Latest News
The Women’s 100: Spirit await top three fate after thumping London Derby win
With progress to the next stage in play at a sun-kissed Kia Oval and The Hundred Eliminator next Saturday looming on the horizon, London Spirit completed a brilliant derby demolition by eight wickets.
Spirit needed to win this, their final game, and hope Manchester Originals lose to Northern Superchargers tomorrow to avoid progress coming down to net run-rate. But having romped home with so much to spare, their qualification now looks almost assured.
Put in to bat, Invincibles started steadily if not spectacularly, Meg Lanning and Paige Scholfield ambling to 23 off the Powerplay before a brace of boundaries by Lanning (19 from 20) from Sarah Glenn and a huge six from Scholfield off Issy Wong got the home side moving.
Charlie Dean then made the breakthough, having Lanning caught and bowled while conceding just three from her first ten. Scholfield (22 from 21) followed soon after as Spirit took all the pace off the ball. At halfway Invincibles were an underwhelming 56 for 2.
After one straight six, Alice Capsey (11 from 9) holed out, and Spirit spinners kept a lid on things, Marizanne Kapp (32 from 25) the only batter to break the shackles before her innings was ended by a stunning one-handed catch from Dean, who then bowled the last five to finish with an exceptional 2 for 12 from her 20 balls, the same figures as Eva Gray, as Invincibles ended on 108 for 8.
With a run rate-boosting win in mind, Kira Chathli and Georgia Redmayne came out hard, Chathli in particular taking the attack to her former team with the Powerplay bringing a season-high 47 without loss, her own contribution being 35 off 16.
The two continued past Spirit’s highest opening partnership of the season – and ended up with the team’s highest for any wicket – Chathli going to a 26-ball half century with a majestic straight six. An eight-wicket win came soon after, with 38 balls left unused. Redmayne departed with just three needed, having made an excellent 42 off 30, and Chathli followed one run later for 53 off 29, but it was much too little, much too late for Invincibles.
Talking about her wonder catch, Meerkat Match Hero Charlie Dean said: “I should have been on the ring! But I managed to time my jump and hung on.
“That was an impressive victory. We went out wanting to bounce back and to win by a margin like that… we did not discuss too much about NRR but the way we went about that, it was fantastic. Kira has been brilliant. At the top of the order, trying to punch first
“We have a rest day and hope for the best. We have done everything to put ourselves in the best position to qualify so it’s fingers crossed.”
Brief scores:
London Spirit Women 112 for 2 in 62 balls (Kira Chathli 53 Georgia Redmayne 42; Phoebe Franklin 2-10) beat Oval Invincibles Women 108 for 8 in 100 balls (Paige Scholfield 22, Meg Lanning 19, Alice Capsey 11, Marizanne Kapp 32; Issy Wong 1-29, Eva Gray 2-32, Charlie Dean 2-12, Sarah Glenn 1-31, Charli Knott 1-16) by 8 wickets
[Cricinfo]
Salman Ali Agha said that he would have done things ‘differently”, after Mehidy Hasan Miraz ran him out in controversial circumstances in the second ODI in Dhaka.
Agha, who made 64 from 62 balls, had been backing up at the non-striker’s end when Mohammad Rizwan drove the ball back towards him. He was still out of his ground as Mehidy swooped round behind him in an attempt to gather, and Agha had appeared ready to pass the ball back to the bowler before Mehidy reached down to grab it first and throw down the stumps.
Agha reacted furiously to the dismissal, throwing his gloves and helmet down in disgust at the decision. However, he later came to the post-match press conference, ahead of captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and player of the match Maaz Sadaqat, to clear the air.
“I think sportsman spirit has to be there,” Agha said. “What he [Mehidy] has done is in the law. I think if he thinks it’s right, it’s right, but if you ask me my perspective, I would have done differently. I would have gone for sportsman spirit. We haven’t done this [type of thing] previously, we would never do that in the future as well.”
Agha explained that he had been trying to pick up the ball to give to Miraz, thinking it was likely to have been called dead. “Actually, the ball hit on my pad and then my bat,” he said. “So I thought he can’t get me run-out now, because the ball already hit on my pad and my bat.
“I was just trying to give him the ball back. I was not looking for the run or anything like that, but he already decided [to make the run-out].”
Agha however regretted his angry reaction. “It was just heat-of-the-moment kind of stuff,” he said. “If you ask me what would I have done, I would have done things differently. But it was everything, whatever happened after that, it was in the moment.”
He was also involved in a robust exchange with Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das, though he didn’t divulge many of the details.
“I can’t remember what I was saying and I can’t remember what he was saying,” he said. “I’m sure I wasn’t saying nice things, and I’m sure he wasn’t saying nice stuff as well. But it was just heat of the moment, so we are fine.
Asked if he had patched things up with Mehidy, Agha said: “I haven’t yet, but don’t worry, I’ll find him.”
Pakistan won the match by 128 runs via the DLS method.
[Cricinfo]
Latest News
US embassy in Baghdad hit by strike as Trump says military targets ‘obliterated’ on Iran’s key oil island
The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, has been hit by a missile – video shows fire and smoke rising in the aftermath.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says “every military target” on Iran’s key oil island has been “totally obliterated”, but there was no damage to oil infrastructure.
Kharg Island is a tiny but strategic terminal in the northern Gulf, 22 miles off the coast of Iran In response, Tehran warns oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms that co-operate with the US will be “turned into a pile of ashes” if Iran’s energy facilities are attacked
Elsewhere in the Middle East: Israel and Iran both warn of fresh attacks, and at least 12 medical staff have been killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon
Meanwhile, more US Marines and warships are expected to be deployed to the Middle East, two officials tell BBC’s partner CBS News
[BBC]
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix that were scheduled for next month are set to be cancelled as a result of the war in the Middle East.
A formal decision to call off the races has not yet been made but is expected before the end of the weekend.
Freight would need to start being shipped to the Middle East in the coming days. With no sign of the conflict between the US/Israel and Iran coming to a conclusion, holding the races would put personnel at too great a risk.
Neither event will be replaced, with the season being cut to 22 grands prix and F1 taking a commercial hit of more than £100m, given Bahrain and Saudi Arabia pay two of the highest hosting fees.
The race in Bahrain was scheduled to be on 12 April with Jeddah the following weekend.
Consideration was given to holding events at Portimao in Portugal, Imola in Italy or Istanbul Park in Turkey.
But it was accepted that the time to organise a race at any of those locations was too short, and there was little chance of securing a hosting fee.
The decision will mean there is a five-week break between the Japanese Grand Prix on 29 March and Miami on 3 May.
(BBC)
Agha calls for ‘sportsman spirit’ after controversial dismissal
US embassy in Baghdad hit by strike as Trump says military targets ‘obliterated’ on Iran’s key oil island
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