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Bryony Smith makes most of her chance to lead England victory

Published

1 year ago

2024/09/15

Priyan

Bryony Smith on her way to a half-century

Bryony Smith responded to her England recall in punchy style with a quickfire half-century to set her team up for an emphatic 67-run victory over Ireland in the first of three T20Is in Dublin.

Opening alongside Tammy Beaumont , Smith scored 58 runs off just 30 balls as England were bowled out for 176 off the last ball of their innings. Freya Sargent and Aimee Maguire each took identical figures of 3 for 30 from four overs for the hosts.

Charis Pavely the 19-year-old left-arm spinner then took 3 for 19 on debut to help England bowl Ireland out for just 109 in reply, Orla Prendergast the only home batter to pass 25 with her 34-ball 52.

Isssy Wong playing her first T20I in a year, was England’s next-best bowler with 2 for 14, including Ireland captain Gaby Lewis, who had said her side were targeting a 2-0 series win in the T20s after her side won the third ODI, a dead rubber.

“I’ve been out the team for a couple of years now in the T20s,” Smith said. “”I’ve always said I don’t really feel like I’ve had my go at the top of the order so it’s nice to get out there and get some runs today. It was a really good pitch, I think, but I just keep things really simple when I bat. When it comes off, it comes off, it might not always look pretty, but I felt really good, seeing the ball well, and it came off today.

“It’s always exciting when you get the call up. I didn’t get to go in the ODIs, which I was disappointed with but you’re never really going to say no to an England call-up. It’s obviously tough missing the last few games for Stars because I’ve got an important role there, but it felt like this was a chance for me to put my name into the hat.”

Smith played the last of her eight T20Is before this one two years ago, when England hosted India, scoring 13 not out from 14 balls and taking 1 for 19 as England won by seven wickets to seal a 2-1 series victory. She has played just one ODI, against West Indies in 2019.

In this year’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, she sits tenth on the leading run-scorers list with 402 runs at 36.54 and a strike rate of 87.20, while in the Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 competition she was 15th with 206 runs at 20.60 and 124.84.

On Saturday, Smith said she had been receiving updates as her South East Stars side defeated Southern Vipers by three wickets to reach next weekend’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final against Sunrisers. “Definitely looked a bit close… but excited for them,” she added.

Pavely was one of four debutants in the match against Ireland, along with Georgia Adams, Paige Scholfield and Seren Smale.

With England’s first-choice squad preparing for next month’s T20 World Cup, a number of players took their chance to show what they can do, led by Smith, who struck 12 fours in her innings. Mady Villiers making her first England appearance in the format, was England’s next-highest run-scorer with 35 off 15 balls. Villiers also took 1 for 9 from 2.3 overs and was instrumental in running out Predergast.

But it was Pavely who shone with the ball when she had Rebecca Stokell caught behind by Smale for a five-ball duck, bowled Arlene Kelly for 1 and took a return catch to remove Ava Canning, Ireland’s next-best batter with a run-a-ball 25.

The teams face a fast turn-around with the next match to be played on Sunday, also in Dublin.

Brief scores:

England 176 in 20 overs (Bryony Smith 58, Tammy Beaumont 27, Seren Smale 25, Mady Villiers 35; Freya Sargent 3-30, Aimee Maguire 3-30, Jane Maguire 2-25 ) beat Ireland 109 in 18.3 overs (Orla Prendergast 52, Ava Canning 25; Mahika Gaur 1-23, Kate Cross 1-27, Issy Wong 2-14, Charis Pavely 3-19, Maddy Villers 1-09) by 67 runs

(Cricinfo)

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Agha calls for ‘sportsman spirit’ after controversial dismissal

Published

22 hours ago

2026/03/14

Priyan

Salman Agha reacted furiously after his controversial dismissal [BBC]

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]

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US embassy in Baghdad hit by strike as Trump says military targets ‘obliterated’ on Iran’s key oil island

Published

22 hours ago

2026/03/14

Priyan

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]

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Bahrain & Saudi Arabia Grands Prix to be cancelled

Published

1 day ago

2026/03/14

Priyan

The grands prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were scheduled for next month (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)