Sports

Knight rides to the rescue as England complete 5-0 sweep of New Zealand

Published

2 years ago

2024/07/18

Priyan

Heather Knight revived England with a brisk 46 not out [Cricinfo]

After the fourth T20I against New Zealand, Heather Knight had declared England wanted to finish their home summer undefeated, and it took a timely captain’s knock to ensure it happened in the final game at Lord’s.

Knight’s unbeaten 46 off 31 balls steadied the hosts, who were 87 for 6 in the 13th over, her 57-run stand for the sixth wicket with Charlie Dean helping them to reach 155 for 7. That was despite Fran Jonas claiming career-best figures of 4 for 22 from her four overs, alongside fellow spinner Eden Carson’s 2 for 35 which had left England reeling.

But England’s bowlers made inroads at the right times, Lauren Bell claiming three wickets while Freya Kemp and Dean took two each as the batting woes which have plagued the White Ferns persisted to the end. Amelia Kerr’s 43 off 36 balls was not enough to save them as the hosts won by 20 runs.

England’s 5-0 sweep of the T20I series meant they won all 13 completed matches against New Zealand and Pakistan, with one washout in the second ODI against Pakistan in Taunton.

The crowd fell silent when New Zealand grabbed a wicket with an unlikely first ball of the match from left-arm spinner Jonas, which was begging for Danni Wyatt to smash it for six but landed tamely in the hands of Amelia Kerr at deep midwicket. Maia Bouchier had faced nine balls for her eight runs when she drove Lea Tahuhu’s first ball back over the bowler’s head for four despite Tahuhu’s desperate leap. Tahuhu could have had Alice Capsey caught-and-bowled moments later but the ball popped out of her outstretched right hand and flew to the boundary. It was the first of two fours for Capsey in the over, which went for 14 runs in all.

Jonas grabbed another wicket with the first ball of her second over when Bouchier chipped to mid-on, leaving England 28 for 2 in the fourth. Jonas left it until the second ball of her third over for her next wicket, but it was her best, a brilliant return catch as she flung out her right hand almost behind her in her follow-through to remove Nat Sciver-Brunt.

Two balls after being struck on the helmet by a Sophie Devine slower ball, Capsey charged down the pitch to meet a full toss and lifted it over mid-off for four to take her side to 40 for 2 at the end of the powerplay. But, after Sciver-Brunt’s dismissal, off-spinner Carson followed Jonas’s lead and struck first ball. Carson – who was supposed to miss the match until Leigh Kasperek injured her back in the warm-up – lured Capsey down the pitch with a well-flighted ball that landed on a good length and beat the bat as Izzy Gaze whipped off the bails. In her next over, Carson had Amy Jones caught at long-on by Maddy Green and England stuttered to 77 for 5. Before she was done, Jonas served up a reminder of where it all started, bowling Kemp with one that skidded on and clattered into middle and leg.

Knight had been quiet throughout New Zealand’s visit without any ill-effect on her team. She scored 9 in all three ODIs, but was unbeaten in the first after a century opening stand between Tammy Beaumont and Bouchier. She sat out the third T20I as England practiced different scenarios in Canterbury and hadn’t passed 15, though she was scarcely required at Southampton or The Oval.

Here, she was very much needed, and stepped up with that crucial partnership with Dean, who made 24 off 19 balls. Knight scored her fourth boundary sweeping Carson for four and powered the next ball for a huge six over long-on in the 18th over, which went for 15. When Dean fell to a return catch by Jess Kerr, Knight and Sophie Ecclestone ensured there was no further damage.

Suzie Bates survived when Georgia Plimmer drilled a Bell delivery back down the pitch as the bowler stuck out her foot before the ball hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end with Bates out of her crease, the umpires deciding that replays were inconclusive as to whether the ball struck Bell’s boot. But Plimmer was caught behind moments later to end a poor tour in which she failed to pass 29 and only reached double-figures twice. Bates fell soon after, top-edging Lauren Filer to Sciver-Brunt at mid-on.

By the end of the powerplay, New Zealand had faced 23 dot balls on their way to 31 for 2. Kemp continued the success for England’s seamers when Devine holed out to Bouchier and it fell to Amelia Kerr and Brooke Halliday to dig their team out of difficulty. Bell broke their union on 40 from 31 balls when she had Halliday reaching for a wide one to be caught behind, by which time New Zealand needed 53 off 26. When Dean and Jones combined to remove Amelia Kerr, stumped for 43 it felt like the White Ferns’ cause was lost, and so it proved, Bell bowling Gaze with a slower ball in the final over.

Brief scores:
England Women 155 for 7 in 20 overs (Alice Capsey 25, Heather Knight 46*, Charlie Dean 24; Fran Jonas 4-22, Jess Kerr 1-25, Eden Carson 2-35) beat New Zealand Women 135 for 8 in 20 overs (Amelia Kerr 43, Brooke Halliday 25; Lauren Bell 3-21, Lauren Fifer 1-22, Charlie Dean 2-29, Freya Kemp 2-31) by 20 runs

[Cricinfo]

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Sports

Sri Lanka women eye giant-killing act under Siddons

Published

3 mins ago

2026/04/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Jamie Siddons

Sri Lanka have turned to seasoned Australian campaigner Jammie Siddons to steady the ship and sharpen their edge, with the new women’s head coach making it clear that toppling heavyweights, not merely making up the numbers, will be the name of the game.

Siddons, a well-travelled coach with miles on the clock, has set his sights firmly on the upcoming Women’s World Cup in England, where Sri Lanka will open proceedings against the hosts at Edgbaston in June. It’s a baptism by fire, England in their own backyard, but the message from the dressing room is simple: try and beat top teams regularly.

Drawn alongside England, West Indies, New Zealand, Ireland and Scotland in a six-team group, Sri Lanka know there’s little room for passengers. It’s sink or swim.

“The World Cup is our big focus and we’ve got some tough games coming up,” Siddons told reporters on the sidelines of a floodlit training session at the CCC. “England at home will be a hard nut to crack. West Indies and New Zealand are quality sides as well.”

Before the main event, Sri Lanka will have a dress rehearsal in Bangladesh, a chance to blood fresh faces.

“We’re heading to Bangladesh before the World Cup and that gives us an opportunity to look at some of the new players coming through,” Siddons added, casting an eye on the next crop.

Sri Lanka’s women have made steady strides over the past two years under Rumesh Rathnayake, but as any seasoned observer will tell you, fine margins often decide games at this level and there are still a few loose ends to tie up.

Fielding, particularly in the deep, has been their Achilles’ heel. Dropped catches have cost them dear, while a lack of firepower with the bat has meant they’ve often been caught playing catch-up against the game’s heavyweights; Australia, England and India.

“From a bowling perspective, we need a few more tricks in the bag. The girls have to develop variations, slower balls, cutters and cut down the boundaries. That’s something we’ve been working on,” he said, underlining the need to outthink rather than outmuscle opponents.

For years, Sri Lanka have leaned heavily on the broad shoulders of Chamari Atapattu, their talisman, their match-winner, their go-to player when the chips are down. Siddons knows that while Chamari remains the crown jewel, cricket is no one-woman show.

“She’s our major player and we’ve depended a lot on her,” he admitted. “But we need a few more to put their hands up. Chamari still has plenty to offer.”

Encouragingly, Siddons has already spotted bright talents in the pace department, a rare commodity in the women’s game in Sri Lanka.

“I’ve seen a couple of very exciting fast bowling talents who haven’t played much yet. They could be key for us,” he said, hinting at new-ball options that could ruffle a few feathers.

Off the field, Sri Lanka Cricket has invested heavily over the last five years, the board has cast the net wide taking the game to schools, strengthening domestic competitions and ensuring a steady pipeline of talent.

There has been no shortage of cricket either, with bilateral series home and away giving players valuable time in the middle. The Under-19 side is currently cutting its teeth in Australia, while development squads are being kept busy with regular tours and fixtures.

Central contracts and match fees are now part of the furniture, a far cry from the hand-to-mouth existence of yesteryear, though there remains room for improvement.

https://www.telecomasia.net/

Sports

Deemantha’s unbeaten century sets up thrilling final-day finish

Published

4 mins ago

2026/04/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Thusindu Deemantha

An absorbing contest is on the cards during the morning session on the final day as the next 28 overs are likely to decide the finalist from the first semi final of the Under 19 Division I Tier ‘A’ tournament between St. Joseph’s College and Prince of Wales College at the D.H.H. Ground, Madampella today.

‎The semi-final moved towards a tense first innings finish after Prince of Wales reached 242 for five at stumps on the second day in reply to St. Joseph’s commanding first innings total of 354.

‎Open batsman Thusindu Deemantha played a remarkable innings of patience and determination, remaining unbeaten on 102 to keep the Cambrians’ hopes alive. His knock clearly reflected Prince of Wales’ strategy of batting for first innings points against the strong Darley Road outfit.

‎Deemantha displayed admirable grit to anchor the innings, facing as many as 248 deliveries during his stay at the crease. His unbeaten century included eight boundaries and he is set to resume his innings for a third consecutive day today after having first walked in to bat on Monday evening.

‎From the outset it was evident that Prince of Wales were aiming to stretch their innings as long as possible in pursuit of first innings advantage. According to tournament regulations, the first innings is restricted to 120 overs and the Cambrians now have 28 overs remaining to surpass the Josephian total.

‎St. Joseph’s bowlers will be eager to make early breakthroughs and expose the lower order to their formidable spin trio of Vigneswaran Akash, Vishwa Peiris and Nushan Perera. The three spinners dominated proceedings on the second day, accounting for 76 of the 92 overs bowled to Prince of Wales.

‎While Nushan Perera and Vishwa Peiris maintained tight control with economy rates below 2.5 runs per over, Akash bowled his 20 overs for just over three runs an over. Peiris was the most successful among them with two wickets.

‎For Prince of Wales, Oshan Maneesha contributed a valuable 38 runs while Gavesha Fernando played an important supporting role. Fernando joined Deemantha in a crucial 108-run fourth wicket partnership that steadied the innings and carried the Cambrians closer to the Josephian total.

‎With Deemantha firmly set at the crease and the Cambrians still needing to close the gap, the opening session today promises a gripping battle as both teams fight for a place in the final. (RF)