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South Africa Under-19s looked on course to take a 2-1 lead against England Under-19s in the seven-match youth ODI series, before rain forced a no-result at Arundel

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2011
ScorecardSouth Africa Under-19s looked on course to take a 2-1 lead against England Under-19s in the seven-match youth ODI series, before rain forced a no-result at the Arundel Castle Cricket Club Ground.Choosing to bowl, South Africa restricted the hosts to 198. While several of the England line-up got starts, none were able to build a big innings, the top-score being wicket-keeper Ben Foakes 48. The South Africa bowlers shared the wickets around, left-arm spinner Lesiba Ngoepe producing the best figures – 2 for 34 in a tight spell. South Africa’s openers got the chase off to a spirited start, adding 81 in 71 balls before Sam Wood struck with his first over. The rain came down soon after, with South Africa needing 113 off 37 overs with nine wickets in hand.The fourth game is scheduled for Saturday at the same venue.

Nepal, USA, Italy, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Tanzania have announced their squads to compete in the World Cricket League Division 4 in Bologna

Cricinfo staff01-Aug-2010Nepal, USA, Italy, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Tanzania have announced their squads to compete in the World Cricket League Division 4 in Bologna, Italy as the teams continue along the path that may ultimately lead to a place at the World Cup in 2015. The top two sides at Division 4 tournament, which will be played from August 14 to 21, will move a step closer with promotion to the WCL Division 3 to be staged in Hong Kong in January 2011.”We have good knowledge of Nepal who we played against in February and also Cayman Islands and Argentina whom we have regularly played, including as recently as May in ICC Americas Division 1 and we beat them on both occasions,” said USA captain Steve Massiah.
“The other two teams we don’t know so well, but I’m confident we’re prepared and ready to continue moving up the World Cricket League ladder.””We’re looking forward to the tournament,” commented Cayman Islands’ coach Theo Cuffy. “It will be the first time to Europe for a number of our team and it’s going to be a tough tournament with strong teams, but we’re confident we can do well.”This will be the first global ICC event to be hosted in Italy. Matches will be played at three venues in the Bologna area – Pianoro, Medicina and Bologna.Ian Gould, a member of the ICC’s Elite Panel of umpires, will be one of nine umpires officiating at the event, which will be overseen by match referee David Jukes. Gould follows in the footsteps of fellow Elite Panel umpire Simon Taufel who officiated in Singapore at WCL Div. 6 in 2009.Argentina: Esteban MacDermott (capt), Grant Dugmore, Agustin Casime, Alejandro Ferguson, Pablo Ferguson, Donald Forrester, Tomas Francis, Carlos Gibson, Diego Lord, Lucas Paterlini, Matias Paterlini, Pablo Ryan, Gary Savage, Martin Siri.Cayman Islands: Saheed Mohamed (capt), Pearson Best, Ryan Bovell, Kervin Ebanks, Paul Chin, Marlon Byran, Ricardo Roach, Jaylon Linton, Abali Hoilett, Conroy Wright, Alassandra Morris, Kevin Bazil, Ramon Sealy, Ronald Ebanks.Italy: Alessandro Bonora (capt), Roshendra Abewickrama, Din Alaud, Dilan Arsakulasuriya, Damien Crowley, Gayashan Munasinghe, Thushara Kurukulasuriya, Damian Fernando, Andrew Northcote, Nicholas Northcote, Hayden dell’Agnello, Peter Petricola, Michael Raso, Stanly Kankanamge.Nepal: Paras Kadka (capt), Gyanendra Malla, Shakti Gauchan, Sharad Vesawkar, Mahesh Kumar Chhetri, Anil Kumar Mandal, Amrit Battarai, Basant Regmi, Binod Kumar Das, Sanjam Regmi, Rahul Kumar Vishwakarma, Mahaboob Alam, Manjeet Shrestha, Pradeep Airee.Tanzania: Hamzi Abdallah (capt), Abhik Patwa, Hasnain Damji, Khalil Rehemtulla, Seif Khalifa, Riziki Kiseto, Kassim Nassoro, Issa Kikasi, Enjo Kiongozi, Shaheed Danani, Rashidi Amiri, Benson Mwita, Harsh Ramaiya, Ally Kimote.USA: Steve Massiah (capt), Muhammad Asad Ghous, Steven Taylor, Rashard Marshall, Sushil Nadkarni, Timroy Allen, Orlando Baker, Carl Wright, Aditya Thyagarajan, Adrian Gordon, Lennox Cush, Khawaja Usman Shuja, Kevin Darlington, Nasir Javed.

Afghanistan lost their last six wickets for only 21 runs, crumbling swiftly on a slow and used Sharjah surface

Himanshu Agrawal09-Nov-2024First, Afghanistan’s spin quartet ended with combined figures of 38-0-144-7. Bangladesh’s trio replied with 21.3-2-72-5. But where Afghanistan’s quicks bowled 12 overs for 108 runs without a single wicket, Bangladesh’s fast bowlers were more incisive with four wickets in 22 overs, which went for only 111. That was the difference in the end as Afghanistan fell 68 short in their pursuit of 253 and Bangladesh levelled the three-match series with one game to play.Bangladesh’s win was set up by captain Najmul Hossain Shanto’s 76. When Shanto fell on his 119th ball in the 41st over of the first innings, his innings appeared to be too slow. But the value of his runs was visible when the Afghanistan batters struggled to get going, justifying that batting wasn’t easy on a slow and used Sharjah surface. Six of Afghanistan’s top eight scored at least 14, but only one could go on to score a half-century. Rahmat Shah’s 76-ball 52 remained the highest.Afghanistan’s chase of 253 began in sedate fashion. The Bangladesh quicks started with tight lines and lengths with the new ball swinging, but their first two breakthroughs were down to some fantastic catches. Soumya Sarkar anticipated a ball rushing onto him at wide slip to have Rahmanullah Gurbaz caught off Taskin Ahmed, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz – at square leg – leapt and plucked one to send Sediqullah Atal back off Nasum Ahmed’s first ball.Atal departed for 39, ending a 52-run second-wicket partnership with Rahmat, but his dismissal started a sequence where Nasum and Mahmudullah kept a check on Afghanistan, conceding only 19 runs across the next seven overs.Mehidy took over captaincy duties after Shanto had to leave the field with a hand injury, and brought himself back to bowl in the 24th over. One over past the halfway mark, Afghanistan’s required rate had crossed six runs an over, and the slide began in the 29th.Mustafizur Rahman had Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi caught at fine leg for a 40-ball 17 and then Nasum bowled Azmatullah Omarzai for his second duck of the series with a beautiful ball which turned away to hit off stump.Three balls later, Rahmat paid the price for a mix-up with Gulbadin Naib, who pushed one to cover and called. With Naib watching the fielder, Rahmat was halfway down the pitch, and ultimately both ended up running towards Jaker Ali, the debutant wicketkeeper. Jaker, playing in place of the injured Mushfiqur Rahim, threw the ball to Nasum at the other end and Rahmat was well short.Thus, Afghanistan lost three wickets in the space of six deliveries, and although Naib swung his bat around for an entertaining 26, and added 44 for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Nabi, his dismissal left the rest with too much to do. They lost their last five wickets for only 21 runs and folded for 184 in 43.4 overs.That batting performance made Shanto’s half-century and Jaker’s death-overs batting cameo look even better. Bangladesh had lost Tanzid Hasan early in the afternoon, but Shanto and Soumya accelerated. Despite a Shanto slowdown after the powerplay, Bangladesh made 82 in 14 overs.However, it took a further 23 overs to get another 82 for Bangladesh, despite losing only two more wickets in that period. All four of Afghanistan’s spinners – Rashid, Nabi, Nangeyalia Kharote and AM Ghazanfar – operated during that phase, and conceded just two fours and a six.Rashid broke the 71-run second-wicket partnership between Shanto and Soumya when he trapped the latter lbw. Soumya, on 35, didn’t review despite a consultation, and later saw the replays show the ball had pitched outside the line.In all, Shanto took 75 balls to get to his half-century, which he completed halfway into the 28th over. Both Mehidy and Shanto struggled to put the Afghanistan spinners away, and had to rely on their running between the wickets amid a plethora of dots. In the 32nd over, Shanto was given out lbw on 55 off Ghazanfar, but he reviewed and overturned the decision.But Rashid broke the 53-run stand when he cleaned Mehidy up with a googly next over. With 12 overs to go and Bangladesh on 174, Bangladesh were on course for a strong finish but with Shanto slow but Kharote struck three times in the next three overs to dent their cause. Towhid Hridoy, Shanto and Mahmudullah all departed in quick succession.But Jaker and Nasum ensured Bangladesh would post a competitive score. The last six overs were taken for 60 runs, as Nasum started the fun with a slog sweep for six off Kharote. When Afghanistan switched to pace in the 47th over, Jaker bashed Fazalhaq Farooqi for back-to-back sixes, with one landing over the roof beyond deep midwicket. Nasum hit 25 at just better than a run a ball, while Jaker put the finishing touch. The debutant ensured Bangladesh crossed 250.

Left-armer rips through visitors as they concede 171-run first-innings deficit

ECB Reporters Network04-Sep-2023Keith Barker blew Somerset away with his first LV=Insurance County Championship five-wicket haul of the season as Hampshire took control on day two at the Ageas Bowl. Left-arm seamer Barker had only taken 14 wickets in his opening eight red-ball appearances of 2023 but after a fine Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign, roared back with 5 for 32 to see off Somerset for 137.Andy Umeed scored 43, to follow up Jack Brooks’ first five-wicket haul of the season, but the visitors’ hopes of victory took a hefty blow. Despite a 171-run lead, Hampshire batted again and reached 45 without loss in 23 watchful evening overs to extend their lead to 216.After Sean Dickson had been brilliantly caught at third slip by James Vince off Barker in the third over, Tom Lammonby and Tom Abell bedded in for over an hour either side of lunch. The pair put on 51, but Abell lbw to Barker sparked a collapse from 51 for 1 to 67 for 5, from which they wouldn’t fully recover.Barker has endured an underwhelming Championship campaign, due in part to missing matches after he fractured both his hands while batting in the early stages. His 10 wickets in six One-Day Cup matches have warmed him up for the season’s final month.The former Warwickshire quick took a heavy-handed Lammonby’s outside edge before pinning Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Division One’s leading run scorer, heading into the round, James Rew prodded to short leg off Liam Dawson, Lewis Gregory played on to Mohammad Abbas, Ben Green edged Abbott behind and Neil Wagner was bowledUmeed – fresh from 613 One-Day Cup runs – had been in survival mode but once the eighth wicket fell started to unleash. He reached 43 before he missed a big swing and was stumped to give Dawson 3 for 61. Barker had the final word by having Shoaib Bashir lbw before celebrating his five wickets with his trademark one-arm raised celebrappeal.Somerset gave up a 171-run first-innings deficit but James Vince elected against enforcing the follow-on. Toby Albert and Fletcha Middleton bedded in, heeding century-maker Dawson’s advice to bat long to score runs. It made for a lifeless final 23 overs of the day – during which Wagner attempted a short-pitched onslaught on a pitch not suited to such a tactic, Hampshire closing on 45 without loss.Earlier, Brooks bolstered his impressive Ageas Bowl record to 21 wickets at an average of 16.85 in four matches with two morning wickets – as Hampshire added 26 to their overnight score to be bowled out for 308. Barker was caught off his inside edge before Dawson was pinned by Brooks to end his 115-run stay. Kyle Abbott swatted back-to-back boundaries to gather a second batting bonus point but chipped to cover.Brooks returned 5 for 56 – his third five-wicket haul on the ground – and first in four Championship appearances this season.

Before Hazlewood, the last Australia bowler to top the T20I bowling charts was Nathan Bracken in 2008

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-2022Josh Hazlewood continued his rise in T20 cricket by claiming the No. 1 spot among bowlers in the ICC rankings. Before him, the last Australia bowler to top the T20I bowling charts was Nathan Bracken back in 2008.With six wickets, Hazlewood was the leading wicket-taker in Australia’s recent 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka, as he rose two places to go above Tabraiz Shamsi and Adil Rashid to the No. 1 spot. Before that, Hazlewood had grabbed 11 wickets in Australia’s victorious campaign in the T20 World Cup last year.

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Hazlewood, remarkably, hadn’t played a T20I between March 2016 and September 2020.Meanwhile, India opener Ishan Kishan entered the top ten in the T20I batting rankings for the first time. Scores of 76, 34 and 54 in the first three T20Is in the ongoing series against South Africa propelled him 68 spots from his No. 75 ranking at the start of the series. Kishan is now the top-ranked India batter in T20Is, above KL Rahul who sits at 14th.Kishan remains the top-scorer in the series with 164 runs, as India hit back in the third game in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday to keep the five-match series alive.Pakistan captain Babar Azam continues to lead the batting charts, with his opening partner Mohammad Rizwan rising a spot up to No. 2, from where Aiden Markram slipped to third after missing the series against India after testing positive for Covid-19.In other notable movements among bowlers, Hazlewood’s team-mate Ashton Agar gained three places to move up to ninth, while Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana jumped 16 spots to eighth. Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s six wickets in three games against South Africa helped him rise three places to No. 11 with a career-best ratings points total of 635.

“More than a hundred, I needed to bat longer,” he says after overcoming form slump

Saurabh Somani11-Dec-2020Henry Nicholls survived tough conditions at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, carrying New Zealand to a position of strength despite being asked to bat first. Nicholls, unbeaten on 117 at stumps on the first day of the second Test against West Indies, said it was crucial for the rest of the batting group to step up given the absence of Kane Williamson, the captain and their best batsman. Williamson is on paternity leave, having led New Zealand to an innings-and-134-run victory in the first Test in Hamilton.

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Nicholls’ century took New Zealand to 294 for 6, and also meant he shrugged off a slump of sorts, having gone nine Tests and 13 innings without passing fifty. The last time he crossed a half-century was against Bangladesh in March 2019 at the same venue, when he had hit 107.”It’s nice to contribute, [as I] probably haven’t in the last few games as much as I wanted,” Nicholls told the host broadcaster after the first day’s play. “[I’ve been] pretty lucky that the team and the other batters have been playing so well. But without Kane here in this game, it was important for us as a group to stand up. So that’s all I was trying to focus on – just keep it pretty simple [and] bat for long periods. It’s nice to be not out overnight and looking again into tomorrow.”Nicholls rode his luck during the innings with dropped catches and half chances, but also ensured he capitalised when the ball was in his area. Even his century came with a leading edge through point when looking to go through midwicket.”Probably a fitting way to bring it up,” he smiled. “[There was] certainly enough there for the bowlers throughout the day, so you just try and bounce it as a batter and say, ‘Sometimes it’s going to beat the bat and sometimes you’re in luck, or it’s not.’ So it was certainly nice to get there and nice to be not out overnight.”It’s a funny thing with the hundred, it’s such a milestone. But for me, it was just trying to keep it really simple and realise that more than a hundred, I needed to bat longer. So it’s just [about] trying to put that into context. Nice to get through that [and] have a little luck. That’s cricket sometimes.”Nicholls’ method also involved leaving a lot of balls outside off, with the pace and bounce in the surface – “more than usual” as per the left-hander – meaning he could leave on a length comfortably enough. It was also a pitch where he thought his own side would enjoy bowling on.”I was trying to leave well, make them bowl straighter,” Nicholls said. “It’s pleasing when you’re able to do that. Certainly, at times you’re tested on this sort of surface. I think the pace in the wicket amplifies that. When you get a few loose ones, you’re able to score. Sometimes you’re just trying to keep your tempo going as a batter.”The biggest thing for me was to just to try to keep to what I was doing. Not if you hit a few boundaries you feel like you could hit more. Because you just knew that if they bowled in a good area for long enough, there was a chance that they’re going to take the edge, which they did throughout the day. So yeah, it’s a surface we’re still looking forward to bowling on, but hopefully not too early tomorrow.”

Australia allrounder finishes off chase as Lancashire secure win in front of 15,000 at Old Trafford

ECB Reporters Network30-Aug-2019Despite some persistent rain the good times rolled at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday evening when 15,196 spectators, a new ground record for a non-Roses T20 game, saw Lancashire Lightning defeat Leicestershire Foxes by five wickets, thereby securing top spot in the North Group.Needing 143 to win, the home side got home with eight balls to spare, thanks largely to a well-judged innings by Glenn Maxwell, who added an unbeaten 29 off 31 balls to the wicket, catch and run-out he had collected in the first innings of the game. Maxwell partnered Keaton Jennings in the unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 22 which helped Lancashire to their eighth T20 win of this season’s campaign.Earlier in the evening, the Foxes innings had got off to a fine start as the Lightning seamers fed Mark Cosgrove the leg-side diet he craves and the Australian opener helped himself to 39 runs off 19 balls before being bowled by Steven Croft. Arron Lilley then cut his first ball to Josh Bohannon at cover point but the only result of this fine stroke was that Harry Swindells was run out by half the length of the pitch for 4 after a dreadful mix-up with Lilley.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Nevertheless, Leicestershire were 52 for 2 after their Powerplay and the following four overs were all bowled by spinners. The next blow of consequence was struck by Matt Parkinson who had Colin Ackermann caught at backward point by James Faulkner for 21 when the Foxes captain was attempting a reverse sweep and the visitors reached the midpoint of their innings modestly placed on 77 for 3.Lilley gradually warmed to his task on his former home ground, ramping Richard Gleeson for four and smacking Parkinson over long-off for six but when he had made 28 the former Lancashire allrounder pulled James Faulkner straight to Maxwell at deep midwicket.The remainder of the Foxes innings was something of an anti-climax as the home spinners strangled the scoring rate and three more batsmen were run out. Harry Dearden’s 24 was the only score above 20 and after Cosgrove had found the boundary seven times in 19 balls, his colleagues struck only six fours in the rest of the innings. Parkinson took the bowling honours with 2 for 24 while Maxwell finished with one for 22.Lancashire’s pursuit of 143 began well as Liam Livingstone and Alex Davies put on 54 in 5.1 overs, both openers hitting sixes before Lilley held on to a steepler off Ben Mike to get rid of Livingstone for 28. Steven Croft followed soon after, caught at cover off Callum Parkinson for five, but Davies continued to take heavy toll of Dieter Klein, hitting the South African for a second six before he was bowled for 39 when attempting to cut Parkinson.Lancashire skipper Dane Vilas was dismissed for 6 when he carelessly pulled Will Davis to deep square leg but Maxwell and Faulkner looked to be taking Lancashire home before Faulkner was leg before wicket to Lilley for 11. However, Maxwell and Jennings settled things with some well-judged strokes on a damp Mancunian evening.

Sam Billings is back in charge of a Kent side that has handled his absence as well as he would have ever dared imagine

Matt Roller29-Jun-2018Sam Billings’ appointment as Kent captain in January seemed symptomatic of a turbulence that the county would not escape easily.After an underwhelming 2017, which saw group-stage exits in both white-ball competitions and a mid-table finish in the Championship, Kent’s relationship with captain Sam Northeast had broken down. One of county cricket’s most exciting batting line-ups had lost its talisman, and the man to fill the void was to miss the first six weeks of the season after signing an IPL deal.The news was met with distaste by the members; how could the county’s decline be arrested by Billings when he was carrying drinks in Chennai, rather than scoring runs at Canterbury?Four months later, Billings is lying on the St Lawrence Ground outfield, basking in the late afternoon sun after his first Championship game as captain. A record 342-run win against Middlesex has taken Kent top of Division Two, with a first Lord’s final in a decade to look forward to; not bad, for a club supposedly in turmoil.Billings looks on it all with understandable pleasure. Absentee captains are quickly forgiven when things are going swimmingly. And to lead the side out at Lord’s against Hampshire on Saturday will be a cause for special pride.”I’ve been here since the age of seven or eight, so it means a huge amount,” he said. “With all the different teams I’ve played for, you get a different buzz playing for each. But nothing beats coming home and playing for your home side: it means a hell of a lot.”It’s now about channelling that emotion and putting it into a good performance. It’d be great to take Kent back to where we should really be as a side – and that means winning silverware.”It would be wrong to cast Billings as the hero of the hour at Kent, although who is to say he will not be come Saturday evening. For all his brilliance with the bat, and for all that matchwinning ability, he has only played six games for the county this season, with a top score of 29.But Kent’s success has not been down to individual brilliance. Of course, it would be wrong to understate the impact of Heino Kuhn’s four white-ball hundreds, or Matt Henry’s 49 Championship wickets, but Billings’ task of slotting back into the side – purportedly his side – has been helped by the environment created by Matt Walker and the coaching staff, which includes Paul Downton as director of cricket and Allan Donald as assistant coach.”When you get people in the right places, there’s no doubt that’s going to help,” Billings said. “A structure has been put in place…the place as a whole is really coming together.”And the captain thinks that the ease with which the match-winners against Middlesex, Grant Stewart and Harry Podmore, stepped up in the absence of Henry and Darren Stevens was testament to the squad’s self-belief.”I said to the lads before the game how glad I was to come back into the side. I was really excited. There’s no doubt confidence is high in the group at the moment, and the team spirit is as good as I’ve ever seen here.Pitted against Kent are two players with obvious connections to Billings himself. James Vince remains a rival for Billings’ role of perpetual cover batsman in England’s one-day side and Sam Northeast was captain before him, only to leave the county when he was told he must commit to a new contract a year in advance or lose the job”Hampshire have got some very good players: Vince is in fantastic form, and we know how good a player Sam Northeast is,” Billings observed. “But we’ve got some seriously good players here as well. And if we play to the best of our abilities, we’ll win the game of cricket.”

Durham fast bowler Mark Wood has been included in England’s squads for the Champions Trophy and the two ODIs against Ireland which precede the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Apr-2017Durham fast bowler Mark Wood has been included in England’s squads for the Champions Trophy, the three-match series against South Africa and the two ODIs against Ireland early next month.Wood has returned to action this season, first in the North v South one-day matches in the UAE then for Durham, following further surgery, after being diagnosed with a broken bone in his ankle at the end of the 2016 summer, which kept him out of the England side over the last six months.He is viewed as a crucial element of England’s white-ball plans to provide a cutting edge to the pace attack. Injury has restricted him to 11 ODIs since his debut in 2015 but he bowled with eye-catching pace against Pakistan last year before requiring another layoff.

England one-day squads

• England squad for Champions Trophy and South Africa series Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

• Squad for Ireland ODIs Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Ben Duckett, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, David Willey, Mark Wood

Steven Finn misses out on the Champions Trophy with Nottinghamshire’s Jake Ball preferred, while left-armer David Willey returns having missed the West Indies tour in March due to injury.Ball has taken 12 wickets in five ODIs, which included 5 for 51 on debut against Bangladesh in Dhaka, and squeezes out Finn who took four wickets in the three matches against West Indies in what were his first ODIs in 18 months.Finn is, though, included in a 14-man squad for the two matches against Ireland as is Ben Duckett, who made his England debut in Bangladesh last year. Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler are unavailable for those games having been allowed to remain at the IPL. Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy and Sam Billings will return from India for the matches.”We have made encouraging progress over the past 18 months in white-ball cricket and the squads selected reflect consistency and give options across all disciplines,” James Whitaker, the national selector, said. “It is pleasing that Mark Wood and David Willey have returned to full fitness. They add variety and quality to our bowling strengths and David’s ability as an attacking batsman is also an important element for us.”The settled nature of England’s one-day side means there is no room for a number of promising players around the county scene. There had been much talk about Lancashire’s Liam Livingstone, who impressed for the Lions over the winter and made 168 in the recent round of County Championship matches, but he will have to wait his turn. The same applies to Tom Curran, who was added to England’s squad in the West Indies.The squad for the Champions Trophy will also play the one-day series against South Africa at the end of May.

West Indies Women converted their maiden appearance in a World Twenty20 final into a historic victory at Eden Gardens, beating three-time defending champions Australia Women for the first time in a T20 international

The Report by Shashank Kishore03-Apr-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsWest Indies celebrate a tremendous victory, after ending Australia’s three-tournament reign as WT20 champions•AFP

West Indies converted their maiden appearance in a World Twenty20 final into a historic victory in Kolkata, beating three-time defending champions Australia for the first time in a T20 international by pulling off the second highest chase in the tournament’s history. The heroes of the daunting pursuit were 18-year old Hayley Matthews and the captain Stafanie Taylor, whose half-centuries and 120-partnership came at more than a run a ball.Their effort left West Indies with two runs to get off four balls, and when Britney Cooper pushed to Megan Schutt at midwicket and sprinted, what should have been a run-out at the bowler’s end resulted in the overthrow that sealed the title. Their team-mates blazed a trail on to the field and the women were soon joined by the West Indies men in joyful celebrations in the middle of Eden Gardens.Those scenes scarcely seemed likely when West Indies were run ragged in the first half of the game, as half-centuries from Elyse Villani and Meg Lanning helped Australia post an imposing 148 for 5.However, Matthews and Taylor clinically brought the chase into the realms of possibility. From the 10-over mark, there was an air of inevitability to the chase as Matthews, who combined her big-hitting prowess with delicate dabs, attacked the bowling. She laid into Jess Jonassen, who had conceded only 12 off her first three overs, to turn the tide going into the last seven overs of the chase. Just like that, Australia, who had a fourth title well in their grasp for the first 25 overs of the clash, saw the trophy slipping away as their bowlers, who clinically applied the choke in a similar situation against England, fell apart under pressure.The West Indies bowlers had also come under severe pressure under the wheel of Villani and Lanning, who made 52 apiece in a dominating batting display. Lanning had enjoyed the best seat in the house as Villani peppered the leg-side field with regularity. Full tosses were swept fiercely, while short balls were pulled with disdain, with as many as six boundaries in the Powerplay overs coming between fine leg and deep square leg. Villani’s aggression helped Australia tide over the dismissal of Alyssa Healy in the second over.Hayley Matthews plays powerfully to the on side•AFP

Lanning had slapped her second ball into the point boundary to trigger a blaze of strokes that left West Indies playing catch-up before they could soak in the occasion. Having blasted 54 in the first six overs, Australia were on their way to an imposing total.Once the head start was achieved, both batsmen negated Anisa Mohammed’s spin threat by milking the bowling. That Taylor employed as many as six bowlers in the first eight overs showed the extent to which Australia had derailed West Indies’ plans.Dottin had been central to West Indies’ march to the final, not just with the bat but ball too. Her variations in pace and pin-point accuracy at the death had been tough to get away, but her predictability against some serious hitting by Lanning and Villani, who brought up her fifty off just 34 deliveries, failed to put the brakes on the scoring.West Indies had a wicket against the run of play, when Villani was caught at cover off a leading edge to break a 77-run partnership off just 60 deliveries. But Ellyse Perry provided a surge, and Lanning’s wrists and extraordinary strokes, aided by supreme fitness, threatened to achieve a target beyond West Indies.Australia brought up 100 in the 14th over as Lanning laid into Dottin by hitting her for three successive fours, two of which pierced a packed off-side field. Once Lanning fell for 52, it was Perry who gave the finishing touches, hitting two sixes in her 28. West Indies, though, fought back to concede just 36 off the last five overs.Something about the last over of Australia’s innings – they scored only one – fired West Indies up. For the first three overs of the chase, however, Australia put a lid on the scoring, conceding just nine runs. The defending champions began to relax, but Matthews was just getting started, unfurling boundary after boundary to build pressure on Australia.Halfway through the chase, Lanning called her team into a huddle in a bid to regroup, but to no avail. The wicket of Matthews, who miscued a pull off Kristen Beams to midwicket with West Indies needing 29 off 26 balls, came as relief rather than joy. That allowed Dottin, who had an off day with the ball, a shot at redemption, which she gleefully accepted as West Indies celebrated a historic triumph in style.