Category: Games

Dubai, March 29, 2022 (PPI-OT):After celebrating their progression to the semi-finals excitedly, the West Indies are now fully focused on facing Australia in the first of the knockout games in Wellington.

The West Indies faced a 72-hour wait to confirm their place in the semi-finals, needing South Africa to defeat India in the final group game.

South Africa did just that, bringing up the win off the final ball of the match, and the Maroon Warriors were overjoyed as they watched on from their hotel.

There was, however, one calm head in the room, that of the captain Stafanie Taylor, who reflected on the changes the side have made to reach only a second ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup semi-final.

“I think it’s just my personality. I’m not just one of those persons who get all excited and jump around,” Taylor said. “It’s just who I am really and the reason why I was just so calm but everybody’s all excited to be here.

“We’ve had some changes to our team, we have a new coaching staff. I believe that the work they have been doing with us has changed the way we go about our game.

“Some of our games have changed because when you have those coaches who give us some insight on how we are playing versus hold we should play.

“I feel like that flipped the switch in us and this will be our second time being in a semi-final and we want to relish the moment and go out there and play hard cricket.”

The West Indies reached the final of the 2013 edition, where they came up against Australia again.

In that encounter, Ellyse Perry took three wickets for 19 runs as the West Indies were bowled out for 145 in their chase of 260, with Perry also earning three dismissals when the two sides met earlier in the tournament.

However, Australia will be without their star all-rounder after she failed to recover from back spasms that kept her out of the final group game against Bangladesh.

For Taylor and her side, it does not make their task any easier.

She said: “We haven’t spoken about that and I don’t think it is something that we were going to talk about. I feel like Australia is a strong team and whether Ellyse Perry is on or she is out.

“They’re a strong team and we still have to go ahead with our plans and focused on what we need to do as a team and not too much on them.”

Meanwhile Australia captain Meg Lanning admitted it was a big loss to not be able to field their most experienced World Cup player on the eve of a huge game.

Lanning said: “Ellyse Perry won’t play tomorrow. She’s been ruled out of the semi-final. She unfortunately just ran out of time to prove her fitness so we will go in without her tomorrow.

“We’ll keep assessing her if we are to progress in the tournament. It’s unfortunate for her and the team obviously it’s a big blow but we feel like we’ve got some good depth to be able to cover it and we’re going to have to do that.”

Australia’s own qualification for the knockout stages was confirmed with two games to spare before the top-ranked side defeated South Africa and Bangladesh to go unbeaten in the league stage.

However, Lanning’s side still had to wait until that final game to know who they would be playing and where, with South Africa’s victory confirming Australia would be staying in Wellington and facing the West Indies who ended up fourth in the table.

Despite defeating the Windies by seven wickets in the group stages, and playing their fifth game in Wellington, Lanning believes the semi-final will be a tough test.

She said: “I think everyone was following along in their own rooms and it was an amazing game and amazing finish. It’s classic in terms of the way the tournament’s gone. Every game has been really close, there’s been lots of twists and turns right to the end. It was an incredible finish.

“South Africa played extremely well and it meant we play the West Indies, which is going to be a huge challenge for us. We know they’re a very dangerous team.

“They’ve shown throughout the tournament that when they’re on, they can be very hard to beat, so we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, March 29, 2022 (PPI-OT):The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 has approved Mandy Mangru as a replacement for Afy Fletcher in the West Indies squad.

All-rounder Mangru, who has played a solitary ODI for the West Indies against South Africa in Johannesburg last month, is a temporary replacement for Fletcher, who has tested positive for COVID-19 and is undergoing a period of isolation.

A COVID replacement can be temporary, in that once the player has recovered, she would be eligible to return to the squad in position of the travelling reserve that replaced her.

The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the replacement player can be officially added to the squad.

The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 comprises Chris Tetley, ICC Head of Events (Chair), Adrian Griffith, ICC Senior Manager Umpires and Referees (ICC Representative), Andrea Nelson, LOC CEO (Host Representative), Catherine Campbell (Host Representative), Sana Mir (Independent), Nasser Hussain (Independent).

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, March 29, 2022 (PPI-OT):The two semi-finals of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 have more than just a place in the final riding on them – they also offer all four teams a shot at redemption.

Australia will take on West Indies in Wellington on 30 March in the first semi-final after topping the table without dropping a point.

South Africa finished in second after just one loss and will face a resurgent England the next day in Christchurch.

The outcomes of those two games will decide who is back at Hagley Oval on 3 April for the final.

Semi-Final 1: Australia v West Indies – Basin Reserve, Wellington – 11am local time 30 March

The two teams set to battle it out at Basin Reserve on Wednesday couldn’t have had more different routes to the semi-final.

Australia sewed up a semi-final spot with two games to go while the Maroon Warriors could only watch on as South Africa defeated India in the last over of the final group game to confirm the Windies’ place in the final four.

It perhaps puts the pressure on Australia – and this is something they have been building towards since their defeat to India in the semi-finals of the 2017 edition.

They bounced back with consecutive ICC Women’s T20 World Cup wins and are now on a quest to hold both trophies at the same time.

Captain Meg Lanning has well and truly led from the front, racking up the highest score of the group stage with 135 not out against South Africa.

She sits second in the overall run charts behind Laura Wolvaardt, and her vice-captain Rachael Haynes is one position behind her.

Despite Australia’s dominance, they say they are a side still searching for a perfect game and were given a scare by newcomers Bangladesh in their final match of the league stages.

While the wickets have been evenly shared among Australia’s bowlers – spin trio Jess Jonassen, Ashleigh Gardner and Alana King all have eight – one West Indies player is topping all the charts.

Hayley Matthews has enjoyed a stellar tournament, scoring the first century of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 with 119 against New Zealand in the opening game, also taking two wickets.

She has continued to pile on the runs and sits 11th with 226, the most of any of the West Indies players, and she is out front as their best wicket-taker too.

Matthews is the only player in this ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup to have opened the batting and bowling and is thriving under the pressure, having taken 10 wickets including career-best figures of four for 15 against Bangladesh.

Australia won by seven wickets when the two sides met in the group stages, also in Wellington, and were also the victors in the 2013 final, the only time the West Indies have progressed to the showpiece.

So, while Stafanie Taylor’s side will be looking for revenge, Lanning will be hoping to maintain Australia’s sterling record against the West Indies having lost only once in 13 ODI meetings.

Semi-final 2: South Africa v England – Hagley Oval, Christchurch – 2pm local time 31 March

South Africa’s shot at redemption comes after missing out on a place in the 2017 final in a heart-breaking defeat to England.

England chased down 219 with two balls to spare as Anya Shrubsole set up her final heroics by striking the winning four, going on to take six for 46 against India at Lord’s to hand England their fourth title.

The defending champions have been involved in more tight encounters this time, losing their first three games by narrow margins to put them in a knockout mindset from the fourth group match.

Having come through to the semi-finals, they face a stern test in South Africa whose only defeat came to Australia and have shown that the mental fragility that cost them in previous ODI and T20 World Cup semi-finals is a thing of the past.

South Africa beat England by three wickets in the league stage as Marizanne Kapp put in a starring performance with both bat and ball, taking five for 45 in what marked the tournament’s best figures so far.

Since that defeat, England have won every game as their road to redemption continues, and while their top order batters have failed to click at the same time, their spinners are saving the day.

Sophie Ecclestone is the top wicket-taker so far in her first ODI World Cup, having taken 14 wickets, while Charlie Dean is not far behind with 10 having only made her World Cup debut in the match against South Africa.

Despite her wicket-taking exploits, Ecclestone has competition for the best 22-year-old at the tournament with South Africa opener Wolvaardt leading the run-scoring charts.

Wolvaardt is still searching for a first World Cup century but has piled on 433 runs at an average of 61.85, with only Australia’s Beth Mooney boasting a better average.

It ensures that South Africa v England, as well as Australia v West Indies, will be titanic clashes between bat and ball as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 continues to serve up sporting contests of the highest order.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, March 29, 2022 (PPI-OT):An England side without Sophie Ecclestone is hard to imagine but five years ago, when the hosts lifted the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup trophy aloft, the star spinner was watching from the stands.

The then 18-year-old had made the trip down to Lord’s to feature as a net bowler for England as they prepared for the 2017 final, not available for World Cup selection as she finished her exams.

Now, Ecclestone is leading the bowling attack as England look ahead to a semi-final against South Africa at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 and she is topping almost every table you can put her in.

“I actually only went to the final, I went down to train the day before at Lord’s because they needed a few net bowlers,” the left-arm spinner said.

“Me and my boyfriend and [domestic teammate] Ellie Threlkeld went and watched the game together from the stands, which was pretty cool.

“I’m much happier now to be on the field playing than watching in the stands.”

Ecclestone currently leads the wicket-taking charts at the World Cup, having taken 14 wickets across seven group games.

She is three wickets clear of her closest challengers, South African pair Ayabonga Khaka and Shabnim Ismail.

The seam duo will come up against Ecclestone on Thursday as South Africa take on England in the second semi-final, with Australia and the West Indies squaring off the day before.

And while Ecclestone says it was always her goal to be the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, she has reached another personal milestone sooner than she expected.

During the early stages of the World Cup, Ecclestone climbed back to the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Rankings for ODI Bowlers, overtaking Australia’s Jess Jonassen.

She is now the No.1-ranked bowler in both ODIs and T20s, and with both achievements sewn up in her early 20s, Ecclestone’s attention has now turned to building a legacy.

She said: “It is amazing, it is an honour for me and my family to be number one. I think it was a massive milestone for me to reach at some point in my career and to reach it this early, I’m quite proud of that.

“With it coming about in this World Cup, I think I’ve been bowling well, it’s quite nice to know that now I am number one in both formats.

“For me, I want to be one of the best spinners that has ever played for England. I want people to look back in 30/40 years’ time and say: ‘do you remember Sophie Ecclestone that played that long ago.’

“I want people to remember my name and just be one for the history books.”

To understand where Ecclestone is going, you have to know where she has come from, and that is playing in the garden with her brother James.

Cheshire-born Ecclestone showed a talent for football and cricket from a young age, but with England calling she chose wickets over clean sheets, making her ODI and T20 debuts in 2016.

And it is her family that Ecclestone often thinks of when she walks back to her mark ready to bowl another spell-binding delivery.

“My brother James taught me any sport that I knew, he taught me football and cricket – they were the main ones we used to play outside on our road all time,” Ecclestone explained.

“In the back garden it used to be World War Three, so he’d get me out or I’d hit the ball over the fence but it would all be his fault somehow.

“I don’t really know what goes through my head when I’m bowling. Maybe I’m thinking about people watching back home or that my mum and dad will be watching now and I’m just thinking about them and playing cricket for my country.

“It’s quite an honour to do that with the girls on the field. I’m taking it all in, it’s surreal really. I’ve got one of the best jobs in the world.

“I just concentrate, I want to hit the stumps, to be honest, that is all I am thinking about, to hit the stumps and you can’t go too far wrong.”

It is fair to say that Ecclestone hasn’t been going too far wrong in a career that has already seen so much but is just getting started.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com