Tag: Marizanne Kapp

Marizanne’s Masterclass

A look back at today’s WBBL match between Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Stars, and a photo gallery.

Today in the Women’s Big Bash League Brisbane Heat played host to Melbourne Stars at Allan Border Field in a game that had been scheduled as late-night fixture (coverage starting at 9AM UK time) because it was seen as being a kind of ‘dessert’ after the main meal of day three of the test match at Perth. However, some Kamikaze batting by England and a great innings from Travis Head (go here for more) meant that there was in point of fact no day three in Perth, so this match became the main event.

THE STARS INNINGS

Melbourne Stars won the bat flip and opted to bat first. Brisbane Heat’s captain Jess Jonassen was not unhappy about this. Heat had lost all four of their games this edition, so desperately needed a win. At first they looked absolutely certain to get that win, as they tore through the Stars top and middle order, reducing the visitor’s to 44-6 at one point. At that stage South African veteran Marizanne Kapp was joined in the middle by young English bowling all rounder Danielle Gibson. They launched a spirited revival, putting on 73 together, of which Gibson’s share was precisely 30, from 24 balls, ending when Nadine de Klerk trapped her LBW. Georgia Prestwidge scored 3 (7), but such was the devastating fusillade from Kapp at the other end that the eighth wicket stand yielded 43 in 2.5 overs! This briefly opened the possibility of a Kapp century, but even batting as she was by then time was against her, the final over being already underway. In the end she finished with 93 not out from 51 balls, including nine fours and five sixes, in a Stars total of 171-8.

THE HEAT REPLY

Heat started far better than Stars had, with Grace Harris and Charli Knott putting on 50 for the first wicket, a stand that ended when Sophie Day pinned Harris LBW. Jess Jonassen now promoted herself to number three, when Georgia Redmayne would probably have been a better choice there. In the eighth over Kapp’s medium pace provided the second breakthrough, Harris being caught by Danielle Gibson to make it 56-2. Chinelle Henry looked dangerous, smashing two sixes in the space of three balls in the ninth over, but off the last ball, immediately after hitting the second of those sixes, she went big again and was superbly caught by Kapp for 13 (8) to make it 74-3. Jonassen never really looked like justifying her decision to bat at number three, and in the 12th over she was caught in the deep by Georgia Prestwidge off Day for 15 (14)to make it 92-4. Four balls and three runs later Nadine de Klerk took on McKenna and Prestwidge again got underneath it to make it 95-5. Georgia Redmayne and Lauren Winfield-Hill shared a decent partnership, but they were never up with the rate, and Redmayne’s dismissal left Heat needing 40 runs to win off just 3.1 overs. They never got remotely close, and it was only a four hit by young fast bowler Lucy Hamilton off the final ball of the match with the result long since settled that even enabled Heat to top the 150 mark. The final margin was 18 runs. Marizanne Kapp with that thunderous 93 not out, 4-0-31-2 with the ball and a superb catch was the only possible candidate for Player of the Match, and was duly so named. The Stars now sit third in the table, while Heat, after seven successive seasons of making the knockouts now know that they will not be extending their season this time.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

I rarely photograph pigeons but I thought this one with the distinctive green neck patch was worth making an exception for.
Triangulation, ornithological style – two egrets and a gull form the corners of a triangle in the Great Ouse.
The old (Custom House) and new (an art gallery/shop only a few years old) juxtaposed.
A low sun shining on the Great Ouse.

Welsh Fire Woes

A look back at the matches between Oval Invincibles and Welsh Fire yesterday, which pretty much ended the qualification hopes of both Welsh Fire men’s and women’s teams. Also a photo gallery.

The Hundred is beginning to reach the stage at which teams have an idea of their likelihood of progression. One team who are all but certain not to progress in the Women’s and very unlikely to progress in the Men’s are Welsh Fire. This post looks back at yesterday afternoon and evening when they were at The Oval facing Oval Invincibles.

THE WOMEN’S MATCH

Oval Invincibles batted first, and largely thanks to Alice Capsey (55 off 34 balls) and Marizanne Kapp (47 not out off 32) they tallied 150-5 from their 100 balls, a fine score in this format in most circumstances. Sophia Dunkley batted excellently for Fire, but support was conspicuous by its absence. Second top scorer in the end was Katie George with 16, and the match ended with two dismissals that could have been mistaken for action replays of each other, Shabnim Ismail and Katie Levick, numbers 10 and 11, each going caught by Meg Lanning off Sophia Smale. The Welsh left arm spinner with the aid of these gift wickets at the end took 3-13 from 17 balls (the wickets fell to the 96th and 97th balls of the innings). The margin was 39 runs, and Welsh Fire, half way through their group fixtures (there are eight rounds of group fixtures as each side plays each other side once, with the exception of ‘derby’ fixtures which are played twice, the quotes round ‘derby’ because some of them are blatantly no such thing – Welsh Fire’s ‘derby’ is against Southern Brave, based in Southampton, which as far as I am aware has never had any rivalries with Cardiff based teams before) are yet to accrue a point. With only the top three qualifying for finals day (second play third for the right to face the group winners in the final) an even record of four wins and four losses, the best Fire can now achieve, gives almost a 0% chance of qualifying, and Fire’s net RR, the one thing that might give them hope, is an abysmal -1.444.

THE MEN’S MATCH

Invincibles also batted first in this one. Tawanda Muyeye, born in Zimbabwe, but now England qualified, and likely to play for them, and Will Jacks opened up with a stand of 76 from 39 balls, 38 for Jacks, 33 for Muyeye. This turned out to be a mere prelude to a thunderous assault by Jordan Cox, only playing for Invincibles because of an injury to Ollie Pope. Cox scored 86 not out from 29 balls, hitting 10 sixes and three fours along the way. Invincibles ended with 226-4 from their 100 balls, comfortably a new record for the competition. For comparison purposes this score equates to 271 in a T20. The most bizarre feature of a generally sick looking Fire bowling card concerned left arm spin bowling all rounder Saif Zaib. He bowled five balls, taking 1-6, and that was it, while the 95 balls bowled by bowlers other than him were spanked for 220 runs between them. No one actually went as many as 50, but Ajeet Singh Dale had 1-46 from 15 balls, which suggests that his and Zaib’s share of the bowling duties were the wrong way round. Unsurprisingly Fire never looked like getting anywhere close to chasing this monumental total down. They, like the women’s side earlier, ended up not batting the full 100 balls, being out for 143 from the 93rd ball of their innings. They have one win from four matches, and a dreadful net run rate. If they win all their remaining games they might qualify, but the odds are not on their side.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

A Classic Match That Was One Day Too Short

An account of the test match between the England and South African women’s teams which took place on Monday to Thursday of this week.

I was delighted when it was announced that England and South Africa women’s teams would be playing a test match this summer. I was less delighted that it was scheduled for only four days rather than the five that men’s test cricket gets, and this little distinction was to prove of considerable importance to the result.

ALL CHANGE FOR ENGLAND

At the start of this season Anya Shrubsole announced her international retirement after an illustrious career, highlighted by 6-46 in the 2017 World Cup final. In the run up to the match Katherine Brunt announced that she was retiring from test cricket but would still play white ball internationals. Then Emily Arlott was injured in the run up to the match, which meant that Issy Wong was promoted from travelling reserve to full squad member. Eventually, England decided that one spinner (the incomparable Sophie Ecclestone) was sufficient and opted to strengthen the batting by giving the number seven slot in the order to Alice Davidson-Richards. The new look seam attack was led by veteran Kate Cross, supported by Wong and Lauren Bell plus the all round skills of Natalie Sciver. Batting wise there were not a huge number of surprises: Emma Lamb, in magnificent form in domestic cricket, was chosen to open alongside the experienced Tammy Beaumont, with skipper Knight at three, Sciver four, Sophia Dunkley at five and keeper Amy Jones at six. Thus the full XI in batting order read: Beaumont, Lamb, *Knight, Sciver, Dunkley, +Jones, Davidson-Richards, Ecclestone, Cross, Wong, Bell.

INEXPERIENCED SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa had not played a test since 2014, so scandalously small is the amount of women’s test cricket. Dane Van Niekerk was still recovering from a broken ankle, and in the run up to the match Shabnim Ismail, star bowler, went down injured, as did big hitting middle order batter Chloe Tryon. For some unknown reason in form pacer Ayabonga Khaka was not considered for selection. All of this meant that SA took the field with only two players out of 11 having prior test experience.

DAY ONE: KAPP’S HORATIAN PERFORMANCE SAVES SA

On Monday June 27th South Africa batted first. With Cross, Bell and Wong all highly impressive in the early stages SA were soon in trouble at 45-4. Wong claimed her first test wicket with an absolute peach of a ball to clean bowl Laura Wolvaardt (no mean feat this – the young SA opener had scored a ton in the warm up match against England A, and a repeat of that in this match would have been no great surprise. At this point Marizanne Kapp came to the crease for South Africa. She proceeded to play an innings of utter brilliance, enabling South Africa to reach the respectability of 284 all out, of which her share was precisely 150. Kate Cross had the best figures for England, with 4-63, with Bell 2-54, Wong 1-54, Ecclestone 1-33, Sciver 1-29 and Davidson-Richards 1-39 all also taking wickets.

DAY TWO: SCIVER AND DAVIDSON-RICHARDS

Beaumont and Lamb put on 65 for the first England wicket, but thereafter a collapse set in, with Knight experiencing a rare failure at test level. The score when debutant Davidson-Richards walked out join Sciver was 121-5. By the close of play this pair were still in occupation, Davidson-Richards having become the first England debutant of either sex to take at least one wicket and score a century on test debut since WG Grace did so in the first test ever played on English soil in 1880, and Sciver having also passed three figures. England, having looked deep in trouble when the pair came together were now 39 runs to the good, and it was fairly clear that only one side now had a chance of winning the match.

DAYS THREE AND FOUR: A TALE OF WEATHER WOES

Davidson-Richards was out early on the third morning, but Ecclestone now provided excellent support for the unstoppable Sciver, scoring a perky 35 and helping the seventh wicket to raise a further 86. Cross was next in, and her run out heralded the England declaration at 417-8, a lead of 133. Sciver with 169* had beaten her captain’s test best by a single run, was eight short of Claire Taylor’s 177, 10 short of Rachael Heyhoe-Flint’s 179 and 20 short of the all time England women’s test record of 189 held since 1935 by Betty Snowball. Also possibly relived by the declaration were Aussies Michelle Gozsko (204) and Ellyse Perry (213*).

The weather from this point on was hugely uncooperative and allowed only 68.1 further overs in the course of a day and a half (and the women get through their overs at a good rate – on day two 100 overs took six hours 12 minutes of playing time to bowl – rather less long than it takes the men to bowl the 90 that is their minimum requirement for a day). In those overs South Africa amassed 181-5 in their second innings. Cross and Wong each took two wickets, the latter’s haul including Wolvaardt for the second time in the match, and Ecclestone one. The combination of the allocation of only four days and bad weather on each of the last two of those days made this the sixth successive women’s test to end in a draw. A full scorecard can be viewed here.

LOOKING FORWARD

Women’s cricket is in excellent health, and both sides deserve a lot of credit, England for coming out firing with a new look bowling attack, and for ultimately dominating the contest, and South Africa for showing considerable resolve with depleted ranks. There need to be more women’s test matches, and those matches NEED TO BE SCHEDULED FOR FIVE DAYS.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

This adapted traditional phone box is located in Snettisham
This morning’s walk which was long enough for me to miss Shubman Gill’s entire innings took in Hardwick Cemetery
A goods train passing Tennyson Road

Scorchers Win WBBL07

The final of the Women’s Big Bash League 2021 has just finished. Adelaide Strikers who annihilated Brisbane Heat and then Melbourne Renegades to qualify for the final came up just short against the Perth Scorchers, who qualified directly for the final by virtue of winning the league stage outright.

SCORCHERS INNINGS

Although Tahlia McGrath (4-0-14-1) and Megan Schutt (4-0-19-1) were typically economical, Scorchers posted a respectable 146-5 from their 20 overs with major contributions from Sophie Devine and Marizanne Kapp. Amanda-Jade Wellington, leading wicker of the tournament and joint lead wicket taker of any WBBL tournament had an off day for once.

STRIKERS REPLY

Strikers got off to a horribly slow start and although they subsequently revived their innings well they were always well behind the required rate. With four overs to go they needed 53, and although Madeline Penna counterattacked successfully in the 17th over, the 18th and 19th were both far too economical for that stage of an innings, and Strikers needed 22 off the last over. Peschel bowled two wides in the course of the final over, but the other deliveries were good enough that 14 were needed off the final ball. Only a single eventuated, and Scorchers were home by 12 runs.

A MULTI-TALENTED TEAM

Although she did not play the final today, this part of the post is inspired by an Adelaide Strikers player, all rounder Jemma Barsby. She bowls both off spin and left arm orthodox spin, which is a combination of talents I have not previously come across. I have put together an XI of players who had talents in multiple areas, which I list below in batting order with brief comments on their range of talents.

  1. *WG Grace – right handed opening batter, right arm bowler of various styles, captain.
  2. +George Brown – right handed batter, right arm fast bowler, wicket keeper. He was good enough as an opener to be selected for England in that role, he took a decent haul of wickets as a bowler, and Hampshire’s best bowler of his era, Alec Kennedy, rated him the best keeper who ever kept to him.
  3. Garry Sobers – left handed batter, left arm bowler of pretty much every type known to cricket. The most complete player the game has thus far seen.
  4. Wally Hammond – right handed batter, right arm medium fast bowler, occasional off spinner.
  5. Liam Livingstone – right handed batter, leg spinner, off spinner.
  6. Keith Miller – right handed batter, right arm fast bowler, occasional off spinner.
  7. Mike Procter – right handed batter, right arm fast bowler, occasional off spinner.
  8. Jemma Barsby – right handed batter, off spinner, left arm orthodox spinner.
  9. Alan Davidson – left handed batter, left arm fast bowler, occasional left arm orthodox spinner.
  10. Len Muncer – off spinner, leg spinner, right handed batter.
  11. Bill Johnston – left arm fast medium bowler, left arm orthodox spinner, left handed batter.

12th: Frank Worrell, RHB, LFM, occ SLA. Honourable mentions: Ellyse Perry, RHB, RFM, also a football international and Cecil Parkin, an off spinner with a raft of variations.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

Super Sunday At The Womens World Cup

An account of Super Sunday at the womens World Cup.

INTRODUCTION

Today featured no fewer than four matches in the womens cricket World Cup. I have been listening to radio commentaries and following the action on cricinfo. 

SOUTH AFRICA V WEST INDIES

This was about as conclusive a victory as I have ever witnessed. First of all South Africa blew the West Indies away for 48. Marizanne Kapp took four wickets, but the most remarkable performance came from Dane Van Niekerk who matched Kapp’s four wickets, but took hers without conceding a run. South Africa then took a mere 6.2 of their possible 50 overs to knock the runs off. Cricinfo have recently started providing video clips, and below is a two minute video showing the West Indies collapse.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/video_audio/1108001.html

INDIA V PAKISTAN

This was the damp squib of the four matches – India limped to 169-9 from their 50 overs and then Pakistan were bowled out for 74 in response, only getting that many courtesy of a 23 run last wicket stand.

ENGLAND V SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka batted first, and managed 204-8. Fran Wilson took an amazing catch along the way (see link below). Laura Marsh returning to the England side took 4-45 from her ten overs, while Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole both bowled well without picking up wickets.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc-womens-world-cup-2017/engine/match/1085953.html

Both openers were out fairly cheaply, Tammy Beaumont for 12 and Lauren Winfield, returning from injury, for 26. A big stand between Sarah Taylor and Heather Knight then took England to the brink of victory, before Knight was out for 82. A crunching boundary straight down the ground from Taylor completed the job, leaving her with 74 not out off 67 balls, and England winners by seven wickets with almost 20 overs to spare. At the other end, not having faced a ball, was Natalie Sciver, fresh from scoring 137 off 92 balls against Pakistan.

AUSTRALIA V NEW ZEALAND

Half centuries from Bates and Perkins got New Zealand to a total of 219-9. For Australia Mooney and Bolton were out fairly cheaply, before Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry shared a good partnership. 16 year old legspinner Amelia Kerr created a bit of excitement when she accounted for Lanning and Elyse Villani in successive deliveries to make it 143-4, but Alex Blackwell was her usual unflappable self, and New Zealand gained only one more wicket, when with the scores level Ellyse Perry holed out for 71. Perry, having started out as a fast bowler who gave it a whack down the order has developed into the most complete all-rounder of either sex currently playing the game – she bats at number four, averaging over 50, and takes the new ball and (in limited overs matches) bowls at the death. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

None pof the four matches were especially close, but three of them featured quality cricket from various players, and I was pleased to see matches being played concurrently, because one reason why mens world cups always seem so interminable is that in deference to the TV people this does not happen.