This post is actually a two parter – the first part mentions the opening match of the Women’s Ashes series now underway in Australia, while the second looks at the Melbourne Derby in the BBL.
A BAD DAY FOR ENGLAND
The Women’s Ashes is a multi-format series – three ODIs worth two points each, a test match worth four points and three T20Is worth two points each. Australia as holders will retain the trophy if the series is drawn, meaning that England need to win it outright. The first ODI took place overnight UK time at the North Sydney Oval. There were no great selection surprises. Australia won the toss and put England in. England did not bat well – a number of players got starts but no one managed a really big score, and in the end they only just topped 200. Off spinning all rounder Ashleigh Gardner took 3-19 and also held two catches. England bowled a lot better than they had batted, but the damage was done. Alyssa Healy led the way with 70 off 78 balls, and Gardner also batted well. Ecclestone just failed to complete a catch to dismiss Gardner which would have had Australia 183-7. There were no further chances, and Gardner was 42 not out when Australia completed victory with 11.1 overs to spare. Full scorecard here.
STARS’ LAZARUS ACT
The title of this section has a double meaning – referring to both today’s match and the Melbourne Stars season.
When Stars lost their first five group matches no one would have imagined that they would be anywhere near claiming a knockout slot come the business end. Three successive wins took them into this Melbourne derby still down but not necessarily out. At 75-7 at the end of the 11th over they looked doomed to end their revival, going down to neighbours Renegades. Glenn Maxwell was still there, and was their sole remaining hope. He proceeded to turn the game upside down with a brutal display of hitting. With nine balls remaining in the innings Usama Mir fell an five ball duck – but the 40 balls that Maxwell had faced out of their 45 balls had seen the score advance by 81! Four balls after Mir was dismissed Maxwell’s extraordinary innings came to an end, bowled by Kane Richardson for 90 off 52 balls, including ten sixes and four fours. Peter Siddle, 40 years of age, helped Stars to add a further seven runs before being out to the last ball of the innings. Stars thus had 165 to defend. Every time Renegades looked even vaguely like getting anything going in reply a wicket fell. Renegades took their two over Power Surge for overs 13 and 14, and those two overs seemed certain to settle it one way or another. They did indeed – Renegades had a disaster, accruing a mere seven runs from those two overs and losing three wickets. The required rate was now climbing alarmingly, and by the time eight balls were left in the match Renegades needed 54 to win. They managed to scrape up 11 of those runs, giving Stars victory by 42 runs and a huge net RR boost. Stars now have a long wait for their tenth and final group match, but with the knowledge that if a few intervening results help them they will have a chance to qualify for the knockouts at the last gasp.
PHOTOGRAPHS
My usual sign off…
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