Australia v England Highlights

1st Febuary 2008 (20/20), MCG Melbourne

England win dramatic game against Australia

ecb

A remarkable innings from Claire Taylor secured England’s place in the final of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 as they prevailed from an engrossing run chase against Australia at The Oval.

Taylor, the 2009 Wisden Cricketer of the Year, made an almost faultless 76 not out, in a match-winning unbeaten partnership of 122 with Beth Morgan (46no), as England pulled off their pursuit of 164 with three balls to spare – the highest run chase of the tournament.

The result means England progress to Sunday’s final against New Zealand at Lord’s, keeping alive their dream of a World Cup and World Twenty20 double in 2009.

Isa Guha (England)

Speaking after the Sri Lanka World Cup group match:

We were happy to get our campaign off with a win, although we were a little bit disappointed by the level of our performance against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
We scored 277-5 but we would have liked to have got more runs on the board, and we expected to bowl Sri Lanka out.

However, we cannot deny that we are happy with a convincing win to start the tournament and we are all thrilled for Claire Taylor that she scored a hundred.

It is the third consecutive World Cup that she has scored a hundred against Sri Lanka and her achievement is testament to her long-term dedication to making herself one of the best players in the world.

There were also some good performances by Sarah Taylor and Caroline Atkins, who bat really well together at the top of the order, and provide a platform for the rest of the team to go on and make runs.

I was quite impressed by the spirit and determination shown by the Sri Lankan team and really enjoyed playing against them. I haven’t seen very much of them before and hopefully we may have the opportunity to play a bilateral series against them in the future.

We will travel back to Sydney from Canberra tomorrow before having an intensive day of training on Monday ahead of the India game on Tuesday.

I am not surprised by the quality of India’s performances since they arrived in Australia, both in the warm-up matches and in their comprehensive victory over Pakistan.

It seems that they have gone back to India and worked very hard after their defeat to Australia and England last year and we know we are going to have to play well to beat them.

I am really looking forward to having the opportunity to bowl again at Anjum Chopra, who is one of the greats of the game, and who seems to be in excellent form at present.

Playing at the World Cup is about challenging yourself to compete against the best players in the world and I am excited about the contest.

Australia Succumb To New Zealand

New Zealand: 205/10 (H Tiffin 57, A Satterthwaite 38)

Australia: 132/6 (J Fields 26*)

New Zealand were left singing in the rain at the North Sydney Oval after overcoming Australia in their opening World Cup match.

The White Ferns triumphed by 13 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method after bad weather finally forced the players off the field for the final time.

Australia were at that stage on 132 for six in the 33rd over chasing a target of 206 in the battle of the trans-Tasman rivals.

Jodie Fields (26 not out) and Ellyse Perry, who was unbeaten on 17, appeared to be setting the game up for a thrilling finish with an unbroken partnership of 32.

Opener Shelley Nitschke had given five-time winners Australia a good start in their run chase, hitting two fours and a six before falling for 27.

Skipper Karen Rolton also managed a maximum, as well as three boundaries in her 21 before becoming the second of three wickets for Kate Pulford.

Jessica Cameron (15) also got going before getting out, and the constant loss of wickets proved crucial for the hosts in the final reckoning.

New Zealand’s total of 205 had been built on a solid half century from right-handed opener Haidee Tiffen.

The 29-year-old faced 113 balls to compile 57, sharing a third-wicket partnership of 67 with Amy Satterthwaite, who made 38.

Suzie Bates and Sara McGlashan both contributed 29 but from 171 for three the innings fell away badly, the last seven wickets going down for 34 runs.

Although expensive, Perry picked up three for 40 in her six overs while there were two wickets apiece from the off spin of Erin Osborne and Lisa Sthalekar.

Australia’s victory hopes were hit throughout by rain and the reigning champions will hope to get their Group B campaign back on track when they face South Africa in Newcastle on Tuesday.

England Win on opening day of World Cup

England: 277/5 (SC Taylor 101, C Atkins 50, L Greenway 32*)

Sri Lanka: 177/7 (S de Alwis 37)

Claire Taylor showed why she is the number one batter in the world with a brilliant century as England defeated Sri Lanka by 100 runs at Canberra on the opening day of the ICC Women’s World Cup.

33-year-old Taylor scored her eighth ODI century as England posted an impressive 277-5 before restricting Sri Lanka to 177-7.

Remarkably it was her third consecutive World Cup hundred against Sri Lanka having scored 137 not out in 2000, her first ODI hundred, and 136 in 2005.

After being put into bat, Caroline Atkins and Sarah Taylor got England off to a solid start, putting on an opening stand of 80 before Taylor (38) fell to the Sri Lankan skipper Shashikala Siriwardena.

Atkins (50) then added 72 with Taylor, who looked in exceptional form, before she fell with the score on 152.

Taylor then received excellent support from England skipper Charlotte Edwards (27 off 27 balls) and Lydia Greenway (32 not out off 45 balls), before completing her century.

Shortly afterwards she was dismissed by Eshani Lokusooriya for 101, off only 95 balls, with 10 boundaries during her superb innings, as England closed on 277-5.

Sri Lanka’s opening pair of Dedunu de Silva and Chamari Polgampola started solidly in reply, putting on 48 for the first wicket, but a combination of poor running between the wickets and good bowling from England’s attack soon had it in trouble as it collapsed to 63-3

Suwini de Alwis (37) and Hiruka Fernando (26) both threatened to make big scores, but got out at crucial stages, and in the end Sri Lanka was left to bat out the overs.

22-year-old Laura Marsh was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3-32, with left-arm spinner Holly Colvin also claiming one wicket.

Sri Lanka now faces Pakistan on Monday, while England takes on India at North Sydney Oval on Tuesday.

Nepal win under 19 cup

“We always knew we had the team to win, we’ve been playing a long time and have enough confidence in matches,” said Nepal’s captain Nary Thapa after their comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Malaysia in the ACC U-19 Women’s Championship. Nary, an international badminton player, was also captain when Nepal were finalists in the inaugural ACC Women’s Tournament for seniors in 2007.

Malaysia themselves have improved tremendously since that 2007 tournament in which four of the current U-19 team featured and pulled off a terrific win against pre-tournament favourites in the semi-final to reach the Final against Nepal on what was the hottest day of the tournament so far.

Malaysia may have improved but Nepal still remain a fair distance away. Nepal know what to do and know how to do it. 34 schools in Nepal formed the basis of this squad of 14, some of them have been playing cricket for four years. It shows.

Nepal’s batters haven’t had to do much in this tournament such has been the ability of their bowlers first up. Today was no different. Malaysia’s Christina Baret fell to the sixth ball of the match, picked up by Nary Thapa at short-leg off Sita Magar and from then on Nepal were on top. Nurmanina Rajak after staying for some time, was bowled by an off-cutter from tall Rekha Rawal.

There was a hint of inswing throughout for little left-armer Sonu Khadka from around the wicket at the Lake End and, smart enough to keep the ball right up to the bat, she picked up three wickets. Most significant of her victims was Malaysia’s dynamic young captain Nur Aishah, top scorer for her team in the tournament so far. She too was foxed by Sonu and dollied up a catch off the leading edge.

At 15-5 Malaysian hopes then rested on Winifred Duraisingham to mount a revival but she was seventh out on 32, aiming an expansive drive to a well-pitched up delivery from Rekha. Nepal were sharp in the field. The only time Nepal slipped a little was when the last wicket pair of Mariana Lakie and Alice Choo were together, when a catch and run-out were missed.

Malaysia finished on 45, with extras contributing two-thirds of the runs.

Nepal started cautiously, time, talent and temperament on their side.

A pulled four off Winifred by Maya Rawat and Nepal were away. But as the Malaysians showed in 2007, their gentle smiles cover adorn some fierce competitive fire. With the ball they’re dangerous. Winifred bowled Roshani Bohara, beaten for pace, for the first breakthrough and then next over Aishah scalped two in two. Nepal 20-3 and Malaysia were back in it.

Nepal’s nuggety cricketers weren’t going to let it slip however and Trishna Singh and left-hander Binu Magar stroked the ball around the ground to take their side home by seven wickets. An off-drive for four, shot of the day, sealing the result.

“Nepal played well, no doubt about it,” said Malaysia’s coach V.Kalidas, “but I am proud of the way my girls tried with the ball. These girls are young enough to keep getting better in future tournaments.”

For Nepal it was vindication of their national school-cricket program, “We played very well,” said Nepal’s coach Jameel Ansari modestly. He’s been working with many of his team in school cricket for years in the lead-up to this tournament. He and his players could well end up in the 2010 Asian Games.

ACC U-19 Women’s Championship

Final: Malaysia v Nepal at Prem Oval
NEPAL WON BY SEVEN WICKETS
Nepal won the toss and elected to field
Malaysia: 45 all out off 16.2 overs (S.Magar 2-10, R.Rawal 2-11, S.Khadka 3-11)
Nepal: 47 for 3 off 11.5 overs
Player of the Match: Sonu Khadka (Nepal)

Lauren Griffiths earns World Cup call

Griffiths plays for Cheshire and was part of this summer’s academy squad. She will provide cover for No.1 wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor and replaces Lynsey Askew.

“Playing for England has always been something I’ve dreamt of and it’s a great honour to be selected in the squad, especially for a World Cup,” Griffiths said. “I’m out in Australia already playing cricket and training in Victoria for the winter in preparation for the tournament.

“I was so surprised to be included in the squad, but it’s a great opportunity and I’m really looking forward to touring with this set of players.”

England are one of the favourites for the World Cup having won 12 out of their last 16 ODIs with the other four washed out. During the recent home season they beat West Indies, South Africa and India with impressive ease.

Captain Charlotte Edwards was named the ICC Women’s Player of the Year earlier this month and is excited about the challenge in Australia, which will be followed by the first Women’s World Twenty20 in England next June

“We’ve got a great blend of youth and experience going to the World Cup in Australia and we’ll be looking to continue our success of 2008,” Edwards said. “It won’t be easy, but we’re well prepared and know what we have to do to ensure we’re all performing at our optimum when we arrive in February.”

Mark Lane, the head coach, said that the World Cup has been a major target for the team. “All our focus this year has been on the World Cup and the World Twenty20 – everything we have done over the past twelve months has been for these two global tournaments.

“It will be a tough but exciting competition as the standard of women’s cricket is continually improving and there are four or five teams who on their day could all become world champions.”

Squad Charlotte Edwards (capt),Caroline Atkins, Katherine Brunt, Holly Colvin, Lydia Greenway, Lauren Griffiths, Isa Guha, Jenny Gunn, Laura Marsh, Beth Morgan, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Nicky Shaw, Anya Shrubsole, Claire Taylor, Sarah Taylor

Edwards admits award surprise

England Women’s captain Charlotte Edwards has admitted she was almost speechless after being named ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year.

Edwards captured the coveted title at the glittering LG ICC awards ceremony in Dubai and, having arrived back in Britain, told ECBtv she was delighted with the accolade.

“I looked a bit surprised! It was an unbelievable feeling. To have the sort of year we have had as a team and to win this award is just really special,” she said.

“I knew Claire Taylor and myself were in with a good chance but I didn’t know what the stats were, I was just happy to be there and to know that I have contributed to a good year for England.

“To finally get to the awards ceremony and to win it has topped off a magnificent year for us, I’m really chuffed.”

Edwards’ troops have revelled in a host of success over the course of this summer after retaining the Ashes on Australian soil, a feat which the 28-year-old rates above their subsequent unbeaten exploits against West Indies, South Africa and India.

“I’ve been saying it didn’t get any better than that, but after going the whole summer unbeaten and then winning this award it does seem like a long time ago that we won the Ashes.

“That is still the highlight for me though!”

Edwards is delighted with the current crop of players and points to the mix of youth and experience within the team as a defining factor in their success.

“Its definitely the best England side I’ve played in. The blend of youth and experience we have is fantastic and I just think we gel really together as a group.

“There are some really, really talented group of players in this group and it is really exciting to be captain of them and to lead them out every time.”

“Just to win those amount of games on the run is really great for the team and they deserve every success they get because we work so hard.

“Playing at Lord’s was definitely the highlight this summer. The girls had their brilliant partnership and Katherine (Brunt) got five wickets, so just to do so well again at the home of cricket is really special.”

Edwards is now relishing the next six months as England travel to the scene of their initial triumph Down Under for the World Cup, a tournament her side go into having been firmly installed as favourites.

“Next year is unbelievable. The six months we have from March onwards is going to be absolutely fantastic and I’m always using it in my team talks because it so going to be a special year.

“The next six months it’s all to play for and we are going into it with a really, really good chance. I thought the World Cup might come a year too early but it might be the right timing so I’m really excited.”

With the ICC World Twenty20 also taking place in England next summer alongside the men’s competition Edwards knows her side have a golden opportunity to snare both crowns should they emulate the form they have shown over this summer.

“To win both of them would be unbelievable but the World Cup comes first and hopefully on March 22 at Sydney I’ll be able to lift the trophy.”

Raj, David and Sharma rested from Challengers

International players Mithali Raj, Jaya Sharma and Neetu David have opted out of the tournament to work on their fitness at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. The season-opening Challenger Trophy, which features three teams and includes probables for the Australia tour, is scheduled between September 21-24 in Ahmedabad.

“I have some niggling injuries to deal with,” Raj told Cricinfo. “I didn’t want to aggravate them before the tour of Australia so I have come to the NCA to be monitored by the experts here.”

Raj, who led India in their 4-0 defeat in the ODIs in England earlier this month, said the team will not just have to work harder but also alter their preparations for the Australia series. Sharma, nursing a shoulder injury from before the England tour, is also undergoing rehabilitation. With Raj out, Jhulan Goswami, India’s vice-captain, will lead the India Seniors side, which includes spinners Priyanka Roy and Pujare Seema and batsman Asha Rawat.

Among those hopeful to catch the selectors’ eye is offspinner Nooshin Al Khadeer, overlooked for the Asia Cup and the series in England, who will play under Rumeli Dhar in the India A side. “I honestly don’t know why I was not picked for the earlier tours but right now I am concentrating on the Challenger games after training for three weeks with my bowling coach. This break has made me mentally stronger.”

Nooshin, who needs four wickets to become the third Indian woman to cross 100 wickets in ODIs, said the Australian tour would be tough despite the hosts losing Cathryn Fitzpatrick to retirement last year. “They have very talented young bowlers like Ellyse Perry and the Blackwell sisters are doing well with the bat as well. Last time we toured Australia, we lost the Test and ODI series and after this year’s defeat in England, everyone has to prove their place in the squad.”

Karuna Jain, Anjum Chopra and Preeti Dimri, who weren’t part of the England tour, get a chance to impress the selectors and are part of the India B side captained by Amita Sharma.

India Senior: Jhulan Goswami (capt), Anagha Deshpande (wk), Monica Sumra, Asha Rawat, Priyanka Roy, Pujare Seema, Gouher Sultana, Apurva Kokil, Shweta Jadhav, VR Vanitha, Anureet Kaur, Lalita Sharma, Swaroopa Kadam

India A: Rumeli Dhar (capt), Sulakshna Naik (wk), Tihirush Kamini, Hemlata Kala, Diana David, Nooshin Al Khadeer, Shashi Malik, Niranjana Nagarajan, Pallavi Bharadwaj, Sindhu Ashok, Reema Malhotra, Nitu Jaiswal, Neha Majhi

India B: Amita Sharma (capt), Karuna Jain (wk), Gurdeep Kaur, Poonam Raut, Anjum Chopra, Devika Palshikar, Rajeshwari Goel, Priti Dimri, Snehal Pradhan, Latika Kumari, Amrita Shinde, Harmanpreet Kaur, Archana Das

Raj blames poor preparation for defeat

Mithali Raj, the India women’s captain, has said poor preparation was the reason for India’s 4-0 defeat in England. Raj, who top-scored in the five-match series, said the English pitches were good to bat on and she was unable to explain why the other batsmen folded meekly.

“The girls probably prepared in the same way as they did for the Asia Cup [which India won in May],” Raj told the Hindustan Times. “They were not challenged in the Asia Cup as the other teams were not up to the mark. The fielders too, several of them making their debut, were not tested.”

Raj said the unfamiliar conditions in England posed a challenge to the young side. “Now they know what to expect from stronger teams like England and Australia.” Raj, who scored 162 runs at 81 from five matches, said the England bowlers were not penetrative but, unlike the Indians, they were disciplined.

“England were a much improved side since we played them in the Quadrangular in 2007,” she said, adding that runs had come easily to her because of the way she played. “I read the opponents, know which bowlers to pick, go through their records and study how to get runs off them. The preparations give me an insight.”

India are scheduled to tour Australia in October and Raj said the team will regroup before the series to work on the problems. “We need to work on our opening partnership so the middle order isn’t pressurised. Australia are not tough but they have been in fine nick this season. Once you are in a good run, whatever you do tends to work.”

A look at 11 ways to improve women’s cricket

In the last decade, women’s cricket has had an extreme makeover so dramatic that even American TV producers would be interested. Skills have improved out of sight, but the problem is, public perception has lagged behind, with little or no awareness of the women’s game. That’s not the players’ fault, as better promotion, among other things, is needed. Cricinfo looks at XI ways to get the best out of women’s cricket.

Pay the players
The game is in its best state ever but still mostly relies on the dedication of amateurs. It needs to wake up to the fact that it risks shedding its best players, unless, like the ECB, it begins to pay.

Johmari Logtenberg, South Africa’s out-and-out star, recently decided to be a mug no more, and was the first in what could be a long line of refuseniks when she said she would not “play for charity”, and blindly took up golf instead. Australia’s Ellyse Perry could be next, lured by lucrative soccer.

Payment may be a bit of a prospective panning – tickets to women’s matches are often free and the game is hardly marketed – but the likes of Perry and Co need to be retained while the game is worth watching, before they strike gold elsewhere. And we’re not talking grand wading wads like in the men’s game.

Payment of sorts already happens in some countries, but it is not enough in most for players to live on, leaving them in part-time temping limbo, unless they find exceptionally sympathetic employers. A full focus on cricket would improve the players’ skills and open up a new market with fresh new enjoyable talent. The ECB has already taken this leap of faith by announcing ten central contracts.

Change the kit
The skills are there but before heavy marketing is undertaken, the kits must be as sleek as the players they grace. Women’s cricket was given a strong identity when the skirts were ditched in the 90s and the men’s one-day kits were brought in. But while the uniform has given the women a mental lift, as they feel part of a true international set-up, with proper sponsor logos and the like, they are unflattering. Some trousers even have a men’s fly.

While it may rankle with the feminists, more flattering kit (perhaps sleeveless, collarless tops a la tennis players) could possibly help attract a larger audience. Making the clothes more feminine – as in tennis, netball, and even golf, which have seen upsurges in spectator levels – wouldn’t even take too much tweaking. Designers should tailor the tops to women’s actual shapes, rather than drowning them, and their attractiveness, in men’s uniforms.

Promotion
This is vital, now the game is worth sharing. Cricket Australia had the right idea, designing a poster that mixed in the women with the men, but unfortunately it was nowhere to be seen. Channel 9 put on highlights of the recent women’s Twenty20 – a giant leap for womankind, and at no extra cost, as the cameras and the rest of the infrastructure were already in place – but the plugs for that game during the men’s Tests talked only of the India men. Joined-up thinking and taking the game seriously are needed.

More curtain raisers
The boards and ICC deserve a tick here: having the women play curtain raisers at men’s games has already heightened awareness and is starting to entice a new audience. The women’s game just needs one chance to get in front of new people to hook them.

The World Twenty20 is the best news the game has had in a long time and having the women play the middle game of three on a day would, if the proposal is approved, be a huge boon as the spectators are captive already.

The game can’t compete with the power of the men’s, but there is finesse on offer. The other benefits are a safe, family-friendly environment, a welcoming atmosphere, and better access to ever-obliging players.

Linked tours
So the Ashes clashes with the men’s Ashes as happened in 2005. When England won, it was big for the women’s game as media outlets took interest in a parallel unfolding – though, admittedly, some people thought the players on the women’s bus were the wives.

Play ODIs the day before the main game, and have World Cups before the men’s or immediately after, so the infrastructure is in place already and the media attention is there (as with the Paralympics, for example).

Attract more women spectators
To borrow another idea from netball, the women’s game needs to have women’s support as well. From a long-term point of view, get more girls involved in the sport from an early age. Get them to matches, but also get them to play at an earlier age by sending coaches into school and making the recruitment girls-focused.

Mixed showcase cricket
The men have plenty of demands on their time, so recently retired non-IPL players could be used, or men’s domestic players. This already happens to some extent, but a lack of promotion means small crowds.

On another point, some would argue that getting the top women playing men’s cricket as a matter of course would help break down the barriers and show many men that women can play. That could weaken the women’s game, though. And facing balls which turn much more or arrive much faster, with a bounce you wouldn’t get in the women’s game, may not be so beneficial.

More academy link-ups
Some joined-up thinking around the world would not go amiss. The England game has had female players joining county academies, which has improved psychology and fitness. Academies have a drawback, though, because women are taught to play like men, and this is where the next point comes in …

Coaching and handbooks specifically for the women’s game
… as recommended by England’s coach Peter Moores, who has coached plenty of women’s cricket, including Sussex seniors. He believes, for example, that female batsmen usually play squarer than the men because there’s less power, and that female players – many of whom come from hockey – should use more bottom hand in their shots. Manuals and practices could be tailored for their game.

Uniform Powerplays
Powerplays need to be standard throughout all cricket, even at the lowliest club level. This has helped the England women get on par with the other top countries, who were hitting out and over the top already as a matter of course. Also, adopting free-hits for front-foot no-balls (as in Australian women’s club cricket) would discourage bowlers from bowling no-balls, while encouraging attacking play.

The English game can also learn from its sisters in using coloured kits at county level – as with Australia, New Zealand and India state levels – to help get them used to playing the white ball, as in the all-important ODIs.

Play more games at smaller venues
This worked very well last year with the Twenty20s at Bath. Ditch international and bigger country grounds and go back to the clubs. So if a club has a women’s section or is setting one up, play an international there: it will encourage local participation and the club will do far more to promote it than the ECB, for example, ever will. Also, more people are likely to turn up as they don’t get international men’s cricket. Once the game has grown, international venues can be reinstated with – hopefully – fuller crowds.