Erin Burns guides Warriors to eight-wicket victory over TKR

Chasing 131 in good batting conditions, the Warriors were in deep trouble at 15-2 before Burns combined with captain Lauren Winfield-Hill (46 off 47 balls) for an unbroken 119-run partnership in the competition’s highest ever stand.

Spinner Chloe Tryon had clawed Warriors back into the contest with 4-21 after a half-century opening partnership from captain Deandra Dottin and Harshitha Samarawickrama threatened to lift the Knight Riders to a huge score.

Knight Riders’ total of 130-6 proved under par as Warriors mowed down the target with 16 balls to spare.

Both teams were desperate after losing to Barbados Royals in their opening matches. Warriors hoped for early movement, having elected to bowl under overcast skies, but were blunted by Samarawickrama and Dottin.

Samarawickrama, who has replaced the injured Meg Lanning, unfurled elegant strokes through the off-side and also pounced on short-pitched bowling as Knight Riders reached 37/0 after the powerplay.

Shabnim Ismail unleashed express pace with the new ball, but she was thwarted by the determined openers keen on getting their team off to a strong start after top-order struggles against Royals.

Ismail’s mood soured further when she produced an edge off Samarawickrama in the sixth over only for Burns, normally such a brilliant fielder, fumbling a regulation chance at wide slip.

The partnership reached 50 before Tryon struck with her first delivery after Dottin was well caught by Ashmini Munisar diving forward at gully.

Tryon then struck in her next over when Samarawickrama was clean bowled after failing to execute a reverse sweep. Knight Riders were bogged down in the middle overs, unable to find the boundary during a sedate 45-ball stretch.

Jemimah Rodrigues and Jess Jonassen broke the shackles with a quick 44-run partnership. But Tryon dismissed the dangerous Jonassen for 28 and also Kycia Knight in the penultimate over as Warriors continued their fightback.

Warriors’ momentum was snuffed with the early wickets of Natasha McLean and Stafanie Taylor as Jonassen and seamer Shikha Pandey bowled brilliantly in the powerplay.

The pressure fell on Winfield-Hill and Burns, who counterattacked down the ground and worked the gaps on the leg-side.

Burns received luck along the way, dropped on 32 by Jonassen at midwicket and she reached her half-century off 32 balls when Anisa Mohammed spilt a catch at short midwicket.

Warriors’ strategy to chase in dewy conditions proved a masterstroke as Burns hit consecutive boundaries to open her team’s account in the tournament.

Lee lets loose as South Africa thrash Thailand

Lee took the Thai attack apart with the T20 World Cup’s fifth ton and 88 of her 101 runs came from boundaries as the Proteas posted 195 for three, the highest team total in the tournament’s history.

With Sornarrin Tippoch’s debutants slipping to 82 all out, South Africa strengthened their grip on Group B as they face Pakistan on Sunday with the semi-finals in sight.

Thailand have a knack for nabbing early wickets and were gifted one when Dane van Niekerk (2) patted Ratanporn Padunglerd’s full toss to mid-on.

Lee, tenth in the MRF Tyres ICC T20I Batting Rankings, dominated the scoring and slog-swept Onnicha Kamchomphu for a 75-metre six.

Thailand used seven different bowlers inside nine overs but none could withstand Lee’s assault and she reached 50 from 35 balls with a straight six.

Sune Luus, featuring in her fourth Women’s T20 World Cup aged 24, batted on the undercard but still swung Chanida Sutthiruang’s full toss for six over fine leg.

Lee came in without a half-century in nine international innings but glided towards a century in 59 balls, showing her touch with a late cut for four before bringing up a ton fittingly with a four.

No sooner had she raised her bat to salute a jubilant South Africa dugout than she chipped a catch back to Suleeporn Laomi to end the partnership on 131.

Luus ticked to her fourth T20I fifty and Chloe Tryon carted Tippoch over the leg-side fence twice in a penultimate over that cost 20, lifting her side to a record total.

It didn’t take long for Thailand to lose their first wicket as Natthakan Chantam was run out by a fine throw from keeper Trisha Chetty.

Ismail tore the Thai order asunder, beating Nannapat Khoncharoenkai and then Naruemol Chaiwai for sheer pace in successive balls to complete a team hat-trick.

Tippoch and Nattaya Boochatham played out two maidens before a world-class catch from Laura Wolvaardt at midwicket accounted for the Thailand captain.

Kamchomphu led a lone resistance, taking Ayabonga Khaka for back-to-back boundaries and striking Thailand’s first six at the Women’s T20 World Cup off Van Niekerk.

Kamchomphu (26) nicked Luus behind in the 12th over, Chetty whipped off Boochatham’s bails to end her 31-ball vigil and also stumped Wongpaka Liengprasert (6) for the seventh wicket.

Chanida Sutthiruang was given out lbw on review off Nadine de Klerk, Laomi looped a catch to Van Niekerk and Ismail castled Padunglerd to complete a comprehensive win.

Scores in brief

South Africa beat Thailand by 113 runs, Manuka Oval, Canberra

South Africa 195-3, 20 overs (Lizelle Lee 101, Sune Luus 61 not out; Ratanporn Padunglerd 1-19)

Thailand 82 all out, 19.1 overs (Onnicha Kamchomphu 26; Shabnim Ismail 3-8, Sune Luus 3-15)

Stafanie Taylor scores unbeaten 33 to lead Guyana Amazon Warriors Women to five-wicket win over Barbados Royals Women in the 6IXTY

Taylor hit four fours and a six from the 24 balls she faced as the Guyana Amazon Warriors scored 59-1 from eight overs in reply to Barbados Royals Women’s score of 58 from 9.3 overs.

Opener Rashada Williams scored an unbeaten run-a-ball 22 in an unbroken 57-run match-winning second-wicket partnership.

The only wicket to fall was that of Chamari Athapaththu, who was run out for one.

Cheryl-Ann Fraser took the remarkable figures of 3-6 from two overs and Ayabonga Khaka 1-8 as the Amazon Warriors bundled the Royals Women out for just 58.

Chloe Tryon, who scored 24 from 17 balls, was the only batter in double figures for the Royals Women. West Indies Women captain Hayley Matthews made 7.

The victory was the second of the day for the Guyana franchise. Earlier, Taylor scored 24 and Williams 29 in a 15-run victory over the Trinbago Knight Riders Women.

GAW Women scored 81-2 and restricted TKR to 66.

The Royals Women did win a match on Wednesday scoring 108-4 and restricted TKR to 80-3.

Taylor, Ramharack and Ismail headline Guyana Amazon Warriors retentions for 2024 Massy Women’s CPL

Taylor led the Amazon Warriors to the final of the WCPL in 2023 where her team finished as runners up.

She will be joined by fellow retained players Shabnim Ismail, Karishma Ramharack, Shemaine Campbelle, Natasha McClean and Shakera Selman.

The newly signed players for the Amazon Warriors are Australian batter Erin Burns who won the WCPL with the Barbados Royals in 2023 and South African all-rounder Chloe Tryon who was with the Royals at the 2022 WCPL.

There are seven more spots in the squad left to fill and six of these players will be selected at the WCPL draft which will take place in July. The final spot will be the last overseas player which will be confirmed before the start of the tournament.

The 2024 Massy WCPL will take place in Trinidad from 21 to 29 August will all seven matches at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors squad before the draft is as follows: Stafanie Taylor, Shabnim Ismail, Karishma Ramharack, Shemaine Campbelle, Natasha McClean, Shakera Selman, Chloe Tryon, Erin Burns

West Indies women, England expected to fight for Group B honours

There will be two groups of five competing for progress to the semi-finals, with the top two from each group making it through.

The West Indies find themselves in Group B along with England, South Africa, Pakistan and Thailand.

West Indies had a successful tournament in 2018, reaching the semi-finals before being knocked out by the eventual champions Australia. Whilst their form in the format has not been ideal over the last few years, they still have some of the most exciting players in the tournament lining up for them.

Deandra Dottin is among the best attacking batters in the world, particularly if she's facing spin - in the last two years she scores at 8 runs per over against spinners, and only gets out every 38 balls.

With ball in hand, captain Stafanie Taylor will be looking to Shakera Selman to make inroads at the top of the inning - nobody swings the ball more than her over the last two years of T20I cricket, and on the hard fast pitches of Australia, movement through the air will be crucial.

If all goes to plan, West Indies will be more than confident of progressing to the knockout stages.

England made the final in the last edition of the T20 World Cup before, like West Indies, being eliminated by Australia. Heather Knight's side are still somewhat in transition, but a new-found balance relying on Nat Sciver to bowl four overs has allowed them to play an extra specialist batsman - it's given the batting line-up some serious oomph. On the bowling side of things, Sophie Ecclestone is a very important part of the English attack. A tall left-arm orthodox spinner, no player has taken more wickets for England in T20Is since the start of 2018 than Ecclestone, with 35 wickets in that time at an average of 16.82. Offering control as well as attacking threat, she'll be the likely fulcrum of the England attack. Knight will see anything but progress from the group as abject failure, and they'll be eager to go all the way.

Pakistan bowl 76 per cent spin over the last two years - that’s the most of any team in the world during that period. Much like Bangladesh in Group A, this does at least give them a clear blueprint to work to a basic structure they can focus on in the absence of many acclaimed stars. If they have one standout player it's Bismah Maroof, who has notched up 782 T20I runs in the last two years, comfortably the most of any Pakistan batter and the 11th most for anyone in the world. If anyone in Pakistan green is going to spring a shock on the opposition, it'll be her.

In contrast to Pakistan, 76 per cent of the deliveries sent down from South Africa over the last two years, come from pace bowlers, the most of any side in the competition. They were a disappointment at the last T20 World Cup, not reaching the semi-finals. Their bowling is mixed, but their batting is likely to focus around a few key individuals, and one in particular. Alyssa Healy is renowned as an absolute colossus, but Chloe Tryon - at least statistically - is almost keeping pace with her. A powerful left-hander, Tryon is particularly effective against spin bowling, rocketing along at 8.6 runs per over (compared to 7.6 runs per over against seamers). The South African has a particular preference for hitting off spinners, scoring 180 from 113 deliveries against off-break bowlers in T20I cricket. Given how much spin is bowled in T20 cricket, this sets Tryon apart, her strength and power meaning that she doesn’t need pace on the ball to cause damage - South Africa will be looking to her to really lift the scoring rate when she’s at the crease.

Thailand are the most notable presence at this T20 World Cup, an unfamiliar presence in top-level cricket for both men and women. However, much of their success in recent years and in qualification is down to Nattaya Boochatham. A skilful right-arm seamer, Boochatham has taken a lot of wickets since the start of 2018; in fact, in that time period, only Poonam Yadav has taken more international T20 wickets than Boochatham. Undoubtedly, this has been given a boost by the standard of opposition that Thailand have been facing, but it’s been Boochatham who has done the damage in those matches. If Thailand are going to lay a glove on any side at this tournament, she’ll have to be at her best.