Isa Guha believes Heather Knight’s England can complete a remarkable turnaround to win the Women’s Ashes but feels the series has already proven to be a “seminal moment” for the sport.
England were 6-0 down in the multi-format series after narrow defeats in the one-off Test and the opening T20 at Edgbaston last month, but have hit back to win the next three matches to level up the scores and victories in the final two ODIs over the next week will see them reclaim the urn.
Sage ambassador Guha has been across the action as part of both Sky Sports and BBC’s coverage and agrees with England bowler Kate Cross that the aura of world champions Australia has slowly been chipped away.
She told the PA news agency: “For me I always believed they could beat Australia, but it was a question of whether they did. Then there is one thing believing it and another thing actually doing it.
“There were so many times on that last Ashes tour where they would get themselves into positions to win and almost psychologically break down and not believe they could really get over the line against Australia.
“Something I heard from Kate Cross was they have taken away the Australians aura and that is what has allowed them to win these games.
“That ruthlessness to have the composure in the big moments is what had been lacking, but now they have won games it will unlock their potential even more, so that is what makes it even more exciting.”
Each match of the series has provided twists and turns with different starring roles – Tammy Beaumont hitting 208 in the Test at Trent Bridge while Sophie Ecclestone claimed a 10-wicket haul.
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Since the format switched to white-ball cricket, Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt, Alice Capsey and Knight have all had key contributions and in doing so further cemented their place as role models for the next generation.
Ex-seamer Guha – involved in three successful Ashes series as a player – feels the impact of this summer’s battle will be significant regardless of the results in the final two ODIs at the Ageas Bowl (Sunday) and Taunton (Tuesday).
“I always knew it could be,” Guha reflected when asked if she anticipated such a thrilling series.
“There was always a feeling it could be possible, but it is mad.
“I remember being part of the 2005 Ashes and we were spurring each other on. People didn’t really know we were playing back then so that is probably the difference to now but there is something in the air. It feels a really seminal moment for our sport.
“I think women’s cricket is only going in one way. It is the fastest growing area of our sport and to see that investment paying off, that makes us all feel good about the bigger picture of women’s cricket at the top level.
“There is still a lot more to be done at grassroots level and in the pathways, but certainly the inspiration that is coming out of this whole series is incredible.
“To have a team that is competing with arguably the greatest team that has ever been, yeah that is enough to get excited about. Whatever the result, it has certainly been a win for the sport.”
Both the women’s and men’s Ashes are being played against the backdrop of cricket’s struggle to rid the game of discrimination.
The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report published last month identified ingrained racism, sexism and classism within the sport in England and Wales, with among its key recommendations that there be immediate equality in men’s and women’s international match fees.
Guha highlighted the viewing figures when reflecting on the need for equal pay.
She added: “The numbers are there for everyone to see as well.
“This is one I thought was really amazing. On Sky 965,000 watched England beat Australia over four days in the third men’s Test at Headingley, so that is a daily figure while 795,000 watched Heather Knight’s side win (the T20) on Saturday night.
“If there is any evidence the girls need to be paid more, there you go.
“The argument that always comes around is how many eyeballs they get and that is the perfect example of how women’s cricket is being captured. It has captured the imagination of the population.”
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Record-breaking Root edges England closer to Sri Lanka victory
Joe Root hit a record-breaking century as England edged closer to sealing their series victory over Sri Lanka at Lord's.
Root, who equalled Alastair Cook's record during the first innings of the second Test, made 103 from 111 balls for his 34th Test ton.
England resumed on 25-1 at the start of day three, with Root leading the way for the hosts and the crowd rose as one when a sweeping four completed his landmark century.
He helped his nation set their opponents a target of 483 after they were 251 all out.
As the light faded over Lord's, so too did Sri Lanka's momentum in their record-attempting chase, with Gus Atkinson and Olly Stone claiming Nishan Madushka and Pathum Nissanka respectively.
Play was eventually halted due to bad light, and called off to be resumed on Sunday with the tourists at 53-2 with Dimuth Karunaratne (23) and Prabath Jayasuriya (three) at the crease.
Data Debrief: Root revels on record-breaking day
Day three of the second Test belonged to Root, whose century was also his quickest in Test cricket.
Adding to his 143 in England's first innings, he registered two tons in a match for the first time, while becoming only the fourth player to achieve that feat in a Test at Lord's.
Root also joins Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar in scoring 5,000 Test runs in two different decades, while closing the gap on Cook's all-time England tally (12,472) to just 95.
If that was not enough for him, he also took the catches for both of Sri Lanka's wickets, making him the first England player to reach 200 in Test cricket.
Last Hurrah: Dwayne Bravo to call time on CPL career after this year's edition
Former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo says this year’s edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will be his last hurrah as he announced his retirement from the tournament on Saturday.
Bravo, who represents the Trinbago Knight Riders, made the revelation on his Instagram account hours ahead of the franchise’s opening contest against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Basseterre, scheduled for 7:00pm.
“It's been a great journey, and I'm looking forward to playing my final professional tournament in front of my Caribbean people," Bravo said in his post.
“TKR is the place where everything started for me and will end with my team,” he added.
The 40-year-old’s post all but indicates the end of a decorated professional career, as he retired from international cricket in 2021 after the T20 World Cup and also announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) a year later after being part of four title-winning Chennai Super Kings campaigns.
Bravo, known for his flair and skillful batting and bowling, is currently the CPL’s highest wicket-taker with 128 scalps in 103 games at an average of 22.40 and economy rate of 8.69.
In fact, Bravo is the leading wicket-taker in all T20s, with 630 scalps in 578 matches. He has also scored 6,970 runs with the bat.
No doubt the electrifying Trinidad and Tobago stalwart will go down as one of T20's early legends, having played seven World Cups in the format, winning two titles, as well as over 15 franchise league titles. He is the first bowler to get to 500 T20 wickets.
CWI targets domestic T20 competition in 2025 to identify Caribbean representative(s) for 2028 Olympic Games
Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Dr. Kishore Shallow says plans are already afoot to host a domestic T20 competition next year to determine the Caribbean representative(s) for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Shallow, once again welcoming cricket’s return to the Olympic Games, pointed out that his administration is already in dialogue with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) hierarchy to stage the domestic competition in 2025.
Cricket, which last featured at an Olympic Games in 1900, was always set for a long-awaited return to the global multi-sport showpiece, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last year confirmed it and four other sports—baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, and squash—for the LA Games.
“To add cricket to the agenda in the next Olympics is certainly going to be something tremendous, as we did in the Commonwealth Games a couple years ago when we had one of our teams representing the females. We at the time chose our original women’s tournament, and the winner at the time was Barbados, so they represented the region,” Shallow said.
“We anticipate something similar will be done unless they tell us all the teams can come and participate, which would be ideal, but it is unlikely for that to happen,” he added.
Shallow also explained that the CPL champions cannot represent the region at the Olympic Games given that the tournament is franchise-based and involves players from other parts of the world.
As such, he revealed that he has engaged CARICOM leaders regarding plans for a domestic T20 competition from which the winner or top finishers would secure the coveted Olympic Games spot(s).
“We have been in discussion with CPL for them to fund a domestic T20 tournament starting next year. I think Miles Bascombe and his team have already scheduled a window for that next year in 2025. Once we are able to have that tournament, then we can use that to determine which team or teams will participate in the Olympics on behalf of CWI,” Shallow shared.
“We can’t use the CPL as it is now because it’s franchises. But in the domestic tournament that we’re having, which will still have a commercial model to it but not to the extent of CPL, but that will more than likely be territories instead of franchises, so we will be able to identify teams,” he noted.
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