West Indies v England
No, not James Anderson, who has a good few of them in his locker, but Ellie Anderson, who made it difficult for the England selectors to exclude her from the XI to face Australia in the semi-final on Friday. She finished with an outstanding 5-12.
It is hard to grasp why Grace Scrivens opted to bat again. She doesn’t know how to lose the toss, but the team really needed to experience having to chase. It’s doubtful that any of the other semi-finalists (Australia, India and New Zealand) will be rolled over for around 70. Chasing a target against demanding bowling is another ball-game entirely.
In the final fixture from Group 2 England demolished the opposition to remain unbeaten, but analysts will have spotted chinks in their armour. The early batters all had escapes as Caribbean out-fielding lapsed again. Libby Heap was dropped in the fifth over.
Scrivens made her regulation half-century (56/43) and Heap helped her set a strong base with a stand of 44 inside the powerplay. All four of the remaining batters topped 6 runs per over; the last pair, Seren Smale and Charis Pavely, adding a belligerent 48 off the final 4.1 overs.
But we cannot know how the game might have played out if the Windies had accepted all the chances they were given and not let the ball slip through fingers to reach the boundary.
Let’s remember though that they have been training together for a mere five months.
The Reply
At once England were on top. Anderson had her first wicket from a skier to mid-off, then Alexa Stonehouse made another strong case for retention in the side with two fine wickets. She had Shunelle Sawh lbw with late inswing, then Naijanni Cumberbatch was castled with a similar delivery.
In no time the Windies were staring at 23-4.
All the spinners, Sophia Smale (slow left-arm), Hannah Baker (leggers) and Scrivens (off-spin), bowled delightfully, but with minimum reward – just one wicket between them. Scrivens thought she had taken a wicket as the leg-bail was spotted on the ground, but the umpires finally decided it had got there by quite other means; no wicket.
Anderson came to the rescue with a devastating second spell. As Djenaba Joseph bravely held the fort (44*/42) Anderson skittled four more batters out. Two of her wickets were the result of outstanding fielding. First, Maddie Ward took a leg-side delivery standing up and whipped the bails off. It was indeed a wide! Then Seren Smale dived forward to clutch a short skier as she hit the deck.
Great rejoicing in the ranks. 5-fers in T20s are rare beasts.
England made changes again, allowing players a last chance to make their mark. Anderson and Stonehouse certainly did. Who should keep wicket remains a thorny problem. Ward’s leg-side stumping was sublime, but we haven’t had a chance to see her prowess with the bat. Seren Smale wins on that score. She hit fiercely at the end and added that splendid catch off Anderson.
Teams
West Indies:
Realanna Grimmond, Zaida James, Shunelle Sawh, Naijanni Cumberbatch, Djenaba Joseph, Asabi Callendar, Trishan Holder, Ashmini Munisar (captain), Jannillea Glasgow, Earnisha Fontaine (w-k), Abini St Jean
England:
Grace Scrivens (captain), Liberty Heap, Niamh Holland, Seren Smale, Davina Perrin, Charis Pavely, Alexa Stonehouse, Maddie Ward (w-k), Ellie Anderson, Sophia Smale, Hannah Baker
Scores:
England 179-4
West Indies 84-8
Player of the Match: Ellie Anderson
The Semi-finals are confirmed as
New Zealand v India, Start: 08.00 (GMT)
England v Australia Start: 11.45 (GMT)
Both on Friday 27 January at the JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
Afterthoughts
This was the last opportunity for the three lead England coaches, Chris Guest, Head Coach, assisted by Laura Marsh and Darren Franklin, to decide on their optimum eleven for the big games that follow at the end of the week.
As we have seen, they made three changes to even out opportunities. I suspect they are more decided about their choices than many commentators, including me.
England’s overall performance has looked thoroughly professional. A credit to themselves and their coaches and advisers.
For the West Indies coaches, under the lead of Courtney Walsh, the emphasis for this last match must have been on ensuring the basic elements of the game, especially in the field. Catches must be held; the ball must be taken cleanly and returned accurately. Bowlers must have a clear plan, aiming the ball consistently qt one area, with the captain setting fields accordingly. With hard-hitting batters at the crease, spreading the nine fielders far and wide wouldn’t do.
Sadly, we can’t claim their wishes reached fulfilment.
The Pitch
If players are feeling the strain after weeks of endeavour, spare a thought for the square. A few balls kept low, causing the keepers trouble. Fortunately, no batter was undone by a grubber. Stonehouse even managed a sharp lifter; it was no-balled, but had its effect. She took a wicket in the same over.
We will see on Friday and Sunday how the curator’s strips will turn out. If there are still three left unused, that would be a minor miracle. Batters will have to be wary of low bounce.
The Future
With women’s franchises being bought for £465 million, some of these youngsters may be retiring as the idle rich before they’re 30.
