With a series clean sweep against West Indies, Heather Knight’s side were unstoppable – but team selection seems shortsightedEngland’s clean sweep against West Indies may have been handed to them via two no-balls from Shakera Selman at the end of a rain-reduced five-over slogathon, but they will be pleased with their showing in the series after easily winning the first four matches by margins of 47, 47, 20 and 44 runs.Any concerns that Heather Knight’s side might be rusty after a six-month absence from international cricket proved largely unfounded, thanks partly to the unexpected opportunity for England players to take part in the first two rounds of this summer’s regional competition, the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy, three weeks before their series...
It has been a vintage season for England’s men despite empty grounds – but a hard financial winter loomsThe way Douglas Adams told it in Life, the Universe and Everything, the world ends right after England win back the Ashes on a glorious late summer day at Lord’s. “The sun was shining on a happy crowd,” Adams wrote. “It shone on white hats and red faces. It shone on ice lollies and melted them. It shone on the tears of small children whose ice lollies had just melted and fallen off the stick. It shone on the trees, it flashed off the whirling cricket bats.” If the last few months have taught us anything much, it’s that there would be...
After five heartbreaking exits, Shrubsole is determined to be playing in the MCG final on International Women’s DayIn 2009 a back injury forced the then-17-year-old Anya Shrubsole out of the World Twenty20. She had already been part of one World Cup-winning team – England having come back from Australia that March as champions in the 50-over format – but she was forced to watch from the sidelines as the team, as hosts, took a second title of the year. She has not missed a World Twenty20 since but England have not won again.Though in 2010 West Indies could claim joint responsibility, Australia have knocked England out of every World Twenty20 since the very first, beating them in three finals and...
Women’s Ashes series was a disaster but the coach improved his players, won a World Cup and pushed for reformsThe first casualty of England’s disastrous Women’s Ashes series against Australia, which they lost 12 points to four, was revealed on Tuesday: the coach, Mark Robinson. After four years at the helm, in which he won the World Cup and as recently as November led his side to the final of a World Twenty20, the ECB has apparently decided it no longer require his services.“[A]fter discussions with Mark, we have agreed that now is the right time for him to step down as England Women’s Head Coach,” said the ECB director of women’s cricket, Clare Connor. “It is important that we...
Australia women continue their uncompromising cricket that is suffocating any chance England believe they still have in the AshesThere was a time, when players named Ponting and Waugh were running about, that Australian cricket’s dominant traits were ruthlessness and relentlessness. That is no longer the case in the men’s teams, as they have shifted into a quite endearing state of ongoing fallibility studded with bursts of brilliance. But as Meg Lanning’s charges have taken apart England on their current Ashes tour, they have started to bear resemblance to Australian sides of times past.At Taunton on the first day of the solitary Test, it was a different ruthlessness to that men’s side which pushed to win at all costs. This was...