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An analysis of the tournament that looks at resources remaining at the end of each match

Anantha Narayanan04-Dec-2021The last time I wrote an article on the T20 format was over four and a half years back. Since then, I have concentrated on the two longer formats. However, the recent T20 World Cup was an intriguing one and I wanted to make a special one-off effort to write an alternative summary for it. I will not talk about the toss, the dew, India’s performances, the bio-bubbles, net run rate and the like. Instead, I will talk about Team Performance Points (TPP), grounds summaries, what the teams did overall, and so on. Incidentally, I had to create a small one-time database for this article.In any T20 match, there are two types of resources available to the batting team. The number of balls, limited to 120, and the number of wickets, limited to ten. It is by now confirmed that it is the first of these that is the limiting factor. The average bowling strike rate for all T20I matches is around 19 balls per wicket, and the average number of wickets lost per match is 11.5. Only in 441 T20 matches (out of 1447 played so far) have teams lost all ten wickets in at least one innings. So the number of balls available is the dominant limiting resource.The net run rate (NRR), although a very effective measure, does not really convey much in terms of teams’ dominance. Two teams winning by identical NRR difference are treated identically. However, one team might have lost one wicket and the other eight.Let us now come to the types of wins. The two types of wins have to be handled independently. A team winning by wickets has not completed its innings and resources left, in terms of balls not faced. It is clear that a team that wins with 30 balls to spare has had a more dominant win than a team winning with six to spare. It is also clear that a team that wins with eight wickets to spare has had a more dominant win than a team winning with two wickets to spare. So what is needed is a clearly defined methodology while considering the range of resources available. (And because the balls are the limiting factor, more weight needs to be given to them than to the wickets available.)Ignoring DLS situations, a team wins by runs when both teams have had their full complement of 20 (or fewer) overs. It is clear that a team scoring 160 and winning by 60 runs has had a far more dominating win than a team that scores 160 and wins by ten runs. While accepting that the wickets lost in the first innings have had no impact on the margin, it is clear that a team scoring 160 for 2 and winning by 30 runs has had a more dominating win than a team that scores 160 for 8 and winning by 30 runs. For a runs win, I will take the base as 75% of the winning team’s score: any team that wins by 75% of the runs scored will get full points.Let me first look at wins by wickets. The winning team starts with a TPP value of 50 points. The following points are added to these. The losing team gets 100 minus the winning team’s TPP.A win where the target is chased within the powerplay is very rare indeed. I will take that as the base. Any team that wins by the end of the sixth over will get full credit. Until now, only 14 matches have been won within proper powerplays. The rest will be given proportionate credit, with 84 balls as the denominator.Wickets are straightforward and the team will get credit for wickets still available. Thirty points will be allotted for the balls resource and 20 for the wickets resource.Here are a couple of examples. I will take the two Indian losses in the World Cup since these were heavily followed.In the match against Pakistan, India scored 151 and Pakistan chased this down with 13 balls and all ten wickets to spare. Pakistan get 50 points for the win and 4.6 points for the 13 balls still available (30 x 13 / 84). They also get the full 20 points for the ten-wicket win, so their total is 74.6 TPPs. India get 25.4 TPPs. Looks very fair, indeed.In the match against New Zealand, India scored 110 and New Zealand chased this down with 33 balls and eight wickets to spare. New Zealand get 50 points for the win and 11.8 points for the 33 balls still available (30 x 33 / 84). They also get 16 points for the eight-wicket win, so their total is 77.8 TPPs. India get 22.2 TPPs. Note that New Zealand’s win is more dominant since their balls-remaining resource is much more. Look at it another way: they could have scored another 50 runs in the 33 balls available, while Pakistan could only have scored another 20 more.Now for wins by runs. Forty points will be allotted for the run margin, and ten points for the wickets resource. Again, a couple of examples.Afghanistan scored 190 for 4 in 20 overs, then dismissed Scotland for 60 and won by 130 runs. This huge win fetched them 92.5 TPPs. They get 50 points for winning, 36.5 points for the 130-run win (40 x 130 / 142.5) and six points for keeping six wickets in hand (10 x 6 / 10) in their first innings – 142.5 is 75% of 190. Note the low weight for the wickets. This is indeed a really huge win.Let us now look at a close win. West Indies scored 142 for 7 in 20 overs, and restricted Bangladesh to 139 for 5 and won by three runs. This narrow win fetched them 54.1 TPPs. They get 50 points for winning, 1.1 points for the three-run win (40 x 3 / 107) and three points for keeping three wickets in their first innings. This is a very narrow win and the points received reflects this.In summary, in wicket wins, the weights are closer (30 and 20) since all relevant numbers are in the second innings. In run wins, the weights are further apart (40 and 10) since the wickets measure applies to the first innings. Some might even say that the number of wickets lost by the winning team in setting up the winning score need not be considered. However, I have kept this low weight to take care of two contrasting situations such as 160 for 3 defeating 130 versus 160 for 8 defeating 130. The margin is identical but the latter team expended a lot more wicket resources. The TPP values of 67.0 and 62.0 reflect this difference.The main analysis incorporates only the tournament proper, consisting of 33 matches. At the end, I have given a table of the qualifying part of the World Cup.Anantha NarayananThe first table covers the top eight matches in which the winning teams were totally dominant.The most dominating match of the World Cup was played by Australia. After dismissing Bangladesh for a low 73, Australia wasted no time and reached this target with 82 balls to spare and eight wickets in hand. The TPP was a mammoth 95.28 (50 + 30*82/84 + 20* 8/10). They scored at over 12 runs per over. And every one of the “balls in hand” was important since they qualified at South Africa’s expense because of the magnitude of this win. India’s win against Scotland was a notch lower; they took one ball more. This kept their TPP to 94.92. This example highlights how well this TPP metric works in accounting for resources used and unspent.Now comes the only match in the top eight that was won by the team batting first. Afghanistan scored 190 for 4 and defeated Scotland by 130 runs. Afghanistan secured 92.49 TPPs (50 + 40*(130/(0.75*190)) + 10*6/10) and fully deserve this high placing. Next up is the West Indies-England match – West Indies scored a miserable 55 but England took their time and lost wickets. Their TPP was 87.0 (50 + 30*70/84 + 20*6/10).England’s eight-wicket demolition of Australia comes next. Their TPP was 83.86 (50 + 30*50/84 + 20*8/10). It was Australia’s indomitable fighting spirit that helped them recover from this result and go on to win the tournament. England’s blitzkrieg against Bangladesh was almost equally devastating, except that they needed 15 more balls to reach an identical target – a TPP of 78.50 (50 + 30*35/84 + 20*8/10).India’s nothing-at-stake hammering of Namibia follows next. They took over 15 overs to overhaul Namibia’s 132 but lost only one wicket and secured a TPP of 78.0 (50 + 30*28/84 + 20*8/10). The final entry in the table is New Zealand’s win over India. New Zealand secured 77.78 TPPs (50 + 30*33/84 + 20*8/10).When South Africa missed qualification for the knockout rounds quite narrowly on NRR, commentators reflected on their dawdling win against Bangladesh. That win does not even get into the top eight. In that match, Bangladesh scored 84 and South Africa’s laboured chase meant that they won with 39 balls and six wickets to spare. Their TPP was 75.9 – a comprehensive win, indeed. However, compare this against Australia’s win against Bangladesh – a far more dominating win securing 95.3 TPPs. This huge difference effectively explains what happened.Anantha NarayananThe table above features the closest eight matches in the main tournament.The closest win was by West Indies, who managed to carve out a three-run victory over Bangladesh. They defended 142 for 7 and secured a TPP value of 54.12 (50 + 40*(3/(0.75*142)) + 10*3/10).South Africa had a single ball to spare when they defeated Sri Lanka and secured 58.35 TPPs (50 + 30*1/84 + 20*4/10).Namibia had five balls to spare when they defeated Scotland to secure their only win in main round of the World Cup. Their TPP tally was 59.78 (50 + 30*5/84 + 20*4/10).New Zealand’s 16-run win over Scotland secured them only 59.96 TPPs (50 + 40*(16/(0.75*172)) + 10*5/10).Australia’s tough opening-day win over South Africa is next with 60.71 TPPs (50 + 30*2/84 + 20*5/10). The closeness of the contest is reflected in the 60-40 TPP scoreline.Then comes South Africa’s brave but futile win over England. They won the match and hearts but could not cross the NRR hurdle. They earned 60.82 TPPs (50 + 40*(10/(0.75*189)) + 10*8/10).Australia’s semi-final win over the impressive Pakistan comes in next. Australia had six balls and five wickets to spare while chasing 177 and secured the tally of 62.14 TPPs (50 + 30*6/84 + 20*5/10). The fact that the other semi-final was a mirror image of this match is confirmed by the TPP scoreline of 62.14 for New Zealand. (Asif Ali’s blitz, which led to Pakistan’s five-wicket win with six balls to spare against Afghanistan also secures 62.14 TPPs.)Anantha NarayananThe table above is a summary of the World Cup for the point of view of the 12 teams. The table is ordered by the win percentages of the teams.Fittingly, Australia lead this table, with a win percentage of 85.7, having won five of their six matches, their only loss being the trouncing at the hand of England. All their wins were secured batting second and their only loss was while batting first. At 63.9, theirs is the third-best TPP average, mainly due to this huge loss.Pakistan had an impeccable tournament until the semi-finals. They won five straight matches, defending as well as chasing. A poor over by their best bowler cost them a place in the final. Their TPP average was above 64.South Africa would rue their poorly planned chase against Bangladesh. Their only loss was the close one against Australia on day one. Their TPP average was a not-so-high 60.8.New Zealand lost a close match against Pakistan and sustained a resounding loss in the final. The closeness of many of their matches is reflected in the rather low TPP average of 58.8.In some ways, England had an excellent tournament. Look at their TPP average, which is the highest, at 65.1. However, their substandard bowling towards the end of the semi-final cost them.India’s tournament has been chronicled often enough, so I’ll avoid a repeat here. Three heavy wins could not compensate for two heavy losses. A win percentage of only 60 and a middling TPP average of 58.9 defined their tournament.The other teams had win% values below 50. Afghanistan won one match fewer than India but were in the semi-final race till late in the tournament. Sri Lanka were never in the hunt. The other four teams had eminently forgettable tournaments, although Namibia had their first ever win in World Cups.The team of the tournament was undoubtedly Australia, for many reasons, not least being the fact that they were the ones standing with the trophy at the end. Maybe closely followed by New Zealand and Pakistan.Anantha NarayananThe table above covers matches by the grounds where they were played, and in the tournament as a whole.It is clear from the numbers that Dubai was primarily responsible for the lopsided benefit of bowling first. Of the 13 matches played there, an outrageous 12 were won by the teams chasing. Abu Dhabi was better, with four wins out of 11 for the team batting first. Sharjah went the other way, with six out of nine wins for the team batting first. If Abu Dhabi and Sharjah are taken together, the ratio is a perfectly balanced ten out of 20 matches won batting second.The average winning TPPs have been 75.7, 69.5 and 67.2 for Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah respectively. That implies, by the number of wins and also the margin of wins, that the venue changed character dramatically as the sun went down. Once the first innings were out of the way, the teams batting second just seemed to coast through. There were very few close matches. Abu Dhabi and Sharjah were relatively better.The average first-innings scoring rate in Dubai was 6.86, and for the second innings it was 8.83, nearly two runs more. This indicates how tough first innings in Dubai were and how easy the chasing was. For Abu Dhabi, the figures were 7.28 and 7.47 – the second innings marginally better. For Sharjah, the values were 8.24 and 7.18, the first innings a fair bit more comfortable to bat in.Anantha NarayananThis last table covers the 12 qualifying matches, listed in order of the TPP differences. The most dominant match stands at 93.5 TPPs: Sri Lanka took just over seven overs to reach a paltry target of 45 and secured 93.5 TPPs against Netherlands. Oman’s opening-day win over Papua New Guinea (PNG) by ten wickets comes next. However, they had fewer than seven overs to spare. Then comes Sri Lanka’s comprehensive win over Namibia. The closest match was Scotland’s six-run upset win over Bangladesh. However, this was a more even phase of the World Cup. Five of the matches were won by teams batting first.In summary, I would say that, the undue importance to the toss notwithstanding, it was a very good tournament because there were very few runfests. There was only one 200-plus score and one individual century. And there is no doubt that the two most deserving teams competed in the final and the better team on that day won the tournament, fair and square.Calling for an all-time XV
In 2013 I ran a readers’ poll to determine a group of 15 players to be considered for an all-time World team. The response was excellent and the results very insightful and interesting. I now call for submissions again, since new contenders have emerged, as also new measures for selection. This is the last intimation. You can email your entries in one of three ways, with the subject “All-time XV – 2021”.- Send an email to my personal mail id, if you have it
– Send an email to the email id at the bottom of this article
– Send an email to the Talking_Cricket group, more on which belowWhen sending in your XV, provide your name, place of residence, and your list of 15 players (no more, no less). The team must be an all-terrain one. A manager/coach is optional. If you send multiple entries from one email id, I will consider the last one sent. Thus, you have the opportunity to change your selections. You don’t have to justify your selections; I prefer short emails. The entries should reach me by December 15. The entry that matches the final selection or comes closest to it will be acknowledged. This is the break-up of the squad by role:- eight batters/allrounders
– one wicketkeeper
– four pace bowlers
– two spinnersTalking Cricket Group
Any reader who wishes to join the general purpose cricket ideas-exchange group of this name that I started last year can email a request for inclusion, giving their name, place of residence and what they do.

UAE go in as tournament favourites, but don’t rule out Canada, Nepal or the hosts Oman

Peter Della Penna17-Feb-2022After rampaging through the Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in 2012 and 2013 as tournament favorites, not to mention ascending to Full Member status in 2017, Ireland arrive to the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier A in Oman in the curious position where – at least on paper – they are not the tournament favorites. Both by ranking and by form, that distinction arguably rests with United Arab Emirates.In the leadup to this eight-team tournament, UAE came out victorious in a four-team quadrangular series held in Oman among a group that also included Oman, Ireland and Nepal. They won two out of three matches, including a 13-run victory over Ireland. It’s a margin that is more flattering to Ireland than the course of play demonstrated, and a result that is not an anomaly. In fact, UAE have won four of their last five T20Is against Ireland, including two of three immediately prior to the T20 World Cup in October.Related

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The sting of being on the outside looking at the main event as it was happening on home soil has given UAE all the motivation they need to reach their first T20 World Cup since 2014. They’re also a long way from where they were 29 months ago on the eve of the 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifier, also played in their backyard, when their squad was decimated by a match-fixing scandal that claimed numerous players including former captain Mohammad Naveed and star batter Shaiman Anwar.It would be hard to find someone who could say with a straight face at the time that It would be one of the best things that ever happened to the UAE cricket system, but a proper cleanout not only left them with players fully committed to the cause, but also unearthed some hidden gems who might not have otherwise gotten opportunities stuck behind the likes of those who were allegedly undermining their own team-mates.At the top of that list is Muhammad Waseem, a dashing opening batter who sunk Ireland last October with an unbeaten century and has shown no signs of slowing down in 2022, having bulldozed his way to 84 off 44 balls in his last innings prior to the start of the qualifier against Oman. But not far behind are 21-year-old legspinner Karthik Meiyappan and 19-year-old wicketkeeper Vriitya Aravind. Both were handed senior team debuts as teenagers in December 2019 in the immediate aftermath of the fixing saga and the wisdom of that is paying off with two years of experience now under their belts. Meiyappan took a four-for in a win over Ireland last October while Aravind struck an audacious half-century in a win over the same side last week. Combined with the experienced trio of captain Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa and Zahoor Khan, it’s no wonder why UAE are entering this event as the highest ranked team in Oman.Ireland have been in a bit of a rut since losing to Namibia in the T20 World Cup last year•Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty ImagesMeanwhile, Ireland appear to be stuck in a prolonged malaise. After being knocked out of the T20 World Cup by Namibia in October, their woes against Associates have not ceased. A visit to Florida in December saw them lose by 26 runs to USA before clawing out a nine-run win to escape with a series draw. Though they then went on to take two of three ODIs from the West Indies in January, their T20I form remains worrisome. After a nine-wicket win over Oman to kick off the T20I quad series, they fell once again to the UAE before scratching their way to 127 all out in a less than convincing 16-run win over Nepal.The recurring theme is that if the top order doesn’t score the bulk of the runs, Ireland are in trouble. Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie and Gareth Delany all pack a serious punch, but the lack of consistency down the order puts extreme pressure on the bowling unit to set up or defend low totals. Craig Young has been in solid form in Oman and will need to keep that up to give Ireland the best chance of beating UAE to finish at the top of their group.In the same half of the draw as Ireland and UAE are underdogs Germany and Bahrain. Germany will lean heavily on the services of Dieter Klein and Michael Richardson, who both bring County cricket experience to the table from Leicestershire and Durham respectively. Bahrain’s fielding may leave a lot to be desired, but they have some heavy hitters in the form of the opening combo of Muhammad Younis and Sarfaraz Ali.The opposite half of the draw is a cricket version of the group of death. Oman, Nepal and Canada are expected to wage an intense battle to claim two semi-final berths on offer. Two years ago, it would have been a foregone conclusion that Oman would take one of the spots, particularly since they are hosting the event. But their opening round stumbles in the T20 World Cup in October exposed what is a rapidly aging squad. But just when alarm bells looked like they were ringing progressively louder after a pair of lopsided defeats to start off the T20I quad series last week, they came back on the final day to spring a shock upset of UAE as 40-year-old left-arm spinner Aamir Kaleem dipped his bowling hand in the fountain of youth to bag 5 for 29.Allround superstar Aqib Ilyas recently announced he will miss six months while getting treatment for a benign tumor, and already his absence has been felt at the top of the batting order. It only adds to the pressure heaped on opener Jatinder Singh to make up for the runs lost from Ilyas. Captain Zeeshan Maqsood has gone from firecracker to accumulator with the bat, but he may need to turn back the clock to reprise the approach from his youth to give the batting unit the extra bit of oomph they’ve been missing. Maqsood is still more than handy leading the spin attack and the pace unit still has sharper teeth than most in the Associate world led by Bilal Khan.Nepal has survived plenty of upheaval in the buildup to the tournament with Gyanendra Malla dumped as captain in favor of Sandeep Lamichhane. But the return of Pubudu Dassanayake as coach may have been just the elixir that was needed to wash away any ill feelings. Vice captain and allrounder Dipendra Singh Airee was in scintillating form in the T20I quad series, but the rest of the batting unit produced tepid displays.Despite being the highest ranked team in their half of the draw, Nepal will also have to deal with the absence of Karan KC, who had traveled to Oman for the tournament but failed a fitness test on the eve of the event and will take no part. His death overs hitting was just as important as his new ball bowling and Nepal showed few signs of adequately replacing either during the quad series.Can Oman captain Zeeshan Maqsood roll back the years?•Peter Della PennaCanada may be ranked below both Oman and Nepal on paper, but are in excellent form leading into this tournament. They finished as runner-up to USA in the Americas Regional Qualifier, losing in a Super Over after a bizarre sequence in which USA stole two byes off the final ball of regulation. In past appearances at the global qualifier, Canada have traditionally started off red hot before fitness concerns have caught up to them and affected their performances the longer the group stage has dragged on. No better example of that came in 2019 when they ripped off three straight wins, including one over Ireland, to start off the event before losing three straight to fall short of the knockout stage.Longtime stalwart Nitish Kumar is absent due to work commitments, but his runs are more than made up for by the emergence of the big hitting Rayyan Pathan, captain Navneet Dhaliwal, Ravinderpal Singh and Hamza Tariq. Matthew Spoors, an Australian-based player who qualifies as a dual citizen, is expected to make a big impact on his Canada tournament debut after impressing at the top of the order in warm-up games held in Oman. Former Pakistan Under-19 left-arm quick Kaleem Sana, who was ineligible for the Americas Regional Qualifier in Antigua, has now fully cleared ICC qualification protocols for his adopted country and will provide a significant boost to Canada’s pace attack.Making their ICC Global Qualifier debut, Philippines round out the tournament field. Eight of the 14 players are based in Australia (all of them are dual citizens by virtue of having at least one parent from the Philippines) and have varying degrees of grade cricket experience. The highest echelon player in their ranks is Dan Smith, spent eight years playing for Gordon CC in the Sydney Grade competition and briefly appeared for the New South Wales 2nd XI. If they can win a game, let alone qualify for the semi-finals after entering the event ranked 46th in the world, it would become one of the great underdog success stories in cricket history.

They prepare for “one last push” after having started the tournament with three successive losses

Valkerie Baynes31-Mar-20221:20

Taylor: Ecclestone is probably the best bowler in the world

The puzzle pieces all fell into place at the perfect time for England to cap a remarkable World Cup turnaround with an emphatic semi-final victory over South Africa that earned them the right to defend their title against Australia on Sunday.From Danni Wyatt’s first World Cup century that must surely have cemented her place at the top of the order, to a maiden international five-wicket haul for Sophie Ecclestone, and Sophia Dunkley’s second consecutive fifty, England have left themselves with “one last push” to overturn a chastening Ashes defeat against their old foes.England’s chances of reaching the semi-finals, let alone the final, seemed remote after they began their campaign with three straight defeats. But their fifth victory in a row, built on Wyatt’s career-best 129 off just 125 balls and sealed by Ecclestone’s tournament-best 6 for 36 were key parts of the complete performance captain Heather Knight had been seeking.Related

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Likewise, Wyatt’s place as opener was far from decided at the start of the tournament. She played the first two matches, against Australia and West Indies, at No. 6 and was only elevated for the group-stage match against South Africa when England dispensed with the out-of-form Lauren Winfield-Hill.Before her unbeaten 76 against Pakistan, also at Hagley Oval a week ago – her first half-century at a World Cup in 17 innings – Wyatt’s best score of the tournament was 33 against West Indies.Wyatt played seven matches as opener at the 2013 World Cup, including England’s third-place play-off victory. She then had four innings in the middle order at the 2017 edition but didn’t play in the knockout stages.She played two ODIs on England’s tour of New Zealand a year ago but was then dropped for the 50-over leg of their home series with India, returning to the ODI set-up when England hosted the White Ferns in September.”I’ve had a weird career especially in my ODI career, been up and down like a yo-yo, but I’m happy to bat wherever the team want me to bat,” Wyatt said. “I’ve obviously been given the chance to open the batting, which is where I want to bat.”It’s my job to get the team off to a good start and take the opportunity and I’m really chuffed with how it went today and hopefully this can be the start of a long and successful career at the top of the order.”Before this match with South Africa, England was the only side in the competition without a 50-run opening stand, their highest being 31 against West Indies.After a streaky start by fellow opener Tammy Beaumont, who was hit on the helmet by a fierce Shabnim Ismail bouncer on the sixth ball of the day and was caught behind off a loose waft at a Kapp outswinger not long after, Wyatt dominated a 41-run stand for the second wicket with Knight, who fell for just 1. She then shared another, more even, partnership worth 49 for the fourth wicket with Amy Jones, who contributed 28.But it was Wyatt’s union with Dunkley, who played brilliantly for her 60, that took the game away from South Africa, adding 116 runs off just 112 deliveries in a busy, mature partnership.Sophie Ecclestone rattled South Africa’s chase with 6 for 36•ICC via Getty ImagesWyatt rode her luck, dropped five times – on 22, 36, 77, 116 and 117 – the penultimate time drawing a sheepish grin from Knight as she watched from the stands and the last one a difficult chance that Mignon du Preez couldn’t hold diving at cover.”I’m really chuffed with how it went today,” Wyatt said. “I woke up this morning and really wanted to contribute to a win and that’s what happened. It’s been the longest trip we’ve ever had, so one last push and we want to take the trophy home with us and have a well-deserved holiday afterwards.”England left home at the start of January and were comprehensively beaten by Australia in their multi-format Ashes series before travelling straight to the World Cup. When the sides met in their first group-stage game, Australia – the overwhelming pre-tournament favourites – won by 12 runs.In that match, left-arm spinner Ecclestone’s figures read none for 77 from 10 overs, but she has since moved to the top of the wicket-takers list with 20 at an average of 12.85 and economy rate of 3.40, bolstered by her performance against South Africa. During the tournament, Ecclestone also moved ahead of Australian counterpart Jess Jonassen to No. 1 on the ICC’s bowling rankings, a position she already held in T20Is. But an international five-for had eluded her until now.Fittingly, Anya Shrubsole, the heroine of England’s 2017 World Cup triumph, took the wind out of the chase, removing the dangerous Laura Wolvaardt for a duck with a sharp return catch and Lizelle Lee, who was caught by Nat Sciver at midwicket as South Africa slumped to 8 for 2 in four overs.Ecclestone then took away any hope of a recovery, bowling Kapp and du Preez, either side of another Sciver catch at midwicket to dismiss Chloe Tryon, before tidying up the tail to leave South Africa desperately short, all out for 156.One of the first to reach Ecclestone after she had Trisha Chetty stumped to seal victory was Wyatt, who leapt into her arms to deliver a congratulatory embrace.”Soph bowled exceptionally well again today, she’s an absolute GOAT and I’m so chuffed for her,” Wyatt said. “That’s going to be the first of many five-fors and she was absolutely unplayable today, especially with that pace and dip, a bit of turn as well that she was getting.”I actually said to Nat (Sciver) on the pitch how she would go in men’s international cricket, I think she’s bowling exceptionally well at the minute and she’s not fun to face in the nets that’s for sure.”Knight was thrilled with her team’s showing, which further proved her suggestion through the latter part of the tournament that England are peaking at the right time.”That was a real complete performance from us today, what we’ve been searching for a little bit,” Knight told the host broadcaster at the post-match presentation. “I’m really chuffed that the girls have brought their best cricket when it’s all on the line.”I think the fact that we’ve been playing knockout cricket for the last four games has really helped us a little bit. It felt like another game that we’ve been playing… really excited for Sunday.”

“To be involved in a team like this for 100 games is ridiculous,” says tone-setting opener

Matt Roller19-Jun-2022The romantic outcome in Jason Roy’s 100th ODI appearance would have been for him to score a hundred and walk off unbeaten. But perhaps his dismissal for 73 off 60 balls, slicing a catch to short third man, was a better reflection of his England career.Roy was visibly frustrated, swiping at the air in frustration, but his attempt to hit the fifth boundary in Aryan Dutt’s over and thereby kill off the run chase demonstrated the selflessness that has made him such an invaluable player in Eoin Morgan’s side over the past seven years: team first, personal milestones second.In the 2019 World Cup, when his return to the side after a hamstring tear revitalised England’s faltering campaign, it was a similar story: 66 off 57, 60 off 61 and 85 off 65 in three consecutive must-win games, all dismissed while playing attacking shots. “He intimidates bowlers,” Morgan said after his return against India. “He’s a gun player.”Related

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Phil Salt, Jason Roy fifties lead England to victory and 2-0 series lead over Netherlands

Phil Salt on fast track behind trailblazer Jason Roy

He was certainly intimidating against Netherlands on Sunday, crunching five boundaries in the first nine balls he faced to get England ahead of the required rate and remove any semblance of scoring pressure at the start of their chase, racing to a 43-ball half-century. By the time he was dismissed, the required rate was down to a formality at 4.08 per over.It would have been difficult to fathom at the end of Roy’s first ODI innings that he would reach this landmark: after his debut in Ireland was washed out, he flashed his first ball in the format to backward point as a prelude to England racking up their first-ever 400-plus total in 50-over cricket against New Zealand.He managed only 98 runs across the course of that series but, crucially, he bought into Eoin Morgan’s vision of an all-guns-blazing approach. “He didn’t score a run,” Paul Farbrace, England’s interim coach in that series, recalled, “but because he kept attacking, kept playing in the right way for his role in the team, he was kept in.”Roy has come in and out of form over the years, most notably in the 2017 Champions Trophy when he was dropped from the side after a lean run of form and looked as though he would struggle to regain his place. But his first two innings back after Alex Hales’ involvement in the infamous Bristol brawl were 84 off 66 and 96 off 70, and he has rarely looked back.”To be involved in a team like this for 100 games is ridiculous,” he said after Sunday’s game. “To be so happy every time you go into a changing room and buzzing and feeling enjoyment is a really incredible feeling. Whether I got 70 or 0, today would have been an extremely special day.”Jos Buttler with his 150th ODI cap and Roy with his 100th•Getty ImagesRoy was presented with his 100th cap by Moeen Ali in the England huddle and said the speech had been “very good”, to the extent that he was on the verge of tears. “He’s the perfect guy to give it to you because you’re not judged by your cricket in this group,” Roy said. “You’re judged as a person, the energy you bring and how hard you work. If he went on for a minute longer, there might have been a tear or two, but he stopped just in time.”His legacy with England’s white-ball set-up is personified by Phil Salt, who spoke after Friday’s first ODI about the influence that Roy’s approach has had on his career. “He’s a very relaxed guy, works extremely hard and whacks the ball hard,” Roy said. “For him to say that is obviously a great honour but makes me feel old as hell.”Roy’s 100th cap was a family affair, not least with Shane Snater, his cousin, in the Netherlands team. Snater dismissed him with a nip-backer through the gate on Friday – “he did buy me a drink… it’s water under the bridge,” Roy said with a smile – and took the catch to dismiss him on Sunday, but only after being slashed away for two boundaries.His wife, Elle, was in Amsterdam this weekend and was at his cap presentation before racing to the nearby Schiphol airport to catch a flight home, thereby missing his innings. “She’s seen enough of that,” he said. “Extremely proud to have her and my little one there to mark the occasion. It was really, really special.”Roy spent two months at the start of the English summer away from the game and with his family after a mystery fine for undisclosed misconduct earlier in the year, the details of which remain unclear several months later. He declined to comment, but said the incident had not been discussed and that he had benefitted from his decision to pull out of the IPL and skip the start of the county season.”Unfortunately, I can’t talk about it,” he said, “but it’s not been spoken about since it came all out. I was able to enjoy my training, my family time and enjoy normal life for a couple of months. [The break] definitely benefitted my game. Things mentally weren’t right with me at the PSL. I was in a weird place because I was playing good cricket but I wasn’t enjoying myself, I wasn’t happy and it was just a dark time.”It was just a good two months to come home and live a normal life for a bit after a tough couple of years with a lot of months away – over 50 days of hotel quarantine the year before and then having a child in January and having to spend time away from him was just a bit too much.” Thankfully for England, he seems to be back towards his belligerent best.