- There is an annual festival held at Wormsley called Words & Wickets, which seeks to celebrate cricket and literature. This year's event took place a month or so ago; and it is becoming increasingly apparent that they didn't tidy-up properly afterwards - they took the "Words" home with them, but they left a couple of "Wickets" behind, and now they've bred out of control. Like Rampant Rabbits at an Ann Summers party, they're popping up everywhere and no one seems to know quite what to do with them - 26 in 2 days is crazy; and you wouldn't bet against the other 14 falling tomorrow!
- To be fair though, my main memory of today will be not wickets but RAIN! It was so heavy at one point that I had to wonder if we were all part of some elaborate ECB marketing tie-up to promote Russell Crowe's new Noah movie!
- Unfortunately for England however, the ground staff did a bang-up job, and play restarted all too soon, with those naughty wickets rabidly resurfacing to do for Edwards, who was actually looking in pretty good nick before the break, and Greenway, who really will want to forget this Test (8 + 1) almost as much as Heather Knight (1 + 0)!
- However, all will be forgotten if Gunn and Taylor can put on even another 30-odd tomorrow to give the seamers something to bowl at - 120 will be a fair old target in the context of this game, and both sides will have everything to play for.
Thursday, 14 August 2014
England Women v India Day 2
Random thoughts on Day 2:
England Women v India Day 1
Random thoughts on where it all went wrong at Wormsley -
- Prior to the Test, all the talk was of whether England would pick one spinner or two. In the end they went with 'Plan C' - no spinners - which was certainly a surprise; but I think it actually made sense. Word behind the scenes was that once England decided to play six batsmen, it came down to a straight toss-up between Odedra and Hazell; and they just concluded that the former was more likely to take wickets in conditions which were certainly not unfriendly to a bit of swing and seam.
- Where England got it all wrong however was the batting order. You obviously don't open with your two best batsmen; but not opening with your two best openers is all kinds of crazy, and they paid for it big-time. It was a bad toss to lose, in the only Test of the summer, so the pressure was on and England needed level heads to deal with that. In other words, what they needed was Edwards' experience at the top of the order. What they got was Winfield and Beaumont batting together far too early in the day - feeding off each others nerves and discomfort, and inducing a collective wobble that saw the team get bowled out for a score they'd have been ashamed of in a T20!
- I felt really sorry for Sonia Odedra, because while she can bat a bit-and-a-half at county level, she wasn't picked as a batsman here, and having to make her international début walking out at 79/8 was not ideal to say the least! That she hung around for half an hour and made "a" run was actually a massive positive then - it showed the world the character and fight which some of us have long know she has! When it came to her bowling, I thought she looked pretty solid, and although she didn't take a wicket, I'm sure there's one coming - hopefully first thing tomorrow!
- A couple of other minor points:
- Three slips (plus gully) was one slip too many for England. Third slip never looked like taking anything, and with runs at a premium the man would have been better-off deployed in the outfield, where Winfield and co were having to run their socks off. (To be honest, it looked a bit over-premeditated: "This is our plan, and we're sticking to it no matter what!")
- Jenny Gunn was obviously England's hero; but I thought she bowled maybe two overs too many towards the end. With Goswami and Niranjana looking reasonably comfortable, obviously playing for the close, England should have changed things up a little sooner and given Nat Sciver more than 3 overs.
Sunday, 10 August 2014
Grundy Injury Opens Doors For Odedra & Wyatt
An injury to Beccy Grundy has given Paul Shaw the opportunity he needed to frantically back-pedal over the ridiculous omission of Danni Wyatt from England's T20 squad.
Grundy has suffered a "femoral stress reaction"! No - I've no idea either! But it means she's out for the rest of the summer; opening up a gap in all 3 squads - Test, ODI and T20.
Steph Buttler comes into the Test squad, but unless Hazell gets hit by at least 3 buses, I can't see Butler playing; which means Odedra is now a dead-cert! (Yay!) (Although it would mean, disappointingly, that she would no longer be my official "favourite player never to have played for England"!)
Odedra will also stay in the camp for the ODIs, with Wyatt then coming back into the squad for the T20s - which is exactly where she should have been all along, having scored pots and pots of runs in this years county championships, bowling or no bowling!
As Raf Nicholson put it on Twitter: "Sense prevails!!"
Quite!
Grundy has suffered a "femoral stress reaction"! No - I've no idea either! But it means she's out for the rest of the summer; opening up a gap in all 3 squads - Test, ODI and T20.
Steph Buttler comes into the Test squad, but unless Hazell gets hit by at least 3 buses, I can't see Butler playing; which means Odedra is now a dead-cert! (Yay!) (Although it would mean, disappointingly, that she would no longer be my official "favourite player never to have played for England"!)
Odedra will also stay in the camp for the ODIs, with Wyatt then coming back into the squad for the T20s - which is exactly where she should have been all along, having scored pots and pots of runs in this years county championships, bowling or no bowling!
As Raf Nicholson put it on Twitter: "Sense prevails!!"
Quite!
Royal London Women's One Day County Championship Cup Review
It's hard to believe that the RLWODCCC is over already - not half way through August! I guess this new calendar makes sense, in that it allows the England players to participate in the entire caboodle; but it is still a private disappointment that I have to wait until NEXT YEAR to see another county match!
I've come to love watching the domestic game from up-close on the boundary. Earlier in the summer I attended a day of the men's Test v Sri Lanka at Lords, and while the view from yeigh-high in the stands was fantastic, the whole experience was also slightly disorienting. Where I really wanted to be was up by the rope, somewhere around deep backward point, sitting on my deck-chair with the grass under my feet!
It was fantastic to be proved completely wrong (at least for the moment) about the Spanish Footballisation of women's county cricket! (I predicted that one impact of professionalism would be a two-horse, Barca/Madrid style race for the championship between Kent and Sussex; with everyone else fighting it out for third.) However, it does have to be said that the failure of my prediction was mostly because it was more of a one-horse race this year, as Kent swept all before them in the 50-over competition.
Sussex's implosion in the final third of the championship was certainly unexpected, but in retrospect not entirely inexplicable - retirements, injuries and ECB directives for contracted players not to bowl/ bat/ keep - all took their toll. But they'll be back; and I certainly wouldn't rule out my Spanish Footballisation prediction over the longer term, with the fantastic support that Sussex get from their "brother" club down on the south coast, including the most professional coaching setup in the women's domestic game.
At the nether-end of the table, Essex were relegated, and Warwickshire look likely to join them. I saw Warwickshire play Berkshire in the final round... or more accurately, Warwickshire play Heather Knight, who scored a century and took a fifer... and it wasn't pretty - with players standing disinterested in the outfield; and in one case completely ignoring a fielding opportunity because the girl in question was too busy grouching to her (boy?)friend on the boundary that she hadn't had a bowl yet!
My local team, Berkshire, ended up a creditable third - though partly because two of their most difficult games (Sussex and Kent) were cancelled; and I feel compelled to admit that the T20s (where they scraped through the relegation play-offs) are perhaps a fairer reflection of where they stand.
Finally, my 'Team of the Year' would have to be Middlesex - one of only two all-amateur outfits in the championship - who proved what you can achieve by being "A TEAM" - rather than a collection of individuals who happen to turn up at the same ground on the same day! Much credit for this must go to Beth Morgan, their Captain Fantastic, for building a team spirit that is clearly unmatched elsewhere; and I can't wait to see how they build on this next year - I'm looking forward to it already!
I've come to love watching the domestic game from up-close on the boundary. Earlier in the summer I attended a day of the men's Test v Sri Lanka at Lords, and while the view from yeigh-high in the stands was fantastic, the whole experience was also slightly disorienting. Where I really wanted to be was up by the rope, somewhere around deep backward point, sitting on my deck-chair with the grass under my feet!
It was fantastic to be proved completely wrong (at least for the moment) about the Spanish Footballisation of women's county cricket! (I predicted that one impact of professionalism would be a two-horse, Barca/Madrid style race for the championship between Kent and Sussex; with everyone else fighting it out for third.) However, it does have to be said that the failure of my prediction was mostly because it was more of a one-horse race this year, as Kent swept all before them in the 50-over competition.
Sussex's implosion in the final third of the championship was certainly unexpected, but in retrospect not entirely inexplicable - retirements, injuries and ECB directives for contracted players not to bowl/ bat/ keep - all took their toll. But they'll be back; and I certainly wouldn't rule out my Spanish Footballisation prediction over the longer term, with the fantastic support that Sussex get from their "brother" club down on the south coast, including the most professional coaching setup in the women's domestic game.
At the nether-end of the table, Essex were relegated, and Warwickshire look likely to join them. I saw Warwickshire play Berkshire in the final round... or more accurately, Warwickshire play Heather Knight, who scored a century and took a fifer... and it wasn't pretty - with players standing disinterested in the outfield; and in one case completely ignoring a fielding opportunity because the girl in question was too busy grouching to her (boy?)friend on the boundary that she hadn't had a bowl yet!
My local team, Berkshire, ended up a creditable third - though partly because two of their most difficult games (Sussex and Kent) were cancelled; and I feel compelled to admit that the T20s (where they scraped through the relegation play-offs) are perhaps a fairer reflection of where they stand.
Finally, my 'Team of the Year' would have to be Middlesex - one of only two all-amateur outfits in the championship - who proved what you can achieve by being "A TEAM" - rather than a collection of individuals who happen to turn up at the same ground on the same day! Much credit for this must go to Beth Morgan, their Captain Fantastic, for building a team spirit that is clearly unmatched elsewhere; and I can't wait to see how they build on this next year - I'm looking forward to it already!
Friday, 8 August 2014
England's Batting Order Dilemma
England go into next week's Test against India with a strong batting line-up: Edwards, Taylor, Greenway and Knight would all walk into any team in the world. And although controversies persist about the omission of Wyatt from the T20 squad, I think the (assumed) selection of Beaumont for the Test makes sense, especially as she offers a back-up wicket-keeping option.
But dilemmas aplenty remain, in particular regarding the batting order.
In last summer's Ashes Test, Edwards came in at 4, England lining-up as follows:
So, which order will England go with this time?
A straight swap of Beaumont for Brindle, with Beaumont coming in at 5? Anyone who has ever seen Beaumont play will know that this makes no sense - she is a defensive accumulator. When I saw her open with Edwards for Kent against Middlesex this year, she had made just 4 when Edwards was run out for 44. And yet she still went on to make 53 - the top score of the innings. So, Beaumont needs TIME... and she likely won't get that coming in at 5.
But equally, batting Edwards down the order seems like a waste, especially given that she appears to be in better form than ever; while relegating Knight would seem a particularly retrograde step for England's new vice-captain and captain-elect.
I wonder if the answer for the Test (not the ODIs and certainly not the T20s!) is for Beaumont to come in at 3 and for Taylor to drop-down?
Taylor has generally occupied the Number 3 slot in the mould of David Gower - all class and flowing elegance. Beaumont would have to draw a very different interpretation of the role, being more of a Jonathan Trott-like brick wall. But I think that's something she could do, and it makes the most of her talents, which England will need to do if they are to prevail.
So, here's the batting line-up that I'd go with:
But dilemmas aplenty remain, in particular regarding the batting order.
In last summer's Ashes Test, Edwards came in at 4, England lining-up as follows:
- Knight
- Brindle
- Taylor
- Edwards
- Greenway
- Edwards
- Knight
- Taylor
- Greenway
- Brindle
So, which order will England go with this time?
A straight swap of Beaumont for Brindle, with Beaumont coming in at 5? Anyone who has ever seen Beaumont play will know that this makes no sense - she is a defensive accumulator. When I saw her open with Edwards for Kent against Middlesex this year, she had made just 4 when Edwards was run out for 44. And yet she still went on to make 53 - the top score of the innings. So, Beaumont needs TIME... and she likely won't get that coming in at 5.
But equally, batting Edwards down the order seems like a waste, especially given that she appears to be in better form than ever; while relegating Knight would seem a particularly retrograde step for England's new vice-captain and captain-elect.
I wonder if the answer for the Test (not the ODIs and certainly not the T20s!) is for Beaumont to come in at 3 and for Taylor to drop-down?
Taylor has generally occupied the Number 3 slot in the mould of David Gower - all class and flowing elegance. Beaumont would have to draw a very different interpretation of the role, being more of a Jonathan Trott-like brick wall. But I think that's something she could do, and it makes the most of her talents, which England will need to do if they are to prevail.
So, here's the batting line-up that I'd go with:
- Edwards
- Knight
- Beamont
- Taylor
- Greenway
Wednesday, 6 August 2014
Lifting The Veil Of The Knight
As anybody who was at Wormsley for last summer's Women's Ashes knows, England's new vice-captain Heather Knight, can bat long. Her 157 was one of the great innings of women's Test cricket, especially given the match situation, with England truly in the deep stuff at 113/6.
Even back then though, innings like this were becoming the rule rather than the exception. She had already scored over 800 runs for Berkshire that summer, topping the domestic averages with two centuries and five fifties.
This season has been a little quieter, but her final innings of the Women's County Championship - 72 not-out against Middlesex and 101 versus Warwickshire - suggested a player coming back to her best at the perfect time for the start of the international season. The latter innings was particularly impressive, as she drove beautifully, keeping her head amid the chaos of what was otherwise a typical Berkshire collapse!
Now Knight has been named England vice-captain; and although no one has quite used the words "succession plan" the thinking in the England camp is clearly that she will succeed Charlotte Edwards when the current skipper retires, which she is expected to do after the World Cup in England in 2017.
So the question is... why Knight? She certainly wasn't the "obvious" choice - that would have been wicket-keeper-batsman Sarah Taylor. Chippy in the field and good with the media, Taylor is the closest thing England have to an Ellyse Perry-style "superstar". In contrast, Knight is quiet, reserved and modest; and clearly less-than-comfortable in front of a camera lens - which is (let's face it) part of the job of England captain.
One reason may be that Knight is two years younger than Taylor; and though that might not seem a lot, it does mean she will be 27 when she succeeds, not 29. Taylor also has long-term fitness concerns - wicket-keepers are particularly prone to "niggles" and Taylor is no exception. So, if you were to ask which of the two is absolutely guaranteed to still be playing in 2018, you'd have to say Knight.
However, I think there are also some deeper considerations.
As a cricketer, Sarah Taylor is pretty-much the finished article by now; whereas Knight is more malleable - Taylor would be the captain she is; whereas England can make Knight the captain they want her to be.
This goes for media profile too; and one does wonder if the letters "K" and "P" came up in discussions? (England have long-tolerated Charlotte Edwards occasional tendency to go off-message - but they would rather have someone who they can be sure won't!)
Knight is also a very different kind of captain to Taylor. Taylor's brilliance on the field can translate to a certain brashness off it with fellow players, especially those that haven't lived-up to the very high standards she sets herself... and the problem is that that is often everyone else on the pitch! In contrast, Knight will be a bit more 'pastoral' - and that is going to be an important part of the captaincy going forwards, as England tour more in the professional era.
Will Knight be a success? It is going to be a tough job living up to the legend that is Charlotte Edwards, especially in an era which is going to become increasingly competitive, as the other international sides improve and professionalise. While World Cup finals have never been child's play; the groups and semis sometimes have been. But now, with the emergence of West Indies and South Africa to challenge to traditional "Big 4", that will be less and less the case. So it isn't going to be easy for Knight - she will need to 'bat long'. But as everyone knows... that's one thing she really can do!
Even back then though, innings like this were becoming the rule rather than the exception. She had already scored over 800 runs for Berkshire that summer, topping the domestic averages with two centuries and five fifties.
This season has been a little quieter, but her final innings of the Women's County Championship - 72 not-out against Middlesex and 101 versus Warwickshire - suggested a player coming back to her best at the perfect time for the start of the international season. The latter innings was particularly impressive, as she drove beautifully, keeping her head amid the chaos of what was otherwise a typical Berkshire collapse!
Now Knight has been named England vice-captain; and although no one has quite used the words "succession plan" the thinking in the England camp is clearly that she will succeed Charlotte Edwards when the current skipper retires, which she is expected to do after the World Cup in England in 2017.
So the question is... why Knight? She certainly wasn't the "obvious" choice - that would have been wicket-keeper-batsman Sarah Taylor. Chippy in the field and good with the media, Taylor is the closest thing England have to an Ellyse Perry-style "superstar". In contrast, Knight is quiet, reserved and modest; and clearly less-than-comfortable in front of a camera lens - which is (let's face it) part of the job of England captain.
One reason may be that Knight is two years younger than Taylor; and though that might not seem a lot, it does mean she will be 27 when she succeeds, not 29. Taylor also has long-term fitness concerns - wicket-keepers are particularly prone to "niggles" and Taylor is no exception. So, if you were to ask which of the two is absolutely guaranteed to still be playing in 2018, you'd have to say Knight.
However, I think there are also some deeper considerations.
As a cricketer, Sarah Taylor is pretty-much the finished article by now; whereas Knight is more malleable - Taylor would be the captain she is; whereas England can make Knight the captain they want her to be.
This goes for media profile too; and one does wonder if the letters "K" and "P" came up in discussions? (England have long-tolerated Charlotte Edwards occasional tendency to go off-message - but they would rather have someone who they can be sure won't!)
Knight is also a very different kind of captain to Taylor. Taylor's brilliance on the field can translate to a certain brashness off it with fellow players, especially those that haven't lived-up to the very high standards she sets herself... and the problem is that that is often everyone else on the pitch! In contrast, Knight will be a bit more 'pastoral' - and that is going to be an important part of the captaincy going forwards, as England tour more in the professional era.
Will Knight be a success? It is going to be a tough job living up to the legend that is Charlotte Edwards, especially in an era which is going to become increasingly competitive, as the other international sides improve and professionalise. While World Cup finals have never been child's play; the groups and semis sometimes have been. But now, with the emergence of West Indies and South Africa to challenge to traditional "Big 4", that will be less and less the case. So it isn't going to be easy for Knight - she will need to 'bat long'. But as everyone knows... that's one thing she really can do!
Monday, 4 August 2014
England Squad - Thoughts On Odedra, Knight & Wyatt
Nice Surprise Of The Day
Notts' Sonia Odedra is what I believe the men call a 'Journeyman Pro' - good enough to have had a long and successful career at the top of the domestic game, but never quite getting her opportunity at international level. But that could all change at Wormsley. With fitness doubts persisting around at least two other bowlers, this could be Odedra's big chance; and no one deserves it more.
Least Surprising Surprise Of The Day
Heather Knight has superseded Jenny Gunn as vice-captain, and (barring "events") will succeed to the helm when Charlotte Edwards retires in 2017.
Genuine Disappointment Of The Day
I know everyone... including the player herself... thinks I've got it in for Danni Wyatt; but I honestly haven't and I'm genuinely shocked and disappointed for her that she hasn't been included in at least the T20 squad, despite having had a storming domestic season with the bat, including a starring role in yesterday's T20 finals victory for Notts!
You have to ask, is TB really going to score more runs more quickly than Wag in the shortest format? Yes, TB has some strong numbers this year, but she has accumulated her runs - starting slowly (sometimes very slowly e.g. v Middlesex) and building big(ish). All the evidence suggests TB is not the player we need coming in at 5 in a T20; and it does leave you wondering how much county cricket the selectors have actually watched recently?
(Having said this, TB is absolutely (and correctly) nailed-on to play in the Test though.)
My Test Team
Edwards, Knight, Taylor, Greenway, Beaumont, Sciver, Gunn, Odedra, Hazell, Cross, Shrubsole
So... yes, I think Odedra will play! (But Martin Davies thinks not!)
Notts' Sonia Odedra is what I believe the men call a 'Journeyman Pro' - good enough to have had a long and successful career at the top of the domestic game, but never quite getting her opportunity at international level. But that could all change at Wormsley. With fitness doubts persisting around at least two other bowlers, this could be Odedra's big chance; and no one deserves it more.
Least Surprising Surprise Of The Day
Heather Knight has superseded Jenny Gunn as vice-captain, and (barring "events") will succeed to the helm when Charlotte Edwards retires in 2017.
Genuine Disappointment Of The Day
I know everyone... including the player herself... thinks I've got it in for Danni Wyatt; but I honestly haven't and I'm genuinely shocked and disappointed for her that she hasn't been included in at least the T20 squad, despite having had a storming domestic season with the bat, including a starring role in yesterday's T20 finals victory for Notts!
You have to ask, is TB really going to score more runs more quickly than Wag in the shortest format? Yes, TB has some strong numbers this year, but she has accumulated her runs - starting slowly (sometimes very slowly e.g. v Middlesex) and building big(ish). All the evidence suggests TB is not the player we need coming in at 5 in a T20; and it does leave you wondering how much county cricket the selectors have actually watched recently?
(Having said this, TB is absolutely (and correctly) nailed-on to play in the Test though.)
My Test Team
Edwards, Knight, Taylor, Greenway, Beaumont, Sciver, Gunn, Odedra, Hazell, Cross, Shrubsole
So... yes, I think Odedra will play! (But Martin Davies thinks not!)
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