Lauren Filer was beaming but exhausted after a memorable England debut in which she claimed the prized wicket of Australia linchpin Ellyse Perry on the opening day of the Women’s Ashes.
Filer lived up to her billing as a pacy threat, unsettling Australia’s batters from the off as she made an instant impact by thudding one into the pads of Perry with her first delivery in international cricket.
Perry, on 10 at the time, overturned the decision on review and went on to make a sparkling 99 for her fifth 50-plus score in 10 Tests against England, but a ton went begging as she nailed Filer to gully.
Filer also snared another dangerous batter in Beth Mooney to finish an eventful opening day of the multi-format series with two for 65 as Australia went to stumps on 328 for seven at Trent Bridge.
“I definitely enjoyed it,” the 22-year-old said. “It was a bit of a surreal experience. But it was a good day. I’m a bit tired now.
“I get brought on to bowl quickly and try to keep the pace up and keep charging in. I knew I wasn’t going to be on very long so was just trying to take advantage of the balls I did have.
“I just tried to focus on myself and tried to bowl quick and bring attacking bowling into the team. I tried to keep all the external bits out and focus on myself.
“It was obviously really good news (when she found out she would play). It’s weird – I didn’t feel too bad until five minutes before we were on the pitch. When I fielded my first ball I settled down a bit.”
Filer thought she had made the dream start to life with England as the umpire’s finger went up after her first ball, but Perry’s use of DRS was vindicated as replays detected an inside edge on to her pads.
“When it hit the pads I was just screaming,” Filer added. “I did hear two noises, but I thought it was pad first. Obviously it wasn’t out, but it was a good confidence boost to get into my spell.”
Filer was given the nod over Issy Wong and came in for glowing praise from Perry, whose Test batting average climbed into high 70s in her 11th match following the standout knock on the first of five days.
“I had a really great tussle with Filer the whole time,” Perry said. “I thought she has extremely impressive on debut and brought the game alive at different points.”
Sophie Ecclestone was also a class apart as England’s sole frontline spinner, finishing with figures of 31-6-71-3, which included two wickets in three balls during a mammoth spell of 28 consecutive openers.
Following a near two-hour rain delay, Ecclestone led England’s fightback by snaring Jess Jonassen and then bowling Australia captain Alyssa Healy for a two-ball duck, having earlier found a hint of turn to clip the off-stump of Tahlia McGrath, who contributed a Test-best 61 in a 119-run union with Perry.
“She’s a bit of a bowling machine,” Filer said, after she and England’s other seamers went at more than four an over.
“Bowling for two hours is pretty impressive, I’ve never really seen anyone do that.
“She makes the bowlers at the other end comfortable doing what they’re doing because she goes for nothing. If I go for four or a couple of boundaries I know that she’s got my back at the other end.”
Australia fell from 202 for two to 238 for six after Perry’s dismissal but rebuilt through Ashleigh Gardner’s 40 and an unbeaten 39 from Annabel Sutherland to get past 300.
Asked about her downfall one run short of three figures, Perry was pragmatic as she said: “Sometimes things just go that way, it’s hard to be disappointed.
“There’s not really much to dwell on there, it’s just like any other time you get out – it’s a bit of a bummer but gosh the game goes on and life goes on for sure.”
Cricket West Indies to reveal squad for ICC T20 World Cup Friday, May 3
Cricket West Indies (CWI) is gearing up to unveil its squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup during a highly anticipated live press conference in Barbados on Friday, May 3. The event will feature CWI's Lead Selector, the Most Honourable Dr. Desmond Haynes, and Head Coach Daren Sammy alongside CWI Chief Executive Officer Johnny Grave.
In a statement, Johnny Grave expressed the organization's excitement about the impending announcement and highlighted the decision to host a live press conference as a means to directly engage with fans and media.
"Emphasizing the significance of this moment, we chose to host a live press conference to engage with fans and media directly. We also requested permission from the ICC to align our announcement with this event," said Johnny Grave.
The announcement comes amidst increasing excitement as local box offices across the region open on Thursday, May 2, allowing fans to secure their tickets for the tournament. Additionally, CWI will be releasing the official tournament song on the same day, further adding to the anticipation building around the event.
"Excitement is mounting as local box offices open across the region on Thursday, May 2, and we are equally thrilled to release the official tournament song on the same day. Anticipation is building, and we can't wait to share this journey with cricket enthusiasts worldwide," Grave added.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, set to commence on June 1, will be co-hosted in the Caribbean and the United States, culminating with the finals scheduled to take place in Barbados. With preparations in full swing, CWI's squad announcement promises to be a significant moment in the lead-up to this highly anticipated global cricketing event. Stay tuned for the unveiling of the squad and the exciting journey ahead for Cricket West Indies at the ICC T20 World Cup.
IPL: Punjab Kings spinners frustrate CSK in routine win
Punjab Kings eased to back-to-back wins in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday, their spinners doing the damage as they claimed a seven-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings.
The Kings chased down an IPL-record of 262 with eight balls to spare to beat Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, but they didn't need anywhere near that level of big hitting to clinch their first set of consecutive victories this year.
Spinners Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar made it a far more comfortable outing for Punjab, finishing with two wickets apiece and giving up just 33 runs between them through eight overs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad did his best to keep CSK in it with his 62 off 48 balls, but they always looked unlikely to defend a middling score of 162, particularly when Deepak Chahar pulled up two deliveries into the Punjab innings and walked gingerly from the field.
Richard Gleeson dismissed Prabhsimran Singh for 13 on his IPL debut, but that was as good as it got for Chennai as Jonny Bairstow (46 off 30) and Rilee Rossouw (43 off 25) steadily ate away at their score.
The Super Kings' outing was summed up by Sam Curran's wayward drive spinning away from Shivam Dube at the boundary for a four late on, and Punjab wrapped up their most comfortable win of the season with 13 balls to spare.
Data Debrief: Kings maintain Chennai hoodoo
The Kings' upturn may have come a little too late to give them a genuine shot at the play-offs, but for Chennai, it was a case of more frustration against their bogey team.
Punjab have now won their last five matches against the Super Kings, who have seen their title defence stall with a run of three defeats in four outings.
Marsh named captain in Australia's T20 World Cup squad as Smith and Fraser-McGurk miss out
Mitchell Marsh will captain Australia at next month's T20 World Cup, but Steve Smith and Jake Fraser-McGurk have been left out of the 15-man squad.
Marsh, who has shared the duties on an interim basis since Aaron Finch's retirement, was named the Baggy Greens' permanent T20 skipper on Wednesday.
Test captain Pat Cummins, fast bowler Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell have also been named in the squad, which features 11 of the players that were part of the team that won this tournament in 2021.
However, there is no place for former skipper Smith following a difficult spell of form, while Fraser-McGurk is also absent despite his impressive form in the Indian Premier League.
"This is an experienced squad with extensive World Cup experience that offers a variety of structures and covers the scenarios the panel believes will factor in the West Indies with the unique nature of the venues and our opponents," selection chief George Bailey said.
"Steve Smith, Matt Short, Jason Behrendorff, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson and Xavier Bartlett were all part of long conversations, along with several others, including Jake Fraser-McGurk who is yet to play T20 International cricket but continues to impress and is developing rapidly.
"Being constrained to a squad of 15 for World Cups is always a challenge given the different scenarios and options we’d like to cover.
"Ultimately, the balance of the final 15 needs to provide the best chance of being successful in this campaign."
"It's been an immense privilege to play for my country and now an even greater honour to lead the squad to a World Cup," Marsh added.
"We have had some strong success in recent times, and I am hopeful that will continue in what looks like a wide-open tournament."
Australia will begin their tournament against Oman on June 5, while they will also play England, Scotland and Namibia in Group B.
Australia's provisional squad:
Mitchell Marsh (captain), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
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