Latest news with #Women'sAshes
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Sciver-Brunt unlikely to bowl this summer
England head coach Charlotte Edwards has confirmed that captain Nat Sciver-Brunt is unlikely to bowl this summer. All-rounder Sciver-Brunt, 32, has been recovering from a long-standing Achilles problem which worsened during England's thrashing by Australia in the Women's Ashes at the start of the year. Advertisement She subsequently played a starring role in Mumbai Indians' Women's Premier League win but had a long period of rehabilitation afterwards, which coincided with her maternity leave. Sciver-Brunt was appointed England captain last month, shortly after her wife, former England bowler Katherine, gave birth to their son in March. "I feel these games are really big for us," Edwards told Sky Sports after England started her and Sciver-Brunt's reign with a comprehensive T20 series clean sweep against West Indies. "We've got nine games before the World Cup starts, so a lot of this is about us getting the right balance of team. Advertisement "Nat's not bowling this series and she's probably not going to bowl most of the summer. We want to make sure she's fit and firing for the World Cup. "Her workloads will start in a few weeks. It gives her an opportunity to look at other options, so we know we've got that balance if and when Nat comes back." England face West Indies in three one-day internationals starting at Derby on Friday. Batter Alice Capsey has been added to the squad as cover for former captain Heather Knight, who suffered a hamstring injury during England's win in the third T20. Knight's participation in the rest of the series will be confirmed after she has a scan on Tuesday. Advertisement Fast bowler Lauren Filer also joins the squad, having fully recovered from a knee injury. The West Indies series is followed by a T20 and an ODI series against India across June and July, but Edwards and Sciver-Brunt's first major assignment comes in the autumn, with India hosting the 50-over World Cup. Edwards also praised the new or returning faces in England's T20 squad, including seamers Em Arlott - who made her international debut in the first match at Canterbury and ended the series with six wickets - and Issy Wong, who had been out of the side for a couple of years after a dip in form. Sophie Ecclestone, the world's number one-ranked bowler, was left out of the side to regain fitness after a knee issue but her fellow left-arm spinner Linsey Smith also performed well, taking three wickets at a miserly economy of 4.83 across the three matches. Advertisement "With Em Arlott, we've all seen her in domestic cricket and how good she's been but to come here and look at ease in international cricket in her first few games is really pleasing," added Edwards. "And Linsey Smith is a proven performer and probably unlucky to be around at the same time as Sophie Ecclestone. She's taken her opportunity with both hands and that's all you can do. "And Lauren Bell was unbelievable today, you can see the competition forming. It's an exciting time. "Mahika Gaur and Kate Cross are coming back into the ODI team. We've suddenly got this battery of fast bowlers forming which is going to give me a few headaches, but good headaches."
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Heather Knight proves why she is England's most important batter, even when not captain
ENG (144/5) beat WI (127/8) by 17 runs Without Heather Knight, England could have been left facing a very different end to their Twenty20 series against West Indies. Unlike in their first two matches, in which the hosts claimed victory with ease, the mildly rain-affected but not truncated match at Chelmsford threatened a different outcome. Put in to bat first, West Indies were accurate on line and length, forcing the England players to take risks, but had no answer to Knight who spearheaded the batting with an impressive 66 from 47 balls as they put on 144 for five. Despite Hayley Matthews making 71, England secured the 3-0 win with a 17-run victory to start the Charlotte Edwards era in ideal fashion. However, the fact that Knight was left hobbling at the crease at the end of the innings and was unable to field with a tight hamstring will be a cause for concern for Edwards. Knight formed an important partnership with new captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, who made 37 from 40 deliveries before being caught on the boundary, having been dropped on 36. No one looked as assured at the crease as Knight, who pulled, swept and paddled boundaries, including a big six over midwicket. 'Her innings was pretty special to get us up to that total,' Sciver-Brunt said. 'That just shows her class and experience obviously. She's a great asset to have.' Knight has been plagued with hamstring problems for the last decade since tearing it in the Women's Ashes in 2013, which forced her to stop bowling seam and take up off-spin. Although Knight said in her first interview since losing the captaincy that the role brought out the best of her as a player and a person, she has continued to be an imposing figure at the crease. Even when batting on one leg after bringing up her half-century, she still managed to hit the final ball of the innings for four. England have relied on her – and Sciver-Brunt – to deliver the majority of their runs for years. Knight has scored at least 40 in her last four T20 innings for England, including two this series and two during the Ashes in Australia. If she has aggravated an old injury, that could cause problems before the visit of India next month. It has been the case all series that if you stop Matthews, you stop the West Indies, something England managed to do in Hove but couldn't in Canterbury. But there were more worrying signs in the field, with three drops, one of them a sitter by Sciver-Brunt, although she did recover to take two more difficult chances. Charlie Dean had her own delivery driven straight back to her and put it down, and another caught the outside edge but could only glance Jones' pads. Matthews brought up her half-century, when Wyatt-Hodge could not hold on to a catch on the rope. When West Indies went off at 97 for three, with a DLS par score of 106, rain forced a delay. Matthews resumed in the same fashion she left off, but was out in the 18th over, picking out Em Arlott at long on off Lauren Bell.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
England crush West Indies to seal T20 series win
Second T20, Hove West Indies 81-9 (20 overs): Arlott 3-14, Bell 3-28 England 82-1 (9.2 overs): Sciver-Brunt 55* (30) England won by nine wickets; lead series 2-0 Scorecard England took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the T20 series with a dominant nine-wicket thrashing of West Indies at Hove. Chasing just 82 to win, England reached their target off 9.2 overs with new captain Nat Sciver-Brunt unbeaten on 55 from 31 balls and Sophia Dunkley scoring 24 not out. Danni Wyatt-Hodge fell to the first ball of the innings, the only bright spark in another dismal display from the tourists and another completely one-sided contest. West Indies slipped to 29-4 before eventually crawling to 81-9 as they had no answers to England's impressive discipline and aggression with the ball. Seamer Em Arlott, in just her second international outing, finished with 3-14, including the key breakthroughs of Windies skipper Hayley Matthews for six and veteran batter Stafanie Taylor for a duck. Pace bowler Lauren Bell took 3-28 and spinner Charlie Dean bowled a miserly spell of 2-12 from her four overs. Shemaine Campbelle and Shabika Gajnabi were the only two West Indies batters to reach double figures, scoring 26 and 22 respectively, and only eight boundaries were scored in their entire innings, which also included 74 dot balls. The third and final T20 takes place at Chelmsford on Monday. New head coach Charlotte Edwards' revamping of England's seam attack seems to have injected much-needed energy and life into the side after their miserable winter. Bell, who was one of few England players to emerge from the Women's Ashes with credit, continues to impress as leader of the attack. She claimed the breakthrough with Qiana Joseph caught and bowled for four in the first over. Matthews scored an unbeaten century in the opening match at Canterbury and a glorious lofted cover drive for four off Arlott suggested she was carrying that form forward, only for the seamer to remove the Windies captain's leg stump next ball. The dismissal was greeted by a roar of delight from England and the collapse that followed proved why. After the six-over powerplay, West Indies were 30-4 as Arlott added the wicket of Zaida James to her tally, phenomenally caught by a one-handed diving Dunkley at mid-wicket. Campbelle and Gajnabi's fifth-wicket stand of 34 was simply delaying the inevitable, the former caught at long-on by Arlott off Dean having become frustrated in her 36-ball knock and Mandy Mangru was bowled next ball. England were clinical and disciplined, giving little away, but West Indies' batters could not be proactive enough to throw the bowlers off their length and their reliance on Matthews is becoming increasingly stark. Sciver-Brunt's captaincy era started with a win but also personal disappointment as she fell for a duck in the first T20, but she responded in fine style here. Wyatt-Hodge missed a drifting delivery from James first ball but Sciver-Brunt was batting with the confidence and freedom that chasing such a modest total allowed, and reached her half-century from just 27 balls - her second-fastest in T20 internationals. She struck 10 fours all around the ground, once again cashing in against a toothless West Indies' attack. Dunkley, who made a career-best 81 in the first match, was able to take a back seat and rotate the strike for her captain at the other end as England cantered to victory with 64 balls to spare. That is only bettered by the 87 balls remaining against the same opponents in 2022, an occasion where Sciver-Brunt also hit the winning runs. After being outplayed once more, it is difficult to see West Indies finishing the tour with a single win and their batting in particular is a huge cause for concern for the three one-day internationals that follow this series. Notifications, social media and more with BBC Sport
NDTV
22-05-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Sophia Dunkley Shines, Charlotte Edwards Era Begins With A Bang As England Crush West Indies In T20I Opener
Charlotte Edwards couldn't have asked for a better start to her tenure as head coach, as England produced a commanding performance to defeat West Indies in the opening match of the T20I series, as per the official website of the ICC. West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews lit up the first innings with a brilliant unbeaten century (100*), anchoring her side to a competitive total of 147. However, her efforts proved insufficient as England chased down the target with ease, showcasing their depth and dominance with both bat and ball. England's chase was anchored by a brilliant unbeaten 81 from Sophia Dunkley, who was well-supported by former captain Heather Knight with 43 not out. The pair put on a blistering 94-run partnership for the third wicket in just 10 overs, guiding England to victory with 21 balls and eight wickets to spare in Canterbury. Coming off a disappointing whitewash at the hands of Australia in the Women's Ashes earlier this year, England marked the beginning of a new chapter, with a new head coach and Nat Sciver-Brunt as the new all-format captain, in commanding fashion. Speaking after the game, Sophia Dunkley, who smashed her highest-ever T20I score, praised the impact that head coach Charlotte Edwards had on the new-look England side. "It was great to start the summer off with a win," Dunkley said, as quoted from the official website of the ICC. "Lottie (Charlotte Edwards) has come in as a calm person and clear with what we want to do," she added. "I wanted to come out and contribute to the team and try to impact the game as much as possible. It was a good night. Heather has been outstanding around the group; nothing has changed much on that front," she noted. On the other hand, West Indies skipper Matthews pointed out her side's shortcomings and what to expect from the rest of the series. "A good day for me, but unfortunate not to get the win. Felt we were 15-20 runs short," Hayley Matthews said. "We weren't able to build as many partnerships. Hard to defend 150, on the wrong end today. Always good when you can hit a few well. Hope to carry the form through the series," she added. England take on the West Indies in the second T20I next at the County Ground in Hove on Friday.
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Charlotte Edwards era begins in style as England outclass West Indies in T20I opener
Canterbury [UK], : Charlotte Edwards couldn't have asked for a better start to her tenure as head coach, as England produced a commanding performance to defeat West Indies in the opening match of the T20I series, as per the official website of the ICC. West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews lit up the first innings with a brilliant unbeaten century , anchoring her side to a competitive total of 147. However, her efforts proved insufficient as England chased down the target with ease, showcasing their depth and dominance with both bat and ball. England's chase was anchored by a brilliant unbeaten 81 from Sophia Dunkley, who was well-supported by former captain Heather Knight with 43 not out. The pair put on a blistering 94-run partnership for the third wicket in just 10 overs, guiding England to victory with 21 balls and eight wickets to spare in Canterbury. Coming off a disappointing whitewash at the hands of Australia in the Women's Ashes earlier this year, England marked the beginning of a new chapter, with a new head coach and Nat Sciver-Brunt as the new all-format captain, in commanding fashion. Speaking after the game, Sophia Dunkley, who smashed her highest-ever T20I score, praised the impact that head coach Charlotte Edwards had on the new-look England side. "It was great to start the summer off with a win," Dunkley said, as quoted from the official website of the ICC. "Lottie has come in as a really calm person and really clear with what we want to do," she added. "I wanted to come out and contribute to the team and try to impact the game as much as possible. It was a good night. Heather has been outstanding around the group; nothing has really changed much on that front," she noted. On the other hand, West Indies skipper Matthews pointed out her side's shortcomings and what to expect from the rest of the series. "A good day for me, but unfortunate not to get the win. Felt we were 15-20 runs short," Hayley Matthews said. "We weren't able to build as many partnerships. Hard to defend 150, on the wrong end today. Always good when you can hit a few well. Hope to carry the form through the series," she added. England take on the West Indies in the second T20I next at the County Ground in Hove on Friday.
