WCZ-Issue-6-Feb-2022-1.pdf - Women's CricZone

WOM

EN’S

WWW.WOMENSCRICZONE.COMISSUE 6 | 2022

KARUNYA KESHAV ON KARUNYA KESHAV ON JHULAN GOSWAMI’S JHULAN GOSWAMI’S ENDURING EXCELLENCEENDURING EXCELLENCE

THETHE

LAS T LAS TWALTZWALTZ

WONDER WOMENSHARDA UGRA CHARTS BANGLADESH’S DREAM RUN

WINDS OF CHANGEAHSAN IFTIKHAR NAGI ON BISMAH MAROOF’S COMEBACK POST MATERNITY

2 www.womenscriczone.com

www.womenscriczone.com 3



The last six months have been a busy period for women’s cricket, which featured a couple of historic Tests as well as the Ashes, World

Cup qualifiers and Commonwealth Games qualifiers. The Women’s Big Bash League also completed another season successfully. The next six months promise to be bigger and better with a packed slate of big-ticket events, starting with the World Cup, and followed later in the year by a historic first appearance at the Commonwealth Games.

We, at Women’s CricZone, have also had plenty to do, with the second season of the Elixir Honours being held successfully to reward the best performers in Indian as well as international cricket. Life has come a full circle for us too, as Women’s CricZone first started as a Twitter handle during the 2017 World Cup. While we have covered plenty of big tournaments in the past, the 2022 World Cup will be the first 50 over World Cup that we’ll provide extensive and complete coverage for, from start to finish, including live shows, analysis, player interviews and long-form features. We are also delighted to partner with Boria Majumdar’s new venture, RevSportz, for our exclusive coverage of the upcoming World Cup.

Back in 2017, there was a significant gap in the coverage of women’s cricket, with very little known about most

players in action. Over the past five years, we have aimed to bridge that gap by profiling numerous players from across the world as well as covering women’s cricket at all levels.

While we would like to think that we have done our bit in narrowing that gap significantly, there’s plenty more that needs to be done by all the stakeholders in the game. The level of play though, is more competitive than ever before and the upcoming World Cup in New Zealand promises to be a more closely contested tournament than any edition before.

It is perhaps fitting then that we feature Jhulan Goswami on our cover this time as she has represented the very best in women’s cricket over the better part of the last two decades. Goswami was there when India first made the World Cup final in 2005 and she will lead India’s attack again at the tournament’s 2022 edition in her fifth appearance at the event. Over the course of her long and illustrious career, Goswami has seen it all and marked herself out as one of the all-time greats. Even as she approaches 40, she remains at the top of her game.

Special thanks to Jhulan, the writers and all the other people who have contributed to this edition of the magazine with their valuable inputs. To my team, all the cricketers, mentors and sponsors, this is all because of you. Your support to Women’s CricZone and the women’s game is what keeps us going. [email protected]

@YvLahoti

Yash Lahoti

PUBLISHER’S NOTE



2022 seems to be shaping up as the year where women’s cricket will be front and centre of everyone’s attention with the ICC World Cup starting in New Zealand in March. That will be

followed by a historic first appearance at the Commonwealth Games in July in Birmingham, where eight teams will be in action.

The eleven previous editions of the Women’s Cricket World Cup have seen only three winners in England, Australia and New Zealand, but the upcoming World Cup promises to be a more competitive tournament than any of the previous editions. And so, it became natural for us to focus primarily on the World Cup and its contenders in this edition of the magazine.

Having come agonizingly close to winning the ultimate title in the last World Cup final at Lord’s in 2017, where India suffered a narrow nine-run loss against England, Jhulan Goswami, in all likelihood, will be having one final tilt at the marquee event. Her ultimate legacy might be the number of young people she has inspired to take up cricket and bowl fast in a country that has historically been known for its batters and spinners.

England, who scripted a remarkable comeback to snatch the win from under India’s nose in that final, would be looking to become the first team from the country to win the title at back-to-back editions under the able leadership of Heather Knight, who seems to be getting better with every passing year.

They will have to watch out for their arch rivals Australia though, who have been near invincible in the last four years, including a record 26-match winning streak that spanned over a period of four years. They convincingly defeated England in the Ashes and will start the World Cup as the resounding favourites inspite of

missing a few first-choice players through injury and fatigue.

No team has played as much cricket as South Africa in the last World Cup cycle, and they enter the tournament ranked second in the world, having won each of their last five series. Their impact, though, goes much beyond their achievements on the cricket field – they are their nation’s most diverse and successful women’s team.

The World Cup will also see Bismah Maroof return to action post her maternity break. She has been a catalyst for change and her decision to take a break made the Pakistan Cricket Board the first board in Asia to introduce a maternity clause in their contracts.

Hosts New Zealand will look to recreate their glorious run to the title in 2000, which was also the last time they hosted the event when they beat Australia in a nail-biting contest. They have not had the best of times in the last five years but the memories from 22 years ago will spur them in their quest for silverware.

Bangladesh have had a long and proud history and have played in ICC T20 World Cups before but this will mark the first appearance at the mega event for the cricket-crazy nation. They have had to surpass plenty of obstacles along the way but are finally where they rightfully belong.

Anisa Mohammed first played as a 15-year old for the West Indies almost two decades ago and will be appearing in her fifth ODI World Cup, becoming the first to achieve the feat for the team. From being the baby of the team to now being the go-to person for the youngsters in the team, her career has been nothing short of inspirational and there’s plenty more to come.

With so many intriguing storylines to follow, the much-awaited World Cup can’t come any sooner. Let the action begin! [email protected]

@mohit_shah17

Mohit Shah

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK


26WOMEN’S CRICZONE MAGAZINE

email: [email protected]: www.womenscriczone.com

PUBLISHERYash Lahoti

EDITORIAL

ASSOCIATE EDITORMohit Shah

CREATIVE DIRECTORJitendra Chillal

CONTRIBUTORS

Karunya KeshavVaneisa BakshKass Naidoo

Ahsan Iftikhar NagiSharda Ugra

Jeremy BlackmoreEstelle VasudevanShashank Kishore

John LeatherShajin Mohanan S

ILLUSTRATIONS, ART & GRAPHICSAyan Mukherjee

Sourav SinghAshwini Adole

Mohan Nag

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

05PUBLISHER’S NOTE- Yash Lahoti

07FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK- Mohit Shah

THE OPENER

10ANISA MOHAMMED: A LITTLE BOULDER- Vaneisa Baksh

18BISMAH MAROOF, A CATALYST FOR CHANGE - Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi

FROM THE ARCHIVES

24BEST OF WOMEN’S CRICZONE WEBSITE

COVER STORY

26THE LAST WALTZ- Karunya Keshav

NUMBERS GAME

36MORE CENTURIES, GREATER SPECIALISATION: WORLD CUP NUMBERS OVER THE YEARS- John Leather

BEYOND THE BOUNDARY

44NEW ZEALAND’S INCREDIBLE HOME RUN- Shashank Kishore

52START-STOP-RESTART: BANGLADESH’S BLOCKBUSTER ARRIVAL- Sharda Ugra

IN THE FRAME

58PHOTO SECTION

78

®


18

36OPINION

64WINNING, THE AUSTRALIAN WAY OF LIFE- Estelle Vasudevan

PERSPECTIVE

72THE GREAT SOUTH AFRICAN EXPECTATION

- Kass Naidoo

LOOKING AHEAD

78CAN HEATHER KNIGHT’S ENGLAND DO THE DOUBLE?- Jeremy Blackmore

SPECIAL

86LEADING LADIES

ROUND-UP

88THE WOMEN TO WATCH- Shajin Mohanan S

92AT A GLANCE: SERIES SUMMARIES

94TOP PERFORMERS: NUMBERS WRAP

SUPER OVER

96FACE TIME

97GUESS WHO

98MIXED UP


THE OPENER

A LITTLE BOULDER

Anisa Mohammed is the rock of West Indies cricket.

Vaneisa Baksh

In early January, when the schedule for the West Indies Women’s tour of South Africa was revised: removing the T20s, reducing ODIs to four, and pushing the date forward to

January 28, it was yet another episode of the unpredictability of cricket that has been capsized by Covid-19 interventions for two years.

The teams were using the competitions to prepare for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, scheduled for March 4 to April 3 in New Zealand. The WI coach, Courtney Walsh, hoped it would provide some final tuning for the WC, given that they had played “less cricket than anticipated” because the qualifiers in Zimbabwe had been cancelled.

It has been a turbulent time for cricketers globally—no form of the game has been left unscathed by the unrelenting swathe of the pandemic.

For Anisa Mohammed, who ended 2021 at No. 25 on the ICC’s bowling rankings and now holds the record for the most ODI and T20I wickets in West Indies history, having captured 299, with 174 in 136 ODIs and 125 in 117 T20Is, it has been a mixed bag.

“At the start of the pandemic in 2020, we had just returned home from Australia after playing in the T20 World Cup,” she said. The Trinidad and Tobago Government closed its borders just days after. “Thankfully we made it home in time.” With the country locked down, “I spent a lot of time at home with my close family and friends.” It was a welcome

Top: Anisa (extreme right) has been vice-captain of the team, and has also captained West Indies in Stafanie Taylor's absence. © ICC

chance to enjoy her domestic space, because her lifestyle has been dominated by the frequent travel associated with the game. “I think being home for that period was probably a blessing in disguise. I did a lot of physical training at home and via Zoom with the Trinidad and Tobago women’s cricket team. When borders reopened and we started training, we had to be in bubbles all the time. Mentally, this is very hard but I try to keep myself occupied.”

Keeping herself occupied is preferable for Anisa; since childhood she has been a busy bee. Her competitive nature drives her to constantly seek ways to improve herself. It was easier for her to adjust to hectic periods rather than suffering the dreariness of inertia.

“Before the series against Pakistan, our last series was in August 2020 against England. Following that, we had three training camps in Antigua. The third camp went on for over two months before the Pakistan encounter, so although there were a lot of lockdowns and postponements, we were still keeping busy with training.”

During the enforced isolation, she got around to finishing the home she had started building over five years ago. Although there is still work to be done, “a few outdoor things,” she moved into it in 2021. “Sangre Grande is still what I call home. Family is important to me, so I decided to stay close to everyone.”

It is not surprising that she names her mother, Leela Seebaran, as her idol. “My mother was my idol growing up. Still is. She


is a very strong woman who always puts her family first. No matter the situation, she always finds a way. She has a big heart and is always willing to help others.”

Anisa comes from a family of twins. She has a twin sister, Alisa, who represented Trinidad and Tobago at cricket until 2015, when she got married and chose a career

in teaching. Her twin brothers, Ashmeed and Ashmeer, were born in April 1996. Although her parents, Imtiaz Mohammed and Leela, have been separated for a decade, they remain a very close family.

Just as cricket brought her parents together, so it shaped all their lives.

“Cricket was and is in our family,” she’d

said when I had interviewed her in 2016, after the triumphant haul of World Cup victories for the men, women and U19 teams.

Her dad played hard ball, her mum, soft. “From as long as I know myself, we would always go to their games.” They would make off with one of the balls and play by themselves. Her parents lived in Sangre


THE OPENER


Grande, about three minutes apart. Her mother’s house was on a hill, overlooking the ground, and they met when her father was playing cricket.

Their love for the game enabled them to get past religious issues—her father is a Muslim, her mother a Hindu. It was never an issue within the household. Anisa follows Islam, but mainly in a private way. “I’m not a hijab-wearing one, not a mosque-attending one, but one who fasts and observes the rituals. I pray. I don’t go to mosque, but that’s mainly because of cricket. I used to go to maktab, but that is on a Sunday and that was cricket.”

Although cricket comes first, it does not mean she is not proud of her religion.

“A lot of people, when they see me, say they feel good to see a Muslim representing the country.”

It wasn’t just her family who were cricket-friendly; two of her cousins also represented TT, and with the clan living close to each other, “cricket was all the time,” but it was a community pastime.

“When we were growing up, all the young people would come outside and play football and cricket, and that’s where we got it from, playing football and cricket with the boys in the road.”

Anisa and Alisa wanted to play hardball, like their father, and he would give them shot practice.

“He used to hit the ball hard to us and say, ‘One day you all will remember daddy doing this for you’.”

The support was even greater when they reached club level. “They would put on the same tee-shirts that we would wear—my mum’s sisters and their husbands and sisters—and would come out and support; no matter where we were playing. And you want to play better, because your family is there and you want to make them proud, or you want to show that I could take the best catch on the day or I could make the most runs on the day.”

Bowling came later when the twins and their cousin tried out for a team. The coach would only let them use a soft ball. At the end of the session, perhaps tired of their constant badgering, he let her have a shy.

“I knew nothing about bowling, because with a soft ball, you pelt, and with a hard ball, you bowl. In terms of off-spin and leg-break, I didn’t know what I was doing. I was just bowling and getting the ball to turn.” The

Left: At the 2022 World Cup, Anisa will become thefirst player from the West Indies to play in five suchtournaments. © Cricket West Indies

Bottom: Anisa made her international debut in the World Cup qualifier against Japan in the Netherlands in 2003. © ICC

When we

were growing

up, all the

young people

would come

outside and

play football

and cricket,

and that’s

where we got it

from, playing

football and

cricket with

the boys in

the road.


THE OPENER

coach asked the 13-year-old if she knew what she was doing.

“Yeah,” she said. “I’m bowling and nobody can hit the ball.”

Born on September 7, 1988, she would make her international debut in the World Cup qualifier against Japan in the Netherlands in 2003, just two years after playing as a bowler. Anisa had once referred to Ann Brown-John, a former captain and now lead selector of the Women’s team, as her “cricket mother.” It is not surprising considering that Ann first came upon her when she was 13 and trying out for the Under 23 team. “She was sent in to bat and immediately played an immaculate cover drive. We all thought, we have a batter in the making. We did not know it was really a future world-class bowler we were watching,” Ann said. That same year, the little teen was also selected to the senior team.

“During those early days, there was not much money in women’s cricket and sometimes players had to do their own laundry. I remember the manager doing Anisa’s laundry for her because she seemed such a baby.”

“I was the coach at the time and I remember us commenting that although she only played one match, for such a young player, she was always on the ball. Before the umpire could finish signalling drinks break, she was already running out on the field with drinks and anything else that a player might have told her they needed,” said Ann. “She seemed happy to take care of her teammates and not sulk in any way because she was not playing. I have seen her develop into a senior player who still has that wish to take care of her teammates and in these latter years, the younger players always seek her out. She almost acts as a big sister to them.”

Ann is convinced that her record-breaking feats have come because she is focused, but keeps her feet on the ground. “She is a great student of the game, not only forever learning but always willing to impart knowledge to the younger ones.”

She’s always wanted to break records, and she has done that many times. At the 2022 World Cup, she will be the only player from West Indies to have played in five. She reached 100 wickets during the 2016 T20 World Cup, the first player from WI to do so. “I knew I was three wickets away from a

I knew

nothing about

bowling,

because with

a soft ball, you

pelt, and with

a hard ball,

you bowl. In

terms of off-spin

and leg-break,

I didn’t know

what I was

doing. I was

just bowling

and getting the

ball to turn.

hundred. But I thought it was just women, because when I checked the records, I just checked women. I was not thinking men, because they play so much more cricket than us.”

Cricket has come a long way from her primary school days, when her Standard Five teacher told her, “You ever see girls playing cricket? Girls don’t play cricket. Go back in class.” Former English captain, Claire Connor, now heads the MCC, and the term batter has replaced batsman.

Anisa has seen many changes in the cricket structure since she was the team baby. The women had just begun getting paid but were still part of the West Indies Women’s Cricket Federation (until 2008, when the ICC mandated integration). They became part of the West Indies Players’ Association, and now have contracts negotiated on their behalf. At 33, she is still taking wickets—she ended 2021 as the highest regional wicket-taker in ODIs: 20 wickets in 12 matches at 18 runs per wicket; and was named in ICC’s Women’s ODI Team of the year.

She has been vice-captain of the team, and in August 2021, was captain for four of the five ODIs against South Africa. While the results were dispiriting, it was another big accomplishment for her personally, and she was thankful for the opportunity. “It was disappointing to lose all four ODIs,” she said. “I think the batting failed us in that series. It’s very difficult to defend 150 runs in ODI cricket in these times. The game has gone past those small totals. Players were disappointed with the results,” she said, but they remained “very positive, as the main goal was the World Cup Qualifiers.” She has seen that batters around the world “are improving with more improvisation and shot-selection. As a bowler, you have to keep improving as well to stay on top of the game, so there is always something to work on.”

After the South Africa series, they had a successful tour of Pakistan, which boosted morale. “We were confident going into that tournament knowing that we had just defeated this team at home. We had to

Right: The 2016 World T20 win changed Anisa's life. © ICC



THE OPENER


spend the first few days getting used to the conditions. Cricket-wise, once you stick to the basics, you will do well. With surges in the pandemic all around, we had to be extra careful when travelling, which we all did and thankfully, we were all safe.”

As the team made its way to Barbados for a week-long camp before flying off to South Africa, and then New Zealand, under the leadership of Stafanie Taylor, Anisa (vice-captain) was upbeat. “Many people are not fortunate enough to even play in one World Cup,” she said. “I am really excited to have this opportunity to reach another milestone.”

Life had already changed for her since the televised 2016 World Cup. “A lot of people were able to see us win that World Cup. Since then, more people are aware of women’s cricket. People started recognizing me more when I am out in public and would come up to say hi and ask for photos or even just to say congratulations and keep up the good work. They are proud of me. Simple things like that are what gives me the motivation to keep going,” she said.

It also affected her plans for the future. She still sees herself in a coaching role. “I always enjoy coaching. I believe I have a lot of knowledge, skills and experience to pass on to the younger generation,” she said. But with the unpredictability of

the times, she is thinking of setting up a business for herself.

It’s a long way from the young girl who was stubbornly charting her course in a traditionally male environment. She’s built a career driven by that will to excel. How does she look back on those years?

“The one thing that has not changed about me is that I am still very competitive and want to win at everything I do. Being the baby on the team was fun because I got away with things that the senior players didn’t get away with, but now the tables have turned, and I am now the senior player.” It is a role she enjoys. “All the players have a lot of respect for me and are always willing to take advice. I have been playing for 18 years, so I have a lot of experience. It is always a nice feeling when I can help and guide the younger players.”

Vaneisa Baksh is a cricket historian based in Trinidad and Tobago

Top Right: Anisa Mohammed holds the record for the most ODI and T20I wickets in West Indies history. © ICC

Top Left: At 33, she is still taking wickets—she ended 2021 as the highest regional wicket-taker in ODIs. © ICC


THE OPENERTHE OPENER


A CATALYST FOR CHANGE

While the number of women athletes who have made a comeback to sports post childbirth remains low, Bismah Maroof ’s return sets a strong precedent for young girls

around the world.

Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi

Bismah Maroof has played in 10 World Cups across formats. But the upcoming Women’s World Cup will bring her a unique experience as she will board the

plane to New Zealand with her six-month-old daughter, Fatima.

“There are nerves and it feels like a debut,” chuckles the new mother.

The Pakistan captain’s last international appearance was in February 2020 during the T20 World Cup in Australia. When Pakistan returned to the international arena in January 2021 after the Covid-19 outbreak with their tour to South Africa, they had to do so without Bismah, who was on a maternity leave.

Bismah gave birth to Fatima in August 2021, and naturally, it has transformed her life.

She wakes up with her. Has breakfast with her. Prepares her meals while getting ready for training and hands her to her grandmother (Bismah’s mother) before leaving for practice.

“Fatima wakes up between 10-11am and I wake up with her. She is still on mother feed, so I have to be extra careful [about Fatima’s routine]. I keep a margin of an hour before my training in which I prepare her feeders and hand her over to her grandma.

Left: The PCB's maternity policy allowed Bismah to take a yearlong paid maternity leave. © ICC

“Around 2pm, I leave for training and 5pm is the deadline by which I have to be back home as that is when Fatima’s time begins. She gets really excited when she sees me. She is a great stress buster. You can say I have found entertainment in her. She is asleep by midnight, but wakes up at night a couple of times.

“Fatima is certainly the centre of my life. Even when I have to go out shopping or for any other thing, I have to be mindful; whether she is sleeping or awake; how much time do I have, should I take her with me. Since it’s winter now, will she feel cold if I take her along? There is a lot that I have to be careful about.”

Her passion for cricket, though, is still the same and having a supportive husband and family has eased her way back into the game.

“There is enormous passion for cricket in me. I am very passionate about serving my country, and that passion is there despite the birth of my child. Yes, I do understand that now I have to balance things and I am very glad to have a support system in my husband and my mother,” she says.

That she had the backing of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also comforted her that she could return to the game at her own pace. The PCB, in fact, became the first board in Asia to introduce a parental policy, allowing Bismah a yearlong paid maternity leave.

The policy also allows Bismah to have a support person to look after Fatima during the Women’s World Cup. “I received a lot of support from the board when I spoke to them


THE OPENER

We need to

push our

players

because

sometimes we

are happy to be

in our comfort

zones. It is

very important

to make the

girls believe

that they can

achieve the

things that

have not been

achieved

before.

about getting maternity leave. There was some uncertainty as this policy did not exist back then, but I spoke with David [Hemp, Pakistan women’s head coach] and we talked about how it is common in the West for women to make a return to sports after childbirth. The conversation with him helped and it broadened my perspective.

“I spoke with Urooj [Mumtaz, then head of PCB’s women’s cricket department], and she told me not to worry and take the time that I needed. When I got to know the PCB has announced a maternity policy, I felt relaxed. It gave me clarity that I can make a comeback in cricket and now I don’t have to worry about anything because I have the backing of my board.”

Bismah returned to training three months after childbirth with a special focus on fitness. “It was my utmost priority as I was returning to the game after more than a year. I knew I was going to catch up with the skill work. I started with body weights and bands and it has been a good journey so far.

“I have taken one-step at a time and not tried to push myself. I have to take things slowly and gradually after Fatima.”

While there remains a dearth of women athletes who have made a comeback to sports post childbirth, Bismah’s return sets a strong precedent for young girls around the world.

Is she a catalyst for change? “There will certainly be an impact,” she says. “Women do not continue careers after getting married. Even I was scared and unsure whether I could continue playing cricket. But my in-laws supported me. This goes out as a message to families and players that women can also have careers after marriage and motherhood. This is not something unusual.”

Bismah has been a mainstay in the Pakistan side since her debut in 2006 as a 15-year-old. Her compact technique and ability to deliver under pressure saw her make the cut for the 2009 World Cup, which was Pakistan’s first appearance at the tournament in 12 years. Since then, she has been a part of the Pakistan side for every World Cup – be it ODI or T20I.

She took over the reins of the T20I side after the 2016 World Cup and the ODI side after the 2017 World Cup and is the

Top: Bismah saw Pakistan through a tremendous transformation as a leader. © ICC

Top right: Bismah Maroof has played in 10 World Cups across formats. © ICC

Right: Bismah returned to training three months after childbirth with a special focus on fitness. © ICC


only ODI captain from Pakistan to boast a positive win/loss ratio. Under her leadership, Pakistan recorded historic victories, defeating New Zealand for the first time in ODIs. They also recorded their first whitewash against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, beat West Indies in an ODI series for the first time and tied a three-match ODI series against South Africa in South Africa.

Bismah saw Pakistan through a tremendous transformation as a leader. Within two years, the side, which lost all seven of their 2017 World Cup matches, broke into the top four of the eight-team ICC Women’s Championship table.

Pakistan emerged as strong contenders to secure automatic qualification for the forthcoming World Cup but the ICC’s decision to split the points for their series against India saw them finish on the fifth spot. This was, however, still a major boost for


THE OPENER

the side that had finished at the second-last spot (seventh) in the previous ICC Women’s Championship cycle.

“I have a very clear mindset that Pakistan should be in the top four and for that, we need to push our limits,” says Bismah about her captaincy mantra. “I tried to inculcate the culture of putting the team first and credit to the girls who bought into that philosophy and broke the barriers.

“We need to push our players because sometimes we are happy to be in our comfort zones. It is very important to make the girls believe that they can achieve the things that have not been achieved before.

A player

must know the

logic behind

playing on a

certain number.

If the player is

in doubt or has

a fear of failure,

she will not be

able to play

wholeheartedly.

You need to

give confidence

to players

to extract

performances

from them.

“We have taken the responsibility for Pakistan and we have to win. My emphasis has been that we have to deliver and we have to push our limits. There is no point of playing without a purpose. If we are not winning or improving, then what is the point of playing?

“My mindset has been to play for Pakistan and to win for Pakistan.”

Pakistan felt Bismah’s absence dearly in 2021 as they lost 10 of their 13 ODIs and slipped one spot to the eighth position in the team rankings. While Pakistan’s bowlers took 93 wickets – with only South Africa, and West Indies bowlers recording more scalps – at an average (26.47) better than New Zealand and India, it was their batters who failed to show up.

Pakistan’s batters (1-7) averaged only 23.73, which was the eighth worst amongst the 10 teams in the last calendar year.

Before the hiatus, Bismah had been a key batter for Pakistan. In the 2017-19 Women’s Championship cycle, the left-hander had the best average (37.25) amongst Pakistan’s batters and was the third highest run-getter from her side.

“I am a firm believer that role clarity is of utmost importance in batting,” she says, reflecting on 2021. “A player must know the


Top Left: Bismah's last international appearance was in February 2020 during the T20 World Cup in Australia. © ICC Top: Bismah has been a mainstay in the Pakistan side since her debut in 2006 as a 15-year-old. © ICC

Bottom Left: While there remains a dearth of women athletes who have made a comeback to sports post childbirth, Bismah’s return sets a strong precedent. © ICC

Bottom Right: Bismah's passion for cricket is unchanged after motherhood. © ICC

logic behind playing on a certain number. If the player is in doubt or has a fear of failure, she will not be able to play wholeheartedly. You need to give confidence to players to extract performances from them. To infuse stability in the side, you have to give players longer runs and back them. I felt we missed out on that and it reflected in the results.

“When I was leading the team, we were working on these aspects and we were getting the desired results. When I return, I have a plan to work on these things again.”

Before the World Cup, Pakistan’s probables competed in selection matches in Karachi. While these matches helped players push their case for berths in the national side, they provided Bismah much-needed match practice ahead of the crucial tournament.

She sat down for this interview before flying to Karachi. Talking about her return to cricket, she said, “I am eager to see how my cricket will pan out. There is a different level of excitement with Fatima in the picture

now. But I am grateful that I am returning to my passion once again.”

Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi is a media manager at the Pakistan Cricket Board. He has previously worked as a Pakistan Correspondent for Cricbuzz and multimedia journalist at Dawn.com. He tweets @ahsannagi


Best of WOMEN’S CRICZONE Website

Meet Yastika Bhatia, the karate kid who loves batting

S SudarshananIn 2008, a young kid walked

in at the Youth Service Centre, or YSC as it is popularly known, one of the oldest cricket clubs in Baroda. Lean build, short hair, and spunky, the kid was brought to Santosh Chaugule and the brief was: “Ek baar dekhna kaise bat karti hai. (Just take a look how she bats). She is a girl, not a boy.” Chaugule liked the first look of the batter. The eight-year-old Bhatia had made a good first impression.

Bhatia was a karate kid well before she was enrolled in cricket. A black belt in karate, she also played badminton and swam, all of which contributed to her fitness and stamina. “She played karate, so her fitness and flexibility were good,” Chaugule, Bhatia’s coach, tells Women’s CricZone. “As she progressed, she increased her fitness.” Bhatia was first selected for the Baroda Under-19 side in 2011 as a pure batter.

“The selectors told me they don’t have a wicket-keeper in Under-19,” Bhatia tells this portal. “So, I started wicket-keeping and I (always) loved batting. I had to work extra hard (at wicket-keeping) because I’m tall. I had to bend down to get to the ball. I have been focusing on my legs in gym workouts for that.”

‘I wasn’t sure if I really, really wanted to play for New Zealand again’

Gomesh ShanmugavelayuthamMackay was working as a

librarian, alongside which she was able to secure several commentary gigs. She knew her decision could potentially have a sizable impact on her income through the year, adding, “I have never had money as a motivator as a female cricketer. But, you do have to start thinking, you know, cricket is not

going to be my forever thing, and commentary might be the job I have the chance to do for the next 40 years.”

Thanking Carter for thetime and support to make her decision, Mackay took the opportunity to talk to family, friends, loved ones, and coaches. All the discussions led Mackay to one fundamental question: Why do you play the game?

“You play the game because you love it. You play the game because, as a 10-year-old, you fell in love with all the pieces of the game. If the 10-year-old you were standing here, and you had to tell them, ‘I have decided I don’t want to play for New Zealand,’ you know, that would be pretty disappointing. At the end of the day, it was a really easy decision, and maybe, a heart-based decision slightly over (the) head.”

Turning wounds into wisdom: How Divya Gnanananda found the confidence to unleash the beast within

Ananya Upendran“I left home to go into that

[bubble] and practice really hard. I had gone to the other side of Bangalore in order to just focus on my game. I had taken a separate house with my friends and we were practicing there.”

Within two weeks of her relocation, Divya was summoned home – her parents had both tested positive for COVID-19. Taking on the role of primary caregiver, cricket was pushed to the far corners of her mind. Her parents’ recovery was first on her priority list – she needed to help nurse them back to health.

“That period when I was at home was quite hard [for] me. I was the one doing all the roaming around – getting all the medical stuff and all that. Since I was in constant contact with my parents,

I didn’t want to go out also – that would mean I am putting other people at risk. I took the call to stay home, but it took a toll on me. Since I was home, not able to do too much, I also put on weight during that time… All the work I had done before that was almost gone. It was tough.”

Amy: The new Hunter in townShajin Mohanan S

Women’s cricket generally sees many teenagers make their way to the international arena. While many have impressed, and several have gone on to become legends in their own right, none reached the heights that Hunter did aged 16 years and 0 days. She had become the youngest centurion in ODIs, and the first woman to score a ton on her birthday.

How big an achievement was it? Hunter was about to find out. Accolades poured in from all over the world, even as the game petered to a finish with Zimbabwe falling well short and Ireland sealing the series 3-1.

“I found out about the record during the innings break but didn’t fully understand how big it was until after the game.”

Tahlia McGrath’s three acts

Kalyani MangaleIn an international career that

has so far lasted over 1700 days, McGrath has had the opportunity to take part in precisely 19 days of competitive cricket. Her chances have been limited, but when they have come, she’s taken them with both hands. While the likes of Mooney, Gardner, and even Rachael Haynes were an active part of the national setup before they became important, almost irreplaceable, members of the Australian squad, McGrath has had to take an alternative path.

The allrounder flourished in a strong domestic system, churning

out important performances for South Australia, Adelaide Strikers, and Australia A during her time away from the national side. By sheer weight of performance, she forced her way back into a unit teeming with talent. And when given a full series to make her mark, she came away with a Player of the Series award and has made herself irreplaceable.

Meghana Sabbineni: Indian Railways’ North Star

Ananya UpendranIn typical style, Meghana

collected her runs in an orthodox manner. There were no dinky shots. No cheeky paddles. No fine late cuts. She plonked her front foot forward and muscled the ball through the off-side.

Her power came to the fore when she hit down the ground – creating a solid base from which she swung. Her transfer of weight was beautiful, more so when she hit over the offside. She danced down the track, got down on one knee, extended her arms through the ball and held the pose as the ball flew over the in-field and towards the boundary.When she needed to up the ante, she knew where her boundary options were. She backed her strengths, and Odisha helped her by somewhat feeding them. She never let the pressure of a slower batting partner get to her, instead, she kept her tempo up and encouraged Parween to up hers as well. Meghana’s innings allowed Railways to seize control of the match early, and they never lost the upper hand.

The magic of Shikha PandeyAnanya Upendran

Although she didn’t pick up another wicket in the game, Pandey’s first spell set the cat amongst the pigeons as India, briefly, made their 118 for 9 appear like plenty more. The movement she was able to

THE OPENER


A selection of the best articles from www.womenscriczone.com

extract – cutting Meg Lanning in half, beating Beth Mooney on the outside edge – and the questions she continued to pose to the Australian batters made for great viewing. Her run-up was languid and her rhythm excellent. Struggling to hit the 110 kmph mark in England, Pandey almost effortlessly cranked up the pace to 119 kmph in Carrara; and along the way she didn’t just produce the “ball of the series”, but likely the “ball of the year”.

India might have conceded the match and hence the multi-format series, but that, as skipper Harmanpreet Kaur mentioned, was down to lack of runs on the board, rather than the seamers’ inability to close out the game.

But amidst the disappointment for India was a moment they will not forget anytime soon. Pandey’s ball to Healy, and her spell at large, was a timely reminder to those watching, and to herself that she has plenty left in the tank. There is magic in those deliveries yet. India would do well to remember that.

How the Southern Vipers “brought Rachael back home”

Jeremy Blackmore“There were a few tears as

we ran out there and they ran to me and they’re the moments…” Edwards’ voice tails off.

“They said we wanted to win this and bring Rachael back home. It’s all we talk about is bringing Rachael back home to the Ageas Bowl, so we’ve brought her home. To do it in the way we’ve done it, I think just shows what this team is about.”

While Edwards talks proudly about all her team, and it is clear that there is a tremendous bond between them, she also credits their success to a lot of hard work.

“We’re a close group and that’s one thing that gets us over the line, but we work incredibly hard. I’ve worked them hard. We talk, and we prepare really well, and we’ve got a game plan we all trust in 50 over cricket. I think we’re a very good 50 over team. I think we’ve got improvements to make in our T20 cricket but as a 50 over team goes, I’m really, really chuffed.”

India-Australia Pink-ball Test shows why women deserve better

Gomesh ShanmugavelayuthamThough the players shook

hands and walked off the field before the final hour of play on day four at the Carrara Oval, both India and Australia did their best to try and eke out a result in a match that saw almost 100 overs lost to rain. Both teams declared their innings on the final day, with India leaving the hosts an improbable 272 to win in the final session – a valiant attempt at providing the viewers with a memorable finish.

If anything, the pink-ball Test between India and Australia showed why women cricketers deserve five-day matches, better scheduling and most importantly, more Tests. Shortly after the match, England skipper Heather Knight and star batter Danielle Wyatt took to social media, wondering what could have happened had there been a fifth day. Earlier, in June, the Test match between India and England, too, ended in an exciting draw, with similar questions around the possibility of a result on a fictional day five.

Injury, milestones and a home World Cup: a sit-down with Suzie Bates

Ananya UpendranIt sort of gives me goosebumps

thinking about it. And as a group

of old players – the over 30s club that would have been young girls watching that game [back then] – I remember watching it on TV. [It was] the first time I had seen women’s cricket on TV. I had only ever seen the Black Caps, so, you know, I grew up wanting to be Nathan Astle. And then I saw the likes of Debbie Hockley, Rebecca Rolls, Emily Drumm playing on TV in a World Cup and then they won it at home…

That was probably the moment for me that I said I want to do that and be that. That’s the opportunity we now have to inspire other females in New Zealand and to do the same, and that is pretty special really. It’s sort of come full circle and now that I’m at the end of my career, having that opportunity to inspire young girls is what it’s all about.

What they talk about when they talk about team selection?

Shajin Mohanan SDid anyone speak to Raut

about the concerns regarding her strike rate? Has anyone told Rodrigues that you have to feature in the domestic one-day competition to be eligible for selection?

What were the yardsticks for batters? What’s recent form? Which matches count and which don’t? When’s the world going to end? We can add more questions for we don’t talk about selection when we talk about selection.

Fans, followers, well-wishers, and supporters of the game sometimes feel those in power are answerable to them. That may not be true always, but one can only hope the Rauts, the Rodrigues’, the Pandeys have been spoken to and told what they are expected to do – whether to improve the strike rate or their consistency – and where they are at this stage

in terms of the plans the team management has for them. One will also hope that the Yastikas, the Singhs and the Thakurs are also told what is expected out of them and that a middling World Cup at the start of their career won’t be the end for them.

Laura Delany and Ireland’s quest to become an ODI side to be reckoned with

Shajin Mohanan SThe progress might have been

slow, but a definite change has been in place with the introduction of contracts and the results are there to see, especially in the T20I format, where Ireland have put up some impressive performances in recent times.

After beating Scotland and Netherlands at home, Ireland travelled to Spain to feature in the T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier, where they finished second behind Scotland and now stand a chance to progress into the Global Qualifier if other results go their way.

“I think given the way the teams and the rankings have worked out, we should still qualify. It’s not the way that we would have liked to have qualified, but I suppose our main focus at the moment is qualifying for the ICC Championship,” Delany said at the time. “We’re just focusing on this ODI format and putting our best foot forward and giving ourselves every opportunity to qualify for the ICC Championship.”

There might have been some debates about the way Ireland qualified for the ODI Championship. But Delany and Co. will be hoping to show the world they deserve their place and game time when they take the field for their first match in the next cycle.


COVER STORY


THE LAST WALTZ

In a few months, Jhulan Goswami may or may not have that trophy she so much yearns for. She may or may not continue to play international cricket. But her work and that of her contemporaries has

ensured the women’s game in India has got this far.

Karunya Keshav

Ahead of the 2000 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand, Jhulan Goswami was left disappointed. Three years before, she had been a ball

girl as Belinda Clark lifted the trophy for Australia and took a triumphant lap around a pulsating Eden Gardens. That day had sparked in young Jhulan a dream to play cricket for her country and one day parade the trophy herself. But it wasn’t to be at the 2000 World Cup. Goswami made it to the pre-World Cup camp; but, only 17 then, she was seen as “too young” and named on the list of stand-bys instead.

Now, 22 years later, as the World Cup returns to New Zealand, Goswami is a well-travelled 39-year-old legend of the game. And she’s giving that unrealised World Cup dream one last shot.

In the intervening two decades, much has changed. When she first started, all Goswami wanted was that one international wicket. Just something to show that she belonged at that level. She now has more wickets in ODIs than any other woman. Her

Left: Goswami's longevity and her importance have brought to focus how the team have been unable to nurture anyone to be the Goswami of the future. © Women's CricZone

kit bag is now heavier: One pair of spikes has ballooned to seven and a single pair of training shoes no longer has to last a full tour, she travels with at least four. She bats in a helmet. Her ankles need more strapping; the back takes a little longer to recover. Where the 2000 World Cup team was picked by the perpetually bootstrapped Women’s Cricket Association of India, the sport now has the resources of the mighty BCCI.

“Those days, Jhulan was very raw! She only knew to go to the nets and bowl over and over,” Goswami remembers that time in the 2000s. “That was my role. Every day, every senior batter used to come and say, ‘Can you bowl to me?’ And they used to bat on and on. As a young kid, I cannot say no to them. So I used to bowl and bowl!

“And preparation — we didn’t know the meaning!” she says. “Those days, preparation meant you went to the ground, the trainer used to tell us to go do running. The more you ran, the fitter you were considered. You had to run 10-15 laps. If you were able to do that, you were seen as fit.

“Now, the concept is different. It’s about dieting, sleeping patterns, hours of working, recovery process, how quickly you recover, lots of scientific things are involved.”

In this sunset of her career, the pandemic has forced new routines and a new layer onto the mental armour. “Lots of small-small elements” — water bottles in backpacks, makeshift dumbbells — “become your best


COVER STORY

friends, your best buddies. You become a more creative person.

“I’m mentally stronger … I hardly used to read books, so I started. I wasn’t comfortable with social media, that also I’ve learnt in this time. I was not fond of watching web-series, that too has become a stress buster. Doing training alone, motivating yourself is challenging. But I enjoy this, this is something new.”

So why does she do it? Goswami offers up the question and answer herself. Much

Top: After 20 years, Goswami’s her own best diagnostician. © Women's CricZone

Right: There’s no doubting Goswami’s hunger to win. And she’s still one of India’s main match-winners. © Women's CricZone

has changed, but she just wants to play.“My passion has remained the same. Day

by day, it’s getting involved more,” she insists. “I enjoy getting the vibe of a match, putting my bags aside overnight, settling down, I enjoy that nervousness. The mind is always active, you’re not able to sleep, I enjoy that.

“And the feeling before bowling the first ball — that is the best thing!”

What she’s too bashful to say: Even touching 40, she’s at the top of her game.

The postcard moment of India’s tour of


Whatever

people say, I

will remain

the same. My

job is to go

there and bowl

the first over.

That pressure

started in 2002,

when I played

the first match

for India, and

even now that

job remains

the same.

Australia in 2021 came when Goswami gave India victory in the third ODI at Mackay to end Australia’s incredible streak of 26 wins in a row. Having taken 3/37 to help keep the hosts to 264/9, she punched a boundary down the ground to complete the chase in the last over and, ever the competitor, punched her fists in the air.

It confirmed a couple of realities: There’s no doubting Goswami’s hunger to win. And she’s still one of India’s main match-winners.

When she saw Sophie Molineux, the left-arm spinner, take the final over, she knew with all her experience what to do. “When I saw mid-off is up, long-on is behind, I said, ‘I’m not going to try anything different, I’ll go with the spin and play straight. If it doesn’t go to the boundary, I will at least get two runs.’”

Two days before, the mind had been

similarly ticking, but with ball in hand, she hadn’t been able to take her team over the line. In that second ODI, Australia had fought back to need 13 off the last over. Of course, Goswami was handed the ball. At the top of her mark, she knew what she had to do. Pull yourself together, calm yourself. Either you’re going to bowl a yorker or you’re not going to bowl a yorker. There’s no fifty-fifty. But, in those conditions, she struggled for control.

“The ball was slipping. The area where I was landing my front foot was also slippery,” she says. “Honestly speaking, in the 20 years of my career, I’ve never played in that kind of situation, it was a huge learning experience. We’ve played a lot of cricket in dew situations back home, [especially] in eastern India, in the early morning, the grounds are wet. But this amount of dew, I had never seen that. It


COVER STORY

Every day,

every senior

batter used to

come and say,

‘Can you bowl

to me?’ And

they used to bat

on and on. As

a young kid,

I cannot say

no to them. So

I used to bowl

and bowl!

was like rain! … But no excuse. As a bowler, it was my job to finish that game, and we were not able to do that in that situation.”

The pain of the loss rankles. But she finds satisfaction in making amends in the next game. And it validates her decision to keep going for one more series, one more trophy.

When Goswami bowled her heart out at Lord’s in a 2017 World Cup final that India should have won, it seemed as if it might be the last we saw of this great competitor. The World Cup dream threatened to be unmet. Indeed, she did give up the T20 format a year later. But five years later, here she is, still going for another shot at history.

“I did not plan [to be here],” she says. “I just took it series by series. If you saw my graph then, a little injury concern was there, I was getting freak injuries, I was missing matches, I was not able to complete an entire series. Then I realised it’s important to break down your workload, and to pick and choose … That’s why I gave up T20. I said let me concentrate on ODIs. At the same time, I was able to take care of my body, my diet, my training process.

“I didn’t plan for a year also. If I did well in a series, in terms of fitness, if I was injury free, then I would plan for my next series.”

The one thing she focused on was rhythm. To her, rhythm makes or breaks a performance.

“I hardly spend time on the technical part of bowling,” she explains. “I focus on fitness and the process, how good your rhythm is and how you enjoy your performance. When you start enjoying your bowling, enjoying your rhythm, your performance will come.”

If her mind and body isn’t fully in sync, if her balance is off, if her stride length is uneven, if the legs aren’t in the perfect cartwheel, if the “nano-points” that matter aren’t coming together, she knows she has reason to worry. But after 20 years, she’s her own best diagnostician.

“I rarely watch my bowling,” she says. “I know I have done a lot of mistakes and I can easily figure out what I’m not doing. One-odd day, I do watch a video of that day’s run up maybe. But I hardly take video from the nets too.”

In 2021, she was pleased with the rhythm she got. Such was her form that she reclaimed the No.1 spot on the ICC rankings after that Australia series. With 15 wickets in 10 ODIs, she was India’s leading wicket-taker of the year.

But, to say that about a 39-year-old while going into a World Cup is perhaps a double-edged sword.

Goswami is a match-winner for India. But her longevity and her importance have brought to focus how the team have


Left: When Goswami bowled her heart out at Lord’s in a 2017 World Cup final that India should have won, it seemed as if it might be the last we saw of this great competitor. © Women's CricZone

Top: Now, 22 years later, as the World Cup returns to New Zealand, Goswami is a well-travelled 39-year-old legend of the game. © ICC

might have named the Goswami-Shikha Pandey combination as potentially the most fearsome new-ball pair in Tests, but India’s selectors don’t share her faith in Pandey, who found herself summarily dropped. Over the past few years, the management have stated their ambition to find tall/fast/swing bowlers to support Goswami, but few candidates have been given a long run, and fewer still have delivered consistently.

This is perhaps the irony of the Goswami legacy: She has inspired countless girls in India, especially from the smaller towns, to run in and bowl fast, to bowl their hearts out. But the bar is set so high that few can make the leap.

The story, meanwhile, of a girl from Chakdaha, who took the 5:05am train to come into practice at Kolkata and spent at least five hours a day on that commute to pursue a cricket dream, continues to inspire. On the day the Indian squad for the World Cup was announced, Netflix dropped, with much fanfare, a teaser for Chakda ‘Xpress,

a film based on Goswami’s life. Anushka Sharma, who stars as the cricketer, promised a “dramatic retelling of several instances that shaped [Goswami’s] life” and “an eye-opener into the world of women’s cricket”. The clip attracted some pointed remarks for Bollywood’s unfailing embrace of brown face and bad accents. But pre-emptive criticism aside, as far as star power and platform goes, this was one of the biggest ever offered for Indian women’s cricket, and one worthy of this legend.

So much of Goswami’s career has unfolded away from the cameras. There is the Lanning wicket from the 2017 semi-final — a top batter of her generation sent packing for a duck by a beauty clipping top of off — which gets better with each viewing. But there’s precious little of Goswami’s highlights from before 2017 lurking on YouTube. Even her record-breaking 181st ODI wicket in South Africa, which made her the all-time leading wicket-taker in the format, wasn’t broadcast, so there’s no

been unable to nurture anyone to be the Goswami of the future. They’ve not always found the bowlers to back her in the present, either. In the last two years, the veteran had almost double the wickets of India’s next-best bowler: left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who took eight wickets in seven matches.

Going into the World Cup, India’s pace attack apart from its leader is an unknown. The three other pace bowlers have a combined experience of 13 ODIs and five wickets. Australia’s Alyssa Healy


COVER STORY


visual recording of it. Which means the film dramatisation could dominate how we remember Goswami.

Goswami, though, isn’t thinking about her legacy right now. She shrugs off any suggestion of stardom (or lack thereof). About the film, she’s particularly reticent (“Chhod do yaar”). She would much rather concentrate on the task at hand: dealing first with quarantine and then quickly getting used to the windy conditions in New Zealand.

“Whatever people say, I will remain the same. My job is to go there and bowl the first over. That pressure started in 2002, when I played the first match for India, and now that I’m going to play in this World Cup also, that job remains the same. I have to deal with that.

“What people say, what people think, what way people will put you in stories” — she shrugs — “you have to switch off from everything. Your job is that 22 yards.”

Which isn’t to say she’s not involved at all in the future of Indian cricket. One of the most immediate and exciting aspects of Goswami’s legacy is the revival of Bengal cricket.

In the early days of the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia, the pace bowler was invited to join one of the teams. But,

following chats with officials, she came to understand that she would be able to contribute more by staying and playing in India. She put her heart into building the Bengal team, sharing her ideas, fighting for the players, making sure they got all they deserved and preparing for their future.

“When I was younger, I used to have time only for myself,” she says. “I used to just go there, bowl, enjoy my life. But now, things have changed. Now, I have to come back after bowling and do a lot of work for the team.”

In the early days of organised women’s cricket in India, the Bengal team were the domestic powerhouses. In the 1970s and 80s, Eden Gardens used to be packed when it hosted women’s matches. But they hadn’t won the senior women’s title since 1983. That changed in 2018-19, when they beat Andhra in

Top Right: In this sunset of her career, the pandemic has forced new routines and a new layer onto Goswami's mental armour. © Women's CricZone

Left: When she first started, all Goswami wanted was that one international wicket. © ICC


COVER STORY

the final to lift the trophy. In the semi-final, they ended Railways’ hold over the competition.

“It was one of my dreams to win a trophy for Bengal,” Goswami’s face lights up. “Playing against [Railways in the semi-final] was a huge experience for my girls.” (The use of the possessive slips in.) “I told them, just go there and enjoy. That was a big thing for all of us. Winning the trophy was one of my dreams, and to do it after 35 years — I have to give credit to the support staff and the CAB [Cricket Association of Bengal]. They organise pre-season camps, tournaments …

“I can go on and on! That’s one thing that’s very close to my heart. That was an absolutely joyful and satisfying thing.”

According to Goswami, to do well as a bowler, apart from having an ability to consistently hit top of off, you must have a big heart. And that she has in spades. In a few months, she may or may not have that

trophy she so much yearns for. She may or may not continue to play international cricket. But her work and that of her contemporaries has ensured the women’s game in India has got this far. That a girl somewhere will want to wake up much too early in the morning, and go bowl fast. And that, more than any trophy, will be the enduring legacy of Jhulan Goswami.

Karunya Keshav is a cricket journalist and co-author of The Fire Burns Blue – a history of women’s cricket in India. She tweets @kuks.

Right: Even touching 40, Goswami’s at the top of her game. © Women's CricZone

Bottom: Goswami has inspired countless girls in India, especially from the smaller towns, to run in and bowl fast. © Women's CricZone



NUMBERS GAME

MORE CENTURIES,GREATER SPECIALISATION:

WORLD CUP NUMBERS OVERTHE YEARS

The 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup looks set to continue recent and historic statistical trends in breaking new ground as women’s cricket

evolves at a rapid pace.

John Leather

A Following a pandemic-induced delay by a year, the twelfth edition of the Women’s Cricket World Cup gets underway on 4th March,

when hosts New Zealand face the West Indies at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui.

The 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup looks set to continue recent and historic statistical trends in breaking new ground as women’s cricket evolves at a rapid pace. The previous edition of the tournament, in England in 2017, was hailed as a landmark

in many ways that can best be appreciated by examining developments at the World Cup, and in the women’s game as a whole, through the decades.

The first five Women’s World Cups were played as 60-over a side contests. The first two consisted of a single round-robin league stage, with the first-place finisher declared World Champion. The third edition, in New Zealand in 1982, was the first to be decided with a final. The 1997 tournament was the first to switch to the now familiar 50-over format, and the first to feature a full knock-

out stage, rather than just a final.From a statistical standpoint, those first

five tournaments from 1973-1993 were quite similar. Most World Cups in the 60-over era broadly conformed to the average rates for the era of 2.6 runs per over, with wickets falling once every 43 balls for a cost of 19 runs. Average 1st innings totals for 1973-1993 were 161, and boundaries constituted just under 3% of deliveries. An average of over 8,000 balls were delivered between each six during the 60-over World Cups.

The exception in some areas was the 1988

WORLD CUP TEAMS MAT RPW BPW RUN RATE AVE 1ST AVE WIN 1ST W BAT 1ST W CHASE T IED NR ABN

1973 7 2 1 18 . 59 42 . 34 2 .63 152 .9 198 . 3 10 9 0 1 1

1978 4 6 17. 74 39 .9 1 2 .6 7 132 . 3 1 7 7.0 2 4 0 0 0

1982 5 3 1 18 . 78 43 . 39 2 .60 16 1 . 8 189 . 1 18 1 1 2 0 0

1988 5 22 23 .00 50 .4 3 2 . 74 186 .9 229 . 2 13 9 0 0 0

1993 8 29 17.69 41 . 30 2 . 5 7 149 . 1 19 1 . 5 16 13 0 0 0

1997 1 1 33 20 .4 1 33 . 74 3 .63 195 .8 26 1 . 2 18 1 1 1 0 3

2000 8 3 1 2 2 . 73 39 .52 3 .45 176 .0 2 16 . 1 1 7 14 0 0 0

2005 8 3 1 20 .52 36 . 70 3 . 35 156 .6 209 .5 10 13 0 4 4

2009 8 25 2 1 . 54 36 .00 3 .59 179 . 3 2 28 .0 13 12 0 0 0

2013 8 25 23 .94 33 .58 4 . 28 209 .4 244 .5 14 1 1 0 0 0

2017 8 3 1 29 . 19 37. 34 4 .69 22 7. 7 265 .9 17 13 0 0 1


This: There were record, or equal record World Cup partnerships for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th and 10th wickets at the 2017 World Cup. © ICC


NUMBERS GAME

Bottom: Nat Sciver was one of two no. 5 batters to make a century at the 2017 World Cup. © ICC

Bottom Right: The last World Cup saw a record seventy 50+ scores overall (the previous most had been forty-four). © ICC

edition held in Australia. The collective runs per wicket of 23.00 was the highest for any Women’s World Cup until 2013, and 1988 and had the highest run-rate among the 60-over World Cups (2.74 rpo). 1988 was the first tournament to feature average 1st innings totals in excess of 180, and average winning 1st innings totals of more than 200. The 60 over era, from 1973-1993, featured ten totals of 250+ runs, five of which were made at the 1988 World Cup.

Those figures, along with being the first Women’s World Cup at which five centuries were made, clearly made 1988 a batters’ tournament, but perhaps not in the way that would be expected today. The batting in the tournament was characterised by an unusually low boundary rate (1.9%, the lowest at any World Cup) and highly productive running between wickets. This was the first World Cup to feature a run-rate from non-boundary balls (or non-boundary run-rate: NBRR) of greater than two runs per over (2.32 rpo).

1988 also broke new ground on a broadcast front, with the decider at the Melbourne Cricket Ground becoming the first televised Women’s World Cup final. In 1993, the tournament expanded to eight teams, with a televised final once again, this time the first show-piece women’s final to be staged at Lord’s. It would be the next phase however, leading up to the 1997 World Cup and beyond, that would see the first major

advances to the on-field game toward its present form.

In the 1973-1993 period that comprised the 60-over era, there were 187 women’s one-day internationals overall, and 51 women’s Test matches. While there were clearly far more ODI fixtures, this amounted to a near identical number of days of cricket played in the two international formats during that time (187 ODI, 181 Test).

In the period after the 1993 World Cup, when 50 over matches became standard for women’s ODIs, there have been over one thousand matches in the format, compared with just 47 women’s Tests. By the time the 2022 World Cup begins, there will have been 1,056 days of women’s ODI cricket and 188 days of Test cricket in the 50-over era.

This change in emphasis also started to be reflected at the domestic level. The last national multi-day women’s domestic tournament in England was played in 1991, and the longest format had wound down at the top level in Australia by 1995. By the time of the 1997 World Cup, the 50-over one-day format had become the dominant form around the world for women’s domestic cricket.

As well as being the first 50-over edition of the tournament, 1997 remains the largest Women’s World Cup in terms of both the number of participating teams (11), and the number of fixtures (33). Every tournament since has featured eight teams.

The difference in the type of cricket played between the 60-over and 50-over eras is immediately apparent from a glance at the numbers. The overall run-rate at 1997 World Cup (3.63 rpo) was almost a full run per over higher than any previous edition, while the average 1st innings total (195.8) edged toward the 200 mark.

1997 was the first Women’s World Cup to feature totals of 300 and 400 runs. The first totals of such magnitude in any women’s ODI had been made earlier in the same year. The boundary rate of 4.4% was also a new high, while the non-boundary run-rate was a record 2.67 rpo. This NBRR wouldn’t be bettered at any subsequent Women’s World Cup until 2017. A record six centuries from five different players, including Belinda Clark’s world record 229*, exemplified the greater heights being reached in the newly condensed format.

This style of ODI cricket would remain the norm for the next few cycles, with run rate-


rates and average 1st innings totals continuing within a similar range. Six-hitting gradually became more common. Increased boundary rates and strike rates when compared with the 60-over era, were reflected in the greater regularity of individual batting milestones.

In the early years, ‘Women’s World Cups’ and ‘women’s ODIs’ broadly meant the same thing (there were just two bilateral series outside the three World Cups in the first decade of women’s ODI cricket), but the progression of the game, and World Cups themselves, are best understood when examined in the context of the format and women’s cricket as a whole.

One of the most significant steps for the women’s game occurred between the 2000 and 2005 ODI World Cups, though its effects would not be fully realised until a couple of cycles later. In 2004, the first Twenty20 international match was played, between England and New Zealand women at Hove (site of the historic first women’s ODI at the 1973 World Cup). Over one thousand matches in the T20I format have been played since then. The eight teams contesting the 2022 World Cup have played a combined total of more than 600 as of January 2022.

The 2005 World Cup would be the last to be administered by the International Women's Cricket Council, which would

shortly merge with the ICC. The ICC era brought with it a commercial heft that would soon contribute to transformation of the game, though it also sidelined women administrators, and coincided with a virtual halt to regular women's Test cricket. The last multi-match women’s Test series was played in 2006, and the number of participants has dwindled to a handful, with the format only recently showing signs of potential regrowth.

With women’s cricket now almost exclusively focused on limited overs formats, and professionalism on the horizon, Women’s World Cups, and the limited overs game as a whole, were about to be carried to new heights.

Shortly after the Women’s ODI World Cup of the same year, the first Women’s World T20 was played in 2009, followed by four further editions between 2010-2016. These sandwiched the 2013 ODI World Cup, giving a generation of players unprecedented levels of experience of major events in a short space of time. ICC broadcast deals saw increasing numbers of televised games, with players becoming accustomed to performing under the pressure of greater media coverage and scrutiny.

While boundary rates had been on the increase in the previous tournament (there were three times as many sixes hit in 2009 than in 2005), the 2013 tournament in India

From a

statistical

standpoint,

those first five

tournaments

from 1973-1993

were quite

similar. Most

World Cups

in the 60-over

era broadly

conformed to

the average

rates for the

era of 2.6 runs

per over, with

wickets falling

once every 43

balls for a cost

of 19 runs.


NUMBERS GAME

was the first truly ‘post-T20’ Women’s ODI World Cup. For the first time, the average run-rate (4.28) exceeded four runs per over, and average 1st innings totals broke the 200 barrier. The tournament featured a record number of 250+ totals (8), scored by a record number of teams (6), and obliterated previous marks for centuries (11), and sixes hit (67) at a single World Cup.

More change was on the way. Following their 2013 World Cup win, Australia were awarded improved national contracts. England would respond in 2014, with their first generation of centrally contracted players. The

*incomplete data available for two matches in 1988 and 1997. Boundary rates exclude incomplete innings.

Women's World Cup batting stats by year

rest of the decade saw increased remuneration and nationally contracted players become more common around the globe.

This period also coincided with a rejuvenation of the Women’s Ashes. The launch of the first multi-format series in 2013 shone a further spotlight on women’s cricket outside World Cups, raising the profile of bilateral women’s international cricket.

The ODI portion of the 2013/14 Ashes marked the start of the ICC Women’s Championship. This provided both a structured qualifying route and a vital series of mandatory fixtures to lower-ranked

WORLD CUP MAT 100S 50S SIXES

INNS / 100+

INNS /50+

BOUND-ARY%

SIX /MAT NBRR

1973 20 4 15 1 84 .5 1 7. 8 3 .4 0 .05 1 . 88

1978 6 0 5 1 - 19 .8 3 . 7 0 . 1 7 1 . 84

1982 3 1 2 3 1 2 2 7 7. 5 16 .8 3 . 2 0 .06 1 . 89

1988 22 5 2 1 1 * 72 . 2 13 . 9 1 . 9 0 .05 2 . 32

1993 29 5 20 3 100 .6 20 . 1 2 .6 0 . 10 1 . 99

1997 30 6 27 5* 84 . 3 15 . 3 4 .4 0 . 1 7 2 .6 7

2000 3 1 6 37 8 86 . 3 12 .0 5 . 2 0 . 26 2 . 3 1

2005 27 3 2 7 15 14 4 .0 14 .4 3 .8 0 . 56 2 . 52

2009 25 3 29 47 148 .0 13 . 9 5 .4 1 . 88 2 . 39

2013 25 11 33 67 42.1 10.5 8.7 2.68 2.33

2017 30 14 56 111 37.2 7.4 8.8 3.70 2.75

In 2004, the

first Twenty20

international

match was

played,

between

England and

New Zealand

women at

Hove (site of

the historic

first women’s

ODI at the

1973 World

Cup). Over

one thousand

matches

in the T20I

format have

been played

since then.


Left: Tournament favourites, Australia, currently average over 40 runs more than any other side in the 1st innings heading into World Cup 2022. © ICC

Top: In 2017, the final was played at the Lord's Cricket Ground. © ICC

Bottom: Harmanpreet Kaur hit seven sixes in her 171* at the 2017 World Cup. © ICC

DECADE TEST ODI T20 I TOTAL

1930S 7 - - 7

1940S 5 - - 5

1950S 12 - - 12

1960S 1 7 - - 1 7

1970S 24 3 1 - 55

1980S 2 1 96 - 1 1 7

1990S 24 180 - 204

2000S 2 2 414 50 486

2010S 8 456 7 73 1237

2020S 2 54 194 250

OVERALL 142 123 1 10 17 2390

Women's international matches by decade

nations between tournaments. For the first time, teams such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan were guaranteed bilateral match experience against the likes of England and Australia between World Cup appearances. While the top-ranked nations were not necessarily playing any more than before, the overall number of women’s international matches was exploding. South Africa’s 58 ODI matches between the 2013 and 2017 World Cups were the most ever played by a women’s ODI nation between tournaments.

Women’s domestic cricket was also transformed. In 2015, Australia launched

the Women’s Big Bash League, which was followed by England’s Kia Super League in 2016. These tournaments provided further opportunities for their domestic players and the best internationals to gain high-quality match experience.

By the time of the 2017 World Cup in England, a perfect storm had contributed to women’s limited overs cricket’s exponential rise. A combination of factors, including but not limited to, an increase in high quality match experience, mastery of shorter formats, increased professionalism and the greater emphasis on preparation, strength and conditioning, quality of playing facilities and surfaces, modern equipment and shorter boundaries, all set the stage for a record-breaking tournament.

One example among many. At the

previous Women’s World Cups held in England, in 1973 and 1993, matches were mostly played at a variety of county out-grounds or club grounds.

The run-rate of 4.69 rpo in 2017 improved on 2013 by nearly 10%, while the average runs per wicket increased by over 20% to 29.19. Average 1st innings totals leapt


NUMBERS GAME

WORLD CUP CYCLE MAT RPW BPW RUN RATE AVE 1ST INNS AVE WINNING 1ST INNS

1973-1978 28 19 . 1 7 42 .45 2 . 7 1 147.3 191.3

1978-1982 33 19 . 25 43 .87 2 .63 161.8 189.1

1982-1988 59 22 .9 1 46 .07 2 .98 179.0 209.0

1988-1993 66 18 .84 41 .63 2 . 7 2 153.6 181.8

1993-1997 84 2 1 .4 3 36 . 74 3 . 50 183.6 226.0

1997-2000 91 2 1 . 94 38 . 35 3 .4 3 175.0 218.2

2000-2005 175 2 1 . 16 36 .5 1 3 .48 174.5 211.6

2005-2009 170 23 .9 1 36 .88 3 .89 195.1 231.3

2009-20 13 165 22 .93 34 .47 3 .99 190.6 226.4

20 13-20 17 2 13 25 .4 4 36 .58 4 . 1 7 202.9 241.2

2017-2022 146 26.88 35.89 4.49 218.2 268.9

Team M W L T NR W/L Bat Ave RR HS Ave 1st Bowl ave ER Wkt/inn

Aus t ra l ia 27 25 2 0 0 12.500 42.58 5.53 332 288.1 21.05 4.31 9.2

Sou th A f r i ca 36 23 10 2 1 2.300 30.67 4.38 270 204.8 24.44 4.11 7.6

England 35 20 14 0 1 1.428 30.00 4.93 347 241.7 24.30 4.36 8.0

India 32 16 16 0 0 1.000 30.70 4.48 302 208.9 29.01 4.48 6.9

Bangladesh 9 3 6 0 0 0.500 15.92 3.27 211 108.7 26.29 4.45 6.6

West Indies 31 9 20 1 1 0.450 21.92 3.91 292 192.7 31.18 4.64 6.5

New Zealand 32 9 23 0 0 0.391 22.65 4.48 310 209.3 32.46 4.88 6.6

Pakistan 30 7 21 1 1 0.333 20.53 3.97 265 173.4 28.88 4.56 6.9

Overall 26.92 4.47 347 215.4 26.92 4.47 7.3

to 227.7, and winning totals to 265.9. The non-boundary run-rate was the highest for any edition, and the record boundary rate of 8.8% was now double that of the first 50-over World Cup, twenty years before.

Fifteen totals of 250 or more, almost doubled the record tally from 2013. There were fourteen centuries among what were also a record seventy 50+ scores overall (the previous most had been forty-four).

There were record, or equal record World Cup partnerships for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th and 10th wickets. Finalists England and India both finished the tournament with centuries from four different players, another new World Cup record.

Five of the ten highest individual scores in tournament history were made at the 2017 edition. New individual women’s ODI records were set at #3 (Chamari Athapaththu 178*), #4 (Harmanpreet Kaur 171*), #5 (Natalie Sciver 129) and #6 (Alex Blackwell 90). Sciver was one of two #5 batters to make a century at the 2017 World Cup (the other was Deandra Dottin, a day earlier). There had only been two previous centuries made from #5 in the history of women’s ODIs.

Kaur’s seven sixes during her 171* would have equalled the innings record for a women’s ODI before the World Cup, but only ended up as joint-second for the tournament. Sophie Devine hit nine during a 41-ball 93, which was one of four individual innings in 2017 to feature more sixes than had been struck in total at any pre-2000s World Cup. The 111 sixes overall for the tournament, soared beyond 2013’s already impressive numbers.

While the tournament is well remembered for taking batting to new heights, it also featured notable individual bowling performances. Anya Shrubsole’s match-turning spell of 5-11 in 19 balls during the final was the first instance of a bowler being recorded taking five wickets at the death in a women’s ODI. Five hauls of five wickets or more was a new tournament record, and thirteen hauls of four wickets or more were the joint-most at a Women’s World Cup.

These follow a trend in the last decade or so, of more frequent individual bowling hauls of this kind. This may indicate greater specialisation in a game that has been traditionally renowned as all-rounder heavy.

These breath-taking on-field performances were able to have a wide-ranging impact due to one of the most important statistics of the tournament. For the first time at a Women’s

Women's ODI run-rates and totals by World Cup cycle

Women's ODI win/loss record since the 2017 World Cup


Top Right: The ICC Women's Championship ensured that teams such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan were guaranteed bilateral match experience against the likes of England and Australia. © ICC

Top Left: Five of the ten highest individual scores in tournament history were made at the 2017 edition.© ICC

WORLD CUP CYCLE MAT RPW BPW RUN RATE AVE 1ST INNS AVE WINNING 1ST INNS

1973-1978 29 13 15 0 1 1.154

1978-1982 33 18 13 2 0 0.722

1982-1988 59 31 2 7 0 1 0.871

1988-1993 66 36 29 0 1 0.806

1993-1997 84 45 36 1 2 0.800

1997-2000 91 47 44 0 0 0.936

2000 -2005 175 88 81 0 6 0.920

2005-2009 170 88 7 7 0 5 0.875

2009 -20 13 165 7 1 86 1 7 1.211

20 13 -20 17 2 13 99 109 1 4 1.101

2017-2022 146 64 78 2 2 1.219

POST COVID 51 16 34 1 0 2.125

World Cup, every match was televised. Two T20 World Cups broadcast in their entirety have followed in the years since. A marked shift has also been seen outside of ICC events. Whether televised or livestreamed, just seventeen of all the bilateral women’s ODIs played since the 2017 World Cup have gone un-broadcast, marking a sea change in comparison with previous eras. Every match in the format since May 2019 has been visually broadcast in some form.

At the domestic level, recent seasons of competitions such as The Hundred, the WBBL and the New Zealand Super Smash have been fully televised, and livestreaming has become the norm for a significant proportion of domestic matches across full member nations. This means players are more accustomed than ever before to the pressure of performing in the media spotlight, and teams have never had a better opportunity to prepare and make plans for their opposition.

Just as the broadcast situation has built on foundations seen in 2017, scoring rates continue to rise. The average winning 1st innings total since the 2017 World Cup has been 268.9, compared with 241.2 in the 2013-17 cycle (an increase of 11.5%). The only time there has been a greater increase in the average winning total from one Women’s World Cup cycle to the next, was between 1988-1993 and 1993-1997, when the format changed from 60 to 50 overs a side. Tournament favourites, Australia, currently average 288 in the 1st innings, over 40 runs more than any other side heading into World Cup 2022.

With run-rates, totals, batting averages, century-making, six-hitting and

Women's ODI wins by World Cup cycle

non-boundary run-rates all in advance of the previous cycle, there’s every chance that 2022 will improve upon many of the numbers produced in 2017.

A general trend in the last three World Cup cycles has been a winning record for chasing sides compared with those batting first. The win/loss ratio of 1.219 to 1 since 2017 is the most favourable for chasing sides during any World Cup cycle. In matches since the 2017 edition played between the A general trend in the last three World Cup cycles has been a winning record for chasing sides compared with those

batting first. The win/loss ratio of 1.219 to 1 since 2017 is the most favourable for chasing sides during any World Cup cycle. In matches since the 2017 edition played between the eight teams that will contest the upcoming World Cup, the chasing side has a win/loss ratio of 1.333 to 1.

This overall trend wasn’t however reflected at either the 2013 or 2017 World Cups. Just two of eleven World Cups have featured more wins for chasing sides than those batting first. It is perhaps worth noting though, that chasing sides have won 34 and lost just 16 of the women’s ODIs played since the resumption of international cricket after the outbreak of COVID-19. This gives a remarkable post-COVID win/loss ratio of 2.125 to 1 in favour of chasing teams.

John Leather lives in the UK and watches too much cricket. He tweets @_hypocaust.


BEYOND THE BOUNDARY

NEW ZEALAND’SINCREDIBLE HOME RUN

The team’s stunning run to the title on home soil in 2000 inspired a whole generation of

cricketers.

Shashank Kishore

At a meeting in 1998, the International Women’s Cricket Council (IWCC) members, largely a passionate group of volunteers who

worked at day jobs, deliberated on many things. The top priority was to forecast the expenditure for the 2000 Women’s World Cup that was to be played in New Zealand.

The 1997 edition, held in India, had been a logistical nightmare. Infrastructure at certain venues was so poor that the teams struggled to get the best out of their training sessions. On one of the match days, the England players joined the ground staff to clear up water that had inundated the outfield at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad. Trays of coal and sponge were among several home-like remedies used.

Clearly, the IWCC was looking to avoid a repeat of what many described as a “nightmare”. But there was one problem. They were in debt by US$ 6000. They

Right: Anna O'Leary scored a half century in New Zealand's emphatic semi-final win against India.© Women's CricZone

needed multiple sponsors to come on board to ease the financial burden, and until January 2000, they hadn’t signed a single one of them. Then, when hopes were starting to fade, Cricinfo got on board to take the naming rights, along with worldwide coverage rights.

It was a happy marriage between the organisation’s marketing team and IWCC. One leveraged their brand presence across the cricket globe, the other was relieved at the infusion of funds that would ensure they could at least deliver the tournament without any hiccups. The rider, though, was that they had to downsize.

Teams had to fly economy class, hotels weren’t of the five-star luxury. The players were put up at campus accommodation in Lincoln University, just outside Christchurch. Multiple venues were out of question due to spiralling costs. Finally, Bert Sutcliffe Oval and Hagley Oval, separated by a 20km distance, were finalised as the venues. The dressing rooms were basic, but comfortable. The buses ferrying the players weren’t luxury coaches. What they did get, though, were top-notch training and ground facilities. Despite the limitations, there was a sense of gratitude among the players that the tournament was at least off the ground.



BEYOND THE BOUNDARY

Left:New Zealand's ultimate cricketing glory came at the home World Cup in 2000.© Women's CricZone

Right: When Cathryn Fitzpatrick was dismissed, Australia were in plenty of trouble with only one wicket left in the final.© Women's CricZone

As the tournament got underway, results became predictable. As such, it was an eight-team event. Two of the teams being Ireland and Netherlands, whose resources then were a shade of what they’re used to today, despite fund crunch, player attrition and limited infrastructure. But IWCC went out of their way to market the event. For two weeks leading into the event, Christchurch was decked with hoardings at roundabouts, there were print ads and giant-sized cardboards welcoming fans.

When the tournament began, the local government even encouraged fans to visit venues and watch players train in a bid to popularise the event. Yet, it needed

a blockbuster to liven up the tournament. And that epic clash came in the grand finale between hosts New Zealand and Australia. This was as big, if not bigger, than any Ashes contest or India vs. Pakistan clashes.

In the tournament opener, three weeks prior to the final on December 23, Australia had made light work of New Zealand’s 166. But the hosts peaked gradually, and were revving up like a Hayabusa by the time the finals came around. A thrashing of India by nine-wickets in the semi-final laid down a marker of sorts.

In downtown Auckland, a 12-year-old by the name of Katie Perkins stormed out of her house to quickly find a way to her


grandparents’ house. She wasn’t going to miss the final for the world. “The World Cup final was broadcast on paid television, which my family didn’t have,” she says. “So, we went around to my grandparents who had Sky TV to watch the final there. I sat down on the floor in front of the TV and remember the tension and excitement as the White Ferns defended an ‘under-par’ total.”

So what happened? New Zealand’s Emily Drumm won the toss and elected to bat. New Zealand fared only marginally better than they did in their opening game, huffing and puffing to 184. “Prior to taking the field, we all realised that we were short of our intended target and that it would take a very, very special effort in the field to win this match,” Katrina Keenan recalls. “Still, having said this, we knew that there were runs on the board and if we could make early inroads into the Australian top order, we could have a chance.”

That is exactly what New Zealand did as Australia were reduced to 2 for 2 with Lisa Keightley and Karen Rolton gone. Belinda

Clark was the form batter, and couldn’t have asked for a better occasion to make a splash, but all she saw was wickets tumbling. At 115 for 6, it was New Zealand’s game to lose.

Clark wasn’t giving up and continued to defy the attack and brought Australia to within 35 runs of victory until she played one sweep too many. After missing the ball completely, she heard the death rattle. Gone. Delirium. The fans in the grass banks roar. New Zealand’s dressing room can’t contain their elation. The late Martin Crowe booms, “this could be the defining moment” on the live broadcast. Finger nails are being bitten. Toes crossed. Bums are on seats in nervousness. But the real drama was yet to come.

Was Cathryn Fitzpatrick out? The ball had slipped down leg, and brushed the leg stump as the keeper collected the ball. The bails fell off belatedly, even though it didn’t seem that way at first. Australia were nine down. Then last batter Avril Fahey and Charmaine Mason eked out runs to take the game into the final over. Australia needed five runs. New Zealand one wicket.

Someone had

to push me

to move from

there and

join the team

celebration.

Those last few

moments in the

dressing room

were really

special. The joy

of winning a

World Cup and

celebrating

it with your

mates was an

unbelievable

feeling.


BEYOND THE BOUNDARY

“It was a nerve-racking experience. Defending five off the last over with one wicket in hand, a million thoughts went through my mind,” Debbie Hockley remembered years later as I jogged her memory back to the moment. “I thought, ‘Oh dear, I can't take a third successive loss in a World Cup final.’ It was also to be my last game, so those final moments were emotional too. I knew I wouldn't return to the field. But here, I couldn't let fear dictate me.

“I had positioned myself at long-off with fans screaming into my ear. Fortunately, we got a wicket off the first ball, I don't think I would have been able to hold my nerve

I had a terrible

game [out for

a duck], so

to come back

seven years

later and lead

the side in such

a close match

and win, it

doesn’t get any

better than

that. That was

my gold medal

moment.

Left: Spectators watch the Women's Cricket World Cup Final between Australia and New Zealand in India in 1997, another match where New Zealand were second best.© Women's CricZone

Right: Belinda Clark brought Australia to within 35 runs of victory until she played one sweep too many.© Women's CricZone

for one more delivery beyond that. There was a manic celebration around me, but all I remember was sitting right where I was fielding for a good two or three minutes with my head down, eyes closed and just soaking it all in.

“Someone had to push me to move from there and join the team celebration. Those last few moments in the dressing room were really special. The joy of winning a World Cup and celebrating it with your mates, many of whom have been an integral part of your journey, was an unbelievable feeling.”

It felt like New Zealand’s public had won. The country was in a celebratory mood. The entire squad was hosted by the New Zealand board for a special dinner party that evening. Young boys and girls in the aftermath of the win, took to the field, like in the olden days in England. They stomped over the pitch, danced, played, swayed and grooved.

Over in Wellington, Ivan Tissera, who had just moved over from Sri Lanka to play cricket and coach, couldn’t make sense of what was happening. He noticed young girls and boys coming over to the academy with bats, asking to be enrolled. Today, Tissera is part of the Wellington Blaze’s set-up. They are a



BEYOND THE BOUNDARY


successful team that has won four of the last five Super Smash crowns. One of his wards, Amelia Kerr, who he first saw as a skinny nine-year old, bowling ripping googlies thanks to her flexible wrists, will feature in the 2022 edition. Even after all these years, Tissera isn’t sure how rugby-loving New Zealand rallied around cricket.

For Perkins, who is now a cop in Auckland, working with young people who get into low-level crimes - underage drinking, shoplifting, running away from home - that moment fuelled her dream to strive that much harder to play for the White Ferns. She admits to having been inspired by a number of life events in this time but none bigger than that glorious December afternoon in 2000.

“Emily Drumm was one of the stars, especially as the captain of the side,” she says. “It was a privilege to then have so many of those players weave their way in and out of my career from that time onwards as well, in particular, those who went on to coach me for a period of time, including Drummy, Haidee Tiffen, Katrina Keenan and Rebecca Rolls. Having the heroes you look up to then also become part of your own cricketing journey is special.”

As successful as Drumm was, she is the first to admit that this nearly didn’t play out the way it did. Eleven months before the World Cup triumph, Drumm considered quitting captaincy after a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Australia. It needed someone of Lesley Murdoch’s calibre - the double-international and then selector - to give her a vote of confidence. “She backed me,” Drumm says. “She said, ‘Pick yourself up, you’ve got a good team and we have a home tournament’.” Drumm stayed on and it ended in her ultimate crowning glory - the World Cup crown.Twenty-two years later, as New Zealand gears up to host another World Cup, Drumm is far away from the cricketing radar. Now a mother of two, Drumm has a full-time job in the service industry. But it’s hard for her to not look back on the happenings of 2000 with

Left: New Zealand suffered a heavy defeat againstEngland in the 1993 World Cup final.© Women's CricZone

fondness. The sport had given her a shot at redemption a full seven years after she sat in the Lord’s balcony sobbing inconsolably.

“I had a terrible game [out for a duck], so to come back seven years later and lead the side in such a close match and win, it doesn’t get any better than that. That was my gold medal moment, my Mount Everest moment.”

The game had reached a take-off point in the country. And while interest spiralled, a limited financial bucket and talent pool didn’t allow state associations to invest the kind of money they would have liked. Perkins was one of those who came through despite these limitations, by sheer hard work and willpower to balance her career outside of cricket.

“Unfortunately, back in the early 2000s, it felt like New Zealand Cricket missed an opportunity to really push and promote the women’s game on the back of that World Cup victory,” she says. “As the years went by, we saw the likes of England and Australia invest heavily into their women’s programmes and as their players became more and more professional (in the financial sense), the White Ferns continued to be amateur and a gap began to appear.

“New Zealand Cricket have done a lot in the last decade in terms of investment in women’s cricket, but it has been a matter of playing ‘catch up’ to the larger nations. In saying all of that, New Zealand have always punched above their weight and will always bring a professional attitude to their cricket, even if being full-time professionals has only started to become a reality in the last few years.”

As they gear up for 2022, they are now beginning to dream again. New Zealand carry with them the reputation of being bridesmaids at world events. Forever strong on paper, but suffer from stage fright when it matters most. The absence of long, managed isolation protocols in a covid world, an exhaustive preparation leading into the tournament and a set of young and hungry players ready to take on the world is their hope. If, like the Drumm and the Hockleys and Tiffens, they manage to pull off the impossible, they would’ve spurred another revolution in the country.

Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. He has covered women's cricket since 2012.


BEYOND THE BOUNDARY

START-STOP-RESTART:BANGLADESH’S

BLOCKBUSTER ARRIVAL

Bangladesh’s women are not at the edge of any kind of precipice. Where they are at

today, is the entrance of a threshold.

Sharda Ugra

There is no mistaking the excitement in Nigar Sultana’s voice. It’s the night before the Bangladesh women leave for the World Cup. Bangladesh

are the only debutants there and she knows. How much is on the line and what teeters on an edge. In Bangladesh cricket tradition, her lyrical name has been supplanted by an affectionate nickname and she stands on no formality, “Na, na, you can call me Joty.”

Joty is an outlier for “the Tigresses”, debutant at 18, captain at 24, now leading three former captains, a chatty, confident representative of a younger clutch of Bangladesh women. “This is the moment, this is our chance. If we can do well in the World Cup, we can show the cricket board that women’s cricket is going very well and they must give us more attention.” Quickly, she clarifies, “They already gave a lot of things… because we don’t have any sponsorships or any other money, the BCB takes care of us very well.” At this point, she is being tactful but it must be noted that, since 2011, the BCB has put its leading women cricketers on contracts. Today, there are 23 on retainer, the cream among them in New Zealand. “We have a lot of senior players that have played for many years but they did not get a chance to play in a World Cup. This is the time.”

Bangladesh’s entry into the World Cup was a circumnavigation. The November World Cup qualifier, Joty’s first event as captain, was suspended due to Covid restrictions on travel around Africa. Bangladesh led their group after wins over

Right: Nigar Sultana is an outlier for “the Tigresses”, debutant at 18, captain at 24 and now leading three former captains. © ICC

Pakistan and USA, but lost to Thailand on D/L. The September ODI rankings were used to settle qualification and Bangladesh squeezed through, ahead of Ireland and Sri Lanka, despite having played only four ODIs after the 2020 T20 World Cup.

Their World Cup debut – March 5, Dunedin vs. South Africa – will be only their fifth ODI match in just under two years. There’s more - since the beginning of 2019, Bangladesh have played the fewest ODIs - 6 - amongst the World Cup 2022 teams. No one is breaking a sweat though. Former captain, leg-spinning all-rounder Rumana Ahmed, says she’s played plenty of ODIs in her career, as have the bulk of the squad, between them, 330 ODIs. Devika Palshikaar, former India batter and assistant coach with the Bangladesh women until March 2020, says the format suits the Bangladesh women. “They adapt well in 50-over cricket, better than T20 because of a very good domestic cricket pattern, they play a lot of 50 overs in their club cricket.”

Wait. Bangladesh women play regular club cricket? With a sustained calendar? Before the pandemic, the answer to that was yes. Like with the celebrated men’s club league, women’s club teams also invite players from overseas like Sri Lanka, Nepal



BEYOND THE BOUNDARY

This is the

moment, this

is our chance.

If we can do

well in the

World Cup, we

can show the

cricket board

that women’s

cricket is going

very well and

they must

give us more

attention.

and the UAE to compete, Palshikaar says. Not the Indian women though, because while a handful play in T20 franchise cricket, this is 50-over club cricket and those rules become different. Whatever.

When former India cricketer Mamatha Maben took over as Bangladesh women’s head coach as part of their push for ODI status (2010-2011), she found them ahead of their Indian counterparts in two aspects: the first was being contracted, the second was the presence of a BCB women’s wing. These were not random acts of chance. There had been women in Bangladesh cricket long before the ICC takeover, long before the internet.

The short life of the Sisters Union

Google informs that the Bangladesh women’s team played its first international match against Thailand in 2007, the year zero of their formal engagement with the cricket world. But young women in Bangladesh - mostly high school and university students - had engaged with the sport from the 1980s onwards. Their story is told by Monowar Anis Khan, a member of the first team to represent her country, in a recently-released Bangla book called Meyerao Pare (Girls Can Do It Too).

Khan is called Minu Apa, you’re told, and her experiences reveal the start-stop-restart rhythm of Bangladesh women’s cricket. In

1982, she was one of 45-odd players who attended the Bangladesh National Sports Association’s first-ever cricket camp for women. Three months later, an exhibition match followed with much fanfare, sports minister in attendance, “and then we became nobodies again,” Minu Apa says. Their coach, Syed Altaf Husain, then told “a few of us addicted with the game” to turn up for training alongside his first-division league boys at a ground adjacent to Dhaka’s famous Abahani Club. In March 1983, a team out of this group of cricket addicts became the first women’s team from Bangladesh, who travelled to Calcutta for a short tour. Abahani Krida Chakra played against West Bengal Women’s XI at the Eden Gardens and never forgot. Two years later, the West Bengal women turned up in Dhaka for a return fixture and Minu Apa & mates, who had stuck on with the game despite general disinterest around them, put up a team. “We called ourselves Sisters Union, a few of us from the original batch, some from another club.” The Women’s Sports Complex Ground was the venue where the Bengal women won both their matches. Minu Apa says, “They encouraged us a lot, they said, ‘you can do it, you must carry on’.”

There was to be no carrying on, as following the 1986 ascendancy of General Ershad to the presidency, outdoor sport for women was suspended. The Sisters Union


Left: Monowar Anis Khan, a member of the first team to represent Bangladesh, recently released a Bangla book called Meyerao Pare. © Monowar Anis Khan

Top: Bangladesh qualified for the World Cup 2022 on the basis of their world ranking. © ICC

played, like the rest of her teammates, with brothers, cousins, neighbourhood boys – “it was street cricket and I was the only girl.” She says, “When I first understood cricket, I knew our girls were not playing at that time. But when I finished my SSC, my brother told me, our country’s girls are playing, if you want you can go and practice.” From that day to this one, Rumana’s mother has disapproved of her cricket as being against the deeply-rooted grain of a woman’s life. This is a player who has captained Bangladesh, taken 100 international wickets, has been Player of the Match in her team’s biggest victory, spending a decade plus in the game. “I’m not saying, ‘I don’t care what she thinks but I just love cricket lots’,” she laughs.

The ICC’s takeover of the women’s game in 2005, led to a shakeup of its sleeping quarters. In 2006-2007, Minu Apa formed part of the BCB’s women’s committee and its first women’s wing. “Our road as players was closed. We re-started as organisers, but knew it was going to be short term.” In a brief 15-16 months, there was a focus

on schools’ cricket and divisional cricket and holding tournaments around it, plus a third tournament, which Minu Apa calls a “khichdi” event - featuring women’s teams from around the country. This is what surrounded Year Zero and the first international match against Thailand and the ACC event in Malaysia.

When the Sisters Union gen term ended, the new committee focused on district cricket over schools and divisions. “Many schools were interested but the new committee believed that people from the city wouldn’t continue, it was a waste of money and we should include the girls from the 65 districts. Which is also good for getting new players, but to stop the schools…”

Start-stop-restart

This zig-zag course for Bangladesh women’s cricket was later defined by two key moments, both with Indian intervention: the first, coach Maben’s short stint in

retreated into their interior lives for an entire decade. In the mid-1990s, a change in government led to the resurrection of women’s cricket at Dhaka’s Dhanmondi Women’s Sports complex with a few training sessions and courses. In a few years, though, girls heading into teenage were stepping out onto parks and grounds, sparked, like boys, by their national team’s victory over Pakistan at the 1999 World Cup.

Particularly in Khulna, Bangladesh’s third-largest city, home to a trio of champions, captains all – Salma Khatun, Jahanara Alam and Rumana Ahmed. Rumana remembers 1999, “I went crazy about that match”. She


BEYOND THE BOUNDARY

2011 for ODI status, the second, which is harked upon like an anthem, the Asia Cup victory of 2018. After 2018, Rumana says, “Everything changed. Before that, there was not a single ground for us for practice. Star Sports played the match on live TV, which is why our country’s people saw that match and supported us, they saw we had improved a lot.”

When Maben came to Bangladesh, she knew she was dealing with players who had fundamental skills and were athletically fit – “80-90 percent of them could do 100 sit ups, 40-50 push ups, much better than we were then” – but needed work on their match awareness in 50-over games – strike rotation, finding gaps and pacing an innings.

In the case of the 2018 Asia Cup, former India captain Anju Jain took over as head coach, 10 days before the event. Her deputy, Palshikaar, by then, had already spent a few months in the job towards the end of David Capel’s tenure, touring South Africa with the team. Palshikaar sensed she had to be a bridge between coach and players as two-hour meetings in English with an unfamiliar accent didn’t quite work.

Jain found herself with little room for error at the Asia Cup. After a disastrous opening game – Bangladesh were all out for

63 against Sri Lanka – “we said we cannot work this way” and stepped in, helped by Palshikaar’s inputs about the skill sets and combinations at hand. “The players were not rigid, very supportive, so we first made changes in the batting order.” Joty came up to No. 4 from No.6, the bowling began with a pace-spin mix, lower order hitters were pushed higher. Once Bangladesh got on a roll, they beat Malaysia, Thailand, Pakistan and India, twice, in the group stage and the final.

The victory gave Jain and Palshikaar the chance to dive into Bangladesh women’s cricket. Camps were held to look for new players from the provinces and younger players were encouraged to get into leadership roles. In her first few months, Jain and team dealt with a pool of 18-20 players in the run up to the 2018 World T20 in the West Indies. Post the camp, the pool of 20 grew to 45 players, throwing up a raft of talent.

The lack of competition for spots, both due to a deference for experience and a reluctance to throw young talent into the deep end was visible. “It’s not only about experience, it’s about getting utility players in the team, you have to have a good combination, a balanced side.” What the women also lacked, Jain says, was “enough

games at the competitive levels” and she pushed for age-group tournaments, A-series, emerging tours, alongside providing new inputs into training, recovery and diet.

Jain’s two-year tenure was crammed with 11 T20I series - including the 2018 and 2020 World Cups - of which the team won seven, and two ODI events, one win and one draw. At the T20 World Cup, when Bangladesh walked out to play Australia for the first time in any format, Jain saw them relaxed, confident - just like she’d said to them, equals on the field. “When you see that as a coach,” she said, “you feel maybe you’ve done something.”

It was to remain unfinished business. Bangladesh lost all its four matches at the World T20, Covid hit hard, and while some in the BCB were keen for Jain & team to continue, that conversation dried out quickly. Jain is now coaching in New Jersey, and still in touch with a few players. The most common thing said to her: “when are you coming back?”

After the Asia Cup victory, previously unconcerned entities had sought a slice of the women’s success. The team’s T20 World Cup manager in Australia tried opening up parallel coaching and communication channels before he was caught by the ICC and then cast out by the BCB.


Left: In March 1983, a team from Bangladesh travelled to Calcutta for a short tour and played against West Bengal Women’s XI.© Monowar Anis Khan

Right: Former captain, leg-spinning all-rounder Rumana Ahmed, thinks Bangladesh will be a big team soon. © ICC

Under any other situation, this could be the start-stop-re-start-stop moment for the Bangladesh women. Except this is the World Cup and they refuse to be stopped or rendered invisible. When Joty talks about ‘more attention’, perhaps what she means is opportunity. Game time. After gaining ODI status, the women had gone a decade without playing 50-over cricket against Australia, New Zealand, England and the West Indies.

Joty says, “We are equal in skill, we have potential, but they are playing many games, have more international experience, which we don’t have. We have played for many years but don’t get much opportunity to show ourselves, to be prepared and take control in international matches.” Getting onto the FTP cycle means more matches, she says. More matches mean more players, which means more activity around the women’s game.

Both Joty and Rumana dream of Bangladesh moving towards contention. For Rumana, the World Cup means, “We have a platform… I want our team to be No. 4 or 5. Because our girls are very talented, very good. We will be a big team very soon.”

Never mind New Zealand 2022, Joty wants the long term to be about a place in the top four – “because it will change the atmosphere of Bangladesh cricket – if we could play more internationals, the game will open up for our players.”

A metaphor used earlier needs correcting. Bangladesh’s women are not at the edge of any kind of precipice. Where they are at today, is the entrance of a threshold.

Sharda Ugra is an independent sports writer based in Bangalore.

68 www.womenscriczone.com68 www.womenscriczone.com

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1) England captain Rachael Heyhoe-Flint lifts the World Cup after her team won the inaugural edition in 1973. © Women’s CricZone

2) Belinda Clark (holding stump) leads the lap of honour after Australia’s win at the 1997 World Cup in India. © Women’s CricZone

3) Australia’s Sharon Tredrea bowls at the 1973 World Cup.© Women’s CricZone

4) Australia won a record-sixth World Cup title in 2013.© Women’s CricZone

5) India defeated New Zealand in the semi-final in 2005 to make their first final appearance at

the tournament. © Women’s CricZone

6) England’s Jo Chamberlain (L) and captain Karen Smithies (R) kiss the trophy after beating New Zealand in the 1993 final. © Women’s CricZone

7) Clea Smith of Australia (L) plays cards with teammate Lisa Sthalekar and India’s Nooshin Al-Khadeer at the 2005 World Cup.© Women’s CricZone

8) Ellyse Perry bowled a sensational spell after braving injury in the 2013 World Cup final.© Women’s CricZone

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9) Jan Brittin was a key part of the England team which won in 1993.© Women’s CricZone

10) Laura Wolvaardt was one of the breakout starts at the 2017 World Cup. © ICC

11) Isa Guha opened the bowling for England in the 2009 World Cup final. © Women’s CricZone

12) Ellyse Perry made her first ODI World Cup appearance in 2009. © Women’s CricZone

13) Tammy Beaumont was the Player of the Tournament at the 2017 World Cup.© ICC

14) England’s wicketkeeper Jane Cassar effects a stumping during the 2000 World Cup in New Zealand. © Women’s CricZone

15) Mithali Raj was India’s leading run-getter at the 2005 World Cup. © Women’s CricZone

16) Deepti Sharma’s all-round contributions saw India make their second appearance in the final of the tournament in 2017. © ICC

17) Anya Shrubsole was second on the wicket-takers list in 2013.© Women’s CricZone

18) Tremayne Smartt grimaces after suffering an injury in the 2013 World Cup final. © Women’s CricZone

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19) Australia pose after successfully completing a hat-trick of World Cup titles in 1988.© Women’s CricZone

20) New Zealand were one of the five teams to take part in the World Cup in 1982.© Women’s CricZone

21) Australia won the title again in 2005 after not losing a single match at the tournament.© Women’s CricZone

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22) The Trinidad and Tobago pose at the Heathrow Airport in 1973.© Women’s CricZone

23) After a 16-year wait, England won the World Cup again in 2009.© Women’s CricZone

24) Australia won their first title at the tournament in 1978.© Women’s CricZone

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OPINION

It is no longer about a star player or two, without whom they would fall apart, but a team that believes it can win from anywhere and that anyone can take

them to a win.

Thirty-one, that’s the number of ODIs the Australian Women’s Cricket team have won since the 2017 World Cup. You know how

many they’ve lost? TWO. Dominant, elite, untouchable… all words that have been used to describe Australian cricket teams over the course of history. And there have been many such teams, both male and female, over the years, but none more dominant, elite, untouchable than Meg Lanning’s Australia.

Since the 22nd of October 2017, Australia have been the closest thing to invincible on

the cricketing field, not surrendering a single series and losing matches only to England and India, those too in keenly contested affairs.

To win more than 90 percent of your games is something, but to sustain that across 4 years, playing against your closest rivals, that’s something else.

How did they do it?*****

“When you’re on top of your game, change your game,” is a mantra used by the All Blacks, one of the most dominant teams in sporting history, the goal being continuous

WINNING,THE AUSTRALIAN

WAY OF LIFE

Estelle Vasudevan

Left: Megan Schutt has been phenomenal as Australia's pace spearhead. © ICC

Right: Beth Mooney is the definition of versatility in an Australian team that is full of stars. © ICC



OPINION

self-improvement, never leaving room to become complacent.

By the time the 2017 World Cup began in England, Australia had won a staggering 77% of all their ODIs. In terms of national sides, it’s a record only rivaled by the All Blacks. Such utter dominance in sport is so rare that there’s an expectation then that Australia will make the final of the World Cup and Australia will most likely win, it’s almost just an inevitability.

Imagine being so ahead of everyone else in your sport that even when operating at 80-85% of your potential, you’re still able to come away with wins regularly. That’s how it was for Australia coming into that tournament and so naturally, there seemed to be a sense of complacency, which they would pay for come the semi-final.

Chamari Athapaththu’s whirlwind 178 off 143 rocked the boat early in Australia’s 2017 campaign, but fortunately, on that occasion, they were up against a team that just did not have the skill to stay with them. Lanning produced a masterpiece of her own and Australia stayed on track.

This should have put them on high alert, especially because of the ease with which Athapaththu was able to handle the Australian bowling attack - which in hindsight, looks like it was a major area of vulnerability, with Ashleigh Garner, Elyse Villani and Nicole Bolton expected to make up the 5th bowler’s quota of overs.

The next little jolt came when they fell short by 3 runs against England a couple of matches later, but again, the game was close enough that there were no real alarm bells in the Australian camp. They felt they were still on course to defending their title, possibly even a little bit relieved to get their bad game out of the way before the knockout stage of the tournament.

But then, they came face-to-face with a monster, one who wasn’t going to be content with just rocking the boat, she was going to swallow them up - Harmanpreet Kaur.

Athapaththu’s knock had done more damage than Australia had realised, giving India and Kaur the blueprint they needed to topple the world’s best team.

Sure, it was an incredible innings from Kaur, who struck 71 of her 171 off her last 25 deliveries, but for the second time in the tournament, Australia were like deer caught in headlights, just too stunned to react and counter the onslaught.

For any other team, losing a semi-final, especially at the hands of the kind of knock Kaur played, would at most simply be disappointing, it was a great knock. But Australia isn’t just any team and having lost the World T20 final in 2016 (thanks to another performance of a lifetime), they now had to face the bitter reality of not having a global title for the first time since 2009. By their standards, this wasn’t just disappointing, it was catastrophic.

Dominant, elite,

untouchable… all words that

have been used to describe Australian

cricket teams over the course of history. And

there have been many such teams,

both male and female, over

the years, but none more dominant,

elite, untouchable

than Meg Lanning’s Australia.


Left: Since the 22nd of October 2017, Australia have been the closest thing to invincible on the cricketing field. © ICC

Top: Australia's 26-match winning streak in ODIs is a record across formats and genders. © ICC

The exit from the World Cup in 2017 and the manner of it was described by Coach Matthew Mott as the team’s ‘crucible moment’.

Though devastating, in hindsight, it was exactly what they needed. Speaking to Sporting News Australia, Mott admitted that changes were needed even as early as 2016, when Australia suffered a surprise loss to the West Indies in the World T20 Final.

“There were some little cracks there which we tried to address, but there was never going to be the buy-in until we had that real kick in the pants like that (2017) exit.”

The team had a couple of months off before preparations for the Ashes began and plenty of time for some introspection before the course for the next 4 years was set.

What followed was an unprecedented period of dominance that culminated in two T20 World Cup titles and a 26-match win streak in ODIs, a record across formats and genders.

No longer were Australia simply content with winning games, their

standards were higher, always looking for that little bit extra, reaching towards performing at close to 100%, no matter the circumstance or opposition. In a lot of ways, they seemed to be competing with their own former selves.*****

Timid is not a word you would normally associate with Australian cricket. Brash, aggressive, assertive, yes, but never timid. But during that 2017 campaign and even before, there were definitely times, by their own admission, when they looked timid.

The switch to being more fearless, a core value the team has adopted post 2017, came immediately after the tournament, especially on the batting front.

Nicole Bolton and Beth Mooney, who had opened the innings in the year leading up to the World Cup, averaged 42.75 in 16 games, including 2 century partnerships. An enviable record by any standard.

But this was an area that Australia felt they could do better in. With the talent they possessed in their batting line-up, they could afford to throw caution to the wind at the top of the order, they didn’t need to be conservative. With other teams catching up on them, conservative wasn’t going to get them to where they wanted to be anyway.

Bolton and Mooney were making the runs, but they were making them at 4.27 runs per over, solid rather than spectacular.


OPINION

Top: Meg Lanning’s leadership has been a key element in Australia's success over the last four years. © ICC

Right: Alyssa Healy's aggression as an opener has contributed greatly to the team's success.© ICC

That’s when Alyssa Healy, who had come in at No. 6 or 7 in the 2017 tournament, became a permanent fixture at the top of the order. Healy was initially paired with Bolton, but it is her union with Rachael Haynes that has been revolutionary for the team. Since 2019, the pair have made over a thousand runs together at the top of the order, at an average of 60.57 and a more than appreciable run-rate of 5.42. In fact, in just 2 years, they’ve become the second most successful opening partnership for Australia, behind only the legendary pairing of Belinda Clark and Lisa Keightley, who have an incredible aggregate of 3,338 runs in 66 innings.

This acceleration at the top of the order had a trickledown effect. Overall, the run-rate in the women’s game has risen since the 2017 World Cup, but Australia have managed to pull away, widening the gap between themselves and their closest

competitors, England, with a run-rate of 5.44 to England’s 4.89.

Australia’s top 5 run-getters during this period have each made more than 750 runs and apart from Ellyse Perry, they’ve all gone at strike rates above 80.

But Australia’s fearlessness hasn’t just been restricted to the batting. It’s come in many forms, like trusting a teenaged Darcie Brown with the new ball against the dangerous Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana in a crunch game, throwing the ball to Jess Jonassen in the death or even leaving out Ellyse Perry in the 1st game of the Ashes, because she just didn’t fit into their game plan for the T20Is.

All this, done with one thing in mind – what’s best for the team, another core value the team identified post 2017.

But what has really set Australia apart during these 4 years has been their

ability to adapt and find a way through tough periods.

There’s no greater example of this than match no. 26 in the win streak, where they faced India at Harrop Park in Mackay. Chasing 275 to win and keep the streak alive, Australia did it with 5 wickets to spare. Seems comfortable enough, right?

Well, Healy went for 0, she was followed by Lanning for 6, Perry for 2 and Gardner



OPINION

for 12. Haynes was out with an injury, so essentially, Australia were without 5 of their top 6 run-getters since 2017, reduced to 52/4 in the 16th over, yet they won.

Mooney, the definition of versatile, remained unbeaten on 125 after opening the batting in Haynes’ absence, Tahlia McGrath got 74 and Nicola Carey provided the finishing touches with 39. It was one of the most clutch performances they’d put together in the past 4 years. Over the 26-match winning streak, the margins of victory were often quite comprehensive on paper, but they don’t really capture the moments where Australia turned what could have been a tricky situation into an easy win.

It was no longer about a star player or two, without whom they would fall apart, but a team that believed it could win from anywhere and that anyone could take them to a win.

When Healy failed, Lanning stepped up, when early wickets fell, Haynes held things together, when Schutt went for runs, the spinners took over.

In fact, though Lanning and Perry are perhaps the biggest names in the team – for good reason – the likes of Haynes, Schutt and Jonassen have been phenomenal in the last four years, just silently chipping away at teams, making their presence felt but rarely ever grabbing headlines.Depth. Australia are never short of it.

Following the 2017 debacle, in many other teams, heads would’ve rolled. But stability was the name of the game for Cricket Australia and wow did it pay off. Mott and Lanning’s partnership as leaders of the group has been a key contributor to this, and that stability has allowed the players to go out there and get the job done.

There’s no doubt that the core group of Perry, Lanning, Schutt, Jonassen, Haynes, Healy, Gardner and Mooney, all of whom were part of the 2017 campaign, have formed the nucleus of the team.

However, what’s been most impressive is how seamlessly the newer players have fitted in. From Darcie Brown, to Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Nicola Carey, Georgia Wareham, Alana King, Annabel Sutherland and Hannah Darlington, every one of them has stepped up with a wicket at a crucial period or a quick cameo at the end of the innings or an important catch under pressure.

It’s no secret that the Australian system puts its team a few steps ahead of everyone else. There is a huge amount of work and years of investment that has gone into bringing about their success, behind the scenes. From the grassroots to the player pathways, contracts to the drive towards equality, Cricket Australia has created a system to harness the vast amounts of talent

In fact, though

Lanning and Perry

are perhaps the biggest

names in the team – for

good reason – the likes of

Haynes, Schutt and Jonassen

have been phenomenal

in the last four years, just silently

chipping away, making their presence felt but rarely ever grabbing

headlines.


Top: Ashleigh Garner, Elyse Villani (in picture) and Nicole Bolton were expected to make up the 5th bowler’s quota of overs at the 2017 World Cup.© ICC

Left: Ellyse Perry is one of the biggest names in the team. © ICC

present in the country and turn that talent and potential into success.

At the end of the day, these are the roots of their success that allow them to push towards that goal of performing close to 100% of their potential and help them stay just a few steps ahead of all the competition.

The 2022 tournament will come with its own challenges. Australia will still go in as favourites, as they so often do, but no matter what has happened in the last 5 years, they will be aware that all it takes is just one off day for them, one ‘performance of a lifetime’ from an opponent, for this campaign to end in disappointment as well.

When every loss is considered an upset,

anything less than the title is considered a failure. Excellence is not only demanded, but expected from everyone, at every level, whether donning that green and gold for the first time or the 100th time, there is a huge amount of pressure on the team as is, so really it comes down to how other teams can exploit that and how well Australia deal.

Are they invincible? No. Still, you would have to be brave to bet against them, because for Australia, winning is a way of life and life, well, it finds a way.

A self-professed sports nut, Estelle Vasudevan is a writer at ThePapare.com, based in Colombo. She tweets @estelle_vasude1.


PERSPECTIVE

The Proteas have another chance to not only better their World Cup semi-final finishes but return with that elusive

piece of silverware and inspire the next generation of stars.

Kass Naidoo

There has long been a quiet confidence among supporters of South African women’s cricket that the Proteas will win a World

Cup title before their male counterparts. Whenever this conversation comes up, ‘realists’ are quick to point to the gap that exists between the two.

Men’s cricket is well funded, while women’s cricket trails in terms of funding, pace of development, access to facilities and

regular game time. Gaps in the development pipeline continue to be addressed but the more progress is made, the more gaps are seen.

Yet, being familiar with the indomitable South African penchant for defying overwhelming odds to achieve markable success – and having seen the women punch above their weight in previous showpiece events, you can’t blame the patriotic optimists for holding faith.

This confidence is built upon the foundation of historic professional contracts

THE GREAT SOUTH AFRICAN EXPECTATION


Top: The Proteas are South Africa’s most diverse women’s sports team and the nation’s top-performing outfit in national colours. © ICC

for the national team, first introduced by Cricket South Africa and title sponsors, Momentum, in August 2013. For the first time ever in South Africa, being contracted meant that a full team in national colours could focus exclusively on honing their skills and readying themselves to perform on the world stage.

Did it work? Well, the Proteas women, ranked second in the world in One Day International cricket, and fifth in the world in T20 international cricket, have

come tantalizingly close on a few occasions but are yet to break the World Cup semi-final hoodoo.

Reaching the 2014 Women’s World T20 semi-final a few months after contracts were introduced was a major boost to women’s cricket in South Africa. Yet, the manner in which the team lost spoke realms of the need for more competitive cricket at the highest level. Five run outs marred SA’s innings, resulting in the team buckling under pressure and being bowled out for 101.


PERSPECTIVE

Bottom: The Proteas women are ranked second in the world in ODIs but are yet to break the World Cup semi-final hoodoo. © ICC

Top right: Sune Luus (R) will lead the team in Dane van Niekerk's (L) absence. © ICC

England coasted to a nine-wicket win and booked a place in the final against Australia. SA’s hunger to win only grew deeper.

When the opportunity to muscle their way into their first-ever World Cup final came knocking again in 2017, the fearless South Africans were up for it. Armed with seniors who continued to believe and backed by young guns desperate to show the world that South Africa were winners, the Proteas dug deep and produced moments of brilliance and upset wins that made neutrals sit up and take notice.

However, all that was undone in the semi-final against England, where the

Proteas suffered an agonizingly close loss. There were tears all round. The image of England’s Anya Shrubsole consoling South African players still lives on.

Shortly after the 2017 World Cup exit, South African women’s cricket went through a soul-searching phase to address the challenges it faced on the world stage.

Coach Hilton Moreeng explained: “After the 2017 World Cup, we sat down and put a four-year plan together to address our challenges, which included senior player injuries and lack of performances. So, we started with a squad of 48 players building towards the 2021 World Cup,


Being in the semi-final (in 2017)

was a great achievement.

We want to see how we can

better that and how we can

improve. With this challenge

coming, it also gives us a good test to see

what kind of characters we

have.

and we narrowed that down to 24 players, from which the final World Cup squad will be selected. Each and every player in the system knows where we are going.

“Being in the semi-final (in 2017) was a great achievement. We want to see how we can better that, and how we can improve as a team. With this challenge coming, it also gives us a good test to see what kind of characters we have, and where we are when we look at our plan and the blueprint we have set for ourselves towards the 50-overs World Cup in New Zealand.”

In September 2019, without their inspirational captain (Dane van Niekerk) and packed with youngsters, an inexperienced South African side headed to India for a T20I and ODI series. Leg spinner Suné Luus was thrust into the captaincy role, and bravely led the team in Surat and Baroda. It was a harsh learning experience; the T20I series was lost 3-1 and the visitors were hammered 3-0 in the ODI series.

Moreeng could feel the pain of his team but he knew it was the only way for them to learn and to build a strong base of players to put themselves in the best possible position to win a World Cup.

“They know they have seniors around them, who they can tap into when things are not going well because the quickest way to learn as a youngster is to play around experience. You make mistakes, you learn, you bump your head against the wall, but that’s how you shape your career going forward. The senior players know what is required and they can help guide the system to help it be in a better space. At the end of the day, we want to leave a legacy in the country and make sure whoever comes after us can grow from strength to strength,” he said.

Armed with the learnings from their challenging tour to India in September 2019, and ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia, South Africa embarked on a pivotal tour of New Zealand in January 2020, which included a three-match ODI series that formed part of the ICC Women’s Championship. South Africa won the ODI series 3-0 to whitewash New Zealand for the first time ever in a women’s ODI series, a feat that saw the South Africans gain automatic qualification to the 50 over World Cup in New Zealand. Another box ticked.

It was clear that significant gains were being made in terms of the four-year plan, but what about the immediate priority of testing the team’s ability in a World Cup environment, in the form of the 2020 ICC Women’s World Cup?

Once again, the public belief in the team and their own self-belief was at an all-time high. South Africa fought hard and left it all out there but once again came undone in the heat of the semifinals. The Proteas lost a thriller to the hosts and defending champions, Australia, to suffer their fourth semi-final exit across 20 and 50-over World Cups.

Captain van Niekerk’s words after the gut-wrenching loss to Australia said it all: “We just didn't get over that hurdle of the semi-final. Everybody's hurting, and that hurts me. The team is quite distraught at the moment.”

Their emotional response to that loss spoke of how far South African women’s cricket had come, and the high expectations the team and their supporters held.

In the lead-up to that 2020 showpiece in Australia, all indications were that South African women’s cricket was on the right track, and ready for the step up. Star players


PERSPECTIVE

had been gaining valuable experience and turning into match winners, playing in global leagues around the world. The senior players, especially, felt they were ready for silverware. It was not to be.

The months-long Covid-19 break was probably good for a team that was deeply hurting from the T20 World Cup exit, and needed time to heal.

Staying true to the resilient South African spirit, the Proteas rose again and showed excellent resolve to not only compete with the best in the world, but also create history.

In March 2021, they scored an emphatic 4-1 series win over India in Lucknow, South Africa’s first on Indian soil since 2014. It was their third consecutive series win after beating New Zealand away in their game-changing tour in January 2020, and Pakistan at home in

December 2020. They could not have asked for better preparation ahead of the women’s 50-over World Cup in New Zealand.

What a turnaround in fortunes, as the four-year plan successfully addressed key issues like player injuries and securing more competitive game time. What’s more? The team is having the results to show for it.

It’s World Cup time again, and another opportunity for the Proteas to back themselves to beat the best. As fate would have it, van Niekerk is out injured again, this time following an unfortunate at-home injury, which sees her miss the World Cup. To say she is gutted would be an understatement but, once again, Moreeng is quick to keep the bigger picture in mind, considering all the work done in the last four years. “It is disappointing not having the

Bottom: South Africa fought hard and left it all out there but once again came undone in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup in 2020. © ICC Right: Laura Wolvaardt was included in the recently released ICC T20I Team of the Year for 2021. © Cricket South Africa / Gallo Images


captain here but fortunately everyone else is in good health.”

The team will be boosted by news that three star players, Lizelle Lee, Marizanne Kapp, and Shabnim Ismail, were included in the recently released ICC ODI Team of the Year for 2021.

Add to this the quiet enforcer that is Ayabonga Khaka, and stand-in captain, Suné Luus, who has been growing in the leadership role. This team, even without van Niekerk, has the depth to battle it out and beat the best in the world.

They showed it in the recent series win over West Indies at home. South Africa came back from 1-0 down in the four-match series to win 2-1, with Khaka walking away with the Player of the Series award. It was the team’s fifth successive bilateral ODI series win, giving them the perfect high, as they headed off on yet another World Cup mission.

The Proteas are South Africa’s most diverse women’s sports team and the nation’s top-performing outfit in national colours. They have another chance to not only better their World Cup semi-final finishes but return with that elusive piece of silverware and inspire the next generation of stars, while encouraging greater corporate support for women’s cricket.

“I think we understand what our culture is and the fact that we are representing about 60 million people who are proud of this team. It’s an environment that allows youngsters to grow and express their talent,” concludes Moreeng.

If you are a realist, you would say that South African women’s cricket is so far behind the likes of Australia, England and New Zealand in terms of development, that the semi-finals is as good as it gets.

But if you have followed the journey of this resilient bunch of go-getters, and believe in their potential to win on the big stage, you will quietly hope that nearly a decade of pro contracts, many years of SA player presence in global leagues and a robust four-year plan, will combine beautifully to bring home South African women’s cricket’s greatest-ever victory.

Kass Naidoo is South Africa’s first female cricket commentator, and founder of the gsport initiative. She tweets @KassNaidoo.


LOOKING AHEAD

CAN HEATHER KNIGHT’S ENGLAND

DO THE DOUBLE?

After winning the 2017 World Cup as a largely untested captain, Knight is now the team’s best

batter and has moulded England into one of the most consistent teams in world cricket.

Jeremy Blackmore

Heather Knight is preparing for a World Cup challenge with England as defending champions. But wind the clock back five years and

Knight was a largely untested captain with big shoes to fill.

She was handed the reins in summer 2016, taking over from legendary skipper Charlotte Edwards, just a year out from the next global tournament. It marked a major gamble by new head coach Mark Robinson.

Knight was determined to do the job her way and built a young, vibrant team around her, leading them to a historic World Cup win at Lord’s in 2017, through a pandemic and most recently, into a growing era of professionalism.

Despite Australia’s continuing dominance, Knight has moulded England into one of the most consistent teams in world cricket outside of Ashes encounters, although question marks still hang over their batting.

It is perhaps the defining year of her captaincy. Just as Edwards’ was in 2009, when she led England to twin ICC world titles and retained the Ashes. This year began with an Ashes campaign, ultimately won by Australia with two games to spare, closely followed by the 50 over World Cup

Right: Sophie Ecclestone is a veteran of the side at just 22. © ICC

in New Zealand. The English summer then climaxes with a home Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Back in 2015, Robinson took over soon after the introduction of central contracts. His task, as an experienced professional coach, was to smooth the England team’s transition from the amateur world. Seeing a side at risk of stagnating, he made a decisive move, installing Knight as captain to give her the best chance to grow a team before the 2017 World Cup. It was the end of one era and the beginning of another. Edwards and Lydia Greenway both retired from international cricket that year.

“The World Cup was only a year away,” recalls Knight. “So, it was quite a big call by Mark to make the change. We always had one eye on that World Cup, building towards it. We didn't have a huge amount of time. We were quite an inexperienced team as well, particularly the batting line-up, the players we went with, and backed to lead into that World Cup.



LOOKING AHEAD

“We had a bit of experience as well, which was very nice. The World Cup was definitely the focus. And why wouldn't it be, World Cup at home? It's one of the ultimate things to achieve as a cricketer.”

Robinson cautioned the World Cup challenge may come too soon for a young side. But if he was initially uncertain about Knight’s readiness to take on the role, he was soon convinced.

“It was a big and bold call, and I think from that point onwards, Heather just grew,” he says. “Once she was in charge of the group, she just wanted to be the best person and leader she could.

“I watched somebody grow into the job every day. She had great qualities. One of the things I loved about her, out of anybody I've worked with, she’s one of the most comfortable people in her own skin.

“She’s as good a leader of people that I’ve played with, male or female. Tactically, she got better and better. She was a little bit naive at the beginning, didn’t know what she

didn’t know. But her biggest and best quality was she wanted to be the best person and wanted the team to be the best version of themselves as well.”

Knight led from the front in her first summer in charge, as England recorded a clean sweep against Pakistan, winning both the ODI and T20I series 3-0. She stamped her authority with career-best bowling figures and an unbeaten half-century in the opening international.

“I was captained by Charlotte throughout my career, only by Charlotte,” she says. “So that's all you know. One of Charlotte’s strengths was her passion for the game and that rubbed off on a lot of people. But I was always keen to do it in my own way, do things how I saw them and what I felt was best for the team.

“That's quite important as captain. You could do it your own way, but you've got to find a way that works the best for the team and gets the best out of the players and resources you've got.”

Tammy Beaumont, whose runs were a major factor in the World Cup success a year later, imposed herself at the top of the order against Pakistan, while England handed a debut to a young Sophie Ecclestone who would go on to become a mainstay under Knight’s captaincy.

Robinson says that early success was important to help Knight settle into such big shoes left by Edwards and feel comfortable in the job.

English domestic cricket also took its first tentative steps towards professionalisation in 2016. The inaugural Kia Super League

Top: Heather Knight is preparing for a World Cup challenge with England as defending champions.© ICC

Right: Anya Shrubsole’s dramatic bowling performance in the 2017 World Cup final saw England win the tournament. © ICC


exposed young cricketers to more high-profile, high-pressure situations and featured big-name overseas stars.

Knight, who had captained Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League during the previous winter, duly led Western Storm to the final, a tournament they would win twice under her leadership.

Knight’s personality helped bring the England team together, says Robinson. A captain with a sense of fun who helped create a sense of family off the pitch and who wanted the team to explore the countries they toured.

“She’s a doer. She doesn’t want to be stuck in a hotel, watching Netflix. She wants to be out climbing mountains, going around markets. That's great to help galvanise a young and vulnerable team.

“She’s sociable, which really helped. I used to encourage partners to come on away trips and tours. She’d got a lovely boyfriend and a lovely family. So, she’d got good people behind her.

“She just led. She made sure people were being included and organised events to go visit places, which was really good because during the first tour, we used to stay in the hotel, almost like the girls were trying to be too professional.

“So, part of it was getting them to relax, enjoy playing and being in each other’s company. Heather, being the age she was, really played a big part in bringing the group together. She was a proper leader.”

England edged a close series against the West Indies that winter before sealing qualification for the World Cup in a 4-0 rout of Sri Lanka.

The home World Cup gave the women’s game in England its highest profile to date. It was a pivotal moment also for England’s new pros.

The tournament was an early test of the camaraderie Knight had built up – especially after their campaign began with a defeat to India.

“She doesn’t dwell on failures, disappointments, victories to a certain extent,” says Robinson. “She’s very good at moving on to the next challenge, the next game, the next tournament. That helped when we lost that opening game. That's part of the challenge of sport: you don’t want your defeats to define you. They have to be just seen as setbacks, a learning opportunity.”

There were so many memorable moments that summer, from Beaumont’s run scoring – her partnerships with Sarah Taylor and Nat Sciver both broke World Cup records – to Anya Shrubsole’s dramatic bowling performance in the final.

“It was an awesome day,” says Knight. “It was an awesome achievement by the team to do it on home soil. It was a really enjoyable tournament. It felt like the momentum really built as it went on and it was a lot of fun. Obviously, it was great to share it with friends and families. It all culminated in that big day at Lord’s, which

Heather just

led. She made

sure people

were being

included and

organised

events to go

visit places,

which was

really good

because during

the first tour,

we used to stay

in the hotel,

almost like

the girls were

trying to be too

professional.


LOOKING AHEAD

was one of the special days I look back on extremely fondly.”

Just months after winning the World Cup Final, England were on a flight to Australia in a bid to regain the Ashes. Before that, though, Robinson made another intervention.

He identified something holding Knight back in her batting, preventing her from generating pace on the ball on slow wickets. He tasked assistant coach Ali Maiden to work with Knight with an eye not just on the Ashes but the T20 World Cup the following year.

Knight was outstanding at buying into the need to make a change, says Robinson, but wanted her own opinion and involvement. He cites it as a great example of coach and player working together.

“It was three-four weeks out from an Ashes tour, having just won a World Cup and she was prepared to take a risk, to make a technical change to make her even better than she already was. She was already one of the best players in the world. From that point on, she's kicked on more and more and become more effective on all types of surfaces.”

England tied the multi-format Ashes series that winter. Robinson is convinced had the series lasted another week, England would have won, such was the momentum they had built.

Indeed, England levelled the series in thrilling style in the final match at Canberra pulling off the highest run chase in women’s T20Is. Chasing 179, England’s top order collapsed to 30-3 before Danni Wyatt struck a sparkling century and shared a 139-run partnership with Knight (51).

A young England team reached the T20 World Cup final in the West Indies in 2018. Sophia Dunkley and Kirstie Gordon both made international debuts, playing alongside a still teenage Ecclestone. England’s eventual defeat to Australia offered an early glimpse of Ashes agony to come in 2019. The nadir came at Canterbury where Ellyse Perry returned career-best ODI figures of 7-22 to skittle England for 75.

Knight says the defeat prompted a period of reflection.

“2019 was tough. We massively underperformed and didn't really compete. But it forced us to have that period of introspection and really look at how we were doing things and what we could do better.”


“Particularly after that last Ashes campaign, I felt like we needed stronger voices in the dressing room and more autonomy over how we went about things as a group of players. It's always been important to try and give responsibility, help people grow because ultimately, those players are leading whenever they get the opportunity to be the one with the ball or the bat in hand.”

Lisa Keightley took over as head coach at the beginning of 2020, just in time for the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Then the world changed.Never has Knight’s ability to bring a

squad together been more important than during the bubble environments the players have lived in since summer 2020.

“Heather commands a lot of respect from the group,” says Keightley. “She, no doubt, has grown as a leader from the first year in winning a World Cup. That was probably a dream and hard to fathom in a way, but even through my two years working with Heather, she's grown as a person and as a leader. Her biggest asset is that the players love playing for her, she leads from the front.

“She sets fantastic standards. Great role model for others, and she doesn't like losing, she’s very competitive, which is always good from your captain.

“She really cares for her players, which a lot of good leaders do. But at the same time, she really wants to leave a legacy and move women's cricket in England forward. She's always reminding the players about those who played in the past and remembering where we come from.”

The team has evolved considerably since 2017. Five of the 11 players who featured in the 2017 World Cup Final – Fran Wilson, Sarah Taylor, Jenny Gunn, Laura Marsh and Alex Hartley – have either retired or are no longer playing at international level.

The pool of talent has broadened in the past two years though, with the advent of professional domestic contracts offering players year-round access to coaching and training facilities. With The Hundred following in 2021, exposing players to a much bigger stage, England are now able

Left: Amy Jones has come into her own as keeper and cemented her spot in the middle order. © ICC


LOOKING AHEAD

to pick players on performance rather than potential.

Says Knight: “It has created that competitiveness in the squad that is pushing players to work hard and perform on the pitch, because if you don't, there may be someone behind you that’s going to take your place. The domestic changes have really helped accelerate that.

“There's certainly a bigger pool of players we’re chatting about in selection now. That's how it should be and that's only going to grow in the next few years.”

It’s given England confidence in handing debuts to youngsters like Charlie Dean, Maia Bouchier and Emma Lamb and rotating players to manage workload, identify options and offer more opportunity and experience. An emphasis on showing more intent with the bat and being ruthless in finishing teams off has also been a hallmark of the new management approach. There will be concern therefore, that England failed to show this intent during the recent one-day leg of the Ashes series. Indeed, they have now been bowled out seven times in their last nine ODIs.

Those players who won the World Cup in 2017 now have five more years of experience. Keightley believes Nat Sciver is now in her prime, while Beaumont has remained highly consistent. Amy Jones too has come into her own as keeper and cemented her spot in the middle order although, she posted modest returns in the Ashes. The coach also singles out Katherine Brunt for bowling as well as

ever even in the later stages of her career. Then there is Ecclestone, still only 22, but now a veteran of this side, the world number one T20I bowler and number two in the ICC ODI bowlers' rankings.

That strength in depth will be crucial in New Zealand, says Edwards, who argues that England need a number of players to contribute throughout the World Cup if they are to be successful, just as they did in 2017.

Speaking before the Ashes, she noted that England’s bowling has been their strong suit in recent years, meaning it will be important for the top order to score big runs if they are to be successful.

COVID restrictions badly impacted England’s preparations before leaving for Australia. Players quarantining at home co-opted partners and family members to face or sling balls and feed bowling machines.

But with families unable to travel, it will be important to foster a sense of togetherness in New Zealand, says Edwards. If England can do that, they have the players to mount a real challenge, provided they can keep people fit.

With a larger squad, England are well prepared for injuries but Robinson underlines the need to manage Knight’s workload carefully. In September, she sat out two T20Is against New Zealand with a hamstring problem. It was a concern echoed by Brunt last summer, who admitted that the captain was desperate to play every game and did not always think about her longevity.

Top Right: Tammy Beaumont's runs were a major factor in the 2017 World Cup success. © ICC

Left: The 2017 home World Cup gave the women’s game in England its highest profile to date. © ICC


For Edwards, what has been most impressive throughout Knight’s time in charge is that she has been able to keep her own game at a high level, while managing the demands of captaincy. Knight underlined this with a superb unbeaten 168 in the Ashes Test at Canberra, the fourth-highest innings by any England player in a women’s Test.

“It's quite a skill to be able to just keep performing and churning out the runs,” said Edwards. “This is going to be her biggest test because we've got two massive series back-to-back. If she plays well, this England team will be really successful.

“That's not putting pressure on her. I think she knows that. She's the big player.

She's our best batter, in my opinion, across all formats. I've been really impressed with the way she's led the team.”

Jeremy Blackmore is a cricket journalist based in the UK and covers England and domestic women’s cricket for Women’s CricZone. He also contributes regularly to The Cricketer and Cricket Paper. He tweets @JeremyB_Writer.


SPECIAL

Leading Ladies

A member of the World Cup-winning squad in 2000, New Zealand wicket-keeper Rebecca Rolls took a crucial catch in the final, which was crucial to her team winning the title. An aggressive player, Rolls played in the first-ever T20I match and was also the first player to

win a Player of the Match award in T20Is.She also served as the goalkeeper of the Football Ferns from 1994-96 before

switching codes to cricket and playing over 100 games for the White Ferns.

• Represented Central Districts and Auckland in domestic cricket

• Board member of New Zealand Cricket Board

• Also represented New Zealand in Football at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics

• She played in three Women’s Cricket World Cups (1997, 2000, 2005), two Olympic Games, and a FIFA Women’s World Cup

• Took up various roles in the public sector, including with the NZ Police, Ministry of Health, Serious Fraud Office and the Department of Corrections

Rolls grew up in Napier and retired from cricket in 2007 after playing 104 ODIs. She then took up the role of new diversity and inclusion manager for Sport NZ and was responsible for the organization’s Women & Girls Strategy and Disability Action Plan.

She was just the second player from New Zealand after Debbie Hockley to appear in 100 ODIs and was the first woman in the world to reach the double of 2000 runs and 100 dismissals behind the wickets in ODIs.

REBECCA ROLLSCareer statistics: (1997-2007)

Celebrating some of the legends of the women’s game

© Photospor t NZ

REBECCA ROLLS IN TESTS:

MATCHES RUNS AVERAGE 100S 50S HIGH SCORE DISMISSALS CATCHES STUMPINGS

1 71 71 0 1 71 1 1 0

REBECCA ROLLS IN ODIS:

104 2201 25.01 2 12 114 133 89 44

REBECCA ROLLS IN WT20IS:

2 80 40 0 0 41 3 2 1


ENID BAKEWELLCareer statistics: (1968-1982)

Leading Ladies

A right-handed batter and slow left-arm orthodox bowler, Enid Bakewell was a part of the England team that won the first-ever ODI World Cup in 1973. She was also just the second player ever to score an ODI century and the first player in history to score a hundred on Test as

well as ODI debut.She also scored centuries in back-to-back innings in 1969, becoming the first

English player to achieve the feat in the process. Even in her last Test, Bakewell was the standout performer as she scored 112 out of England’s total of 164 vs. West Indies, besides taking 10 wickets in the match. With that, she became just the second player after Betty Wilson to achieve the double of scoring a century and taking 10 wickets in the same Test.

• First English woman to score five consecutive fifties in Test cricket

• Scored four Test centuries and two ODI centuries

• She was awarded the Member of British Empire in the 2019 New Year Honours

• Played in the first women’s match organized at the Lord’s when England faced Australia in a 60-over clash in 1976 and was also named as vice-captain of England for that match

• Scored a century in what effectively became the first World Cup final in 1973, and a 50 in the first women’s international at Lord’s in 1976

• Wisden selected her as one of the five greatest female players of all time

• Honorary member of the MCC since 2000

Born on December 16, 1940 in the village of Newstead in Nottinghamshire, Bakewell started playing for Nottinghamshire at the age of 14. She trained as a physical education teacher at Dartford college, where she played alongside Rachael Heyhoe. Bakewell, who was also a swimming teacher, was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2013.

Format Match Runs HS Batt. Avg. Wickets Best Bowl SR ER

Test 12 1078 124 59.88 50 10/75 16.62 53.9 1.84

ODI 23 500 118 35.71 25 3/13 21.12 52.5 2.41

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ROUND-UP

Three players made their international debuts for England in 2021 - Emma Lamb, Maia Bouchier and Charlie

Dean – and that’s highly unusual for England as they like to stick to the tried and tested. Dean’s rise to international cricket has been even more unusual, considering she was nowhere in the picture before 2020. She didn’t even have a regular place in the Southern Vipers side during the now-defunct Women’s Cricket Super League (WCSL), featuring in only seven matches across three seasons during the 2017-2019 period.

2020 was a breakthrough year for the off-spinning allrounder as she played a key role in helping the Vipers lift the cup in the inaugural edition of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy (RHF Trophy). She finished the season with 180 runs at an average of 45.00 and also took nine wickets at an average of 29.88 from seven matches. The 2021 season of the RHF Trophy was even better for her as she picked up ten wickets at an average of 13.80 in the four matches she played. The 21-year-old was called up to play for the Heather Knight-led Southern Spirit in The Hundred. Although

Spirit didn’t have the greatest of tournaments, Dean managed to impress the England skipper as well as the selectors, earning her maiden national call-up against New Zealand.

An off-spinner with a flawless action, Dean was given a debut in the first ODI itself – she went on to play all five matches ahead of leg-spinner Sarah Glenn. She took to international cricket like a duck to water as she snared four of New Zealand’s wickets in the second match to help England defend a moderate score. She surprised Katey Martin with flight and bounce, castling the experienced wicket-keeper to induce a collapse. She got one to go away from the well-settled Brooke Halliday too as the left-hander was stumped to make sure that England emerged victorious. Dean finished her debut series with ten wickets from five matches at an average of 19.20 and an economy rate of 4.64.

When England became champions in 2017, the off-spin duo of Laura Marsh and Danielle Hazell played key roles in the setup. They will be hoping that Dean’s off-breaks will come in handy when England set out to defend the World Cup in New Zealand come March.

While 2020 was all about lockdowns and cancelled matches because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 was about learning

to live with it. Teams braved isolations, quarantines and bio-bubbles to play the game they love. 48 ODIs were played in the year as compared to only six in 2020. The T20I numbers went up from 56 to 134, and the icing on the cake came in the form of two Test matches that were also played in 2021.

More matches meant more players got the opportunity to represent their countries; senior players still had a huge say in how the sides performed as they continued building towards the World Cup

2022 in New Zealand. Lizelle Lee topped the ODI batting charts with Tammy Beaumont and Mithali Raj in tow. But the year also saw some young players grow in leaps and bounds – Pakistan’s young pacer Fatima Sana was the joint leading wicket-taker alongside the experienced Anisa Mohammed in the format. England’s Sophia Dunkley returned to the fold – making her debut in Tests and ODIs – and put in some memorable performances in all three formats. Shafali Verma fell, picked up the pieces, and learned new things in her sophomore year.

Apart from these youngsters, there were a bunch of players who made their debut in 2021 and impressed everyone not just with their numbers, but with their ability and demeanour, as

they showed no signs of nerves at the international stage. Stella Campbell was impressive for Australia, India’s Meghna Singh swung the ball prodigiously on debut and Molly Penfold’s pace stood out on the England tour.

It was a tough ask to cherry-pick a few from these impressive debutantes, but the elegance of India’s Yastika Bhatia, the guile of Australia’s Hannah Darlington, and the solidity of West Indies’ Rashada Williams were hard to look past. Women’s CricZone takes a look at five young talents who have sown seeds for potentially long careers in the international arena.

(Note: Stats across formats from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021)

There were a bunch of players who made their debuts in 2021 and impressed everyone, not just with their numbers, but with their ability and demeanour, as they showed no signs of nerves at the international stage.

Shajin Mohanan S

THE WOMENTO WATCH

CHARLIE DEAN

M OVERS WICKETS BEST AVG ECO RATE

5 41.2 10 4/36 19.2 4.64

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In recent times, Australia have unearthed fast bowlers like Tayla Vlaeminck and Darcie Brown, who can consistently bowl

over 120 kmphs. Young allrounder Annabel

Sutherland and the uncapped Maitlan Brown are also capable of bowling a quick spell or two. While speed has its own merit, bowling is more than just that. Hannah Darlington

has already made a name for herself as a canny operator in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) and Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL).

Having been part of Sydney Thunder for two seasons, 20-year-old Darlington eventually made her debut in the fifth season of the WBBL and went on to win the ‘Young Gun of the Year’ after taking 16 wickets at an average of 21.31 and an economy rate of 6.82 from 13 matches. Her bowling at the death and ability to bowl yorkers at will came in for special praise from all quarters. The next edition of the WBBL saw that skill set coming in handy for Thunder as they clinched their second title in the competition. She was the Player of the Match in the semi-final with figures of three for 19 as Thunder came from behind to win the match against Brisbane Heat. When Thunder eventually lifted the trophy beating Melbourne Stars, Darlington was the second-highest wicket-taker with 19 wickets at an average of 13.68, just behind her teammate Sammy-Jo Johnson.

Darlington was elevated to captaincy during WNCL 2020-21 season as she became the youngest player to lead New South Wales Breakers in their history at the age of 19. She also led Thunder during the sixth edition of the WBBL in the absence of Rachael Haynes, again breaking the record for the youngest captain in the franchise league.

The international call-up wasn’t far away as the Australian selectors picked her for the New Zealand tour in March 2021. However, she had to wait for her debut, which finally came during the first ODI against India in Mackay on September 21 the same year. She showed no signs of nerves and finished the match with figures of two for 29.

Darlington’s ability to vary the pace to bowl various slower deliveries and the possession of a great yorker makes her a potent option in the middle overs and at the death. Although it hasn’t been on display much, she also has great power-hitting skills with a strong base to launch against pace bowling as well.

HANNAH DARLINGTON


2 12 2 2/29 32.5 5.41

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Renuka Singh Thakur hails from Parsa, a small village in Rohru, Himachal Pradesh. She is one of the products of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association’s residential academy in Dharamshala

and one of the success stories of young girls forging their path from small towns in India. The diminutive bowler has always been known for her ability to swing the ball and came into prominence when she took 21 wickets at an average of 11.19 during the 2018-19 Senior One Day Trophy.

The 25-year-old made rapid strides as she forced herself into the Challenger Trophy sides and from there, into the India A side that toured Australia in December 2019. Australia were the opponents again when she was selected to represent India's T20I side in the multi-format series against the hosts in September. She made her debut in the first T20I on October 7 but didn’t get to bowl as the match was washed out. In the second game, she got the chance to show her prowess and started her international career with a maiden. Although India went on to lose the match in the final over, people took notice of how she swung the bowl prodigiously. Thakur eventually had her first scalp in international cricket when she had Alyssa Healy caught by Richa Ghosh in the final T20I of the series.

With the newfound confidence from Down Under, Thakur came back to India and continued to put in the hard yards, this time for the Railways, and had a memorable final as she took four for 14 to rout Karnataka in the Senior One Trophy’s 2021-22 season. Known predominantly as an inswing bowler, Thakur’s first two wickets came with trademark deliveries that came back into the right-handers or left the southpaw S Shubha. With the wicket of India international Veda Krishnamurthy, she also showed that she can get the ball to move away as well.

Despite the domestic performances and an impressive T20I debut, Thakur’s call up to India’s side for the World Cup had some sort of a surprise element to it. And the surprise element is exactly what India will be hoping for from the young swing bowler, for she can bowl inswingers, outswingers and has also developed a yorker. She could well be India’s designated new ball bowler as well as someone who can bowl at the death in New Zealand.

West Indies haven’t had the greatest time in international cricket in recent years and most of it has been down to their batters failing to put up challenging totals on the board. These batting

struggles have led to plenty of opportunities for newer batters and Rashada Williams has benefited from it.

Williams was first called up to the West Indies A side that faced Pakistan A in June 2021. She impressed the selectors, who gave her a promotion to the West Indies side for the final three ODIs against Pakistan. She went on to make her debut as a wicket-keeper and batted at number eight in the final two matches of the series.

When South Africa visited West Indies, the hosts started the series with two defeats. In the third match, Williams replaced the injured Kyshona Knight as she opened the batting with Hayley Matthews. Although West Indies went on to lose that match as well, the 24-year old’s technique and solidity were impressive as she scored 37 off 79 balls. She was the only other batter to reach double digits apart from top-scorer Deandra Dottin, who scored 71.

In the final ODI of the series, Williams scored 78 off 138 balls on a slow surface, batting through the innings to take West Indies to a competitive score of 192 for five. Right through that knock, she showed her temperament and ability to bat long in tough conditions. South Africa couldn’t overhaul the home side’s score and they could only tie the match at the end of 50 overs. New rules meant that West Indies had a win to speak for as they got the better of the visitors in the Super Over.

With Dottin getting promoted to open the batting in the subsequent tour to Pakistan and the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, West Indies will be hoping that Williams can provide the much-needed ballast in contrast to the attacking instincts of Dottin when they take the field in the World Cup in 2022.

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RASHADA WILLIAMS

M INN RUNS HS AVG 50s/100s

9 9 219 78* 27.37 1/0


3 8 1 1/23 50 6.25

RENUKA SINGH THAKUR


On the Indian domestic circuit, Yastika Bhatia was always earmarked for great things at the

international level. So, it wasn’t a surprise that she earned a call up to the Indian side when South Africa visited India in March 2021. It was seen as a reward for her performances for Baroda, the Challenger sides and India A on various tours. However, she didn’t feature in any of the matches and subsequently missed the bus for the tour of England in late June in the same year.

Bhatia, a black belt in Karate, impressed the team management during the camp in Bangalore ahead of the Australia tour and yet again, earned a place in the India squad when she was named in the side for all three formats for the multi-format series Down Under. The

21-year-old wasn’t expected to make her debut in the first match itself despite an impressive performance in the warm-up fixture. However, Harmanpreet Kaur’s injury meant that the southpaw found a place in the XI during the first ODI. Batting at number three, she played with poise to score 35 off 51 balls.

While her debut innings showed glimpses of what she can do with the bat, it was the third ODI that made the world take notice of Bhatia as she helped India break Australia’s winning streak of 26 matches with a 64-run knock off just 69 balls. It was not just the number of runs that impressed those who watched that innings, but the way she went about her job. Bhatia had more than just the typical left-hander’s elegance and the ability to find gaps on the off-side. She showed her

prowess to pull the Australian pacers off the back foot and also came down the track to hit the spinners over their head. She also displayed her ability to rotate the strike and provided India with the much-needed impetus in the middle order.

Although that knock in the third ODI has been the biggest highlight of her nascent career, Bhatia will bring variety to the batting order with her left-handedness in the company of Smriti Mandhana and could play a huge role in the middle order as India look to go one better in the World Cup this time around.

Shajin Mohanan S is a senior staff writer at Women’s CricZone. He tweets @SupertrampMS.

YASTI KA BHATIA

M INN RUNS HS AVG 50s/100s

6 7 147 64 21 1/0

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AT A GLANCE: SERIES SUMMARIES

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AUSTRALIA• Beat India 2-1 in the ODI series and 2-0 in the T20I series at home• Drew the Pink-Ball Test and won the multi-format series 11-5

FORMAT M W L T DRAW NR WIN %

TEST 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

ODI 3 2 1 0 0 0 66.67

T20I 3 2 0 0 0 1 66.67

BANGLADESH• Won 3-0 in the ODI series in Zimbabwe• Beat Pakistan and USA in the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, Lost to Thailand before cancellation.

FORMAT M W L T NR WIN %

ODI 4 4 0 0 0 100

ENGLAND• Beat New Zealand 4-1 in the ODI series and 2-1 in the T20I series at home


ODI 5 4 1 0 0 80.00

T20I 3 2 1 0 0 66.67

INDIA• Lost 2-1 in the ODI series and 2-0 in the T20I series in Australia• Drew the pink ball Test but lost the multi-format series 11-5

FORMAT M W L T DRAW N/R WIN %

TEST 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

ODI 3 1 2 0 0 0 33.33

T20I 3 0 2 0 0 1 0

IRELAND• Finished 2nd in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Europe Region Qualifier 2021 in Spain.• Won 3-1 in the ODI series in Zimbabwe.• Lost to West Indies but won against the Netherlands in the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe before cancellation.

FORMAT M W L T N/R WIN %

ODI 5 3 2 0 0 60.00

T20I 4 3 1 0 0 75.00*Match against the Netherlands was not an official ODI

NEW ZEALAND• Lost 4-1 in the ODI series and 2-1 in the T20I series in England.


ODI 5 1 4 0 0 20.00

T20I 3 1 2 0 0 33.33

ROUND-UP

(Records between August 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021)

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PAKISTAN• wLost 3-0 to West Indies in the ODI series at home.• Lost to Bangladesh but won the matches against Zimbabwe and Thailand in the World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe before cancellation.


ODI 5 1 4 0 0 20.00*Match against ThailaWnd was not an official ODI

SOUTH AFRICA• Won 4-1 in the ODI series and drew the T20I series 1-1 in the West Indies


ODI 5 4 1 0 0 80.00

T20I 3 1 1 0 1 33.33

SRI LANKA • Beat the Netherlands in the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe before cancellation, but the match wasn’t an official ODI.

WEST INDIES• Lost 4-1 to South Africa in the ODI series at home, drew the T20I series 1-1.• Won 3-0 in the ODI series in Pakistan.• Beat Ireland in their only match in the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe before cancellation.

FORMAT M W L T NR WIN%

ODI 8 1 7 0 0 12.50

T20I 10 8 2 0 0 80.00

ZIMBABWE• Lost 3-1 in the ODI series against Ireland at home.• Lost 3-0 in the ODI series against Bangladesh at home.• Lost to Thailand and Pakistan in the World Cup Qualifiers at home but won against USA before cancellation.• Lost 2-1 in the T20I series against Thailand at home.• Won all the matches during the 2021 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier in Botswana, winning the title by beating Namibia in the final.


ODI 8 1 7 0 0 12.50

T20I 10 8 2 0 0 80.00*Matches in the WC Qualifiers against USA and Thailand were not official ODIs .

OTHER T20I SERIES AND TOURNAMENTS• Austria beat Italy 3-2 in Italy.

• Sweden won a one-off match against Norway at home.

• Scotland won the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Europe Region Qualifier 2021 in Spain, beating Ireland, Netherlands, France and Germany.

• Zimbabwe won the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier 2021 in Botswana. Other teams which participated in the tournament - Botswana, Cameroon, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Rwanda.

• Austria beat Belgium 3-0 at home.

• USA Women won the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Americas Region Qualifier 2021/22 in Mexico. Argentina, Brazil and Canada also played in the tournament.

• Nepal won 3-0 in Qatar.

• UAE won the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Region Qualifier 2021/22 in UAE. WKuwait, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal also played in the tournament.


ROUND-UP

TOP PERFORMERS: NUMBERS WRAPSTATISTICS BETWEEN AUGUST 1, 2021AND DECEMBER 31, 2021

MOST RUNS

PLAYER M R AVG. HS SR 100/50

Andrea-Mae Zepeda (AUT) 8 361 51.57 101 102.55 1/2

Fatuma Kibasu (TZN) 7 280 56.00 127* 138.61 1/1

Modester Mupachikwa (ZIM) 8 227 37.83 42 93.03 0/0

Sita Rana Magar (NEP) 7 221 44.20 82* 98.22 0/1

Divya Saxena (CAN) 6 180 60.00 70* 86.12 0/1

H IGHEST I ND I V IDUAL SCORES

PLAYER SCORE BALLS OPPOSITION VENUE DATE

Fatuma Kibasu (TZN) 127* 66 Eswatini Gaborone 14 Sep 2021

Gisele Ishimwe (RWA) 114* 69 Eswatini Gaborone 12 Sep 2021

Gaby Lewis (IRE) 105* 60 Germany Cartagena 26 Aug 2021

Andrea-Mae Zepeda (AUT)

101 63 BelgiumLower Austria

25 Sep 2021

Tammy Beaumont (ENG) 97 65 New Zealand Chelmsford 1 Sep 2021

MOST W ICK E T S

PLAYER M WKTS BEST AVG. ECO. SR

Loryn Phiri (ZIM) 9 16 5/6 7.18 4.69 9.1

Sophia Jerome (TZN) 7 14 3/7 6.92 3.80 10.9

Loreen Tshuma (ZIM) 9 14 4/11 8.57 4.80 10.7

Esther Mbofana (ZIM) 6 13 6/11 5.61 3.84 8.7

Perice Kamunya (TZN) 7 12 3/6 5.66 2.61 13.0

BEST BOWL ING F I GURES

PLAYER FIGURES OPPOSITION VENUE DATE

Frederique Overdijk (NL) 7-3 France Cartagena 26 Aug 2021

Shameelah Mosweu (BOT) 6-3 Mozambique Gaborone 10 Sep 2021

Esther Mbofana (ZIM) 6-11 Eswatini Gaborone 11 Sep 2021

Megan McColl (SCO) 5-3 France Cartagena 30 Aug 2021

Loryn Phiri (ZIM) 5-6 Botswana Gaborone 12 Sep 2021

H IGHEST T E AM TOTAL S

TEAM SCORE OPPOSITION VENUE DATE

Tanzania 279/2 Eswatini Gaborone 14 Sep 2021

Tanzania 228/4 Mozambique Gaborone 11 Sep 2021

Botswana 224/2 Eswatini Gaborone 9 Sep 2021

Austria 212/4 Belgium Lower Austria 25 Sep 2021

Zimbabwe 205/3 Mozambique Gaborone 13 Sep 2021

MOST D I SM I S SAL S BY A ‘ K E EPER

PLAYER MAT DISMISSALS CATCHES STUMPINGS

Gandhali Bapat (AUT) 8 9 6 3

Sindhu Sriharsha (USA) 6 8 8 0

Sana Zafar (CAN) 6 8 5 3

Evelyn de Souza (BRA) 5 5 3 2

Richa Ghosh (IND) 3 5 3 2

TWENTY 20 INTERNATIONALS

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MOST RUNS

PL AY ER M R AVG . H S S R 1 0 0 S /50S

Deandra Dottin (WI) 9 382 42.44 132 74.75 1/2

Gaby Lewis (IRE) 5 299 74.75 96* 75.12 0/3

Lizelle Lee (SA) 4 248 124.00 91* 72.09 0/3

Heather Knight (ENG) 5 214 42.80 101 88.06 1/1

Hayley Matthews (WI) 9 212 23.55 57 59.05 0/1

H IGHEST I ND I V I DUAL SCORES

PLAYER SCORE BALLS OPPOSITION VENUE DATE

Deandra Dottin (WI) 132 146 Pakistan Karachi 8 Nov 2021

Beth Mooney (AUS) 125* 133 India Mackay 24 Sep 2021

Amy Hunter (IRE) 121* 127 Zimbabwe Harare 11 Oct 2021

Mary-Anne Musonda (ZIM) 103* 114 Ireland Harare 5 Oct 2021

Stafanie Taylor (WI) 102* 117 Pakistan Karachi 14 Nov 2021

MOST W ICK E TS

PL AY ER M WK TS BEST AVG . E CO . S R

Anam Amin (PAK) 5 13 5/35 10.76 3.00 21.5

Nahida Akter (BAN) 4 13 5/21 6.00 2.22 16.1

Hayley Matthews (WI) 9 11 4/26 22.09 3.03 43.6

Charlie Dean (ENG) 5 10 4/36 19.20 4.64 24.8

Hannah Rowe (NZ) 4 10 4/47 20.00 5.26 22.8

BEST BOWL ING F I GURES

PLAYER FIGURES OPPOSITION VENUE DATE

Nahida Akter (BAN) 5-21 Zimbabwe Bulawayo 15 Nov 2021

Anam Amin (PAK) 5-35 West Indies Karachi 8 Nov 2021

Lea Tahuhu (NZ) 5-37 England Leicester 21 Sep 2021

Katherine Brunt (ENG) 4-22 New Zealand Leicester 21 Sep 2021

Hayley Matthews (WI) 4-26 Pakistan Karachi 11 Nov 2021

H IGHEST T E AM TOTAL S

TEAM SCORE OPPOSITION VENUE DATE

England 347/5 New Zealand Canterbury 26 Sep 2021

Ireland 312/3 Zimbabwe Harare 11 Oct 2021

Ireland 286/7 Zimbabwe Harare 7 Oct 2021

Australia 275/5 India Mackay 24 Sep 2021

India 274/7 Australia Mackay 24 Sep 2021

MOST D I SM I S SAL S BY A ‘ K E E PER

PLAYER MAT DISMISSALS CATCHES STUMPINGS

Katey Martin (NZ) 5 7 7 0

Muneeba Ali (PAK) 3 6 5 1

Modester Mupachikwa (ZIM) 8 5 5 0

Mary Waldron (IRE) 4 5 3 2

Shemaine Campbelle (WI) 3 4 3 1

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FACE TIME

1I am the head and made my international debut against my eyes’ country. I have captained my side in the past and am the leading run-getter in the world in the

shortest format. I have played more than 100 matches in both ODIs and T20Is but am yet to play a Test match.

2I am the eyes and made my international debut against my mouth’s side in a World Cup. I am the first player to play 100 T20Is from my side and am also the

captain of the team in the format. I hold the record for the best bowling figures by a spinner in Test matches from my country.

3I am the mouth and have represented my country in both cricket and football. I played five matches during the 2017 World Cup. My first ODI wicket was against

my eyes’ team. I have taken 60 international wickets from 63 matches and am yet to play a T20I against my head’s side.Bangladesh in 2018 in Kuala Lumpur.

1I am the head and have taken more than 100 international wickets with my leg spin. I recently made a comeback to international cricket post my maternity

break. My best bowling figures in a World Cup came when I faced my mouth’s country in the 2017 edition. My best bowling figures in T20Is are 5 for 13 against a side that won’t feature in the 2022 World Cup.

2 I am the eyes and made my international debut against New Zealand in 2012. I have featured in more than 140 matches for my country since then and have taken over

200 wickets. My best bowling figures in T20Is was the only instance of a bowler taking a four-wicket haul in a T20 World Cup final.

3 I am the mouth and the most experienced player from my side in the T20I format. I was part of the side when my country won the World Cup, but didn’t feature in

the final of the tournament. My hundred against my eyes’ team was the first instance of a T20I century in a chase.

• Each image is a mix of three cricketers • Clues for each (player) are aligned with the image • Can you guess all 6 players?

• Answers to be mailed to [email protected] with the subject ‘WCZ Magazine Contest’ • Last date: June 15, 2022

SUPER OVER


THE OPENER


Mix

ed

up

!

Can you rearrange the letters to

identify the cricketer?

Send us your answers on the e-mail id: [email protected]

with the subject

‘WCZ Magazine Contest’

Stand a chance to win a keepsake signed by an international cricketer!

Last date: April 30, 2022

Face Time

Guess Who

SolutionAnswers to ‘Super Over’ section, Women’s CricZone Magazine Issue 5

A 1. Hayley Matthews 2. Sneh Rana 3. Fatima Sana

B 1. Katherine Brunt 2. Lea Tahuhu 3. Natalie Sciver

Isa Guha

1 SHAK Y HEADPIN

2 PUT ON AROMA

3 JAIL FAN OATS

4 CROWBAR DINE

5 FAN ON JARS

6 A FAST MANIA

7 ADD RAIN

8 A HUMAN TALKS

9 THY BANKER CRY

10 AIM RADIAL SHAWLS

11 TACK Y HIKING

12 BOHO YET MEN

13 AHEAD INNOCENT

14 BOARFISH AMMO

15 HAUTE HAUL

16 HAMPERED IT AS

17 LANK AGAIN

18 HOARSELY SUB AN

19 STOCKS ARE

20 SINGULAR TAN A

SUPER OVER


4-8kg 7-12kg 9-14kg 12-17kg

Email : [email protected]

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