Tammy Beaumont’s maiden Test century helped England rebound after their understaffed bowlers were made to toil by Annabel Sutherland’s unbeaten 137 on day two of this Women’s Ashes series opener.
Beaumont rode her luck but a fine 100 not out lifted England to 218 for two at stumps, sharing a 115 stand with captain Heather Knight, who made a composed 57, after Australia had posted a formidable total of 473.
Sophie Ecclestone claimed a maiden Test five-for, a fitting reward after 46.2 overs of exertion as she took the onus with Nat Sciver-Brunt unable to fulfil her bowling duties due to a jarred right knee.
England’s premier all-rounder fielded then batted, showing no sign of the minor injury with a fluent 41 not out, although her omission from bowling was understood to be precautionary at the outset of this multi-format series.
Her unavailability meant an increased workload for her team-mates as England sought to wrap up the lower order and restrict their opponents to under 350 at Trent Bridge, but Sutherland seized upon the hosts being a bowler light on a flat pitch as Australia added 235 for the last four wickets.
Sutherland’s highest score in 33 previous internationals was 35 but she capitalised on England’s aching limbs – they were kept in the field for 124.2 overs – to record the fastest Test ton by an Australian woman off only 148 balls.
There was no keeping her out of the game as she also bagged a wicket after showcasing the enviable depth of Australia’s batting pool with the highest score by a number eight in women’s Tests.
She lost Alana King, who was bowled through the gate for 21 by a hooping Lauren Bell inswinger once Sutherland had taken her 39 in Australia’s overnight 328 for seven to a first international fifty.
The debuting Lauren Filer bristled with intent and beat the bat on a couple of occasions but the seamers were largely innocuous and Sutherland even set after the more frugal Ecclestone upon her introduction after 40 minutes, having bowled a mammoth 31 overs on Thursday – 28 of them in a row.
While she held up an end, Ireland-born Kim Garth was a capable foil on her Test bow for the expansive Sutherland, who went through the gears and required only 48 balls to bring up a second 50, reaching a maiden ton in her third match in this format with a clip through midwicket off Filer for a 12th four.
That was the first of three fours in the over, the third out of Knight’s reach in the slips, and Sutherland continued to churn out the runs after lunch with a mighty heave for Australia’s first six.
However, she ran out of partners as Ecclestone rapped Garth (22) on the back pad after skidding through her defences, ending a 95-run stand for the penultimate wicket which had carried Australia past 450, before taking a sharp caught and bowled off Darcie Brown in the spinner’s 16th consecutive over.
While Ecclestone, who finished with 46.2-9-129-5, bore the brunt of Sciver-Brunt’s absence from the attack, Kate Cross racked up 29 overs, with Filer bowling 22 and Bell 20 as Australia’s registered the sixth-highest total in Women’s Tests.
England amassed 650 in 118.2 overs in a warm-up against Australia A last week, with Beaumont notching a rollicking double century, but the situation in Nottingham initially demanded a pragmatic approach.
Beaumont had a life on four as a diving Phoebe Litchfield was unable to hang on to what would have been a screamer but fellow opener Emma Lamb was not so fortunate after Sutherland was brought on. Seduced into a drive, Lamb merely edged low to second slip on 10.
Beaumont, though, punished Australia’s seamers when they over-pitched with a few lusty drives and two full tosses from Sutherland and one from Ellyse Perry were given the treatment.
While Knight started confidently, Beaumont had a couple of moments of luck after going past 50 against leg-spinner King, who found the inside edge twice – with the first ballooning over the short leg fielder and the second thumping into the boot being before caught but Australia neglected to review.
Knight joined Beaumont in passing an untroubled 50 but was undone by a hint of turn and bounce from Ashleigh Gardner and nicked off. But Sciver-Brunt got off nought with an authoritative drive off Gardner for the first of seven fours as she upped the ante.
Beaumont moved into the 90s with an edge off Gardner that dropped short and wide of Jess Jonassen before bringing up her hundred with a clip off her hip for a couple in the penultimate over of the day.
In doing so, Beaumont became just the second woman – after Knight – to score a hundred in all three international formats.
Turning the tide: Windies captain Powell cautiously optimistic about comeback in T20 series against England
Though facing an uphill task in their five-match T20 series against England, West Indies captain Rovman Powell is cautiously optimistic that they can produce a comeback to not only overturn a challenging 2-0 deficit but to go all the way in the series.
Powell’s sentiments served as a rallying cry of sorts as they stare down a must-win situation in the third encounter at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia on Thursday to keep the series alive.
Still, Powell expressed confidence that the Caribbean setting, coupled with a few strategic changes, will bolster their fightback.
“St. Lucia is always a good place for us. It provides an opportunity for us to play good cricket, and the wicket is generally a good one, probably the best one in the Caribbean,” Powell said in a pre-game interview.
“The people of St Lucia always come out to support us, which is also good, and so we're looking forward to the next three games. Hopefully they can come out and support us, and we can deliver some good cricket,” he added.
After two tough matches in Barbados, which England won by eight wickets and seven wickets, respectively, Powell emphasized the significance of a renewed focus while also pointing to the need for every player to take personal accountability heading into the crucial contest.
“I think it’s a case of each guy reflecting on how things have gone so far from an individual perspective to see if we as individuals are bringing enough to the table, and then we try our best to try to put it together as a team. We have areas that definitely need work, but the guys are in good spirits. We had a good training session today, so we’re hoping to hit the ground running,” Powell explained.
St Lucia is not only familiar territory but also presents a new beginning, especially with the return of key pacer Alzarri Joseph from a two-match suspension.
Powell believes Joseph’s presence will fortify a bowling attack that has struggled in the opening games, as England easily chased down 182 and 158 in both games.
“If you should look at our bowling department, we really needed him in those games. So, it's important for him to come and hit the straps and hit the ground running. As a bowling group, we have areas where we need to control the power play because the middle overs generally take care of themselves, and he will come to bowl some of those overs in the backend,” he shared.
Despite the uphill battle, Powell cited the Caribbean side’s recent successes over the past 18 months as a reminder of their potential.
“It's a little uncomfortable being 2-0 to be honest; it's a position that we haven't found ourselves in in a long time, but it's an opportunity for us to show what we are made of as a T20 team,” Powell declared.
“England is a team that we have played quite often these days, and we have had good results against them. It's just unfortunate that Barbados wasn't good for us in terms of T20 cricket, but St Lucia provides a new opportunity for us to come out and play some good cricket,” the Jamaican reasoned.
Finally, Powell reiterated the importance of a victory on Thursday, not only to stay in the series but also to set the stage for an exhilarating weekend of cricket. The final two encounters are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
“It's a case of us getting back into the series; we just need a win, and once we get the win tomorrow, we can go from there. The guys are upbeat; even though we are 2-0 down, they are in a good frame of mind and ready to play good cricket,” the captain ended.
Tilak's unbeaten ton helps India take lead against South Africa
Tilak Varma smashed an unbeaten 107 as India went 2-1 up in their T20I series against South Africa, claiming a nail-biting victory in Wednesday's third match in Centurion.
Following their surprise defeat in Sunday's second match, the tourists bounced back to earn their 10th win in their last 12 outings in the format, putting them on the brink of a series triumph.
Tilak was the star of the show as he produced comfortably the best score of his T20I career, surpassing a knock of 55 versus Bangladesh last year in some style, while only facing 56 balls.
He hit eight fours and seven maximums to set South Africa a target of 220 for victory, with Abhishek Sharma scoring 50 from 25 deliveries in support before Keshav Maharaj broke their partnership in the ninth over.
Despite six of India's batsmen scoring 18 runs or fewer and four – Sanju Samson (0), Suryakumar Yadav (1), Rinku Singh (8) and Axar Patel (1) – being limited to single figures, the damage had largely been done already.
South Africa were then dropped to 84-4 within their first 10 overs as Varun Chakravarthy claimed the crucial wickets of Reeza Hendricks (12) and Aiden Markram (29).
Heinrich Klaasen's incredible 54 off 17 balls dragged South Africa back into contention, and they required 18 runs from four deliveries in a grandstand finish, but Arshdeep Singh trapped the hosts' dangerman lbw to secure India's victory.
Having fallen short of their target by just 11 runs, the Proteas must now win Friday's fourth match to salvage a 2-2 draw from the series.
Data Debrief: Big-hitting India on the brink
Tilak recorded a strike rate of 191.07 while Abhishek was at 200.00 as their early partnership powered India towards victory.
India have now hit over 200 sixes in T20I matches this calendar year, only previously surpassing that figure in the format in one previous year – recording 289 in 2022.
Kusal and Avishka centuries take series opener for Sri Lanka
Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando guided Sri Lanka to a 45-run victory via the DLS Method in the first match of their ODI series against New Zealand on Wednesday.
On a rain-soaked day, the hosts ended their eight-match losing streak at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium with a dominant display from start to finish.
After electing to bat, Sri Lanka were dealt an early blow when Pathum Nissanka (12) was caught by Nathan Smith from Jacob Duffy's delivery in the second over.
However, Kusal would join Avishka at the crease and put the hosts in control, with the pair putting on a 206-run stand.
The duo's contribution formed the bulk of Sri Lanka's 324-5, with Sadeera Samarawickrama (five), Charith Asalanka (40) and Janith Liyanage (12 not out) concluding their innings.
New Zealand started well in their run chase through Will Young (35) and Tim Robinson (35) before the latter was stumped by Mendisb Theekshana in the 13th over.
That kickstarted the tourists' collapse, with the dismissals of Young, Henry Nicholls (six), Mark Chapman (two) and Glenn Phillips (nine) leaving New Zealand 110-5 after 17 overs.
Michael Bracewell's 34 from 32 deliveries steadied the ship somewhat but the damage had been done, with the tourists falling short of their target by 45 runs.
Data Debrief: It's coming home
Sri Lanka have won five of their last six multi-game bilateral men’s ODI series (L1), including each of their last two, and they got off to a perfect start in Dambulla.
The Lions' victory was their first in the format at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium since a seven-wicket win against Pakistan back in August 2014.
They were helped by Kusal's knock of 143 from 128 deliveries, which was his fourth ODI century but his first on home soil since 2020.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
