All posts by n8rngtd.top

The left-handed opener leads the LPL run charts by 173 runs

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Dec-2020Danushka Gunathilaka’s Lanka Premier League form has been astounding. In eight innings, his lowest score was 30 not out off 15 balls, in a rain-shortened match. In the remaining seven innings, he has passed fifty four times, and eclipsed 80 twice. He averages 77 and is the tournament’s highest run-scorer by a mammoth 173 runs, which means his tally of 462 is a 60% improvement on that of the next-best batsman.Captain Bhanuka Rajapaksa was full of praise, ahead of Gladiators’ semi-final against Colombo Kings on Sunday.”I’ve never seen a player being so consistent throughout a T20 tournament. He’s been a big plus point for us. He was the lone fighter from the batting department who took us into the semi-final. He’s also been a finisher for us in the last two games. He’s given the whole batting unit confidence. We have big hopes for him in the semi-final, and may he continue his good work.”Gunathilaka’s flood of runs also hasn’t come at the cost of a strong strike rate. But although his strike rate of 145 is impressive, there is a quirk to these stats – he has struck only eight sixes to his 64 fours. Each of the next three batsmen on the run-scorer’s list have hit 14 or more sixes. Meanwhile, only one batsman in the whole tournament has hit even half of the number of fours Gunathilaka has managed.Gunathilaka is generally an effortless hitter of sixes, but said that he made a conscious effort to keep the ball on the ground through the LPL.”I think from ground to ground you have to change the way you play as a batsman, and everyone must have seen that on this ground, the outfield is incredibly fast – I knew that as soon as I watched the first match,” Gunathilaka said. “The moment you hit the ball in the gap it travels very quickly. So I thought that rather than trying to hit sixes, I can reduce the risks I’m taking by hitting the ball along the ground. There are a lot of fours on offer when the ground is this hard.”While Gunathilaka has almost certainly been the player of the tournament so far, his team had struggled badly for most of it. Gladiators lost each of their first five matches, before finally getting themselves on the points table with a victory over one of the tournament favourites – Colombo. They’ve since been more competitive, sneaking into the semi-final on the back of a strong win over Kandy Tuskers in what was essentially a quarter-final. It had been their fielding that had let them down, before the win against the Kings, Gunathilaka said.”We thought that at some point our middle order will come right, but then I felt that the major problem was our fielding. There was not enough effort. I thought we were giving an extra 20 runs in each of the first four matches. So we thought we had to field well first, before anything. And that’s what changed in the match against Colombo Kings. We took our catches and our ground fielding was good. We won that match with our fielding. I think across the tournament, a few teams have lost matches with their fielding, and we’re trying to catch up.”

Victoria retained control against the Sheffield Shield leaders but it could be tough to force a result at the SCG

Andrew McGlashan15-Feb-2020Wil Parker, the 17-year-old debutant legspinner, claimed two big scalps to keep Victoria on top against New South Wales at the SCG after Seb Gotch had scored his maiden first-class century.Victoria declared on 7 fo 431 shortly before lunch moments after Gotch had brought up three figures. The New South Wales openers departed after a half-century opening stand but Kurtis Patterson, playing his first Shield match since October, and Moises Henriques both looked in fine form as they added 102 deep into the final.Then Parker, who had bowled nicely in his first spell, returned to manufacture back-to-back breakthroughs. His maiden first-class wicket came when he slid a delivery across Patterson as he came down the pitch, the ball grazing the edge before Gotch completed the stumping. In his next over he then benefited from some significant fortune when Henriques bottom-edged a pull into his leg which ballooned to slip.Daniel Solway and captain Peter Nevill saw out the rest of the day but New South Wales have a lengthy tail so there was considerable work to do.Gotch and Travis Dean had resumed with Victoria well placed on 5 for 318 and carried their stand to 150 in 50 overs with Dean making his highest first-class score in 21 innings after retiring hurt yesterday following the blow in the box from Trent Copeland.Dean eventually fell when he top-edged a sweep off Steve O’Keefe while Gotch continued to carefully accumulate towards his hundred having twice fallen shortly previously in his career. The century arrived from 241 balls with a single off Liam Hatcher.Armed with a new Duke ball, Victoria’s seamers found early movement – Gotch had a difficult time behind the stumps – but it took a while to break through as Daniel Hughes and Nick Larkin settled in. Scott Boland claimed the first breakthrough when he trapped Larkin lbw then Will Sutherland, who began with four consecutive maidens either side of a brief rain delay, produced an excellent delivery to beat Hughes’ inside edge.Patterson, recovered from the quad strain which has disrupted his season, was soon into his stride has he played elegantly off front and back foot while Henriques continued the form he showed before the Big Bash. However, just when they were taking the competition leaders into a position of parity, Parker popped up to produce a moment he’ll remember.

Among recent cricketers to have received this honour are Yasir Shah and Sarfaraz Ahmed

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2020The late Abdul Qadir has been conferred the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, the third-highest civilian award in Pakistan, by president Arif Alvi on August 14, the country’s Independence Day.Qadir, who died last year, is often credited as the one who revived the art of legspin in the 1970s and 1980s. During his career, he took 236 wickets in 67 Tests and 132 in 104 ODIs. After his retirement, Qadir ran a private cricket academy just outside Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. He was also Pakistan’s chief selector for a period of six months in 2008-09.Sitara-e-Imtiaz is awarded to those individuals who have made a meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of Pakistan, world peace, cultural or other significant public endeavours. Among recent cricketers to have received this honour are Yasir Shah (2019) and Sarfaraz Ahmed (2018).

West Indies will likely have to replace the injured Fidel Edwards

Andrew McGlashan12-Jul-2021

Big Picture

In the space of barely 24 hours this series is potentially one match away from being decided. Australia need to win to keep things alive, a position they found themselves in on the New Zealand tour which will give them some encouragement that a rebound is possible but West Indies’ confidence will be high after their two victories.West Indies have a few problems at the top of the order, but the way they built a big total on Saturday with the 103-run stand between Shimron Hetmyer and Dwayne Bravo, with a sprinkling of Andre Russell at the end, followed by their performance with the ball was clinical.Australia were anything but. And while there is perhaps some mitigation that can be handed to them it is worth remembering what England are achieving against Pakistan having had to select an new side. However, with key names missing, more is needed from Aaron Finch and Mitchell Starc.Though he has yet to feature due to injury, the pre-series words of Kieron Pollard where he called for patience with Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran are carrying some weight. Hetmyer has now produced the highest score of his T20I innings and Pooran is riding at 100% as captain.Related

• Can Chris Gayle break out of the funk and reach the end goal of a third world title?

• Stats – All the records that Australia's batting collapse broke

• West Indies go 2-0 up as Australia fold for 140

• 'It's about guiding the younger players' – Bravo's experience shows WI the way

Form guide

(last five completed matches)
West Indies WWLWL
Australia LLLWWLL

In the spotlight

Hayden Walsh Jr can have the occasional problem controlling his length but Australia are finding him a handful. The visitors might benefit from having another left hander in the middle order, but the only option in the squad would be Alex Carey. With six wickets in two matches Walsh is well placed to challenge Bravo’s haul of 10 from the previous series against South Africa.Mitchell Starc‘s figures after two games are not pretty: 8-0-89-0. Before this series, he had not conceded more than two sixes in any T20 game. In the first T20I, he was hit for three and second five sixes – the joint second-most an Australia quick bowler has been hit for in an innings. However, he is generally a player who gets better with more work after a lay-off.

Team news

If Pollard remains unfit Pooran will continue to lead the side. Fidel Edwards picked up an arm injury in the second match so Obed McCoy would be a likely replacement after being rested although if they want a right-armer Oshane Thomas is part of the squad.West Indies (possible) 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Andre Fletcher, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Nicholas Pooran (capt & wk), 8 Fabian Allen, 9 Hayden Walsh Jr, 10 Obed McCoy, 11 Sheldon CottrellAustralia’s senior assistant coach Andrew McDonald floated the notion of strengthening the specialist pace-bowling although that would require a change of balance to the side unless Ashton Agar was left out. Jason Behrendorff, Riley Meredith, AJ Tye and the uncapped Wes Agar are the other fast bowlers in the squad. Ashton Turner, who is more of a specialist middle-order batter, could be an option to replace Ben McDermott.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Matthew Wade (wk), 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Josh Philippe, 5 Moises Henriques, 6 Ben McDermott/Ashton Turner, 7 Dan Christian, 8 Ashton Agar, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Pitch and conditions

There will be a new surface for the third match of the series. McDonald admitted that conditions had been different to what Australia had initially expected for this series with more pace and carry in the pitches. The strong crosswind has also been a significant factor which West Indies have used to good effect. The forecast is for a dry evening.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have lost 7 for 38 and 7 for 39 in the first two matches of the series
• Chris Gayle’s T20I average has fallen below 30 for the first time since the third match of his career in 2007

Quotes

“I think it was one of my best T20 innings. I think I paced it quite well. It really worked out well for me with the guys backing me to be the guy to just take it as deep as possible.”
“Disappointing we could get the chase done but the understand was we learnt a lot of that. Game two, we were just outplayed. That’s one in the T20 format, you put a lot of planning and prep into it, they just outdid us. They put us under great pressure with the ball. Can happen in T20 where you have the blowout.”

Defending champions England will begin their campaign against Australia on March 5, while India meet Pakistan the following day

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2021Hosts New Zealand will face West Indies in the opening match of the Women’s ODI World Cup in Tauranga on March 4. Six-time winners Australia will meet defending champions England at Seddon Park in Hamilton the following day, while India, last edition’s runners-up, will face Pakistan in another marquee fixture in Tauranga on March 6.ICC confirmed that the 31 games will be played across 31 days, with the eight teams competing for the trophy. Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Tauranga, and Wellington will be the six cities that will host the tournament. Christchurch will host the final on April 3.Related

• Women's ODI World Cup matches could go ahead with nine players if Covid hits

• No change in Women's ODI World Cup schedule despite Omicron threat

• WI women 'relieved' to fly home after 11-day Oman quarantine

• Raj: We have had 'good preparation' for 2022 WC

• Women's World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe called off following concerns over new Covid-19 variant

Like the previous edition, the tournament will be played in the league format, where each team will meet the other teams once. The top four sides will qualify for the semi-finals, which will be played at Wellington and Christchurch on March 30 and 31 respectively. Both the semi-finals and the final will have a reserve day in place.Australia, England, South Africa and India qualified for the global event on the basis of their position in ICC Women’s Championship 2017-20 while New Zealand automatically qualified as hosts. After the World Cup qualifying event in Zimbabwe was called off due to the Covid-19 threat last month, Bangladesh, West Indies and Pakistan secured their places on the basis of their team ranking.This will be the first big women’s global event since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The last global women’s event played was the Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia in March 2020, which the hosts won by beating India in the final.As a part of their preparation, India are scheduled to play five ODIs against hosts New Zealand before the World Cup.

Alex Davies, Rob Yates fire chase of 147 before Ben Raine gives Durham a glimmer

ECB Reporters Network20-Jun-2023Jacob Bethell held his nerve under pressure in the final over to guide Birmingham Bears to a two-wicket victory over Durham in a thriller at Seat Unique Riverside, keeping the visitors on top of the Vitality Blast North Group.The Bears were miserly with the ball after winning the toss. Hasan Ali was excellent at the top of the order and collected figures of 2-15 from his four overs, while Danny Briggs also claimed two strikes. Ollie Robinson and Ashton Turner notched fifties, but Durham’s total of 146 for 5 looked short of par at the interval.Alex Davies and Rob Yates led an explosive start to the Bears’ chase, sharing an opening stand of 80 to put the visitors ahead of the rate. But, Nathan Sowter continued his impressive campaign with two wickets to halt the Birmingham charge. Ben Raine then set nerves jangling with two in two in the 17th over and he performed heroics again with the same feat in the 19th.The game turned again when Bethell held his composure from the final over to smash a six and a four in back-to-back balls to steer Birmingham over the one with three balls to spare, edging them closer to a quarter-final berth.After Graham Clark scored three early boundaries, Durham’s momentum was halted by losing both openers within three balls. Chris Woakes made the breakthrough on his return as Alex Lees was undone by a slower delivery before Clark was bowled by Hasan.Hasan produced a brilliant spell with the new ball, bowling three overs for the cost of just seven runs, limiting the hosts to 29 from the powerplay.The Bears continued to restrict the Durham batting ranks as the run rate hovered at just below six an over. The pressure to score allowed Briggs to strike in successive deliveries. Michael Jones was caught on the fence by Jake Lintott, who produced a clever catch on the rope to prevent a maximum, while Brydon Carse fell first ball.At 60 for 4, the hosts could ill afford to lose further wickets. Robinson and Turner duly responded with an excellent partnership worth 86 to allow Durham to post a competitive total. Turner found his timing against the Birmingham spinners and raced to his half-century from only 29 balls with seven fours and slog-sweep six against Lintott.Robinson was more sedate compared to his team-mate, but still brought up his fourth fifty of the season with a massive strike over the rope against Woakes. He tried to add another off the final ball from Hasan, only to be caught on the relay by Lintott and Ed Barnard.Birmingham had no difficulty adjusting to the pitch in the powerplay and made the chase seem straightforward. Davies and Yates found the boundary with ease without taking risks, racing to fifty after 4.2 overs. The Bears were a staggering 37 runs ahead of the home side at the end of the powerplay, ending the opening six overs 66 without loss.Davies and Yates both fell for 40 as Liam Trevaskis and Wayne Parnell prevented the visitors from racing away with the chase. On his 400th T20 appearance, Glenn Maxwell’s attempt to reverse-sweep Sowter to the rope ended his knock for 14 and the legspinner sent Dan Mousley on his way to put the pressure on.Raine set up a tense finale by matching Briggs’ exploits removing Chris Benjamin and Ed Barnard in successive deliveries. The right-armer then performed similar heroics to dismiss Woakes and Hasan with two in two in the 19th. But, Bethell dispatched Trevaskis for a six and four to guide his team to victory in the final over.

Fast bowler proud of squad’s resilience as they look to finish tough series on a high

Andrew Miller21-Jun-2022Had the events of the final day at Trent Bridge panned out differently, and had England tripped over themselves in their eagerness to chase a remarkable 299 for victory, then Trent Boult would surely have emerged as the Player of the Match. On a belter of a batting surface, his indefatigable seam bowling kept New Zealand competitive throughout as he emerged from a bruising contest with figures of 8 for 200 in 49.3 overs.Instead, Boult bore the brunt of one of the most astonishing onslaughts in Test history, as Jonny Bairstow emerged after tea to belt a 77-ball century and 136 from 92 balls all told, in a thrilling five-wicket victory. And though Boult got his man in the end, it wasn’t until he’d been thrashed for three fours and three sixes from Bairstow’s previous ten balls, as England raced to victory with 22 overs of their allocation unused.”He’s pumped me a couple of times, actually, Jonny,” Boult said during the build-up to the third Test at Headingley. “The way he played in that final day was very special. He really took the game by the horns and didn’t let go. He’s definitely a big player for them in the middle order and we know how destructive he is, he’s done it many a time.”To be on the wrong side of that result was pretty tough, but I think a lot of credit’s due to some phenomenal cricket that’s been played there,” he added. “Nothing too much changes for us [at Headingley] but hopefully we get into him nice and early with the ball a bit new, and we’ll see what happens.”The result meant that New Zealand, the reigning World Test Champions, are already 2-0 down in the three-match series, after losing the Lord’s Test by five wickets as well. Boult conceded it would be hard to rally for what is now a dead-rubber, WTC points notwithstanding, but insisted they would be ready to go again come Thursday.”I suppose it’s hard being 2-0 down in the series,” he said. “But there’s a lot of pride in that changing room from some of the performances we’ve put out over the last few years. If we’re fair we probably haven’t been at the standards we want to be as a group, it’s nice to have one game to go out and play like we know we can.”The scoreline arguably hurts all the more for New Zealand given that one of their own has been such a key factor in the series. Brendon McCullum’s impact as England’s head coach has been astonishing, given that the team had won one match in 17 prior to his arrival last month, and Boult was impressed by the speed with which they had absorbed his message of positivity.”They are playing like I thought he told them to,” he said. “It’s a new change for English cricket. What a start, both games so far have been thrillers really. For Test cricket as a whole, hopefully we see many more games like that, and get many more eyes watching.”A major factor at Trent Bridge, however, was the absence through injury of Kyle Jamieson, who felt a sharp pain in his lower back while bowling in the first innings, and was unavailable to share the load when the going got tough in the second. He’s since been ruled out of the whole series – his first major setback in a previously stellar arrival in Test cricket.”It’s hard for Kyle, I know he’s disappointed with walking off with an injury, every fast bowler is in that situation,” Boult said. “He’s played some great cricket over the last couple of years. You look at some of the guys on the sideline, everyone wants to put their hand up and go out and perform for the side. There’s a guy called Neil Wagner who’s keen to get out there as well, I’m not sure if he’ll walk straight back in, but I know the XI who are selected will go out there and be desperate to do well.”Related

• Fever-pitch cricket keeps contest bubbling in spite of placid deck

• Go, Jonny go. And just keep going

• Ben Stokes' England hurl themselves into riotous embrace of Baz-ball

• England play down Covid concerns after illness affects build-up to Headingley Test

Another guy who is set to walk back in is New Zealand’s captain, Kane Williamson, who was withdrawn on the eve of the match after testing positive for Covid. Michael Bracewell and Devon Conway have since undergone five-day periods of isolation after also picking up the virus, but Boult said they were all fit and ready for selection.”He’s a big player for us,” Boult said of Williamson. “His record speaks for itself, everyone’s healthy and available for selection. It looks like another good wicket, so we’ll see what happens.”[Kane]’s always hungry to get in the nets. He was disappointed to have to sit out the last game. It was a big game for us. He’s hungry to get out there to lead the side and desperate to get some runs. I know the boys are looking forward to the challenge. There have been some good chats going on off the ground. Hopefully we can let the bat do the talking and we’ll go from there.”Boult’s key role in the series for New Zealand is all the more impressive given his limited preparation time. Due to Rajasthan Royals’ qualification for the IPL final, he arrived in the country with just 48 hours to acclimatise ahead of the Lord’s Test. However, he impressed in that game too with three first-innings wickets in England’s collapse to 141 all out, and insists he’s got the stamina and the motivation to dig deep once more.”I flew through Dubai, then came to here… and then just really cracked on with it really!” he said. “The Dukes ball is always exciting to get in your hand and it’s nice to see the ball move around a little bit. It’s one of those things, a lot of the guys in that group have a lot of passion to put the Black Cap on their head and the motivation for everyone is there to go out and perform. So it was an easy choice for me.”I enjoy the conditioning side of things and the stuff that goes in off the field,” he added. “It’s a big challenge. Test cricket is called Test cricket for a reason and it’s the format I’m definitely the most passionate about. So when there is an opportunity to put the Black Cap on and the whites, I try to grab it with both hands.”It’s been a busy couple of months for me coming from the IPL. It is a challenge as a modern-day fast bowler to move between the formats but I love the challenge, I love the opportunity to run in for my country and the group of guys in there as well. It was nice to get away and refresh a little bit and the guys are energised and really looking forward to the next couple of the days. “Boult emerged from the Trent Bridge Test with an additional cause for pride, after two battling innings of 16 not out and 17 took him clear of Muthiah Muralidaran’s longstanding record as the highest-scoring No.11 in Test history. He currently has 640 in the position, 17 clear of Murali’s 623, but with James Anderson still threatening to claim the title for himself with 618 in third place.Asked if he was more proud of his runs than his tally of 313 Test wickets, Boult joked: “The runs. No… I enjoy my batting.”

Stubbs, a talented middle-order batter, will join for a price of INR 20 lakh

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-2022Mumbai Indians have signed South African Tristan Stubbs as a replacement for Tymal Mills, who has sustained an ankle injury and has been ruled out of the rest of IPL 2022.Mills played five matches for Mumbai this season, picking up six wickets at an economy of 11.17. He last played on April 16 against Lucknow Super Giants, where he conceded 54 runs from three wicketless overs. But it’s understood the injury is a minor one, and he is expected to be fit for Sussex’s first T20 Blast game on May 26.Stubbs, 21, is a talented middle-order batter and will join Mumbai for a price of INR 20 lakh (approx USD 26,000). He has had a promising domestic season, scoring 293 runs at an average of 48.83 and a strike rate of 183.12 for Warriors in the recently concluded CSA Challenge.In all, he has scored 506 runs and three half-centuries from 17 T20s, at a strike rate of 157.14. He has also featured in eight first-class and 11 List A games.He was part of the South Africa A squad for their ongoing tour of Zimbabwe.

The decision is believed to have been taken after #MeToo allegations against the BCCI’s CEO

Sharda Ugra14-Oct-2018BCCI secretary Amitabh Chaudhary is expected to represent the board at the ICC’s chief executives’ meeting to be held in Singapore this week, a task that would normally have fallen to its CEO Rahul Johri. The decision follows #MeToo allegations, made public on Friday, around Johri’s conduct with a fellow professional in his previous job.The BCCI’s first response to the anonymous allegations of Johri’s alleged conduct against a woman ex-colleague in the television industry, before he joined the BCCI, had been to seek an “explanation” from Johri within a week. There was no word on whether the allegations would affect Johri’s daily operations inside the BCCI or indeed his presence as the Indian board’s representative at the Singapore meeting on October 17 and 18. It is believed that protests from within the board, the two-member Committee of Administrators (CoA), as well as reservations expressed at the highest level of the ICC went ahead to ensure that Johri would not be be a part of the CEOs meeting in Singapore. The possibility of Johri turning up at the meeting in Singapore had made the situation “very uncomfortable”, according to a cricket official.The allegations against Johri, made anonymously through Twitter, are part of a vitally transformed global environment around issues of sexual harassment, abuse and crimes against women. The BCCI’s own internal complaints committee against workplace harassment has only been in place since April 2018. The committee is headed by BCCI lawyer Karina Kripalani, GM Operations Saba Karim, Rupawati Rao, who works in BCCI accounts, and external member Mumbai-based women’s rights lawyer Veena Gowda.This is the third time within 18 months that the BCCI, and through them the CoA, have been faced with complaints, accusations and allegations of sexual harassment around its senior executives. Johri’s name has featured in them, but it is not yet certain if two complaints were indeed the same one, only with more details. Given the nature of the allegations against the CEO of the most high-profile and richest sporting body in India and the richest board in world cricket, the complaints committee could be dealing with their biggest and most scrutinised case yet.

Three wickets on England debut helps restrict Bangladesh to 77, as batsmen overcome wobble to launch campaign

Andrew Miller12-Nov-2018England 64 for 3 (Jones 28*, Sciver 23) beat Bangladesh 76 for 9 (Ayasha 39, Gordon 3-16) by seven wickets (DLS method)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEngland’s women overcame a top-order wobble, and another dramatic flurry of St Lucian rain late in their run-chase, to get their World T20 campaign up and running with a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh at Gros Islet.They were set a sub-par 77 after a hit-and-miss performance from Bangladesh, but England took their time to calibrate the appropriate response in tricky, tacky conditions, as Danni Wyatt was pinned lbw for a first-ball duck before Tammy Beaumont toe-ended a cut to point for 2.England’s situation could have been even more dicey at 16 for 3 in the fourth over had Amy Jones been caught by the wicketkeeper, Shamina Sultana, who instead suffered a nasty faceplant after diving at full tilt to intercept a top-edge to point.But, as Sultana was taken from the field nursing a bloody nose, England found a more measured gear to break the back of their run-chase. Jones settled in to anchor the innings in a 38-run stand for the third wicket with Nat Sciver, who made 23, and finished on 28 not out from 24 balls. England were 55 for 3 when the rain caused a lengthy late delay, and ended up reaching a revised target of 64 in just three balls after the resumption, thanks to a brace of boundaries and a winning single from the captain, Heather Knight.It was a slightly scrappy performance from England, the reigning 50-over World Champions, but having been deprived of any meaningful practice in the build-up to this game, and even resorting to improvised net sessions under the grandstand, they were ready to accept any victory going.Only 24 hours earlier, the ICC had seriously been considering relocating this group to Antigua to avoid further washouts, but in the event the start of play was delayed by just 15 minutes after a heroic mopping-up effort from the groundstaff.Knight won the toss and chose to bowl first, with the boundary ropes brought in to the minimum legal requirement of 55 metres as part of the authorities’ bid to get this leg of their tournament up and running.Natalie Sciver sweeps through the leg side•Getty Images

And Knight’s decision was quickly vindicated as Bangladesh were reduced to 5 for 2 in their first five overs. Anya Shrubsole found some wicked late inswing to bowl Sultana for an eight-ball duck, before Sciver – slipping into the new-ball role vacated by the injured Katherine Brunt – found Fargana Hoque’s outside edge to give Jones an early catch, diving to her right.But, having stacked their side with three left-arm spinners – including two of the three debutants in Linsey Smith and Kirstie Gordon – England quickly chose to take pace off the ball, and Bangladesh responded with a block-or-slog response through the endeavours of Ayasha Rahman who, quite remarkably, would be the only Bangladesh batsman to make a single run in the first nine overs of the innings.A mow for six over backward square leg off Shrubsole was followed by a violent slog through the line as Gordon’s fourth ball as an England cricketer was deposited back over her head. However, Ayasha’s blood appeared to be pumping a touch too much when she sold her partner a massive dummy – leaving Nigar Sultana run out for the third duck of the innings – and she even appeared to strain her hamstring in the process of aborting a quick single into the covers.Undeterred, Ayasha continued to plant her front foot in a batting-by-numbers fashion, swiping Ecclestone for a third six over midwicket before hauling Gordon for four through square leg to move to 39 out of Bangladesh’s 12-over total of 42. But four balls later, she chanced her arm once too often to pick out Wyatt at cow corner and Gordon, the former Scotland international, was off the mark for her new country.Gordon added two more scalps in her final over, including a maiden catch at long-off for England’s third new girl, Sophia Dunkley, to finish with an impressive 3 for 16 in four overs. Bangladesh kept battling to the bitter end, with Jahanara Alam smashing Sophie Eccleston for the fourth six of the innings, but their total of 76 for 9 never seemed like being enough, even allowing for the conditions, and for England’s rusty response.