Alex Hartley, part of the England side that won the 2017 Women’s World Cup on home soil, has announced she will end her playing career at the conclusion of The Hundred.
Hartley took 10 wickets in eight matches during England’s seminal triumph, including two for 58 in the final against India, the undoubted highlight of an international career spanning 28 ODIs and four T20s.
The slow left-armer has not featured for England since 2019 while she went on a brief hiatus in May after admitting she had been “struggling mentally”, having fallen out of love with the game.
She made her comeback earlier this month for Welsh Fire, who have guaranteed progress to at least the eliminator at the Kia Oval on Saturday and could even go directly into Sunday’s final at Lord’s.
Whatever the outcome for the Fire in the knockout stages, Hartley, a popular broadcaster with the BBC’s Test Match Special, will retire from cricket this weekend.
“I’m hanging the boots up. I am officially retiring from cricket,” the 29-year-old said on her BBC ‘No Balls’ podcast. “I can’t believe it, I feel so good.
“I have been thinking about it for ages and ages. I’m going to really miss it, I’m going to be really sad but it’s so right. I’ve loved it, I’ve hated it but I am really proud of what I’ve achieved.
“It’s everything that I’ve ever wanted to do. I’m gutted I didn’t play Test cricket but I’m one of those where if you’re not good enough then you’re not good enough.”
Hartley made her England debut in 2016 but estimated she has devoted 17 years to her playing career, and is now looking forward to having more free time, even if she will still work in the game.
“At the minute, it’s work, cricket, work, cricket. I don’t ever have any days off,” Hartley added. “I haven’t seen my school friends for about a year because I never have time.”
Hartley, who has represented North West Thunder on the domestic circuit since 2020, has taken two wickets in three matches for the Cardiff-based Fire, who are currently second in the table.
They will finish top – and thereby go straight into the Lord’s showpiece – if they beat Northern Superchargers on Tuesday and Southern Brave lose to Manchester Originals on Wednesday.
England were crowned Women’s World Cup winners for a fourth time on this day in 2017 after they beat India by nine runs in a thrilling final at Lord’s.
Nat Sciver-Brunt’s half-century helped the hosts post 228 for seven from their 50 overs in front of a bumper crowd at the home of cricket.
Opener Punam Raut looked set to lead India home as they reached 191 for three, but Anya Shrubsole dismissed her 14 runs short of a century and went on to finish with figures of six for 46 to bowl England to victory.
The final had been a repeat of the second match of the tournament, which India won by 35 runs, but Heather Knight’s team went on to win their remaining six group fixtures to top the standings and progress into the last four of the competition.
It set up a semi-final meeting with South Africa and England chased down 219 thanks a run-a-ball 27 not out from Jenny Gunn.
Knight won the toss and decided to bat first in the final, with Lauren Winfield-Hill (24) and Tammy Beaumont (23) helping England make a strong start before Sarah Taylor joined forces with Sciver-Brunt in a vital 83-run partnership for the third wicket.
Taylor was dismissed for 45 and Sciver-Brunt went for 51, but Katherine Sciver-Brunt smashed 34 down the order alongside Gunn’s important unbeaten 25 to set India 229 for victory.
India opener Raut and Harmanpreet Kaur, who was out for 51, moved their nation into a position of strength, but Shrubsole sparked a dramatic finale with a sensational spell of bowling.
Raunt was pinned in front lbw for 86 to leave India on 191 for four with 38 more runs required from 43 balls.
The pressure proved too much with Shrubsole dismissing Veda Krishnamurthy, Jhulan Goswami, Deepti Sharma and finally Rajeshwari Gayakwad to earn England home success in the 11th World Cup.
West Indies Women all-rounder Hayley Matthews has been named on the Most Valuable Team of the just-concluded ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022.
Alyssa Healy produced a record-breaking 170 to guide Australia to their seventh Women's Cricket World Cup but she still believes she is not a "big-game player".
Healy registered the highest score – by a man or woman – in a World Cup final in a superb 138-ball knock, becoming the first player to score a century in both the semi-final and final at the same World Cup.
The wicketkeeper-batter's scintillating outing also ensured she set a record for the most runs scored by a woman in the tournament, taking her tally to an astonishing 509 in Christchurch, as Australia defeated England by 71 runs on Sunday.
But the 32-year-old opener does not think she can be labelled as a player for the big occasions despite her heroics.
"Not sure I'll let you name it. I'll let you find it," Healy told reporters after the final. "But, 'brave'? I just think you've got to be brave to come out in situations like that to be able to play your game.
"You know that the opposition are going to come really hard at you. They want to take your wicket early and you have got to be brave and back your skills.
"So, personally, I'm really proud of that. I still don't think I'm a big-game player. So, turn that down, but you have just got to be brave to be able to do it."
Healy became the first player – man or woman – to hit 150 or more in the final of a world tournament, and she acknowledged that the victory means even more after failing to make the World Cup final in 2017.
"I don't think I've ever dreamt of anything like that before, I can guarantee you that," she added.
"But I'm just really proud to have been able to contribute to this win. I messaged Pez [Ellyse Perry] this morning when I found out she was in the XI and I said, like, 'I just want to be a part of it. I really want this. I want to contribute to this win and to be able to do that was really special.
"I ran drinks the whole 2013 World Cup. You know we didn't make the final in 2017. So, for me, this trophy means a lot and to be able to turn up at the back end and go all right in the last two games means a whole heap."
The records continued to tumble for Healy, whose 170 also surpassed Adam Gilchrist's 149 in 2007 as the highest score in a World Cup final by an Australian wicketkeeper-batter, but she remains uninterested in those achievements.
"That's pretty cool, [but] I'm not in the game for that sort of stuff. Getting our team into a winning position was the most important thing," she responded on Gilchrist's record.
"I guess one day when I retire and I reflect on my career, it's a moment that I can kind of remember and cherish that. I always looked up to Adam Gilchrist; Uncle Ian [Healy] first, but then Adam Gilchrist, so to knock him off the pedestal - sorry about that - but I'm sure he'll appreciate it."
Alyssa Healy made history by producing one of the greatest ODI innings as Australia beat England by 71 runs to win the Women's Cricket World Cup for a seventh time.
Healy crafted a magnificent 170 – a record score by a woman or man in a World Cup final – as Australia racked up a mammoth 356-5 after Heather Knight won the toss and opted to field at Hagley Oval on Sunday.
The wicketkeeper-batter struck 26 boundaries in an outstanding 138-ball knock, becoming the first player to score a century in both the semi-final and final at the same World Cup.
Healy's masterclass also ensured she set a record for the most runs scored by a woman in a World Cup, taking her tally to an astonishing 509 in Christchurch.
Rachael Haynes (68) and Healy got Australia off to a dream start with an opening stand of 160 before number three Beth Mooney made 62 off only 47 balls.
Healy's epic knock was finally ended by Anya Shrubsole (3-46) in the 46th over, the centurion stumped by Amy Jones.
Defending champions England faced a massive run chase and Nat Sciver ensured they might make a good fight of it, scoring a brilliant unbeaten 148.
Sciver was left stranded, though, as opener Tammy Beaumont was the second-highest scorer with only 27.
Alana King (3-64), Jess Jonassen (3-57) and Megan Schutt (2-42) did the bulk of the damage as Australia regained the title.
Only one batter scored more than 200 runs in seven matches, they dropped more than 20 catches and had the worst catching efficiency of all the teams, and they crashed out in ignominious fashion losing by 157 runs to Australia on Tuesday night but West Indies Women Captain Stafanie Taylor believes the team played well in the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup.
In what could rank as one of their poorest performances of the World Cup, West Indies Women were bowled out for 148 chasing a target of 306, losing by 157 runs via Duckworth/Lewis method in the rain-shortened game.
Only Taylor (48), Matthews (34) and Dottin (34) made any score of note as the West Indies Women wilted under the pressure of the chase and incisive bowling from the Australian attack.
Notwithstanding, the abject performance in the match and in the tournament where after opening with scores of 259-9 and 225-6, the West Indies Women failed to score 200 runs or more for the remainder of the tournament, Taylor was hopeful for the future.
“No one expected us to win the first two games and to be in the semi-finals,” she said after the ended world cup campaign.
“I think the way we played throughout the tournament had been really good. We had some ups and downs and that happens but it’s about learning and I believe we are still learning and I am proud of the way we played. We still have more to go and you’ll see us around again.”
Matthews, who opened the tournament with a brilliant 119 against hosts New Zealand, was the leading scorer for the WIW with 260 runs at an average of 37.14. Shemaine Campbell with an aggregate of 185 runs had the next best average of 30.83.
Deandra Dottin scored 199 runs but averaged just 28.42 while Taylor averaged 21.57 from an aggregate of 151 runs during the tournament.
Matthews was also the leading wicket-taker with 10 wickets in the tournament and was the only West Indies Women bowler in double figures.
Australia continued their dominance at the 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup with a comprehensive 158-run win over the West Indies in the first semi-final in Wellington.
The match was reduced to 45 overs per team after a rain delay before the toss which the West Indies won the toss and elected to field first.
Australia’s opening pair of Alyssa Healy and Rachael Haynes got off to a slow start while assessing conditions before putting the Windies bowlers to the sword once they got comfortable.
The two ended up putting on a mammoth 216 before Healy was dismissed for a blistering 129 off just 107 balls in the 33rd over.
Healy's innings included 17 fours and one six.
Haynes eventually got to 85 off 100 balls before she became the second wicket to fall with the score on 231 in the 36th over.
Captain Meg Lanning (26 not out) and Beth Mooney (43 not out) then continued the attack for the Australians before the innings closed with them amassing 305-3 off their 45 overs.
Chinelle Henry was the only West Indian who had a decent showing with the ball, taking 2-51 off her nine overs.
The Windies started their reply already at a disadvantage as Anisa Mohammed and Chinelle Henry were both unable to bat after sustaining injuries in the field.
Captain Stafanie Taylor (48), Hayley Matthews (34) and Deandra Dottin (34) were the only West Indian batters to pass double figures as Australia were equally dominant with the ball, restricting the Windies to 148-8 to secure a 158-run win and advance to the final.
Jess Jonassen took 2-14 off five overs.
Australia will be looking for their seventh ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup title and first since 2013 when they play the winner of the second semi-final between South Africa and defending champions England.
The second semi-final takes place on Wednesday in Christchurch.
West Indies Women head coach Courtney Walsh is confident ahead of their 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final against Australia in Wellington on Tuesday.
Speaking in an interview with Andrew Mason, Walsh, who was appointed as head coach in October 2020 after previously serving as assistant coach to Gus Logie, expressed his confidence and outlined that while the team has played well in stages, they still haven’t put it all together.
“I’m very confident. I think the team deserves to be in the semis. We’ve played some very good cricket while we’ve been here and we still haven’t put it together as a team like we know we can do so this will be the right game to get that started so I’m pretty confident that once we execute and play to our potential, we’ll have a very good game,” he said.
The West Indies got a few days rest after their last game against South Africa last Wednesday, something Walsh says has done the team well.
“We had a couple days away from it which has done us some good. It’s the first break we’ve had since the start of the competition so we had a couple of days where some of the main players were not required to come to practice to give them a chance to recover and the girls who weren’t playing much cricket had a chance to come out and get some decent practice as well. We’re in a good space at the moment,” he said.
“There’s no major concern. We know the areas that we haven’t done well in and the coaches have been trying very hard to get everybody up to speed,” was Walsh’s response when asked about any concerns he had going into the semi-final.
The West Indies will be aiming to advance to their second Women's World Cup final after finishing as runners-up in 2013 in India.
West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor wants her team to relish the moment ahead of their World Cup semi-final against Australia on Tuesday.
“We want to relish the moment and go out there and play hard cricket,” the all-rounder said in a pre-match press conference on Monday.
The match will be played in Wellington where the West Indies have been awaiting their fate since their last group match against South Africa was rained out last Wednesday.
“We’ve been here for a while now. We’ve been getting used to conditions in the nets so hopefully that should help us in how we play. We just have to take it how it comes and play like a final and, hopefully, we come out on top,” she said.
There was a time not too long ago when a World Cup semi-final seemed like an unreachable dream for the Caribbean side but Taylor says changes over the last couple years have helped the team grow.
“We’ve had some changes to our team and a new coaching staff. I believe the work they’ve been doing with us has changed the way we go about our game,” she said.
“I think we have come a long way. It may not show as much with the score sheet but I feel like we’ve come a long way looking back on series we’ve played. The coaching staff has contributed so much to where we are. I thought we had a really good start to the tournament and hopefully that’s something we could use to get us through in this back-end. Everyone is fit and rearing to go,” Taylor added.
The West Indies will be looking to reach their second World Cup final after being runners up in 2013, losing the final to Australia by 114 runs.
West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews says all the pressure is on Australia ahead of their ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final clash in Wellington on Tuesday.
The West Indies Women are in the semi-finals of the 2022 ICC Women's World Cup after Lady Luck worked in their favour on Saturday night.
The West Indies Women, on seven points from their seven games, following no-result against South Africa on Wednesday, March 23, needed either Bangladesh to defeat England or South Africa to defeat India for them to advance.
England crushed Bangladesh by 100 runs earlier Saturday, which meant that the West Indies Women were dependent on a positive result from the South Africa versus India encounter.
The situation looked grim when India posted 274-7 in their 50 overs thanks to half centuries of 71 from Smriti Mandhana, 53 from Shafali Verma, 68 from Captain Mithali Raj as well as Harmanpreet Kaur's 48.
However, Laura Woolvardt smashed 80, Laura Goodall scored 49 and Mignon du Preez an unbeaten 52 as South Africa scored 275-7, the winning run coming off the last ball of the match.
The South African victory set off wild celebrations among the West Indies Women, whose members had gathered to watch the match.
They will now face unbeaten Australia in the semi-final on Tuesday.
The West Indies Women will, with fingers crossed, be hoping South Africa will defeat India and Bangladesh upset England, in the coming days after rain forced the abandonment of their match against South Africa at Basin Reserve on Wednesday night.
West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews insists the team remains aware of the strong form of South Africa Women heading into Wednesday's crucial encounter but insists the unit can take encouragement based on recent head-to-head performances.
Finding themselves plagued with issues of inconsistency all tournament, the West Indies Women will face South Africa in a must-win encounter at Basin Reserve. On the back of a devastating loss to previously winless Pakistan, the team currently finds itself in the last semi-final spot and must hope for other results to go their way. The team has played one more game than England.
The South Africans have on the other hand been in solid form, with their only loss so far coming against top-ranked Australia, who are yet to lose a match.
“They’ve obviously been playing very good cricket. The only team that has beaten them is Australia, but at the same time we have played a lot of cricket against South Africa over the last few months,” Matthews told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“We played them at home in a series last year and before coming here (World Cup) we had a pretty good series as well, unfortunately, we lost the series but if a few things had gone our way, the rain-affected it and stuff like that, it would have looked like a different result,” she added.
“We know they have some dangerous players and we know all of them really well, we know what we need to do in this match as well. What’s going to be really important against them is getting some runs on the board.”
West Indies Women’s chances of qualifying for the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup took a major hit Sunday night after they lost to Pakistan by eight wickets in a rain-shortened match in Hamilton.
In the match reduced to 20 overs per side because of persistent rain and a wet outfield, the West Indies were restricted to 89-7. Deandra Dottin, who scored 27, Stafanie Taylor, 18, and Afy Fletcher, 12, were the only batters in double figures as Nida Dar tore through the line-up with 4-10 from her four overs.
Pakistan duly achieved their target without much fuss as opener Muneeba Ali scored 37. Captain Bismah Maroof was unbeaten on 20 and Omaima Sohail 22 not out to lead their team to victory with seven balls to spare.
Shakera Selman with 1-15 from 3.5 overs and Fletcher 1-23 were the wicket-takers for the West Indies Women, who will now face a must-win match against unbeaten South Africa if they are to have any chance to advance.
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