All posts by csb10.top

The Stump Out Sexism (SOS) campaign has called upon Marylebone Cricket Club to revoke its traditional invitation to Oxford and Cambridge universities to play the men’s Varsity match at Lord’s, unless a women’s game is also included.Replying to a request from the campaign to “step in” to find an “equitable solution” to a disagreement about gender parity in university cricket, the MCC chief executive, Guy Lavender, wrote in a letter on Friday that Lord’s would be “very happy to accommodate a men’s and women’s T20 double header on the same day next year” in response.But he also suggested the dispute was “primarily a matter for [the] respective universities” and stopped short of committing to intervene to ensure the match came to fruition.While that response has encouraged the organisers of the SOS campaign, who have noted they won more commitment from MCC in two days than they had from the universities’ cricket clubs in two-and-a-half years, they describe themselves as “not completely satisfied”.They argue that MCC could go further and use their power as hosts to insist on gender parity. The men’s varsity match has been played (in various formats) at Lord’s for almost 200 years. The women’s match has never made it beyond the Nursery Ground and this year, with Lord’s undergoing a redevelopment, has not even made it that far.Now, while expressing their appreciation for the MCC offer, the SOS campaign have called for a “further commitment to ensuring the Varsity fixture is equitable”.Related

• MCC to shelve annual Oxford-Cambridge, Eton-Harrow fixtures at Lord's

• Lord's Varsity matches under scrutiny in gender equality row

• MCC told to 'move with the times' as row erupts over Rachael Heyhoe-Flint memorial

The men’s Varsity match, a 50-overs a side affair, is scheduled to be played on May 23. Despite previous requests from figures involved in the SOS campaign (notably the former Oxford University captain, Vanessa Picker) to share the day with the women’s teams (meaning the men’s match would become a T20), the universities’ cricket clubs have been reluctant to do so. While SOS were delighted to gain such a swift reply from MCC, they have now called upon them to go a step further and compel the clubs to comply.”We do not accept that, as their letter states, this is primarily a matter for the universities,” SOS said in a statement. “The MCC have control over their own calendar and thus have the power to influence the parameters of fixture invitations and to raise the bar further.”We, therefore, ask the MCC to specify that the offer of next year’s Oxbridge Varsity match being played on the main ground is entirely conditional upon both the men’s and the women’s teams being involved equally. If the clubs continue to insist that any date should be exclusively for the men, the invitation must be revoked.”A tentative offer of a double-header T20 Varsity event in a future season (which is still contingent on the clubs agreeing to do this) does not make up for years of exclusion.”While acknowledging that “it may indeed be too short notice” to convert this year’s Varsity fixture at Lord’s into a T20 double-header – not least because is being used as a test event to enable MCC to gain a license to host the first Test against New Zealand 10 days later – the campaigners have requested a “women’s match to be scheduled for later this season.”Their statement continues: “We request that the MCC utilise one of the days currently unallocated on the 2021 fixture list (of which there are still 95) to schedule at least a 100-ball format match for the women.”It is perhaps worth noting that, among those taking to Twitter to express their support for the SOS campaign was Beth Barrett-Wild, the Head of The Hundred Women’s Competition and Female Engagement at the ECB. She played in three Varsity matches – all on the Nursery Ground at Lord’s – and also previously worked in the MCC communications department. She is, therefore, not without influence.In the longer term, though, the disagreement could compromise the future of Varsity cricket at Lord’s. The MCC executive is already acutely sensitive to the club’s reputation towards inclusivity – a reputation they feel is out-dated – and may have little tolerance for being dragged into what they see as someone else’s fight. Their attitude might be summed up with a phrase uttered by many a frustrated parent: if you can’t share nicely, you won’t get to play at all.MCC have, over the last couple of decades, pumped millions of pounds in university cricket (as sponsors of the MCCU scheme), funded numerous leagues and coaching schemes in the community, started to recognise the achievements in women’s internationals on the ground on honours boards and recently announced the appointment of their first female president (former England captain Clare Connor starts the role in October). As a result, they are more than a little peeved at any suggestion they may be the villains of the piece.At the same time, the disagreement may also draw attention to the somewhat antiquated tradition of hosting Varsity matches at Lord’s at all. There are many other organisations (not least other universities) with equal claims on the basis of cricketing merit and Oxbridge’s connotations with privilege and entitlement may not be helpful to the modern MCC.SOS campaigners have also confirmed they will be approaching the cricket clubs at both universities to request “confirmation that they will respond favourably to the MCC’s invitation for a men’s and women’s T20 double-header”. They are also asking “that an apology be made by the clubs for failing to address this issue sooner despite repeated requests”.ESPNcricinfo contacted MCC and officials at both university cricket clubs for comment. MCC declined; officials from the cricket clubs had not, at the time of publication, responded

Big picture

They call it the seven-year itch, and after so long in the Test-match wilderness, India are ready for a change of scene that they and their opponents, England, hope will be anything but dull or scratchy. So rare are women’s Tests that there is a sense of pressure to provide excitement, not least to a live TV audience, as well as to fans who are just beginning to whet their appetites for witnessing the action in person as pandemic-enforced restrictions slowly ease.But more pressing for two professional sports teams is the will to win. England haven’t done so at home to India in eight completed Test matches while India are playing just their second Test since their last meeting in the format in 2014, having also played and beaten South Africa later the same year. In fact, India are on a three-match winning streak in Tests – if you can call it a streak given that that streak began in 2006 – and victory in Bristol would pull them clear of Australia to a women’s record number of Test victories on the trot.Related

• Emily Arlott stunned into silence by news of England selection

• Nat Sciver: England wary of 'fearless' India as they approach Test learning curve

• 'We may not have much practice, but mentally we're prepared' – Harmanpreet Kaur

• Kate Cross: 'We all get really excited when the whites come out'

Both sides boast Test-match experience, with eight members of India’s squad and 11 of England’s having played the format before. The home contingent’s recall may be better given that it hasn’t quite been two years since their last match, the 2019 Ashes affair at Taunton that became a bit of a talking point for petering out to a rather dull draw.News that this match will be played on a pitch used for the men’s T20 Blast last Friday may boost hopes of a result but it doesn’t exactly buy in to the hype surrounding this match, which has been considerable given that the men’s WTC final between India and New Zealand starts on Friday. At least an otherwise iffy weather forecast is clear for the first day of the Women’s Test, offering them a prime chance to turn heads and perhaps even seduce a wider audience.It also sets the stage for more to come with the Test forming the first part of a multi-format series incuding three ODIs and three T20Is.

In the spotlight

Lauren Winfield-Hillwas identified early on in England’s preparations to open the batting alongside Tammy Beaumont. While experienced in Tests – she has played three, including the last time these two sides met – it will be her first since the 2017 Ashes. It also marks a comeback of sorts to the England set-up after struggles with Crohn’s disease caused her to battle for game time over the past year. But with her illness under better control, she has found form in lead-up matches – practice and domestic – which could make her one to watch.Punam Raut made a breakthrough of sorts during India’s 4-1 ODI series loss to South Africa in March. A match-winning century partnership with Smriti Mandhana followed by two fifties and an unbeaten 104 off 123 balls finally showed she has more than one dimension. While her long-earned reputation as slow accumulator is suited to the Test format, showing an ability to step up the scoring rate when needed suggests an emerging adaptability that could prove useful depending on the match situation.

Team news

England have settled on their XI but captain Heather Knight wouldn’t reveal her side before all the players had been told. Knight has spoken glowingly of fast bowler Emily Arlott since before she earned her maiden England call-up to the squad and has been further impressed during practice by her pace and “handy” form with the bat, suggesting she could be in line for a debut that would mark a stellar rise. Knight could be tempted to roll over some of her offbreaks with two left-handers in India’s line-up and having overcome a recent back problem that forced her to put bowling on the backburner in training for a while. She could call up another offspinner in Mady Viliers but left-armer Sophie Ecclestone seems too good a weapon to leave out.England (possible): 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Lauren Winfield-Hill, 3 Heather Knight (capt), 4 Amy Jones, 5 Nat Sciver, 6 Sophia Dunkley, 7 Fran Wilson/Georgia Elwiss, 8 Katherine Brunt, 9 Anya Shrubsole, 10 Sophie Ecclestone, 11 Emily Arlott/Kate CrossIndia are expected to opt for three frontline pacers in Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, and either Arundhati Reddy or Pooja Vastrakar. Their main spin option will come down to a choice between Poonam Yadav and Ekta Bisht bowling alongside Deepti Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur. It’s most likely fans will have to wait at least until the ODIs starting next week to see the exciting 17-year-old batter Shafali Verma in action with India’s top order well-stocked with experienced campaigners.India (possible): 1 Smriti Mandhana, 2 Jemimah Rodrigues/Priya Punia, 3 Punam Raut, 4 Mithali Raj (capt), 5 Harmanpreet Kaur, 6 Deepti Sharma, 7 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 8 Jhulan Goswami, 9 Shikha Pandey, 10 Poonam Yadav/Ekta Bisht, 11 Arundhati Reddy/Pooja Vastrakar

Pitch and conditions

The match will be played on a pitch used for Gloucestershire’s T20 Blast match against Sussex last Friday, which Knight branded “not ideal” and tried in vain to have changed. The weather could well play a big part with warmth and bright sunshine forecast for the opening day, followed by a high chance of rain, particularly on Thursday and Saturday.Mithali Raj and Shikha Pandey seal victory for India in the 2014 Test•Getty Images

Stats and trivia

• England are seeking their first home Test win against India in eight completed matches
• The game will be Heather Knight’s 100th as England captain
• India will be playing their first Test in 2401 days
• If India win, they will break the record for most consecutive wins in women’s Tests pulling clear of Australia, with whom they are currently tied at three apiece.

Quotes

“You obviously want to be entertaining and want to put on a show, and show off the best of your skills and the best of women’s cricket, but our job first and foremost is to try and win and be successful. That’s at the forefront of our mind, and if we can do both at the same time, even better.”
“You ask any modern-day cricketer, they still want to play the longer format because they eventually know that the format tests the skill of a player.”

Hampshire will hope rain can stay away from the Ageas Bowl on day four of the LV = County Championship clash as they push for a crucial victory over Surrey.Showers over Southampton kept the players off the field until 5pm, but Surrey, who resumed on 42 for 4, ended a truncated day on 6 for 2 having followed-on after being bundled out for 72 in response to Hampshire’s 488.The visitors trail by 410 runs after the Hampshire bowlers ran amok with Brad Wheal striking with the last ball of the day to dismiss England opener Rory Burns for a duck after Keith Barker had dismissed Mark Stoneman – leaving nightwatchman Amar Virdi at the crease when play resumes on Wednesday.Related

• Ashwin could play a first-class match for Surrey before England Tests

• Ali Orr's unbeaten fifty leads Sussex recovery to set up final-day nail-biter

• Wood's unbeaten fifty sets up Lancs victory push

• Harry Brook hundred, Dom Bess bite see Yorkshire clear in race for Division One

• Crawley, Jacks, Carse named in replacement England ODI squad

Two scheduled restarts had earlier been scuppered due to brief but heavy downpours that drenched the outfield. But Hampshire more than made up for that lost time as Surrey lost 6 for 30 in just under an hour and were immediately sent back into bat again by stand-in skipper Kyle Abbott.The hosts will be without captain James Vince for the rest of the match after he and Surrey allrounder Will Jacks were sent to Cardiff to join up with England’s makeshift ODI squad to play Pakistan owing to a Covid-19 outbreak. Vince has been replaced by 18-year-old batting prodigy Tom Prest who makes his first-class debut.Abbott struck in the fifth over after the restart with a ball that nipped back and pinned debutant Ben Geddes, who replaced Jacks, on his crease to be lbw for four.Hashim Amla, a double centurion when the sides met at The Kia Oval in May, then fell to a peach of a delivery from Barker, who finished with 4 for 21, that uprooted his leg stump with the former South Africa Test batter top-scoring with 29.Jordan Clark and Rikki Clarke were both dismissed cheaply by Wheal with Abbott striking again to trap Jamie Overton lbw for four.Abbott then wrapped up the innings when he diverted a Kyle Jamieson shot onto the stumps of Virdi, leaving Surrey well short of a batting point.Victory for Hampshire, who sit third in Group Two will greatly enhance their hopes of a top-two finish ahead next week’s meeting with second-placed Gloucestershire at Cheltenham. Surrey’s, meanwhile, are hanging by a thread.

Mumbai Indians allrounder Nat Sciver-Brunt, Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Smriti Mandhana and Gujarat Giants allrounder Ashleigh Gardner have been retained for the maximum price of INR 3.5 crore ahead of the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction.The WPL officially released the list of players retained by the franchises on Thursday and Sciver-Brunt – not the captain Harmanpreet Kaur – was MI’s first retention. RCB wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh was retained for INR 2.75 crore, the second-highest bracket, while Harmanpreet and Giants opener Beth Mooney were retained for INR 2.5 crore each. There were a few notable surprises in the retention list. UP Warriorz chose not to retain Deepti Sharma, the recent ODI World Cup’s Player of the Tournament, holding on to only one player in Shweta Sehrawat. Among other major releases were Amelia Kerr, Alyssa Healy, and Delhi Capitals captain Meg Lanning.As per WPL retention rules, franchises can retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players, and at most two uncapped Indian players. If a franchise wanted to retain five players, at least one of them should be an uncapped Indian player. The WPL has for the first time given teams right-to-match (RTM) options at the auction to buy back a player who was part of their 2025 squad.Each franchise has been allotted INR 15 crore to build their squad for WPL 2026. It is understood that the mega player auction will take place in Delhi on November 27.Here’s the full list of players retained by all five franchises:

Mumbai Indians

Players retained: Nat Sciver-Brunt – INR 3.5 crore, Harmanpreet Kaur – INR 2.5 crore, Hayley Matthews – INR 1.75 crore, Amanjot Kaur – INR 1 crore, G Kamalini – INR 50 lakh
Money spent: INR 9.25 crore; Purse remaining: INR 5.75 crore; No RTM option available
Notable players released: Amelia Kerr, Nadine de Klerk, Yastika Bhatia, Chloe Tryon, Shabnim Ismail

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Players retained: Smriti Mandhana – INR 3.5 crore, Richa Ghosh – INR 2.75 crore, Ellyse Perry – INR 2 crore, Shreyanka Patil – INR 60 lakh
Money spent: INR 8.85 crore; Purse remaining: INR 6.15 crore; One RTM option available
Notable players released: Renuka Singh, Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux, Danni Wyatt-HodgeWhat they said: “Her association with risk and how she faces pressure situations is exactly what we want in our batting order,” new head coach Malolan Rangarajan said of retaining Ghosh. “And somebody we view with leadership potential as well.”

Delhi Capitals

Players retained: Jemimah Rodrigues – INR 2.2 crore, Shafali Verma – INR 2.2 crore. Annabel Sutherland – INR 2.2 crore, Marizanne Kapp – INR 2.2 crore, Niki Prasad – INR 50 lakh
Money spent: INR 9.3 crore; Purse remaining: INR 5.7 crore; No RTM available
Notable players released: Meg Lanning, N Shree Charani, Radha Yadav, Arundhati ReddyWhat they said: “It’s been really tough,” DC head coach Jonathan Batty told JioStar about not retaining Lanning. About who could now lead DC in WPL 2026, he said: “Jemimah’s got a great captaincy record [in domestic cricket]. Obviously, Annabel Sutherland captains in WBBL as well. So there’s lots of candidates out there. We also got the mega auction to come, so there’s some candidates out there as well. So we’re leaving our options open.”

Gujarat Giants

Players retained: Ash Gardner – INR 3.5 crore, Beth Mooney – INR 2.5 crore
Money spent: INR 6 crore; Purse remaining: INR 9 crore available; Three RTM options available
Notable players released: Harleen Deol, Deandra Dottin, Laura Wolvaardt, Phoebe Litchfield

UP Warriorz

Player retained: Shweta Sehrawat – INR 50 lakh
Money spent: INR 50 lakh; Purse remaining: INR 14.50 crore; Four RTM options available
Notable players released: Deepti Sharma, Alyssa Healy, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Alana King, Kranti Gaud, Chinelle HenryWhat they said: “I feel the thought process from the think tank, from the support group, was more so to go in with a clean slate, try and have as much money in the purse, to make sure we can not only get the team that we feel we need to win that championship, but also get a lot of these players back in the auction, given the opportunity,” Abhishek Nayar, newly appointed head coach, said. “But the thought process also behind having someone like a Shweta Sehrawat in the ranks and retaining her, was the faith this franchise has put into as a youngster playing three years, being someone who’s played almost every game for us and being able to perform, and now going up the ranks in domestic cricket. We just felt we would love to have someone like that back in our set-up.”

South Africa Women will tour the Caribbean for three T20Is and five ODIs starting August 31. The tour serves as preparation for both teams, with just seven months to go for the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand.All the matches will be played in Antigua. While the T20Is and the first two ODIs will be hosted by the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, the remaining three ODIs will be played at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.”It’s fantastic to be able to announce our schedule to the West Indies,” head coach Hilton Moreeng said. “A timely coming back for us to competitive cricket after a lengthy period without game time.”Every ODI series for us carries even more weight as we have our sights firmly set on the cricket showpiece that will be taking place next year, and I believe it is just as important for our hosts as they strive towards qualification for the ICC Women’s World Cup.”South Africa last played an international series in India in March, when they won both the limited-overs series in Lucknow. However, a number of top players have had game-time lately. Mignon du Preez, Laura Woolvardt, Shabnim Ismail, Dane van Niekerk, Chloe Tryon and Lizelle Lee are all currently part of The Hundred in England.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In comparison, West Indies are coming off a victorious limited-overs series at home against Pakistan in July. The upcoming series will help them prepare for the World Cup global qualifiers to be held in Zimbabwe this December, after failing to secure a direct entry for the World Cup.West Indies will have their third High Performance training camp, under head coach Courtney Walsh, as part of their preparations for the series. Three of their top players – Stafanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews – are part of The Hundred competition in England, and will likely join the squad ahead of the series.”We are delighted to have more cricket on the horizon as this will be a vital part of our preparations for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers,” Walsh said. “We are at a crucial juncture as we prepare for this big event and again, we want to thank CWI for organising this camp to get the girls up to speed.”We were fantastic against Pakistan last month and we want to bring that winning momentum into this series of matches as well. We are going in the right direction, with the way we want. There is a lot to play for and we will be up for the challenge.”

Coming off an unbeaten century in his last innings, Evin Lewis continued his sizzling-hot form by scorching Guyana Amazon Warriors’ bowling unit during his unbeaten 77 off 39 balls as St Kitts and Nevis Patriots breezed past a target of 179 with 13 balls to spare in a seven-wicket win in the second CPL semi-final. A first-time champion is guaranteed to be crowned on Wednesday as Patriots will take on St Lucia Kings in the final, who finished as runner-up last year when they were still known as Zouks.Dwayne Bravo’s decision to bowl was justified by a superb collective bowling effort. At the halfway stage of the innings, Warriors were in an excellent position at 88 for 2, with Nicholas Pooran having plundered 18 in the final over before the mid-innings drinks break off Chris Gayle’s part-time spin.But two balls after play resumed, the first of many dominoes fell as Pooran pulled Dominic Drakes to Lewis for 26 off 14 on the leg-side boundary. Wickets continued to tumble regularly thereafter as Warriors’ best partnership in the end wound up being the 33-run opening stand between Brandon King and Chandrapaul Hemraj. Warriors’ struggles were best exemplified by Shoaib Malik, whose horror season came to a merciful end when he charged against Jon-Russ Jaggesar and was stumped for 6 off 10. The Pakistan overseas pro ended with 67 runs in 10 innings at an average of 7.44 and zero wickets with the ball.Warriors looked like they may struggle to bat out their overs at one stage, slipping to 131 for 8 with 21 balls left before Shimron Hetmyer hit out with a series of sixes in his unbeaten 45 off 20 balls. Despite the late rally, Patriots’ start to the chase laid bare how poorly the Warriors top order had performed.After a sedate start in the first three overs against offspinner Kevin Sinclair in which Gayle crawled to 1 off 8 balls, Odean Smith was brought into the attack and bowled one of the fastest overs of the tournament, clocking over 150kph at one stage. But the balls disappeared even faster to the boundary as Gayle smashed him for four fours and a six during a 23-run over. Imran Tahir took similar punishment in the next over from Gayle and by the end of the powerplay, Patriots had raced to 68 without loss.Gayle fell in the eighth over to Sinclair for 42, mistiming a drive to long-on. But Lewis exacted revenge on the offspinner by smoking a pair of straight drives for six and then a four over extra cover to bring up a 24-ball half-century in the 10th over as Patriots continued to stampede toward the target.Smith struck twice in the space of three balls in the 16th over to break an 88-run stand between Lewis and Bravo, bowling the latter for 34, before Fabian Allen flicked a short ball straight to Hetmyer behind square on the ring for a duck. But that just made the final margin look slightly more competitive in the end than it was for much of the match. Lewis clinched victory slapping Hemraj over wide long-on for his third four to go along with eight sixes.

Tim Paine has declared the Ashes will begin on December 8 regardless of whether counterpart Joe Root is part of the tour, also giving Kevin Pietersen a clip for being the “expert on everything”.Uncertainty over England’s participation in cricket’s showpiece Test series has been a talking point through recent months, with the visitors concerned about quarantine concessions, biosecurity restrictions, bubble fatigue and family support.The matter even formed part of the agenda when Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson recently dined in Washington. The ECB will soon press players to commit, wanting to name an Ashes squad.Root said earlier this week he is “desperate” to captain England in the five-Test series but wasn’t ready to commit because of uncertainty about arrangements in Australia. Paine pointedly noted he didn’t care which Englishmen agree to tour.Related

• Justin Langer has a little apocalypse now and then

• Paine details invasive neck surgery, confident for Ashes return

• Broad on Ashes tour – 'I would be happy to get on a plane to Australia'

• Root 'desperate' for success in Australia, but can't yet commit to tour

• ECB chairman admits prospect of Ashes is a 'complicated picture'

“They’ll have a choice to make, you either get on that plane or don’t,” Australia’s captain said on SEN. “No one is forcing you to come. If you don’t want to come, don’t come.”The Ashes are going ahead. The first Test is on December 8th, whether Joe is here or not. There will be a squad of England players coming here.”Paine, who is recovering from neck surgery and expects to play several games for Tasmania before the Ashes begin, cast doubt on whether any England player is genuinely unsure about flying out.Joe Root and Tim Paine before the 2019 Ashes•Getty Images

“We have not heard one England player come out and say they will not be coming. I think it’s been beat up,” he said. “If you do want to come and represent your country and play in an Ashes series, which Joe Root said ‘that’s what they all want to do, that’s what they dream about doing’ then come and do it.”They all want to come, there’s no doubt about that. They’re trying to get themselves the best possible conditions they can. But we all are. We don’t want to give them poor conditions because we’re going to be in the same boat, it’ll be worked out.”Australia and England’s multi-format stars will take part in the T20 World Cup in the UAE before flying out for the Ashes.Former England captain Michael Vaughan has urged Root’s side to commit to touring Australia.But Pietersen, who played 15 Tests in Australia and also captained England, said there was zero chance he would fly out unless “my family could travel with zero restrictions”.”If you want to know anything on any topic in the world, you just ask Kevin,” Paine said. “He is an expert on everything. Kev, mate, leave it to the players. Let them speak.”

Stafanie Taylor’s 117-ball 102 not out took West Indies to a 3-0 series sweep against Pakistan. Chasing 226 in the third ODI in Karachi, Taylor and Chedean Nation put together a 128-run fifth-wicket stand as West Indies romped to a six-wicket win.Put in to bat, Pakistan were off to a good start, with openers Muneeba Ali and Ayesha Zafar stitching together a 49-run stand. Aaliyah Alleyne drew first blood, dismissing Zafar for 13. Muneeba, though, stuck around, bringing up her half-century off 75 balls.Pakistan then lost three wickets in the space of 16 balls, following which Iram Javed and Aliya Riaz resurrected the innings with a 44-run stand for the fifth wicket. Riaz hit an unbeaten 57-ball 44 to take Pakistan to 225.In reply, West Indies got off to a shaky start, Anam Amin and Diana Baig reducing them to 15 for 3. But Taylor and Hayley Matthews lifted them with an 83-run stand off 104 balls. Sadia Iqbal provided the breakthrough by removing Matthews for 49, but Taylor kept the runs flowing, bringing up her half-century off 72 balls.Nation joined Taylor at the crease in the 22nd over and the two kept the scoreboard moving. Taylor got to her seventh ODI century in 113 balls, and on her way, she also brought up 5000 runs in ODIs, becoming just the third woman to the milestone. Nation also brought up a fifty of her own as the duo finished things off quickly, sealing the match in 44 overs.”I love scoring runs and I love batting and once the team wins I’m really happy about that,” Taylor said after the match. “It’s never happened before… and I’m hoping I get a hundred against one of the (higher-ranked) teams. It’s really nice to reach such a milestone and I hope I continue to do that for West Indies.”I think this is huge. seeing that we were coming off a (series) defeat to South Africa and to come here and win 3-0, we haven’t done that in a while and it’s really nice that we can do that and get ourselves match ready.”

South Africa will look to “add an extra five per cent” in all their departments, as they seek to beat England for the first time in six T20Is and topple one of the tournament favourites in a bid for a semi-final spot.”We want to play our best cricket tomorrow,” Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s captain said on the eve of the game. “It’s just to find a way to add an extra five per cent in all our departments. It’ll just be us trying to find a way to improve in every department. I think the bowling has been really good. The fielding, as well, has been really good. The batting, as well. But let’s just find a way to just improve in every department of our game.”That is as much as this South African side can do against a side that has had the better of them, and most others, recently. England have only lost once in their last 10 T20Is. They’ve also won the last three T20I series against South Africa, dating back to 2017, which is about the time South Africa’s decline began.That year, they were booted out of the Champions Trophy early, lost a Test, ODI and T20I series in England and have been fairly inconsistent ever since. Though Bavuma was talking about more recent times when he said, “obviously the team has gone through a lot,” it applies over several years and particularly in this tournament where issues of team culture and race were in the spotlight. “I think we’ve learnt a lot about each other. We’ve grown a lot as a team in finding ways to get through all the tough times that we’ve gone through collectively,” Bavuma said.Related

• SA are not perfect, but they are getting comfortable about it

• Last chance for South Africa to stay alive as they come up against formidable England

And so, the match against England is an opportunity, albeit a very difficult one, to start proving the tide has properly turned. While South Africa have showed signs of improvements, with successful winter tours, and plucky performances in the tournament so far, they lack out-and-out superstars in the AB de Villiers mould. The closest candidates are Kagiso Rabada, who started this competition slowly, and Quinton de Kock, who has yet to make a significant contribution, but that doesn’t bother Bavuma. “Every game we speak about going out and fighting it out as a team. We don’t leave it to individuals,” Bavuma said. “We don’t rely on individual brilliance to bring it home for the team, but it’s all about us as a team giving everything that we’ve got. Tomorrow it won’t be any different. We’ll still be showing the same character, the same fight that we’ve shown while in this tournament.”South Africa’s muscle has come mostly in the field, with their bowlers undoubtedly their strongest suit. Their top-heavy and relatively slow-scoring line-up have just about kept their heads above water, which Bavuma backed as being good enough.”Looking at the conditions, it’s not free-flowing type of cricket. We’ve really, really had to craft as a batting unit,” he said. “We’ve always spoken about being flexible as a batting team, as individuals, and looking at the players that we have in the team, I felt that I could do a role up front, but I could also do a role within the middle.Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen will play key roles at the top of the order•AFP/Getty Images

“We’ve had guy like Rassie van der Dussen go in earlier because we know if he has the opportunity to face a considerable amount of balls, he’s a guy that can really put a bowling attack under pressure. You have a guy like Reeza Hendricks, as well, who’s come off good recent form at the top of the order. So trying to utilise that form at its best. For me it’s just playing the conditions really. We know within our batting side we need someone to kind of hold things on one end to allow all our big hitters, if I could say, to get into the game. But that’s what we’ve seen has worked at this World Cup. That’s not to say going forward that’s going to be our strategy, but for now, that’s what we feel is best.”Bavuma expects Sharjah to be slow and low, and hopes that South Africa can bat quicker than they did against Sri Lanka at the same venue, where they made hard work of chasing 143. “We knew that the wicket would be on the low side. With the batting, we did take it quite deep, and I guess the learning from that is I guess maybe we’ll have to pull the trigger a bit earlier,” he said.Their scoring rate could be key if Australia beat West Indies and the semi-final berth will depend, not just on South Africa winning, but securing a higher net run-rate than Australia. “What’s happening with Australia-West Indies, what helps us is that their game happens before our game, so we’ll kind of get a better sense or understanding as to how we need to approach the England game,” Bavuma said. “If Australia win, then it’s going to come down to net run rate. We’ll have an opportunity somewhere along our game to control our net run rate or alter our approach.”At the least, then, South Africa will take on England knowing if five percent more will be sufficient, or if they need even more than that.

Baba Aparajith’s 122 trumped Sheldon Jackson’s 134 and Chetan Sakariya’s 5 for 62 as Tamil Nadu beat Saurashtra in a last-ball thriller at the KL Saini Ground in Jaipur to qualify for the final of Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22.Aparajith’s 124-ball knock, which included 12 fours and three sixes, ensured the required rate was never a problem for Tamil Nadu in their 311-run chase. He was well supported by his brother Baba Indrajith, with whom he added 97 off 107 balls for the third wicket, and Washington Sundar, with whom he stitched 76 in 79 balls for the fifth wicket.When Aparajith got out in the 43rd over, Tamil Nadu needed 67 from 44 balls with five wickets in hand and a set Washington in the middle. The incoming batter, Shahrukh Khan, then hit Jaydev Unadkat for a six and a four to reduce the equation to 32 required from four overs.It started looking like Saurashtra had all but lost the game, but Sakariya removed both Shahrukh and Washington (70 off 61) in his successive overs to dent Tamil Nadu once again. At the start of the chase, he had dismissed N Jagadeesan and Vijay Shankar to reduce Tamil Nadu to 23 for 2 in the fourth over.On the last ball of the 49th over, Sakariya sent back M Siddharth to complete his maiden five-wicket haul in List A cricket, leaving Tamil Nadu eight down.With seven required from the final over, Chirag Jani conceded only four off the first four balls against R Sai Kishore and Ragupathy Silambarasan. But a wide and a single on the penultimate ball by Silambarasan tied the scores. Kishore then hit the last ball for four to seal the match.In the morning, Saurashtra lost Harvik Desai early after being asked to bat. Jackson and Vishvaraj Jadeja took the side past 100 in the 22nd over; both Jackson and Jadeja brought up their half-centuries before left-arm spinner Siddharth broke the 92-run stand with the latter’s wicket. But at 123 for 2 in 25.2 overs, the platform was set for a big total.Prerak Mankad (37 off 32) and Arpit Vasavada (57 off 40) took full advantage of that to provide impetus to the innings. Meanwhile, Jackson brought up his hundred off 106 balls and, in all, hit 11 fours and four sixes during his knock. That, however, couldn’t fetch the win for Saurashtra.File photo: Rishi Dhawan bagged 4 for 27•AFP

Yet another all-round show from captain Rishi Dhawan steered Himachal Pradesh into their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy final, ending Services’ fairy-tale run in the tournament at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.After scoring 84 off 77 balls to lift HP to 281 for 6, Dhawan picked up 4 for 27 to help bundle out Services for 204 in 46.1 overs.Earlier in the day, Prashant Chopra and Digvijay Rangi added 74 for the second wicket for HP but Services struck back with two quick wickets to make it 106 for 4 in the 25th over.Dhawan then joined hands with Chopra, who soon brought up his fifth successive half-century of the tournament. The two added 88 in 103 balls for the fifth wicket before Chopra fell to Abhishek Tiwari for a 109-ball 78.If the partnership between Dhawan and Chopra stabilised the innings, the one between Dhawan and Akash Vasisht took the game away from Services. Dhawan and Vasisht smashed 83 off just 48 balls for the sixth wicket as HP ransacked 101 in the last ten overs. Dhawan struck nine fours and a six in his knock, while Vasisht remained unbeaten on 45 off 29 with four fours and two sixes.Dhawan, though, wasn’t done yet. He caused further damage with the ball, removing Lakhan Singh and Mohit Ahlawat cheaply to leave Services on 36 for 2 in their chase of 282. Ravi Chauhan (45 off 70) and Rajat Paliwal (55 off 66) showed some resistance but neither could carry on to make a big score.By the time Paliwal got out, in the 37th over, the asking rate had gone past nine an over. In search of quick runs, Services slipped from 174 for 5 to 179 for 8. The last two pairs took the side past 200 before Dhawan pegged back Bahadur’s middle stump to wrap up the game.