Half-decent’ Win for England while WIndies’ Stafanie Taylor tops 3000 runs
As seen on SKY Sports and heard on Radio ‘Five Live Sports Extra,’ England pulled-off a second win in the five-match series. Chances of England winning the series look ‘half-decent,’ given they need just another win to take the series.
Commenting on her team’s performance in the second match, England captain Heather Knight was disappointed that (unlike last time) England’s openers were slower to put runs on the board, but really pleased with the team’s effort: to make a defendable ‘half-decent’ score. Knight felt that the West Indies ‘WIndies’ bowling performance had improved – unaware that moments before, sports commentators had been scathing about how England’s lower order had been allowed to re-gain lost ground.
WIndies captain Stafanie Taylor ‘really pleased,’ for her team’s ‘half-decent start’ taking two early wickets from her own bowling. Taylor felt ‘let down’ by her mid-and-lower order batters – ‘who needed to get their act together’ to seize back advantage. Player-turned-tv-pundit Charlotte Edwards agreed that WIndies shouldn’t have given any ground to Sarah Glenn who made a career-best 26. Glenn partnered team-mate Katherine Brunt in an unlikely seventh wicket stand that added 47 runs.
It hadn’t gone unnoticed that WIndies lost six lower-order wickets for 19 runs; during which Shermaine Campbelle found herself lying flat-out (colliding with Anya Shrubsole finishing her run) – moments after being caught out by Fran Wilson for 5. Sad to witness TV cameras glaring at petite Campbelle’s discomfort. Fielders seemed disinclined to help Campbelle to regain her feet – too pre-occupied celebrating Wilson’s catch.
Commentators were quick to spot that Shrubsole ‘was in good shape.’ Panning across to Deandre Dottin seen sat nursing an ice pack across her arm in the players’ dug-out: was a cameraman’s reminder that Women’s cricket had become a rough game. It would be sad for sure, if any WIndies players had to withdraw from the series because of such injury.
That said, it was Sarah Glenn’s night – achieving two unlikely scenarios. Firstly the double dismissals of WIndies top scorers Dottin (38) and Taylor (28); secondly, posting her career-best 26 for England (IT20) when it mattered the most. In summary, Heather Knight had every reason to be happy with England’s so-called ‘defendable score.’
Personally, I was pleased to see that during the match, Stafanie Taylor celebrated joining the elite club of women cricketers to have scored 3000 runs in IT20 – Suzi Bates – (a former New Zealand captain) tops this player’s elite – at the time of writing.
Also I saw irony in Sarah Glenn being awarded the player-of-the-match trophy despite Taylor’s performance. One better with best bowling economy: Taylor conceded only 12 runs for her two wickets (whereas Glenn conceded 24.) Taylor also scored two more runs than Glenn with her bat. But then, that trophy is always awarded to a player from the winning team!
International T20 Result (Derby, 23 September)
England 151-7 (Glenn 26; Jones 25; Beaumont 21; Taylor 2/12; Selman 2/32; Matthews 1/22; Fletcher 1/25)
beat WIndies 104-8 by 47 runs (Dottin 38; Taylor 28; Glenn 2/24; Ecclestone 2/19; Villiers 2/10)
