What’s the last time you can remember going into a third day’s play with England leading Australia by 668 runs?
A shade far-fetched, I admit, two games were taking place concurrently, and 3-day games are rare beasts in the global menagerie. But that is how far ahead the two England Xis had stretched things.
This was the day that would tell us all we needed to know about the touring Aussies. By long tradition they are gnarly and tough to beat. Memo: the match line-ups are England v Australia A at Derby; Australia v England A at Leicester.
In the event, both matches fizzled out into draws. You could say the groundsmen were the winners, or the weather.
Leicester
The game was settled from the restart by an opening partnership between Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland of 177.
England’s quicker bowlers couldn’t contrive a case for test inclusion at Trent Bridge; spinners claiming all the seven wickets that fell. This must be a worry for the selectors, since they need strong competition in every sector of the game.
Even that other half of the attack has questions to answer. Sarah Glenn and Charlie Dean must have been hoping for inclusion in the Derby game. Their figures at Leicester reveal the doubts. Glenn went for 77 off 16 overs and claimed Ellyse Perry’s wicket. Dean returned 19-2-66-1 (Alana King), and these are the batters they would be facing next week.
U in Charge
Jess Jonassen made up for her unconvincing show with the ball by scoring a really solid 173 not out. Courtney Webb did her chances of advancement no harm by adding 146 with her skipper for the fourth wicket. The batting order was changed. One advantage it gave the early batters was the knowledge they would have Beth Mooney coming in down at 7, if plans went badly wrong.
They didn’t, until Kirstie Gordon was at last given the ball. That was for the 31st over, and it concluded with one run conceded, a wicket (at last!) and nearly a second. Apart from great accuracy Gordon’s speciality was the caught and bowled. She accounted for Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath and Georgia Wareham that way. In addition she dismissed centurion Sutherland and Ashleigh Gardner. That’s a 5-fer to be proud of.
Winfield-Hill may have been under strict orders about the sequencing of her bowlers, but it did seem odd to have Alice Davidson-Richards (7-0-42-0) given the ball so long before Gordon.
Only when we learn the make-up of the test team, will we see how much credit has been given to members of the England A team, pitting their wits against the best the Aussies had to offer.
Derby
England set out to score as many as they could in the shortest time by any means available. Danielle Gibson enjoyed herself smiting the ball hard to reach 62. She and Sophie Ecclestone hit three sixes between them. It was a thoroughly entertaining few minutes for all but the visitors. Even the last stand added 27.
Heather Knight set predictably tight fields, four, occasionally five camped around the bat. That was fine for the quicks, who bowled well; less so for the spinners, who couldn’t achieve enough turn on a bland track to warrant such aggression. Once they were set back, HK used short mid-on and mid-off. Not even Sophie Ecclestone could apply the brakes.
Give Bell the Ball
Lauren Bell looked the real deal. (9-2-31-3) She bowled fast and straight, bursting through to the stumps twice in her first spell. Her approach to the left-handers was noteworthy. For them she came in from deep mid-off, as if she was a left-armer. Yet she didn’t worry the umpires by following through too close to the stumps. Unlike many of her fellow bowlers, she offered very little down the leg side. Her place at Nottingham must be sure.
Lauren Filer showed why the selectors had placed their faith in her. She too comes in straight and hard to the crease (to right-handers) and bowled challenging deliveries around the off-stump. But she remained wicket-less. Kate Cross was parsimonious as usual (8-1-15-1). For the test, England will need one of their quicks to be able to keep going over longish periods and give little away.
Australia A’s second innings must be counted a disappointment for the hosts. After a glorious start, 7-2, there was only the one big stand to hold them up; the next highest scorer was Maitlan Brown with 31. Given the constant change in personnel, Knight was able to throw the ball to ten bowlers, as well as having a late fling herself. But once Bell had finished her nine overs, no-one could take the game by the scruff of the neck.
Final Scores:
At Leicester: Australia 284 (Mooney 107, Dean 3-49) and 371-7 (Sutherland 116, Litchfield 78, Gordon 5-49); England A 562 (Winfield-Hill 106, Scholfield 102, Heath 88, Scrivens 58)
At Derby: Australia A 221 (Knott 51*, Ecclestone 5-38) and 361-7 (Jonassen 173, Webb 79); England 650 (Beaumont 201, A. Jones 88, Dunkley 84, Sciver-Brunt 76, Knight 72, Gibson 62) (5.49 rpo!)
Coming Fixture: Test Match (5 days) June 22, Trent Bridge, Nottingham
The two full test squads:
Australia: Alyssa Healy (captain), Tahlia McGrath (vice-captain), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham
England: Heather Knight (captain), Natalie Sciver-Brunt (vice-captain), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson-Richards, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Amy Jones, Emma Lamb, Issy Wong, Danielle Wyatt
Tailpiece
There is abiding doubt about the shape international women’s cricket should take. Strong support for more test matches, but how long, 4 or 5-day? The Trent Bridge one (above) is a long awaited 5-day job.
But more 3-day games, even below international level? The scores show why the men’s County Championship switched to four days (amid loud protests); too many games ended as draws, with multi-declarations or contrived endings, (captain’s arrangements: ‘We’ll let you score 200 in 14 overs, if you agree to declare by 3.45’) – that sort of connivance.
In 2023 white-ball games dominate the women’s game to the verge of total take-over. The red Duke’s ball is now unfamiliar to most players.
Website
It would help if the ECB website were accurate and easy to navigate. The dates of the Leicester game were given there as 15-18 June, that is, a 4-day game.
