England got off to a dominant start in the first Metro Bank ODI as they thumped Sri Lanka by seven wickets at Chester-le-Street.
It was a morning to remember for debutants Mahika Gaur and Lauren Filer as both bowlers took three wickets each, along with Sarah Glenn, while Alice Capsey picked up the other as the visitors were all out for 106.
On their return to the one-day squad, Tammy Beaumont and Emma Lamb put on a 61-run opening partnership before another debutant Maia Bouchier hit the winning runs with a mammoth 32 overs to spare.
The victory was the perfect response after England lost the T20 leg of the series on Thursday, with the next ODI taking place at Northampton on Tuesday.
Gaur got her ODI career off to a flying start by claiming her first wicket when she struck the top of Chamari Athapaththu’s off-stump in the fifth over to dismiss the influential captain before shortly sending Anushka Sanjeewani’s middle stump flying.
Sri Lanka’s troubles deepened when Glenn came into the attack in the 11th over and made an instant impact to pin Vishmi Gunaratne lbw.
Filer then struck when Hasini Perera feathered the ball through to Amy Jones behind the stumps and her debut got even better with two wickets in the 20th over to spark Sri Lanka’s collapse.
The 22-year-old had Kavisha Dilhari caught behind, with Jones making a fine grab to her right, and then dismissed Nilakshi de Silva the very next ball in a similar fashion.
Harshitha Samarawickrama looked to get Sri Lanka up to a competitive total, but she fell for 35 off Capsey after a review showed the ball just brushing her bat on the way through to Jones.
And, just after Sri Lanka had brought up their 100, Glenn had her second victim, with another thinly-edged ball well taken by Jones before bowling Achini Kulasuriya.
Gaur wrapped up the innings by getting one through the gate to bowl Udeshika Prabodhani and set England a 107-run target.
Beaumont and Lamb returned to open for England and, after a gentle start, Lamb thrashed two successive fours as the hosts began to put their foot on the gas.
Beaumont also began to pick out the boundary and took advantage when Udeshika Prabodhani came into the attack for Sri Lanka, smashing a glorious four on the off-side before firing one straight down the ground.
Lamb also found the boundary in an expensive over for Prabodhani, which brought up England’s 50 before Beaumont hit towards cover again off captain Athapaththu.
Inoka Ranaweera found the breakthrough with her first ball of the afternoon in the 11th over as Beaumont fell for 32 following a fine catch from Perera at first slip and captain Heather Knight came in, hitting a great cover drive to earn her first boundary.
Lamb fell for 27 after scooping the ball into the air for mid-off De Silva to comfortably take and Bouchier earned a promotion up the order to help England chase down the target, opening her ODI account with a boundary.
Needing eight runs to win, Dilhairi took Knight’s wicket as the England captain edged behind to Sanjeewani before Bouchier hit the winning runs with a four to seal victory.
Andre Russell ventures into Bollywood music scene with SRK's support
West Indies and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell is set to make waves in Bollywood, following in the footsteps of Trinidadian cricketer Dwayne Bravo, who achieved success with his hit song 'Champion' in India.
Known for adding energy and entertainment to the dressing room, West Indian cricketers have a history of making their mark beyond the cricket field, with stars like Chris Gayle, DJ Bravo, Kieron Pollard, and Darren Sammy shining in the IPL. The latest to join this list is Andre Russell, the dynamic KKR sensation.
Russell is stepping into the music world by lending his vocals to a song composed by Palaash Muchhal. He will also be featured alongside actress Avika Gor in the accompanying music video.
What makes Russell's foray into music even more exciting is the backing of Bollywood titan Shahrukh Khan, the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders. Known for his larger-than-life persona, SRK is not just a team owner but also a key figure in the entertainment industry. Russell and SRK share a strong camaraderie, often seen enjoying each other's company and having fun moments together.
Recently, a video of Russell singing SRK's iconic song "Lut Put Gaya" from the movie 'Dunki' went viral, showcasing his passion for music. With SRK's support and Russell's infectious energy, fans can anticipate an exciting collaboration between the cricket star and the Bollywood icon.
Andre Russell's venture into Bollywood music adds a new dimension to his versatile talents and promises to be a delightful treat for his fans in India and across the globe.
IPL: Kumar the hero as Sunrisers stun Royals for final-ball win
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the hero as Sunrisers Hyderabad came back from the brink to secure a final-ball win over Indian Premier League leaders Rajasthan Royals on Thursday.
Kumar left the Royals reeling at 1-2 as they chased 202 for victory, dismissing both Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson for first-over ducks, flattening middle wicket to send the latter walking five balls in.
A 127-run partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag then seemed to have the Royals closing in on a fifth straight win, only for their chase to unravel in spectacular fashion.
Two wickets apiece from Thangarasu Natarajan and Pat Cummins left the Royals needing 20 runs off 11 balls, and Rovman Powell came up with a thrilling cameo, the highlight being an unbelievable dive to avoid being run out on the penultimate delivery, which took Rajasthan within two runs of victory and one of a super over.
However, there was one more twist to come as Powell swung at Kumar's full toss, which clipped his back leg and was confirmed as out following a review, sealing a memorable win for Sunrisers.
The Sunrisers had also found themselves in a hole in their own innings, only for Nitish Kumar Reddy (76) and Heinrich Klaasen (42) to finish unbeaten and bring up a total they were just about able to defend.
Data Debrief: Kumar bookends back-and-forth innings
For much of the Rajasthan innings, it looked like Kumar's early dismissals of Buttler and Samson would count for nought, with some expensive overs from Cummins and Marco Jansen leaving the Royals on the brink.
However, Kumar stepped up when it was all on the line on the final delivery, leaving Powell in a tangle to end Hyderabad's two-match losing streak and lift them into the top four.
Pakistan bowlers shine to hand West Indies first loss of tour in fourth T20I
West Indies Women suffered their first loss on their tour of Pakistan as the hosts secured an eight-wicket win in the fourth T20 International at the Karachi National Stadium on Thursday.
Excellent Pakistan bowling meant the tourists were restricted to just 84-9 off their 20 overs after winning the toss and batting first.
Shemaine Campbelle (26), Zaida James (19) and Jannilea Glasgow (10) were the only West Indian batters to get double-figures as Sadia Iqbal and Nida Dar dominated with 3-18 from four overs and 3-19 from four overs, respectively.
Pakistan then needed only 16.3 overs to reach 87-2 and secure their first win of the series. Ayesha Zafar led the way with 42* off 48 balls while Gull Feroza finished 21* off 24 balls.
Afy Fletcher and Shamilia Connell took a wicket, each, for the Windies.
Full Scores: West Indies Women 84-9 (Shemaine Campbelle 26, Sadia Iqbal 3-18, Nida Dar 3-19)
Pakistan Women 87-2 (Ayesha Zafar 42*, Gull Feroza 21*, Afy Fletcher 1-6, Shamilia Connell 1-8)
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
