Ellyse Perry Keeps Aussies in Charge

The single women’s Test match at Sydney may have ended as a draw but there were positives for both sides. After the first day, when England laboured to 235-7, home skipper Rachael Haynes must have fancied Australia’s chances of repeating their 2015 Ashes triumph in the four-day format.

Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight put on a century stand for the second wicket but thereafter nobody else could amass more than 29 runs. Once the floodlights came on, Megan Schutt and Ellyse Perry made life more difficult, and when Perry induced a caught-and-bowled from Sarah Taylor, they must have scented blood. The following morning, Shrubsole and Marsh did their best to advance the score past the psychologically important mark of 300 but their side could muster only 280.

In reply, England’s attack began well. Laura Marsh and teenage debutante spinner Sophia Ecclestone claimed the top three batters, before Shrubsole had Villiani brilliantly caught by Taylor. 95-4, after 56 overs, and things were looking up. However, Ellyse Perry was watchful at the other end. When joined by Haynes, the runs began to flow more easily. Alyssa Healy upped the scoring rate even more and put on 102 for the sixth wicket with Perry who was playing beautifully.

The third day saw the all-rounder reach three figures. Amazingly it was her first international century in any format after more than 170 attempts. But she didn’t stop there. By stumps, she had progressed to a superb 213 not out, the third highest individual Test score in history. More importantly, the Aussies declared on an unbeatable 448-9. Facing 17 awkward overs in the lights, Winfield and Beaumont successfully held on intact. However they faced a mountain on the final day to avoid a defeat which would cost them the Ashes before the Twenty20 games had even started.

So full credit to England for digging in throughout the day. It can’t have been much of a spectacle for the North Sydney Oval crowd but the top four displayed diligence that the men’s team would do well to repeat when the situation demands it. Newbies McGrath and Wellington nabbed an opener apiece, but Heather Knight, passing 70 for the second time in the match, led from the front. On 206-2, she shook hands with her opposite number and it was honours even.

With a four-point margin, the Ashes are still up for grabs. However, England must win all three of the T20 fixtures to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Anything’s possible in the biff-bang stuff but I can’t help feeling that Australia will manage at least one win and hold the women’s trophy for another two years. With Ellyse Perry in this form, who would bet against?

England Clinch Women’s World Cup

England and India served up a rollercoaster final at Lord’s to round off an excellent World Cup tournament, but it was Heather Knight’s side who held their nerve to win the trophy they last held aloft in 2009.

It was a cagey but solid start for England. Openers Lauren Winfield and Tammy Beaumont added 47 before Gayakwad bowled the former round her legs. Beaumont was the competition’s highest run scorer but she fell to Poonam Yadav for just 23 and when the same bowler trapped skipper Knight lbw for a single, the home team were looking shaky. Enter Nat Sciver to join forces with Sarah Taylor. Their stand of 83 in 16 overs steadied the ship but the veteran medium-pacer Jhulan Goswani produced excellent figures of 3-23 to turn things back in India’s favour. The late order couldn’t quite strike the boundaries they wanted but Brunt and Gunn managed to nudge the total to an acceptable 228-7.

Anya Shubsole struck an early blow in the second over, swinging in a beauty to send Mandhana’s middle stump flying. Raj and Raut played sensibly, but when Harmanpreet Kaur began to punish the bad ball with a couple of sixes, I reckon India fancied their chances. After all, they had dealt England a blow in their first group match and their confidence must have been high following the surprise thumping of Australia in the semis. Kaur had peppered the deep mid-wicket boundary in her incredible 171 not out but she fell just after reaching her third successive fifty.

Krishnamurthy joined Raut and found the gaps to maintain the required run rate. At 191-3 with more than 7 overs remaining, Hartley and Shrubsole were beginning to falter. However, in ten crazy minutes, the same pair turned the match on its head, capturing four wickets in 13 balls. And yet, on 201-7, there were still only 19 runs needed. There was the added issue of the weather. Rain clouds were hovering menacingly, with some light drizzle, and India were ahead on Duckworth-Lewis.

Pandey was athletically run out by the ever-brilliant ‘keeper Taylor, then Sharma, who had plundered 14 from twelve deliveries, mistimed a hoik and Nat Sciver completed a second skying catch. Eleven to win, eleven balls  and one wicket left, and Shrubsole already with five wickets. A few balls later, Gayakwad could only scoop Anya tamely to mid-off Gunn – who promptly dropped it! Had she dropped the World Cup? The Somerset legend ran in again and this time hit the stumps! England had won an enthralling final!

It had been an eye-opening tournament throughout. I’d never seen such high scores. Not only Kaur’s semi-final masterpiece but also Sarah Taylor’s 147 in 104 balls against Pakistan and Beaumont’s 148 in the same innings. Their stand of 275 was the second highest in women’s ODI history. Sri Lanka and Australia had produced another high-scoring group fixture at Bristol, where Chamara Atapattu’s 178 not out was eventually trumped by Meg Lanning’s superb 152 not out.

The whole tournament had been another great advert for women’s cricket. Compared with the men’s game, the boundaries may be shorter, the bowling slower and batting less muscular. However, there is just as much skill, commitment and excitement. And instead of the snarling, sniping aggression that has become a staple of men’s cricket, you have the winning smile and on-field exuberance of Sarah Taylor. What’s not to love?! Her twelve-month rest from the sport has been bad for England, and her return has been as important in their run to the World Cup triumph as any other factor. Let’s hope she maintains her enthusiasm for the game, and England will be looking to take title number five next time around.