Jones and Beaumont rack up runs again as England Women dispatch West Indies
England took advantage of the absence of Hayley Matthews to thrash West Indies by 143 runs in the second ODI at Leicester on Wednesday.
Having waited 12 years to score a maiden international hundred, Amy Jones resolved to achieve the feat twice in five days, and this time did so in just 76 balls; while Tammy Beaumont followed up with a second consecutive hundred of her own. The decision of the head coach, Charlotte Edwards, to reunite the pair after a five-year break now looks like a masterstroke after they became the first players in ODI history to share consecutive partnerships of more than 200.
Advertisement
Related: England beat West Indies by 143 runs in second women's cricket ODI – live reaction
Matthews had been ruled out before play due to a shoulder injury, presumably sustained after carrying the entire weight of her team all tour. She spent the England innings stalking the boundary in a sling; it seems unlikely that she will be able to play any part in the final ODI at Taunton on Saturday.
West Indies were also without their hard-hitting opener Qiana Joseph, who is suffering from flu, but the 20-year-old Realeanna Grimmond proved a ready replacement, striking a 64-ball half-century on ODI debut.
Grimmond seemed surprisingly unfazed at being asked to open, even when she was struck on the forearm by a ferocious Lauren Filer, who clocked 75mph in her first international match since the Ashes. The young West Indian batter clobbered Lauren Bell for two sixes over the leg side, before finally holing out to long-on in the 23rd over.
Advertisement
Kate Cross then became just the eighth Englishwoman to reach the milestone of 100 wickets in ODIs, with a little bit of help from DRS – UltraEdge concluding definitively that she had caught the under-edge of Aaliyah Alleyne's bat on the way through to Jones behind the stumps. Cross sat out the entire winter's Ashes series with a back injury, and has admitted she felt her international career might be over, stuck forever on 98 ODI scalps; this felt like vindication for all those hours spent in agonising rehab.
West Indies were always going far too slowly to ever be at risk of achieving their target, but they made the England bowlers sweat for their series win: two DRS reviews burned; two catches shelled; a wild onslaught of 44 from 24 balls by Jannillea Glasgow; and a defiant tail, which saw 69 runs added between the fall of the seventh and tenth wickets – 44 of them in boundaries. Finally, in the 46th over, Alice Capsey had Cherry-Ann Fraser caught at point and the celebrations could begin.
If Amy Jones's first international hundred had been all stuttering relief, her second oozed grace and timing. She admitted on the eve of this match that she had been disappointed, five years ago, to be bumped down into the middle order by the then coach, Lisa Keightley, and that she felt the opening role suited her: 'Having the chance to set the tone is a really cool responsibility.'
She certainly set the tone here, dominating a 202-run partnership with Beaumont, who was battling a bad cold and looked much the more restrained of the two, despite freebies aplenty from the West Indian bowlers. Jones reached 129 from 97 balls before sending up a return catch to Karishma Ramharack in the 30th over; it took Beaumont another eight overs to bring up her own ton.
Advertisement
Emma Lamb was presumably Edwards's other contender for the ODI opening spot, but – assuming things continue like this – now needs to get used to sitting around for extended periods before her services are required at No 3. Here, with Jones back in the dugout, she contributed a nifty knock of 55 from 45 balls, while aggressive cameos from Sophia Dunkley and Capsey helped England accelerate at the death – albeit not quite at the rocket speeds promised in the early overs.
Grimmond had shelled a chance offered up by Jones on 43, diving forward at point, but redeemed herself somewhat in the death overs, safely snaffling two impressive catches in the deep as England were left 13 runs short of their record ODI total – although still with far more than they were ever likely to need.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
20 hours ago
- CBS News
More than 500 boxes of ashes from Chicago Heights crematory never made it to families
Hundreds of bodies cremated at the Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights, Illinois, never made it to their loved ones. The crematory was shut down after the CBS News Chicago Investigators exposed how bodies were being mishandled there. Now, there is an effort to find a final resting place for those whose bodies were cremated. When the State of Illinois shut down the crematory, they found more than 500 boxes lying in filth behind closet doors — each belonging to some family somewhere because they were filled with ashes of their deceased loved ones. Some of those ashes have yet to be identified, but the ones that have been identified are now ready to be picked up at the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. Cook County Chief Medical Examiner Ponni Arunkumar has been tasked with identifying boxes filled with bags of ashes, along with bodies which were found at Heights Crematory. The remains were confiscated and sent to the morgue after the state shut the operation down in March for mishandling bodies. Arunkumar said she had never seen anything like it before. CBS News Chicago has been investigating Heights Crematory since February, after obtaining photos of bodies mishandled and left stacked in dirty trailers in ways that violated state law. The photos showed bodies in sheets, and some of them contained bugs. "The mission of our office is to treat people with dignity and respect, and it's disheartening to see the condition of the cremains and the bodies," said Arunkumar. Dr. Arunkumar said her staff found some of the remains were decades old, but never got to their loved ones. Arunkumar also said some of the boxes containing the remains were very dirty. She got emotional talking about the condition of the boxes. "They were covered with mold and bugs, and we actually used specialty services to come in and kind of disinfect the boxes," Arunkumar said. Tabitha Mathis' mother, Patsy Hughes, died 15 months ago. Her ashes were among the boxes stored at the Medical Examiner's office. "It's horrifying to see her like this," said Mathis. "I have never cried so hard in my life." Mathis said Heights' owners ghosted her after she kept calling for her mom's remains, and then when she saw our CBS News Chicago investigation, a grim reality sank in. "And there's all these other people in there in a closet waiting to be claimed?" Mathis said. "It's disgusting. It's sad. I don't know how a human being could treat another human being like this." There are six boxes the county has not been able to identify. There were also 10 bodies that have now been identified. Investigators said Heights Crematory had names misspelled, and some lacked the required paperwork. A hearing is set for June 24 to determine if the license for Heights Crematory will be permanently revoked.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
England reveal Jofra Archer comeback plan ahead of India series
Jofra Archer is primed to make his return to Test cricket in the second encounter with India at Edgbaston next month – provided the Sussex seamer proves his fitness in the County Championship. Archer has not played first-class cricket of any kind since 2021 due to a series of injury issues, and was not considered for England selection for the first Test at Headingley as he works his way back from a broken thumb suffered at the Indian Premier League (IPL). Advertisement The 30-year-old looks set to bolster England's options in Birmingham should he come through Sussex's clash with Durham, which begins on 23 June. Archer has featured regularly in England's white-ball sides over the last few years having made an eye-catching start to life in international cricket in the World Cup win and Ashes series in 2019. His possible return would come as a significant boost for England with their seam stocks hit by a hamstring injury to Gus Atkinson, who is expected to miss the first two Tests against India. "Jof's trucking along really well actually," said Luke Wright, the England selector and a former Sussex teammate of Archer's. "The plan is for him to play a few second team games, loading up in the second team for Sussex. And then the idea for him is to play for Sussex against Durham during the first Test. So he'll play for Sussex if all things go well, and then if all things go well fingers crossed he should be available for the second Test. Advertisement "Like anything with all these bowlers, he's got to keep ticking things off everyday with no setbacks but if all goes well and he gets through that Durham game then he's available potentially for selection for that second Test.' Jofra Archer is set to return to action for Sussex (Getty Images) Mark Wood and Olly Stone look likely to miss the entirety of the series after their own injury issues, resulting in a recall for Jamie Overton after three years out of the Test set-up. Chris Woakes, who is working his way back to full fitness, and Brydon Carse also return to a 14-man squad with Sam Cook and Josh Tongue retained after the win over Zimbabwe. England face a big call at No 3 for the first Test with Jacob Bethell back available. The left-hander batted with aplomb having earned a surprise promotion to the position on the tour of New Zealand late last year but all of England's incumbents, including Ollie Pope, made runs at Trent Bridge in the opening Test of the summer. Advertisement Wright admitted that Bethell, who made a fine 82 in the first one-day international against the West Indies, was pushing for selection though no final decision had yet been made. 'He's very close to [making the side], it's a great option to have, isn't it?' Wright conceded. 'What a talent we all see in him. When we get up to Leeds we'll have good discussions and look to announce it a few days out from the Test.' England squad for first Test against India at Headingley (20-24 June) Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain Shoaib Bashir (Somerset) Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire) Harry Brook (Yorkshire) Brydon Carse (Durham) Advertisement Sam Cook (Essex) Zak Crawley (Kent) Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire) Jamie Overton (Surrey) Ollie Pope (Surrey) Joe Root (Yorkshire) Jamie Smith (Surrey) Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire) Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Farewell Virat Kohli, the great emperor of Tests who revealed a truth about Indian cricket
And so another of the great emperors of cricket abdicates. News of Virat Kohli's retirement arrived on Monday morning not with the fanfare and ceremony that might usually accompany such an announcement but with a conflicting sigh of expectation and disappointment, an acknowledgement that the end had long been near. There was to be no stage-managed farewell like that enjoyed by Sachin Tendulkar, no last Indian summer in England or valedictory bow, just a few days of speculation and a social media statement to proclaim the end of an era. For the long arm of Father Time taps on the shoulder of even the greats of the game. Into Test retirement Kohli quickly follows Rohit Sharma, more than 13,500 runs vanishing from their top order ahead of a tour of England in a flash during the Indian Premier League (IPL) hiatus. Where Sharma was perhaps pushed, it seems Kohli has jumped – retiring on his terms despite urgings from the hierarchy that he stay for one last hurrah to help see in a new captain. Virat Kohli could be imperious at the crease but was just as important off the field (Getty Images) But the sovereign always did do things his own way. One can say with relative certainty that other batters will rise to replace him, just as Kohli grew to fill Sachin's shoes. Shubman Gill, a player of princely talent, appears set to be coronated as Sharma's successor as skipper; Yashasvi Jaiswal is already threatening records. The immutable truth of Indian cricket is that there will always be another: new faces and phenoms pop up by the week, each seemingly younger and more gifted than the last. Advertisement One wonders if the game will ever produce another figure quite like Kohli, though. Across 14 years as a Test cricketer he has been a pantomime villain to some but a hero to many more, a relentless and often ruthless revolutionary at a transformative time for the sport. An international career that will continue on in the ODI format that he has come to dominate has spanned a period that has tilted the axes of cricket on and off the field, Kohli central to the story of the proliferation of franchise cricket after the IPL showed the way. A pantomime villain to some, Virat Kohli captained India to huge success (Getty Images) Yet, crucially, India's icon never let it predominate. In an age of riches that threatened Test cricket, Kohli was a constant nuclear force which it could cling to. A great autocrat at the crease proved the game's finest advocate away from it; the sport's greatest star not simply loving red-ball cricket but obsessing over it, never content to be second best. Even as he conquered in coloured clothing, he craved mastery in whites. His torture in England in 2014 against the moving ball inspired the superlative summer of 2018 and the technical tweaks that proved the critics wrong, each thunderclap through the covers reverberating across the game. Between 2016 and 2018, Kohli made 3,596 runs at an average of nearly 67, with 14 hundreds in 58 innings. It was an extended peak comparable to any of those enjoyed by the rest of the so-called 'Fab Four'. If his fluctuating fortunes in the last few years have seen Kohli slip away statistically from Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Steve Smith, he was once very much their rival, each man unique in style but with a shared excellence. Advertisement There was much to ridicule in Kohli's idiosyncrasies: the widened eyes and piercing glare at any bowler who dared dismiss him; the dibbly-dobbly seam bowled off the wrong foot; the win-at-all-costs mentality that changed the face of his nation's cricketing culture. Having shouldered the burdens of adulation and admiration at his peak, he soaked up the wrath and rage as his form ebbed, never bowing or breaking under the strain even as he was mocked or maligned. If he could be tough on his team, he was tougher on himself, demanding the highest of standards. If MS Dhoni was a laconic leader who steered Indian cricket into the modern age, Kohli's cult of personality compelled it to new heights. His 68 Tests as captain included 40 wins and developed a new pace cartel capable of going toe-to-toe with the best attacks of the age. Virat Kohli demanded the highest of standards of himself and his team (Getty Images) Changing pitches and a changing world in recent years have curled the corners of a portrait of greatness, but my oh my could he play. The twin tons at Adelaide that announced his arrival echoed over a decade in which the balance of cricketing power shifted. Under his premiership, India went from a sometimes-submissive side to a supreme team crafted in the image of their leader, never backing down from a challenge, never giving an inch. There were double hundreds in Mumbai, against England, and Pune, against South Africa, a twirl of the pestle as he ground ill-matched attacks to dust. Even as his magisterial air of authority slipped, there were glimpses of the golden days – in what proved his final series there was a hundred at Perth, fading strains played more carefully by ageing, anxious fingers but the mellifluous chords still found, still sounding sweet. Advertisement But the great guitarist has strummed his last tune in the arena that counts, now able to savour his cricketing dotage without the mental toil and turmoil that being Indian cricket's rock star brings. Perhaps there will be several more IPL seasons to come, like a svelter Elvis in his Las Vegas residency squeezed until the last rupee drops in the name of corporate and commercial success. Or perhaps a quixotic hope is that, having moved his family to London, Kohli will get the county contract he has long craved, a virtuoso leaving behind the bigger stages to play the concert halls and caverns out of his sheer love of his art. Virat Kohli made 30 hundreds in Test cricket (Getty Images) For if a criticism of Kohli the cricketer was that he sometimes failed to put his team first, there can be no disputing that he put the game above all else. Even in his last act as a Test cricketer, he seems to have gone against the BCCI's wishes in following Sharma into retirement – a final flick of the V to the board that no one else in cricket now dares to defy. Farewell, Virat, and thank you.
