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Australia overcome sensational Sciver-Brunt to retain Women’s Ashes

Published

2 years ago

2023/07/17

Priyan

Ellyse Perry finished with 91 off 124 balls (Cricinfo)

Alana King and Ashleigh Gardner spun Australia to victory – and retention of the Women’s Ashes – with a thrilling three-run win over England in the second ODI in Southampton.

A century to Nat Sciver Brunt, her third in four ODIs against Australia, brought the hosts to the brink of a win that would keep the series alive but, with five runs needed off the final ball, she managed only a single off the left-arm spin of experienced death bowler Jess Jonassen before a crowd of 12,380. Australia have eight points to England’s six with one more match to play at Taunton on Tuesday, where the best England can hope for is to secure a win which would draw the series.

Ellyse Perry had set Australia up nicely with 91, helped by Annabel Sutherland’s half-century and a thrilling cameo of 37 off just 14 balls from No. 8 Georgia Wareham. Perry’s 81-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Sutherland, in addition fifty stands with Beth Mooney and Gardner, provided the backbone of Australia’s total of 282 for 7 which asked England to produce their most successful run chase in ODIs for the second match in a row after their pursuit of 264 in Bristol.

But King, who hadn’t played since the Test match, which opened the series, replaced quick Darcie Brown as Australia went for a spin-heavy attack and broke the game open with three wickets for 15 in the space of 23 balls while Gardner claimed 3 for 54 and conceded just six runs off the penultimate over, leaving England chasing 15 off the last. Sciver-Brunt marshaled the closing stages almost to perfection with No. 9 Sarah Glenn, who remained unbeaten on 22 from 35 balls. But, in scenes reminiscent of the 2022 World Cup where Sciver-Brunt scored fighting centuries in losing causes to Australia during the group stage and in the final, her 111 not out fell agonisingly short.

In-form opener Tammy Beaumont set England’s response off in fine fashion, her back-to-back fours off King past mid-off gave her 20 runs in boundaries by the end of the sixth over and after the 10-over powerplay England were 62 without loss.

Legspinner Wareham came on in the 12th over and struck with her third ball as Sophia Dunkley tried to paddle but instead had the top of her off stump rattled to depart for a laboured 13 off 30.

King then rapped Heather Knight on the front knee-roll in line with middle stump in the 18th over and, although Knight reviewed immediately, her dismissal was upheld convincingly. Sciver-Brunt managed to overturn her lbw decision to Tahlia McGrath in the next over when replays showed the ball was missing down the leg side. But then King produced a stunning legbreak to beat Beaumont’s forward defence and ping the top of off stump and had Alice Capesy out cheaply, picking out Gardner just inside the rope at deep midwicket to leave England 123 for 4.

England were still looking good at the halfway point of their innings, at 132 for 4 compared to Australia’s 119 for 4 but then Danni Wyatt sent a Gardner delivery high to Sutherland at long-on and it fell to Sciver-Brunt and Amy Jones to make running repairs to the innings.

Consecutive fours to Jones off Megan Schutt in the 33rd over eased the pressure and Sutherland missed a difficult chance running back at mid-on when Jones was on 34 but then Jones’ attempted reverse-sweep off Gardner found Schutt at backward point and her 57-run stand with Sciver-Brunt ended. Sophie Ecclestone followed lbw to Gardner three balls later and Australia needed 73 from the last ten overs.

With England needing 38 off last five, King conceded just three runs off her last over, the 46th, while Jonassen conceded eight off the 48th. Sciver-Brunt was dropped by Wareham at deep midwicket off the second ball of the penultimate over but England couldn’t quite make Australia pay, despite Sciver-Brunt’s slog-sweep for four followed by two mad dashes for two.

Earlier, Phoebe Litchfield unleashed a sumptuous cover drive for four off Lauren Bell, but was pinned back by one that angled in from just outside off stump on the next ball and Bell had her second wicket when Alyssa Healy spooned tamely to Capsey at short third so that Australia were 27 for 2 inside six overs.

They stretched that to 59 for 2 by the end of the powerplay as Mooney and Perry settled into a 61-run stand. The Australian duo upped the tempo in the 16th and 17th overs as Mooney crashed a one-bounce four off Sciver-Brunt down the ground and swept Ecclestone to the boundary. But it was Mooney’s attempted sweep off Ecclestone in the 19th over which was her undoing, Bell snaffling the edge at short fine leg and Australia were 88 for 3.

Legspinner Glenn struck with the first ball of her second over when had Tahlia McGrath caught behind attempting to cut. Gardner received a life on 4 when she sent a Capsey delivery looping towards short third, Ecclestone running across and getting her left had to the ball but failing to hold on. Gardner capitalised by sending Glenn over long on-for six and moments later Perry brought up her fifty with a pull to square leg for two.

Glenn had an lbw appeal turned down in her next over, Perry surviving England’s review on umpires call, missing a tough caught-and-bowled chance in an eventful 28th over.

Ecclestone made up for her earlier blunder with an excellent catch at mid-off from Bell, who had just returned to the attack to remove Gardner and break a 56-run partnership with Perry.

Kate Cross had already bowled her ten-over allocation when she went off with what was later diagnosed as persistent cramp after putting down Perry on 63 at mid-off from Ecclestone.

Sutherland contributed an impressive 50 from 47 balls, including three fours off one Bell over, down the ground, over wide mid-on an through fine leg. She and Perry were busy in the 43rd over, Glenn conceding 17 from it.

But then England’s bowlers regained control with Ecclestone bowling a tight 45th over, which went for just five runs, and Bell conceding only four from the next. Sutherland brought up her fifty with a single cut just short of point off Ecclestone’s next over but then Ecclestone snared the wickets of Perry and Sutherland, holing out to long-off and long-on respectively in the space of four balls.

Sciver-Brunt conceded just five runs off the penultimate over but then Wareham helped herself to 26 runs from the last. As Bell kept putting the ball in the slot, Wareham launched back-to-back sixes over deep square leg and deep midwicket, followed by fours over mid-off and extra cover which bookended another maximum over mid-on.

Brief scores:

Australia 282 for 7 (Perry 91, Sutherland 50, Wareham 37*, Ecclestone 3-40) beat England 279 for 7 (Sciver-Brunt 111*, Beaumont 60, King 3-44) by three runs

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Venue announced for cricket’s Olympics return at LA28

Published

2 hours ago

2025/04/16

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The ICC have welcomed the announcement that the Fairgrounds in Pomona, Southern California, will host cricket at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Excitement around cricket’s Olympic comeback has been building since it was confirmed that the sport would return to the Games.

On 9 April, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the player quotas and number of participating teams for cricket at the 2028 Olympics.

Both the men’s and women’s T20 competitions will feature six teams each, with a 90-player quota allocated per gender, allowing each nation to field a squad of up to 15 players.

The full tournament schedule will be finalised closer to the start of the Games.

“We welcome the announcement of the venue for cricket at Los Angeles 2028 as it is a significant step towards the preparation for our sport’s return to the Olympics,” ICC Chair Jay Shah said.

“Although cricket is a hugely popular sport, it will be a fantastic opportunity to expand traditional boundaries when it features in the Olympics in the fast-paced, exciting T20 format that should appeal to new audiences.

“On behalf of the ICC, I want to express my gratitude to LA28 and the International Olympic Committee for their support and look forward to collaborating with them and ICC Members in preparing for LA28 and making cricket a huge success there.”

Cricket’s return to the Olympics was confirmed in October 2023, alongside the inclusion of five additional sports for the Los Angeles Games – baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash.

The T20 format has previously featured in multi-sport events, with both men’s and women’s competitions held at the Asian Games in 2010, 2014 and 2023. The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham featured a women’s T20 tournament.

[ICC]

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Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cautions all stakeholders of the Indian Premier League (IPL) of attempts to entice participants

Published

2 hours ago

2025/04/16

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[Representative image] BCCI's ACSU has issued a cautionary note [Cricbuzz]

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has issued a caution to all stakeholders of the Indian Premier League (IPL) about attempts to entice participants into potentially corrupt activities. The BCCI has cautioned the owners, players, coaches, support staff, and even commentators that a businessman with dubious credentials is actively seeking to trap individuals involved in the league.

The Anti-Corruption Security Unit (ACSU) seems to believe that a businessman from Hyderabad, with clear links to punters, bookies and past and proven records of involvement in corrupt activities, is trying to befriend participants. The ACSU has urged all IPL stakeholders to report any interactions with the businessman and also disclose any possible connections or engagements with him.

The ACSU is also understood to have urged all parties involved in the league to exercise caution. Teams and individuals have been asked to remain alert and report any relevant approaches. The individual’s modus operandi is said to involve luring unsuspecting targets with expensive gifts, including jewellery.

The individual in question is reportedly attempting to get himself close to the IPL participants by masquerading as a fan. He has allegedly been spotted at the team hotels and in the matches, making efforts to befriend players and staff, and inviting potential targets to private parties. There is also information of him offering gifts not only to team members but also to their families.

One of the methods reportedly employed by him involves approaching family members of franchise owners, players, coaches, support staff, and even commentators. He is said to have been offering to take them to jewellery stores and high-end hotels posing as a fan. There are also indications that he may have attempted to contact relatives living abroad, often through social media platforms.

Previously, the ACSU had told the teams that advancing technology has increased their challenges and urged all involved in the league to be alert. Seeking cooperation from all, the BCCI said it is determined and committed to taking every step in its power to prevent corrupt practices that undermine the integrity of the sport of cricket.

[Cricbuzz]

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Paramilitaries declare rival government in Sudan

Published

2 hours ago

2025/04/16

Priyan

A Sudanese woman cooks at a camp for displaced people in Port Sudan on Tuesday [BBC]

Sudan’s paramilitaries have declared the formation of a rival government to the country’s armed forces, two years into a war that has become the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

The leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, said the group was “building the only realistic future for Sudan”.

The announcement came as London hosted an high-level conference to mark the second anniversary of the conflict, where the UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy called for “a pathway to peace”.

Fighting raged on, with the army saying it had bombed RSF positions outside the city of el-Fasher, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the Zamzam refugee camp.

Hemedti said the RSF was building a “state of law” and not a state ruled by individuals.

“We do not seek domination, but unity. We believe that no tribe, region, or religion holds a monopoly over Sudanese identity,” his statement on Telegram read.

He added that his government would provide essential services such as education and healthcare to not only RSF-controlled areas, but the whole country.

More than 400 people have been killed in recent attacks by the RSF, according to the UN, citing “credible sources”.

Two years into the war, both the army and RSF have been accused of war crimes, including genocide and mass sexual violence.

Hemedti has been locked in a power struggle with Sudan’s army chief, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, since 15 April 2023, creating a humanitarian crisis that has claimed more than 150,000 lives and displaced more than 12 million people.

The latest fighting in the capital of North Darfur, el-Fasher, has forced tens of thousands of civilians from the Zamzam refugee camp to walk 70km (43 miles) to the town of Tawila, according to medical charity MSF.

Many arrived severely dehydrated and some children are reported to have died of thirst.

Humanitarian agencies have reported famine-like conditions facing more than 700,000 people in temporary camps around el-Fasher, with security threats and roadblocks thwarting the delivery of critical aid.

During an international meeting on Tuesday, the UK promised an extra £120m ($159m) worth of food and medical assistance, urging the world not to turn its back on Sudan.

“Many have given up on Sudan – that is wrong – it’s morally wrong when we see so many civilians beheaded, infants as young as one subjected to sexual violence, more people facing famine than anywhere else in the world… We simply cannot look away,” Lammy said.

The conference also called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, but the African Union has said it will not allow the country to be partitioned by the army and the RSF.

[BBC]