West Indies captain Hayley Matthews produced another all-round masterclass to fire Welsh Fire into the knockout stages of The Hundred women’s tournament following a comprehensive nine-wicket win over cellar dwellers Southern Brave at the Utilita Bowl on Wednesday.

Matthews, who has been enjoying superb form for the Welsh Fire, was again on song, as she captured 4-14 in 20 balls to restrict Southern Brave to 103 before hammering an unbeaten 26-ball 35 to get her franchise across the line at 106-1 with 26 balls to spare. Captain Tammy Beaumont was also left unbeaten as she topscored with 59 off 40 deliveries.

With the win, Welsh Fire are now in a strong position, due to their superior net run rate, to finish in top spot and qualify automatically for the Hundred final at Lord's on Sunday. Oval Invincibles require a convincing win over Trent Rockets on Wednesday afternoon to leapfrog them.

Scores: Southern Brave 103 all out (100 balls); Welsh Fire 106-1 (74 balls)

“I think we've been really good. When you look at our line-up, we've got a lot of experience, and we've played on that really well,” Matthews said in a post-game interview.

“The bowlers have done a really good job at making sure we don't have to chase too big of a total. I think it's been a complete team performance, and that's where we've performed really well; everyone's been chipping in and playing their role,” she added.

After Beaumont inserted Southern Brave at the toss, Matthews dismissed the in-form Danni Wyatt (two), caught at deep midwicket, before Smriti Mandhana (one) departed four balls later to the pace of Shabnim Ismail to leave the Brave 15 for 2 at the end of the PowerPlay.

Whatever hopes Southern Brave had of repairing the damage were dashed when Jess Jonassen had Georgia Adams (six) stumped. Maia Bouchier (10) was Matthews’ second scalp, brilliantly caught by Phoebe Franklin in the deep, before Freya Kemp (two) knicked one behind to give Jonassen her second wicket.

Matthews got her third when she bowled Naomi Dattani (two) and then completed her allotment with the scalp of Kalea Moore (zero), as Southern Brave were in totters at 47 for 7.

Chloe Tyron was the only bright spark of the innings, as she posted an aggressive 38-ball 55, including seven fours and a solitary six at the backend, as she dominated a 52-run eight-wicket stand with wicketkeeper Rhianna Southby (15).

Matthews’ haul was supported by Jess Jonassen (3-21) and Freya Davies (2-14).

Despite losing Sophia Dunkley (seven) to Lauren Bell early, the result was never in doubt for Welsh Fire, as Beaumont was especially strong on anything loose, working the field with sweeps and cuts, while Matthews picked the gaps behind square in a 72-run stand off a mere 54 balls.

Beaumont raised her half-century in just 31 balls in a knock that had 10 boundaries, while the Barbadian, Matthews, struck five boundaries in her knock as Welsh Fire continue to blaze heading into the business end of the tournament.

West Indies women's skipper Hayley Matthews is expecting improved performances in the upcoming season of Australia’s Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) after she secured a contract extension with Melbourne Renegades ahead of the October 27 to December 1 tournament.

It will be Matthews' third season with the Renegades, who initially contracted the Windies star ahead of WBBL|08 then selected her with pick No.3 in last year's inaugural overseas player draft.

By virtue of selecting the world-class all-rounder, Renegades became the fourth club to lock in an overseas signing ahead of the WBBL|10 draft under the new signing provisions introduced by the league this year.

The 26-year-old led the club in the absence of injured captain Sophie Molineux last season, but it was a tournament the Renegades would rather forget after winning just two games and finishing at the bottom of the table.

Matthews' performances with the ball were one bright spot of that campaign, and she finished as their equal-leading wicket taker with 14 scalps for her off-spin, while she scored 255 runs at a strike rate of 114.34.

“I’m super excited to be back with the girls; I'm confident I can play a massive role within the team and help put up some really good performances and hopefully lead us to a finals series. The main thing I can appreciate about this club is the way they bring me in and make me feel so welcome. I can step back into what feels like a massive family,” Matthews said.

"We haven't achieved what we've wanted to the last couple of years, but with some key members back and some new additions cooking up as well, I'm confident we can go out there and put it all together. One of the biggest things for me, after not having the best seasons with the Renegades in my first two years, I definitely feel like I want to go out there and give the club a lot more,” she added.

Matthews will strengthen a Renegades batting line-up that is also set to welcome back captain Sophie Molineux this summer, after the Australia all-rounder missed the entirety of last season as she recovered from a ruptured ACL.

The absence of Molineux and fellow injured Australian star Tayla Vlaeminck was a major factor in the Renegades' struggles last season, while their high-profile overseas trio of Matthews, Harmanpreet Kaur and Tammy Beaumont did not reach the heights expected of them with the bat.

“It hampered us not having our full squad together for either of the two years I've been there; just having Sophie around the group again is going to be such a plus,” Matthews said.

“I saw what she was able to do at the WPL, the way she was able to go out there and express herself and just be free. We're super excited to have her back at the Renegades and hopefully doing even better,” she noted.

Matthews, who has been signed under the league's new multi-year, pre-draft contract provision, will also join an enviable Renegades spin brigade, with her off-spin complementing Molineux's left-arm orthodox and Georgia Wareham's leg-spin. The trio of international stars, will be accompanied by rising off-spinner Ella Hayward.

The Renegades pre-draft signing of Matthews means they part with their Platinum selection (pick No.3), leaving picks 11, 22, and 27 for the draft set to be held in September.

England took an unassailable 2-0 lead in their ODI series against New Zealand with a 56-run win in the second match in Hamilton.

After being dismissed for a duck in the first match on Monday, opener Tammy Beaumont bounced back with a stellar 81-run stand to get England off to a hot start at Seddon Park.

Once Maia Bouchier was caught by Hannah Rowe for 20, England captain Heather Knight set about building an intimidating target alongside Beaumont.

The pair combined for 70 runs before Knight was dismissed by Jess Kerr.

Beaumont was not fazed however, continuing to belt boundaries despite the quick exits of Nat Sciver-Brunt and Alice Capsey.

She lifted England to 158 for five before she was finally dismissed by Rowe.

Amy Jones took the baton from there, contributing 48 from 40 balls as England set a lofty target of 253.

Despite a staunch 57 from Brooke Halliday and a blistering 47 off 48 balls from Izzy Gaze, New Zealand’s batters were unable to threaten England’s score, ultimately being bowled out for 196.

Sciver-Brunt led the way for England’s bowlers with three wickets from her seven overs.

The final match of the series takes place on Sunday.

Outsiders often marvel at cricket’s ability to conjure a draw from matches that last five days at a time, but 2023 took the concept to extremes as two separate Ashes contests stretched across nearly seven weeks concluded with honours even.

And, as if to prove that the magic lies in the journey rather than the destination, it was by a distance the most gripping Ashes summer in a generation.

In the men’s series, two wonderfully matched teams scrapped tooth and claw as the ledger ended level at 2-2, England only denied a famous victory from two down by a 48-hour deluge in Manchester.

In the women’s multi-format match-up, finally afforded equal billing and staged concurrently at the peak of the season, things were just as tight. The decision to offer a five-day Test, rather than the four-day affairs that have so frequently forced draws, allowed a bold Australian victory in spite of Tammy Beaumont’s epic double century, tipping the scales heavily towards an away win.

Instead, Heather Knight’s team rallied to unseat the world’s most reliable white-ball winning machine in both the the T20 and ODI legs and tie the points score at 8-8.

In both instances the tourists retained the Ashes as holders, but in each case the rivalry was bolstered afresh. Pat Cummins’ Australia failed in their stated mission of winning behind enemy lines for the first time since 2001 – a permanent gap on the CVs of decorated veterans such as Steve Smith, David Warner and Mitchell Starc – while Alyssa Healy’s group saw the limited-overs dominance that forms their core identity challenged and eroded.

In a cricket landscape facing rapid, exponential change in the face of the franchise juggernaut, it was a timely reminder that the Ashes can still deliver in a vital, visceral way.

The memorable moments were vivid and plentiful. Zak Crawley kicked the whole circus off by crashing the first ball of the series through cover for four with a flourish that spoke a thousand words.

Lord’s brought a major flashpoint as Alex Carey ran out Jonny Bairstow in an act that was either elite opportunism or craven skullduggery, depending on your side of the divide.

In an unlikely twist, the famously genteel surroundings of the Long Room became the most expensively dressed bear pit in the sporting world and helped create a frisson that never quite went away. Ben Stokes’ defiantly doomed century on one good leg could not save that game but laid the ground for a profound shift in fortunes.

Chris Woakes and Mark Wood were late arrivals but star turns, Moeen Ali’s rollercoaster comeback ended on a grace note and Crawley hit a jaw-dropping 189 at Old Trafford before the prospect of a winner-takes-all decider fell foul of the rain.

It fell to Stuart Broad to provide a fitting final chapter, announcing his retirement midway through the match before penning his own perfect swansong at the Oval. He hit his final ball as a batter for six and walked into the sunset having taken the winning wicket with his last ever delivery.

Katharine Sciver-Brunt also bowed out after two decades as a standard-bearer in the women’s game. There was no fairytale finish here, a losing effort against South Africa in the T20 World Cup semi-final spelling the end of her Three Lions career, but the departure of the country’s record limited-overs wicket-taker leaves just as big a void.

That tournament was a disappointment for a team with their eyes on the top prize, but a roaring success compared to the efforts of England’s men in India. Looking to retain the 50-over crown they famously won at Lord’s in 2019, Jos Buttler and company produced a ripe contender for the most shambolic title defence ever seen in elite sport.

Near favourites at the start of the campaign, they lost six of their first seven games as they sleep-walked out of contention. Lacking identity, hopelessly out of form and shorn of intent they became the biggest scalp in Afghanistan’s history and were thrashed by a Sri Lanka side led by Chris Silverwood, the man they sacked 18 months earlier.

Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott lived to fight another day but barely had time to lick their wounds before being pressed back into action in the West Indies, where their latest one-day reset began in defeat.

In 2024 both teams will turn their attention to the 20-over format, with the men defending their 2022 title in the Caribbean and USA and Knight’s women eyeing an overdue T20 success of their own having previously triumphed in the inaugural edition 15 years ago.

England batter Tammy Beaumont admits players “feel more anxious” heading into a Test as they prepare to face India in a one-off match at the DY Patil Stadium from Thursday.

England have mostly played Test matches on home soil, the last in June when Australia won by 89 runs at Trent Bridge.

The last time England played red-ball cricket overseas was in January 2022, when they played out a dramatic draw against Australia.

Women’s Test matches are usually one-off games as part of a multi-format series and Beaumont thinks players feel more nerves around the longest format due to the fact they do not come around that often.

She told a press conference: “You certainly feel more anxious around a Test match week.

“You have the likes of me, Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt who have been playing international cricket for 12-14 years and we haven’t even played that many Tests, maybe 10 or 12, so if you think of that as white-ball cricket that is your first year.

“So, there are more nerves because we haven’t had the opportunity to master it. You are constantly a young player in Test cricket, no matter how old your body feels. In the men’s game 10 Tests is not even a career, it’s a start.

“I love Test cricket and each and every one of us would love to play more Test cricket and I’m almost interested to see what India do with the Australia Test match straight after, so if that goes well, I could see a future doing two-Test or three-Test series against the top nations, which I think would be amazing.”

England finish their tour of India with the Test after they sealed a 2-1 win in their recent three-match T20 series at the Wankhede Stadium.

Despite the gap between Tests, Beaumont will be looking to transfer some of her form from the summer.

The right-hander hit 208 against Australia, becoming the first English woman to score a Test double-century.

She added: “(We’re) not coming in with too many preconceived ideas of how the pitch is going to play or what a Test match in India might look like.

“We have found the wickets have played nicely and there’s a bit in it for the bowlers and batters, so not thinking you have to work on playing spin so much but it’s been a really good preparation period.

“Talking about something that happened six months ago (her double-hundred against Australia) can’t really count as form but certainly nice to know that was your last Test match and you go in with a lot of confidence.”

This will be England’s first Test in India since 2005.

Beaumont is hoping they can continue the momentum of interest injected into women’s cricket from the summer following the success of the Ashes and The Hundred.

“It’s good that we got the broadcast deal so people can watch it back home,” she said.

“On the whole it has been really positive as we got a lot of sellouts in the Ashes and into the Hundred the crowds every week were a record crowd.

“I think people are really taking notice of women’s cricket in England which is good to see and hopefully they will be right behind us for the Test as well.

“We want to inspire the next generation of female cricketers, not only in England but across the world, so we will be playing a way of cricket that people will want to watch.”

Jon Lewis has opened the door for in-form Tammy Beaumont to force her way into England’s Twenty20 team before next year’s World Cup in Bangladesh.

Beaumont blitzed the first century in the women’s edition of the Hundred on Monday, smashing 118 off 61 balls for Welsh Fire, but she was only included in England’s ODI squad for the upcoming series with Sri Lanka on Friday.

England left Beaumont out of the T20 squad for the series with Sri Lanka, which begins on August 31, despite resting opener Sophia Dunkley.

Sophie Ecclestone will also sit out both series, while Danni Wyatt is only part of the T20 group and Nat Sciver-Brunt will only be involved in the ODIs but Lewis has preferred to give Maia Bouchier an opportunity in Dunkley’s absence.

He explained: “Obviously Tammy is playing fantastically well and I am really pleased with how she is playing.

“We had to make a choice around who would open the batting with Danni Wyatt.

“Maia Bouchier has been our travelling reserve for that whole time, so my view on that was Maia deserves that opportunity.

“I suppose on Tammy, and I said this to her, we have a year now until we pick a World Cup XV and I want her to keep doing what she is doing.

“The door is definitely not shut on her to play T20 cricket for England.

“I know she is desperate to play and how hard she is working, but I just want to try to develop the rest of the team to give us as many options as we can to put pressure on everyone who would be normally selected in the XI.

“I think Tammy is OK with the decision; I don’t think she is particularly happy but she understands if she continues to push her case, then she may well get the opportunity down the line but Sophia and Danni have done a fantastic job for us.

“I know what Tammy will do against Sri Lanka and I don’t know what Maia will do, so I am really interested to see how she goes because we’ve been carrying her around the world.”

England’s decision to manage the workload of Dunkley, Wyatt, Sciver-Brunt and Ecclestone has resulted in maiden call-ups for Mahika Gaur and Bess Heath.

Fast bowler Gaur has committed her international future to England after being selected in both white-ball squads.

The 17-year-old has represented United Arab Emirates in 19 IT20s but is set to make her debut for England after a fine summer where she helped North West Thunder make the Charlotte Edwards Cup Finals Day.

Heath hit 41 for England A against Australia A earlier this summer and is selected in both groups following a consistent run of form.

“I wouldn’t call it experimental. I would say it is exciting, young and fresh,” Lewis insisted.

“We have a year now until the World Cup and I am trying to work out which players we need to take to Bangladesh and it will be interesting to see how these young players do.

“Obviously Mahika is an exciting young talent. Six foot tall, left-arm swing bowler, that is very, very rare in the women’s game and unique.

“We have looked at all our options with the new ball around the country and we like what she offers.

“Will she play all the games? Probably not but we’d like to see what she can do and she is very much one for the future.

“Getting her playing cricket for England sooner rather than later is something we want to do to show her we like what she does and can help her develop.”

Tammy Beaumont believes her historic 208 in the lone Women’s Ashes Test may have been inadvertently aided by being axed from England’s T20 set-up last year.

After breaking Betty Snowball’s 88-year record for the highest score by an England woman in going past 189, Beaumont became her nation’s first double centurion and just the eighth female overall in Tests.

Her epic knock – which helped England to 463 and a 10-run deficit before Australia got their noses in front by closing on 82 without loss to lead by 92 at Trent Bridge – raised the question as to whether Beaumont can slot back into the T20 side after being dropped ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

While Beaumont was coy at the suggestion, the England opener, who has featured in 99 T20 internationals, admitted being discarded led to her working hard to seek advancements in her batting.

“It’s certainly not been on my mind in the last three or four days, Test match cricket is very different to T20 cricket – even though the England men try to make it look pretty similar,” she joked.

“How I’ve worked this winter on my game, that probably has had an impact on me trying to find that motivation to get better and improve.

“I’ve worked on trying to not get hit on the front pad so much and get out lbw. That came about from trying to be more aggressive in the T20 game and access midwicket and because of that, I’m defending the ball better.

“In an indirect way, it’s definitely played a part but it’s also reminded me that I’ve got a lot of cricket left that I want to play for England. Whether that’s in T20 cricket or not, who knows?”

Beaumont, who batted for more than eight hours across two days and struck 27 fours, revealed she was unaware she had eclipsed Snowball’s innings against New Zealand in Christchurch in February 1935.

“No, not at all,” she said. “I think when I hit the ball, it was announced and Sophie Ecclestone was desperate to give me a hug. But I was like ‘no, no, the job’s not done here’, so I just sent her away.

“I guess I was in the zone and I wasn’t thinking about records. I’d been really calm and tried to not show any emotion for two days but when I hit that run (to get to 200), it all came out.

“If you’re going to score 200 for England, you might as well celebrate it properly.”

England’s seamers were leggy and wayward at the outset of Australia’s second innings, with Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield putting on a 50-stand in just 55 balls as boundaries proved easy to come by.

With an enviable pool of batting talent to come – Annabel Sutherland scored a century from number eight first time around – Australia are already flying in a Test that is effectively a one-innings shootout.

Beaumont, though, feels England will be seeking to disrupt their progress on what remains a flat pitch at the start of the penultimate day.

“We’ve got to come out fighting and knock a few over,” she said. “Whoever comes out and seizes the moment in the morning and early afternoon session will be the one in charge.”

One prospect is Australia trying to bat England out of the game then declare ahead of or early into day five but Beaumont insisted that scenario would not be followed by the hosts just going for a draw, with captain Heather Knight and head coach Jon Lewis having emphasised an attacking approach this summer.

“It’s still a good track to bat on,” she said. “There are plenty of runs out there to get and we want to push ourselves and we want to try and get a result, no one came here for a draw.

“If they set us a target I have a feeling we’ll be giving it a good old crack.”

Off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner, who was the pick of the Australia bowling attack with four for 99, was adamant the tourists do not have a total in mind before declaring.

“I would certainly say there’s probably going to be a result and that’s what we’re going to be pushing for,” she said. “But I don’t think there’s a real target in mind that we’ve spoken about as a group.”

Nat Sciver-Brunt fell for 78 but Tammy Beaumont helped England surge past 300 to eat into Australia’s lead on the third morning of the lone Women’s Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.

Beaumont advanced her overnight 100 to 144 not out as England went to lunch on 308 for three to trail by 165, although Sciver-Brunt was unable to join her team-mate into three figures as she nicked off.

However, the pair’s stand was worth 137 in just 187 balls as Australia struggled to make inroads on a flat pitch despite rotating their options – having used eight bowlers in this England innings.

They resolutely stuck with seam for more than the first hour of the day before off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner made Australia’s sole breakthrough of the session after drawing a mistake from Sciver-Brunt.

She might have been dismissed without adding to her overnight 41 after missing a flick and being rapped on the front pad by Darcie Brown but England’s star all-rounder reviewed the lbw decision and was vindicated as Hawk-Eye showed the ball would have gone on to drift past leg stump.

It was a chancy start from Sciver-Brunt, who also edged Kim Garth just out of the reach of the slips on 42 after England had added just one run to their overnight 218 for two in the first three overs.

In the next over, Beaumont settled by driving, steering then pulling Brown for three fours in an over while Sciver-Brunt was soon into her stride with three successive fours off Annabel Sutherland.

Beaumont and Sciver-Brunt were rarely troubled by Australia’s seamers so it was a surprise the tourists waited 75 minutes to turn to spin – and their folly was exposed as Gardner struck with her ninth ball.

Backing away for an attempted cut, Sciver-Brunt, who showed no sign of a minor knee injury which restricted her to bowling just fiver overs in Australia’s innings, got a thick edge to a flatter delivery and Alyssa Healy held on.

Seamer Tahlia McGrath offered some control with her tight lines, conceding just 13 runs in seven overs, while in the over before lunch leg-spinner Alana King found prodigious turn with one delivery, which may offer Australia some cheer heading into the next session.