Tag: Australia v South Africa

A One Woman Show at Indore

A look back at today’s Women’s World Cup Match between Australia and South Africa, and in particular its defining performance, an incredible display of leg spin bowling by Alana King. Also a photo gallery.

This post is devoted to today’s match at the Women’s Cricket World Cup, between Australia and South Africa to decide who would finish top of the league stage, setting up a semi-final against fourth placed India, while the losers would face England in the other semi-final. Yesterday, which should have been Sri Lanka versus Pakistan, saw only 4.2 overs of play before the rain finally and decisively settled things, underlining yet again the folly of using Colombo as a venue in that city’s wettest month and the further folly of making all matches there day-nighters when the rain is generally at its worst in late afternoon/ early evening.

7-2-18-7

The heading for this section is simply the figures in standard Overs-Maidens-Runs-Wickets form recorded by Alana King for the nearest thing to an absolutely perfect display of leg spin bowling that you could ever hope to see.

King came on to bowl with South Africa looking a bit rocky at 43-2 after 11 overs, and by the time she rattled Nadine de Klerk’s stumps with the last ball of 24th over (her seven overs being numbers 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24 of the innings) the Proteas had subsided to a miserable 97 all out. The one wicket not to go to King in this period, that of Ayabonga Khaka was arguably the leggie’s by proxy as well – in the previous over bowled by King there had been five dots and then a single off the sixth ball as de Klerk, who was batting competently, demonstrated her opinion of Khaka’s chances against King. Khaka was on strike to the fourth ball of the following over, bowled by Ash Gardner, and was comprehensively bowled by the off spinner. King took four of her wickets before conceding a run, and her final figures of 7-18 were an all time record for a World Cup match and an all time ODI record for an Australian woman, relegating Ellyse Perry’s 7-22 to second place and current bowling coach Shelley Nitshke’s 7-24 to third.

After what had happened in South Africa’s innings there was very little chance of an upset. South Africa did take two early wickets, but a 75 run stand between Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney did most of the work for them, and some good blows by Annabel Sutherland after the stand was broken did the rest. Sutherland hit each of her first two balls to the boundary, and after one dot ball she then got her fourth ball away for the two runs Australia still needed. The margin was seven wickets, and Australia had taken only 16.5 overs to knock off the runs. There was of course only one candidate for Player of the Match.

South Africa have overall been very convincing in this phase of the tournament, but in both their first and last matches they came a cropper against quality spin – in their first match England’s spinners shared the wickets as the Proteas slumped to 69 all out, while in this one Alana King almost single-handedly destroyed them. They now have to face England in the semi-final. In view of what has happened today England must be looking at ways to include leg spinner Sarah Glenn. One possibility if they feel like going all in on ‘spin to win’ would be to rest Lauren Bell for the semi-final and rely purely on Natalie Sciver-Brunt’s medium pace for any seam they might need.

PHOTOGRAPHY

My usual sign off…

I was pleased to get a few pictures of this massed group of birds flying overhead.
These fungi were growing in The Walks, close to St James’ Leisure Centre
Decorative ironwork in King’s Lynn town centre

England On Top In New Zealand

A look at goings on the second test between New Zealand and England and a large photo gallery.

I am writing this as Australia and South Africa do battle in the final of the Womens’ World T20 Cup in front of a packed house crowd at Newlands, Cape Town – I will cover the closing stages of this tournament tomorrow. In this post I look at the first three days play in Wellington, where England are poised to win the test series against New Zealand.

THE ENGLAND FIRST INNINGS

I missed the first day’s play entirely – this being in New Zealand it is happening overnight my time. England were 21-3 at one point, but Harry Brook (184* by the close) and Joe Root (101* by the close) put on an unbroken 294 in what was left of the day – rain called a halt after 65 overs.

Brook was out early on the second day, but Root kept going, and when he reached his 150 Stokes declared. England had amassed 435-8. Root, the greatest English test batter of the 21st century and his heir apparent Brook had scored 339 of those for once out between them (Brook 186, Root 153*).

THE NEW ZEALAND FIRST INNINGS

By the end of day two, again hastened by bad weather, NZ were 135-7 and in all kinds of bother. A blitz by Southee, who ended with 73 off 48 balls, got NZ passed 200, but at 209 all out they had not quite done enough to dodge the follow-on. Anderson, currently the world no1 ranked test bowler at the age of 40, had three wickets as did Broad, and Leach outdid both of them with four. The next question was what Stokes would do – most current test skippers would not have enforced the follow-on, but as Stokes demonstrated at Rawalpindi not so long ago he is emphatically not most current test skippers…

THE NEW ZEALAND SECOND INNINGS

Stokes did enforce the follow-on, correctly in my view, given that this was day three and the weather was not to be relied on. New Zealand batted better second time round and reached the close on 202-3, still 24 runs in arrears. Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls committed absolutely to defence in the latter stages of the day, which is why NZ are still in debit. If New Zealand can bat through day four they may be in a position to cause England trouble, but at the moment England are heavy favourites, and a couple of early strikes to start day four would underline that status.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…