Tuesday 20 August 2013

Women's Ashes 1st ODI

Random thoughts on the 1st ODI at Lords:

  • I really don't understand batting Heather Knight at 5, especially given how uncomfortable Aran Brindle looked at the top of the order. Knight is England's in-form player, but she had no time to build an innings coming in so late.
  • Sarah Taylor needs to add some gritty to her pretty. Elegant thirties don't win matches. (Copy out 500 times, Sarah!)
  • England were ahead on Duckworth-Lewis for much of their innings, but they didn't press home this advantage. They played a lot of strokes without finding the gaps and jogged a lot of singles without pushing for the twos. 
  • Holly Colvin may (or may not) be 'yipped' but she sure isn't landing it on her usual, economical sixpence. She wasn't bad... none of the bowlers were... but Holly wasn't quite at her best. (Let's hope she gets back there soon!)
  • Lords was only half open - the stands on the south side being closed entirely - but there was a really good buzz about the place. 
  • It was good to see Danni Wyatt in the crowd, supporting the team with a smile on her face, even though she must feel rubbish on the inside. I've not been her most vociferous fan, but this was big and brave. (Can you imagine seeing Nick Compton in the crowd at The Oval this week?)
  • Overall, I really feel that England lost this match much more than Australia won it. And that is actually good news: Australia are beatable and The Ashes are still winnable... we just need a bit more "oomph" next time.
UPDATE: I've amended this post slightly, after a friend pointed out that it read as if I was primarily blaming Holly Colvin for the loss... which I really, really wasn't!

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