regular contributor to HoldingWilley.

Twitter: @jperry_cricket / Facebook: Jake Perry Cricket