England v Sri Lanka – third T20
The usual phrase, ‘Heads must roll’ is less than likely in the world of cricket that England inhabit. But their performance at Derby, where they were rolled over by no fewer than seven wickets (a 20-over game, remember), speaks volumes.
Once more batters found the bowling too testing. Maia Bouchier top-scored with a paltry 23. Two others, Amy Jones and Danielle Gibson topped 20. Three of the top six batters compiled 10 between them.
A second total just scraping past 100 suggests that not all is well, either in the squad, or, just as important, in the coaching team. There are plenty of useful spinners dotted around the country, so why does England’s elite fall twice in a row to Sri Lanka’s best?
In a piece I didn’t have posted, I compiled the following Eleven for Derby:
Tammy Beaumont (captain)
Danni Wyatt
Bryony Smith
Nat Sciver-Brunt
Maia Bouchier
Freya Kemp
Bess Heath
Charlie Dean
Sarah Glenn
Lauren Filer
Lauren Bell (Mahika Gaur, if still unwell) – this detail halps to prove the list’s age; Later Bell to retire from the series through that ill-health. (choose your own batting-order)
Of course my unseen advice was not taken. But I’m pretty certain the result wouldn’t have been as one-sided as the final score proves. Sri Lanka bowled no fewer than 49 dot-balls at hapless English batters.
Will the English batting coach’s head roll? I doubt it.
For all her prowess as captain, Knight showed elementary weaknesses. When you have a great batter at one end, you want that to be where she’s out of harm’s way, the bowler’s end. But no: Knight kept her ring-fielders back on the markers, not tight in to prevent the easy single. So it was taken, and Athapaththu hit five 4s and two 6s in 28 balls.
In the face of this onslaught, Knight had to turn to her two lead spinners, Sarah Glenn and Charlie Dean, inside the Powerplay, they were hit selectively round the park like Kate Cross and Mahika Gaur before them.
Alice Capsey came on at the end of the Powerplay. She had taken two T20 wickets, averaging 41. Anushka Sanjeewani tapped the first ball into the off-side for a single to give Athapaththu the strike again. I wouldn’t have set the field like that. But I’m not England captaincy-material.
Even with five in an off-side ring, it wasn’t only the Sri Lankan captain who found productive holes in it.
Next ball Capsey aimed at Athapaththu’s pads and was swung for four. QED. But the off-spinner was Knight’s lucky charm. Athapaththu hoisted one too many towards deep mid-wicket and was taken by Dean (44/28, 2×6, 5×4). She had started Sri Lanka off at nearly 10 per over.
The next over Glenn had Anushka Sanjeewani caught by Capsey (71-2), but the damage had already been inflicted. Only 46 needed, and plenty of time left. The remianing batters played
calmly, picking up the singles that were on offer, and placing the bigger shots between the fielders Knight kept shuffling around. That detail will have heartened the visiting management.
The 100 came up in 14 overs.
Sarah Glenn took a second wicket by winning an unlikely looking lbw appeal against Vishmi Gunaratne, the young Under 19 skipper. The ball touched neither her glove nor her bat. (94-3).
But the cause was lost. This was England’s first defeat to any nation bar Australia since 2010. A wonderful day for the Sri Lankans and the biggest possible wake-up call for the home team.
Where do we go from here?
I’ve concentrated on England’s performance in the field, but of course the runs need to be on the board to give the bowlers a decent chance. When we see Danni Wyatt carve the first ball into the hands of extra cover, we have to wonder when she will try to keep that off-side shot on the ground – assuming she’s not placing it straight into the stand.
Indeed it is the senior players who are not pulling their weight. Knight made 18, Jones 20, Cross 2. Cross, the most experienced of England’s bowlers, went for 20 off three overs.
Who can guess how the ODOs will play out? Can Jon Lewis bring it upon himself to have a radical rethink? He certainly didn’t between the second and third T20s. The only change was almost forced upon him, Mahika Gaur replacing issy Wong, who had had a sad time at Chelmsford.
But it still meant not naking full use of the 15 squad players, certainly not making revolutionary changes, such as dropping the captain and letting Bess Heath take the gloves. Dani Gibson was allowed a single over. And the result was pretty much the same as at Chelmsford. Hove seems light years away.
Scores:
England 116 (19 overs)
Sri Lanka 117-3 (17 overs)
Player of the Match: Chamari Athapaththu, once again
Sri Lanka win by 7 wickets to take the series 2-1, a first-ever against England.
Teams:
England: Danni Wyatt, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Heather Knight (captain), Amy Jones (wk) Freya Kemp, Danielle Gibson, Charlie Dean, Sarah Glenn, Kate Cross, Mahika Gaur
Sri Lanka: Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Chamari Athapaththu (captain), Nilakshi de Silva, Vishmi Gunaratne,Kavisha Dilhari, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Inoka Ranaweera, Sugandika Kumari, Udeshika Prabodhani, Hasini Perera, Inoshi Priyadharshani
