OPINION: Robinson Pushing Against The Trend

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Mark Robinson made little secret yesterday of the fact that he wasn’t happy with England’s pedestrian victory against Bangladesh, telling the BBC:

“I thought we went backwards today… In the middle of the innings, you can’t settle for six an over. We’re better than that.”

But the evidence might suggest that England weren’t so much going backwards as continuing in the direction they’ve been travelling for a while.

Here are the T20 career Strike Rates for England’s leading batsmen – Sarah Taylor and Charlotte Edwards:

edwards-t20-sr

taylor-t20-sr

The red line is a “trend line” which shows the general direction things are going… and it is pretty clear that it is downhill. Not only that, but it is under the 100 marker these days in both cases – and nothing like the 130-140 to which Robinson aspires.

If there is one ray of hope for the future, it is in the rise of Heather Knight:

knight-t20-sr

Here at least the trend is going uphill rather than down – perhaps supporting our suggestion a few weeks ago that Knight is the only England player to have made significant steps forwards in the past couple of years.

None of this means that England can’t win this WWT20; but if they are going to do so, they are either going to need to bat significantly against the trend, or bowl extraordinarily well.

But with even the on-message Edwards admitting yesterday that “there’s a bit of work we can do on our bowling” that is going to be tough, especially in conditions which might not entirely favour Shrubsole and Brunt, or even Hazell and Knight, who don’t get the turn that (say) Luus and van Niekerk will for South Africa.

There is an interesting comment on yesterday’s piece which suggests we were possibly overly fixated on Net Run Rate:

“England already have NRR advantage over WI. We only need NRR advantage over one of India and WI, not both. People seem to forget that. Of course, if England beat India on Tuesday, they will have four points, good NRR and probably only need to beat Pakistan to get through.”

This is a good point; and the focus must now of course be on winning against India so we can hopefully then easily qualify for the semis. But whether a Strike Rate hovering around 100 will be enough to beat New Zealand or Australia when we get there, is another matter!

OPINION: England Need More Than Victory v Bangladesh

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England’s WWT20 campaign gets started later today, as they take on qualifiers Bangladesh in Bangalore, starting at 10am UK time.

Bangladesh are the lowest-ranked seeds in the competition – they were (narrowly) beaten by Ireland in the final of the qualifying tournament last December; and put to the sword by India in the opening match of the WWT20 earlier this week.

It almost goes without saying that this is a game England should win; but the truth is that they need more than a victory.

Although West Indies had a bit of a scare against Pakistan yesterday, the likelihood is still that this group will be a 3-horse race between West Indies, India and England; but with only two of those sides going through to the knock-out stages, there is therefore a fair chance that our old friend Net Run Rate will be making an appearance before we’re done.

With India having recorded a mammoth 72 run victory over Bangladesh, they are now in the driving-seat with a NRR of +3.6, so England ideally need to better that, either by bowling the Women Tigers out cheaply or by scoring a serious hatful of runs.

Sarah Taylor aside, England have not looked entirely convincing recently – scraping through their tour to South Africa with a pair of 2-1 series victories, where some largely forgettable batting displays were accompanied by fielding performances that they probably only wish they could forget!

But now is the time to put all that behind us. England have 5-or-6 absolutely world class players – Taylor, of course; Edwards and Knight who had massively successful WBBLs; and with the ball, Shrubsole (ranked #1 in the world in T20s) and Hazel (ranked #2); plus Brunt, who might not be quite the threat she once was, but who you underestimate at your peril.

Are England favorites for this tournament? Certainly not! Can they win it? Definitely… but they need to lay down a big marker from the off; and against Bangladesh today, nothing less than a crushing victory will do.

WWT20 Preview – Can New Zealand End The Era Of Aussie Dominance?

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The WWT20 gets underway on Tuesday, with hosts India taking on qualifiers Bangladesh in Bangalore. But who will be lifting the trophy two-and-a-half weeks later in Kolkata?

If you’ve got smart money, it is probably on Australia, who have won the last 3 WWT20 tournaments, not to mention the World Cup in 2013 as well. Plus, if you were a conspiracy theorist, you’d have to think that there was a good reason why both “Meg Lanning” and “Machine” begin with the letter “M” – it just can’t be a coincidence!

However, recent form might suggest that the era of Australian dominance could be coming to an end. The table below shows the win percentages in the past 12 months for the top teams.

Team Played Won Win %
New Zealand 9 7 78%
England 6 4 67%
India 9 6 67%
West Indies 9 5 56%
Australia 12 6 50%
South Africa 9 4 44%

There is little room for doubt – New Zealand are the “form” team at the moment – and this is backed up by the more sophisticated rankings maintained by Women’s Cricket Blog.

The White Ferns recent success isn’t based on a single player either. In that past year they have had match-winning performances with the bat from Suzie Bates (54 off 53 v Australia); Rachel Priest (60 off 34 v India); and Sophie Devine (70 off 22 (sic!!) v India); and whilst her recent international form hasn’t been great, you can’t count out Sara McGlashan either, who hit 366 runs in WBBL, including a top knock of 79*, and has a highest international score of 84.

Their bowling is arguably their weakness, but whilst we might have said a year ago that women’s T20 was less of a batsman’s game than the men’s equivalent, if anyone is in a position now to prove that has changed it is New Zealand, and that is why they are our tip for the trophy in 2016.

Agree? Disagree? Vote now! (And Have Your Say below!)

EXCLUSIVE: Kia To Sponsor Super League

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CRICKETher understands that Kia are set to be announced as the sponsor of the up-coming Women’s Cricket Super League, which will be known as the Kia Super League, or KSL for short.

The Korean car manufacturer already sponsor the England women’s team, providing the players with cricket-white Kia Sportage’s as part of the deal.

Kia believe that the women’s game provides an ideal synergy with their reach into the so-called “soccer-mom” market; and this extended deal can be considered something of a coup for the ECB in an increasingly challenging sponsorship environment.

OPINION: Talk Is Cheap As Women Fly Economy To World Cup

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In an irony which we have reason to believe was not lost on our friends at the ECB, England’s top male and female cricketers found themselves promoting a campaign for gender equality less than 24 hours after flying to the T20 World Cup in somewhat less than equal circumstances.

The ‘Pledge For Parity’ hashtag which dominated Twitter on International Women’s Day was heavily promoted by the ECB; but while Joe Root and Eoin Morgan took a luxurious business class flight to India, Sarah Taylor and the women’s team were on a different plane… cramped up in economy.

It is important to note that the flights were paid for by the ICC not the ECB; and to recognise that this has happened against a background of the ICC having considerably increased their level of investment in this event, in terms of prize money and broadcast coverage.

Nevertheless, the ECB could have paid for an upgrade to the flights. Indeed, this is exactly what Cricket Australia did; with the Southern Stars flying ‘Business’* after pressure from the Australian government, which threatened to withdraw state funding from the game if more equitable travel arrangements were not provided for the men’s and women’s teams.

So should the ECB have followed Cricket Australia’s lead and provided the upgrades? CRICKETher accepts that these can be difficult decisions, and there is an argument that there are much better ways to spend the £30,000† it would have cost to even bump the players up to ‘Premium Economy’ let alone ‘Business’.

But at the very least, perhaps the ECB could use some of its much-vaunted influence at the ICC to see if something can’t be done about this next time, so that future ‘Pledges for Parity’ ring a little less hollow.

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* This piece originally stated that the Southern Stars flew ‘Premium Economy’ – this was corrected on 21/03/2016.
† Based on the list price, flying BA.

NEWS: WWT20 TV Coverage – Still More Matches… But Bad News For England Fans

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The announcement by the ICC of further expanded TV coverage of the Women’s World T20 in India is good news… except if you are an England fan.

The ICC has confirmed that 13 matches, including the semi-finals and final, will now be broadcast, and all 10 teams will have at least one televised game. (Previously just 10 broadcast matches had been promised.)

However, there is disappointment for England fans.

Sky had previously said that all of England’s group matches would be shown:

But it now seems that only the group games against Bangladesh (on Thursday 17th March) and India (on Tuesday 22 March) will be televised. (Sky’s updated schedule confirms this here.)

The full revised TV schedule is below, but check with your broadcaster to see which ones they are actually transmitting!

(Sky don’t appear to be showing all of them: Ireland’s only broadcast game – against Australia – is one missing from Sky’s schedule, for example.)

  • Tuesday 15 March – India v Bangladesh
  • Thursday 17 March – England v Bangladesh
  • Saturday 19 March – India v Pakistan
  • Monday 21 March – Australia v New Zealand
  • Tuesday 22 March – England v India
  • Thursday 24 March – Australia v Sri Lanka
  • Thursday 24 March – Pakistan v Bangladesh
  • Saturday 26 March – Australia v Ireland
  • Sunday 27 March – West Indies v India
  • Monday 28 March – South Africa v Sri Lanka
  • Wednesday 30 March – Semi-Final 1
  • Thursday 31 March – Semi-Final 2
  • Sunday 3 April – Final

NEWS: Berkshire Look To Future With New Coaching Team

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Berkshire have appointed a new coaching team for 2016, led by ex England Test batsman Aftab Habib, assisted by two former Berkshire players: Emma Boswell and Hannah Burr. CRICKETher met up with them this week to find out more…

New Head Coach Aftab Habib played two Tests for England in 1999; and after a successful county cricket career which included a Championship title with Leicestershire and two 1,000-run seasons, he made the move into coaching. He has previously run Women’s & Girls’ development in Buckinghamshire, and more recently coached the Hong Kong national side.

Assistant Coach Emma Boswell meanwhile is recently retired from the Royal Navy, having spent much of the past few years beneath the waves in a nuclear submarine; but still finding time to skipper the Navy’s women’s cricket team. She and fellow Assistant Coach Hannah Burr played together at Berkshire in the late 90s and early 00s, and will now team up again, working with both the 1st XI and the age-group squads.

Aftab Habib, Hannah Burr and Emma Boswell

Aftab Habib, Hannah Burr and Emma Boswell Meet to Plot Berkshire’s Season

Berkshire’s senior squad is likely to have a familiar look to it this season. Though sadly Aussie overseas Crinny Hall won’t be returning, the core of the team which came 4th in last years Women’s County Championship are expected to be reunited for the 2016 campaign.

Beyond the immediate present, Berkshire are looking to build a more sustainable foundation for the women’s game in the county, hoping to emulate some of the success which Sussex have had in this regard under the leadership of Charlotte Burton.

One target is to broaden the base of the women’s game, to the point where there is a genuinely competitive “selection” process for the squads at both senior and age-ground level. This will partly be achieved by strengthening links between the county and the clubs in the area which run girls’ sections.

Another objective is to create the next generation of female coaches for the women’s game, by encouraging all the players in the age-group squads to begin the process of earning their badges by working with the age-groups below them, with the hopes that the next cohort of players graduating from the U19s will have already have achieved their Level 1 and be well on their way to Level 2.

Of course, Berkshire don’t have the luxuries available to some of their rivals with First Class men’s county facilities behind them; but you only have to look at the fate of relegated Nottinghamshire and Lancashire last season to see that sometimes that’s not everything – something that Berkshire’s new team are determined to prove once again in 2016.

NEWS: England Academy Squad Announced For Sri Lanka Tri-Series

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The ECB has announced a squad of 15 England Academy players who will be travelling to Sri Lanka to play in a tri-series against Australia’s Shooting Stars and the Sri Lanka ‘A’ side later this month.

The squad is as follows:

  • Georgia Adams (Sussex)
  • Holly Armitage (Yorkshire)
  • Stephanie Butler (Staffordshire)
  • Kate Cross (Lancashire)
  • Freya Davies (Sussex)
  • Sophia Dunkley (Middlesex)
  • Sophie Ecclestone (Lancashire)
  • Alex Hartley (Middlesex)
  • Evelyn Jones (Staffordshire)
  • Emma Lamb (Lancashire)
  • Beth Langston (Essex)
  • Sophie Luff (Somerset)
  • Alex MacDonald (Yorkshire)
  • Ellie Threlkeld (Lancashire)
  • Fran Wilson (Middlesex)

Middlesex are well-represented, with batsman Sophia Dunkley, spinner Alex Hartley and the newly-contracted Fran Wilson – who may consider herself unlucky to have missed out on a place in the World Twenty20 squad – all included.

Kate Cross, who the ECB clearly do not see as a Twenty20 bowler and who will not feature in the forthcoming WWT20, is the other contracted player to appear on the squad list. Meanwhile both Lauren Winfield and Laura Marsh will be staying home in England, with the selectors evidently feeling that it might be time to blood some fresh talent.

The Academy team are scheduled to play in six 50-over matches and one Twenty20 while in Sri Lanka. They will be accompanied by new assistant coaches, former England and Sussex seamer James Kirtley and ex-Leicestershire batsman Tim Boon.

From The Front Lines: Girl’s Cricket In Bexley

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By John Daniels

Cricket for girls in the London Borough of Bexley is a “Joined up Writing” venture that incorporates any entity where girls play cricket in the borough, including Bexley Cricket Club, Sidcup Cricket Club, primary schools, secondary schools and a district team that operates during the winter months that enables the girls a chance to play all year round.

It all starts with a local cricket business – Bexley District Cricket – that is the brainchild of Richard O’Sullivan, who sets the ball rolling by placing his network of fully trained coaches into over 75% of the local schools.

From that start the girls are given the opportunity to play outside of the schools environment on other coaching courses in the hope that some of the girls will eventually take up the game and join one of the two cricket clubs in the borough that run girls sections, namely Bexley CC and Sidcup CC.

Old Bexley Primary School – Kent Championship 2015

Old Bexley Primary School – Kent Championship 2015

At the moment there is very little organised cricket in the area for girls of 14+ so to compensate for this Bexley CC are formulating a Bexley Bees team that will offer the older girls a chance to carry on playing.

This team will also invite other players who have been through the Bexley system and are now playing their adult club cricket outside the borough, to form a Bexley “Invitation” team which will play friendly matches during the 2016 outdoor season.

It is hoped that this will be the first steps towards formulating regular adult women’s cricket at the club, with a goal of eventually playing league cricket.

Throughout the district, many people and organisations help to form the administration of the project: parents, schools, the local council, coaches and team managers.

Success on the field of play has been achieved at all levels, clubs, primary schools, secondary schools and the indoor district team but more importantly the structure for the purposes on sustainability is ever strengthening and this is the key factor for long term growth.

Sidcup CC – Winners of the Borough Indoor Championship 2013 - Photo Andy Clay

Sidcup CC – Winners of the Borough Indoor Championship 2013 – Photo Andy Clay

New ventures and projects are tried constantly, some successfully and some that spectacularly fail; but it is far better to try and fail than not try at all and the successful events have borne ample fruit.

Achievements around the borough include:

Bexley CC

  • North Kent Junior League under 13s girls winners (initial season) 2012
  • Kent under 11s festival day June 2010 winners
  • North Kent under 13s league winners 2011

Sidcup CC

  • Bexley Indoor Championship winners 2010, 2013,

Old Bexley Primary School

  • Kent Primary School champions 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015

Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School

  • Lady Taverners Kent Indoor Kent indoor under 13s schools winners March 2011

Townley Grammar School

  • Lady Taverners North Kent Cluster under 13s winners2013

Bexley Borough/District team (indoor winter cricket)

  • London Youth games winners 2010, runners up 2011, third place 2016