England captain Heather Knight had no hesitation in putting country before club but admitted the T20 franchise league boom will take women’s cricket into uncharted territory.
With England’s first match on a white-ball tour of New Zealand starting on March 19, two days after the Women’s Premier League final, Knight withdrew from a planned stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Nat Sciver-Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Danni Wyatt and Alice Capsey had England’s blessing to go to the WPL and will therefore miss the first three of five T20s against the White Ferns this month.
It is hoped a repeat scenario can be avoided in the future with a specially-designated WPL window but Knight is aware the proliferation of domestic T20 tournaments opens avenues to women like never before.
“It was a pretty easy decision for me as England captain, it’s the right thing for me to be there for the whole of the England tour,” Knight told the PA news agency ahead of International Women’s Day.
“I’d always agreed to play the England games and wanted to, that was a given. I was trying to negotiate with the franchise around leaving a little bit early, but unfortunately that didn’t come to fruition.
“It was just unfortunately a little bit too tight with the flights and stuff and we couldn’t get the tour pushed back. As the game evolves, players have got more decisions to make as those options increase.
“It’s a sign of lots of opportunities in the women’s game but hopefully there’s a place for both franchise and international cricket to co-exist. It’s certainly interesting going forward.”
The quartet at the WPL – who will be available from the fourth T20 in a tour also including three ODIs – are earning lucrative sums at their franchises with Sciver-Brunt and Ecclestone on six-figure deals.
Knight sees the upshot for England as they can get a feel for Asian conditions before the autumn’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh but she warned that workloads must also be given consideration going forward.
“I actually think some of our players playing in the WPL would be a huge benefit for England in the future and hopefully we’ll see that benefit at the T20 World Cup,” Knight said.
“It’s great for players and there are so many more opportunities but players are now having to make tricky choices around what’s best for them and how to manage the calendar.
“It’s becoming pretty much impossible to play in all the big franchise competitions and every game of cricket for your country.
“We’ll certainly see players trying to manage their workload and try and peak at the right time for big tournaments like the T20 World Cup.”
Knight was speaking after another revolutionary past 12 months for women’s cricket, with the 2023 Ashes generating record attendances and viewing figures, while England’s male and female cricketers are now paid equal match fees.
The England and Wales Cricket Board is now attempting to implement a radical shake-up of the domestic women’s game, which will see a three-tier structure and change in ownership model introduced from 2025.
“It seems like every year is groundbreaking and lots of changes,” Knight added. “It’s the fast-paced nature of things and trying to accelerate that move towards equity with the men’s game.
“The steps have been really good and it’s another exciting place to be. Last year was another remarkable year but let’s hope for another remarkable and groundbreaking year this year.”
West Indies in control despite Bangladesh avoiding follow-on in Antigua Test
The West Indies maintained firm control of the first Test against Bangladesh at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, ending the third day with a 181-run lead. Bangladesh, despite a spirited late resistance, reached stumps at 269 for 9, narrowly avoiding the follow-on after the hosts declared their first innings at 450 for 9.
Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales led the West Indies bowling effort, each taking key wickets as Bangladesh struggled for momentum on a slow surface. Jaker Ali (53) and Mominul Haque (50) provided the only half-centuries for the visitors, while Litton Das added 40. A seventh-wicket stand of 68 runs between Jaker and Taijul Islam pushed Bangladesh past the follow-on mark of 251 in the final hour of the day.
Starting the day on 40 for 2, Bangladesh batted cautiously, with Mominul Haque and Shahadat Hossain looking to rebuild. Shahadat’s 18 from 71 balls came to an end when he edged Kemar Roach to Kavem Hodge at first slip.
Mominul continued his resistance alongside Litton Das, guiding Bangladesh through to lunch. Litton, known for his fluent stroke play, curbed his natural instincts and focused on survival, though he managed a few boundaries off Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph.
After the break, Seales trapped Mominul lbw for 50, breaking a promising partnership. Litton Das followed soon after, dragging a Shamar Joseph delivery onto his stumps for 40 off 76 balls. Stand-in captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz also struggled against a barrage of short-pitched deliveries, eventually succumbing to an Alzarri Joseph bouncer caught at short-leg by Mikyle Louis.
Bangladesh looked in danger of folding cheaply, but Jaker Ali and Taijul Islam mounted a defiant stand.
Jaker and Taijul frustrated the West Indies attack for 19 overs, combining disciplined shot selection with opportunistic boundary-hitting. Jaker brought up his half-century with a pull shot, but the partnership ended when Taijul was bowled by Joseph for 27.
Jaker continued to fight, but his innings ended at 53 when he holed out to Seales at deep midwicket off Justin Greaves. The West Indies bowlers, tiring in the fading light, were unable to dismiss the final Bangladeshi wicket, with Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud surviving till stumps.
The hosts had set the tone for the match with a dominant first-innings batting display, led by Justin Greaves (115*), Mikyle Louis (97), and Alick Athanaze (90). On day three, their bowlers ensured that Bangladesh remained under pressure despite avoiding the follow-on.
Heading into the penultimate day, West Indies remain firmly in control, with a healthy lead and a single Bangladeshi wicket standing between them and a shot at victory. Bangladesh, meanwhile, face an uphill battle to avoid defeat in the first Test.
Global Super League trophy unveiled
The trophy for ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) has been unveiled by Guyana’s President, His Excellency President Dr Mohammad Irfan Ali and shown to the Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at a cricket event which was part of the Indian leader’s state visit to Guyana. GSL Chairman, Sir Clive Lloyd and Guyanese cricket great Alvin Kallicharran were also in attendance for the ceremony.
The trophy has been inspired by Guyana’s 276 discovered waterfalls including the magnificent Kaieteur Falls, the largest single drop waterfall in the world and has been designed by Indian company Loka Lifestyle.
Sir Clive Lloyd, Chairman of GSL, said: “The Global Super League is South America’s first standalone T20 tournament and is a fantastic opportunity to showcase beautiful Guyana to the rest of the world. With that in mind it is very fitting that the trophy highlights Kaieteur Falls, one of the most stunning landmarks in the region. We are looking forward to seeing which of the five competing teams will claim the trophy on 6th December.”
The Global Super League will see teams from Australia, Bangladesh, England, Guyana and Pakistan competing for the trophy and a US$1million prize pool. The tournament runs from 26 November to 6 December with all matches taking place at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
Zimbabwe crush Pakistan in rain-affected ODI series opener
Zimbabwe's spinners took centre-stage as they earned a crushing 80-run victory over Pakistan in the teams' rain-affected ODI opener on Sunday.
Torrential rain, thunder and lightning halted play after 21 overs of the Pakistan innings, with the tourists toiling at 60-6 after bowling Zimbabwe out for 205.
Sean Williams, Blessing Muzarabani and Sikandar Raza each scalped two wickets apiece as no Pakistan batter surpassed the 19 runs managed by Mohammad Rizwan.
The dismal weather would ensure no further play was possible, with Pakistan having completed the requisite 20 overs to ensure a result would be declared, ensuring Zimbabwe won on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.
Richard Ngarava had earlier top-scored for Zimbabwe with a steady 48 off 52 balls, with Raza adding an important 39 from 56 deliveries after the hosts had been dropped to 99-5.
Salman Agha and Faisal Akram finished with three wickets apiece for Pakistan, but it was not enough to prevent Zimbabwe from being declared comfortable victors, with their total some way clear of the DLS par score of 141.
Data Debrief: Zimbabwe end Bulawayo hoodoo
Zimbabwe's victory may not have come in the circumstances they would have envisaged, but it did end their dismal run against Pakistan at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
They had lost each of their previous eight matches against Pakistan at the venue, only winning one of their last nine there overall (one draw, seven defeats), after winning three of their previous four.
They will hope to carry this momentum into Tuesday's second match at the same venue, as they bid to clinch victory in the three-match series.
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