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Key events
18th over: Ireland 105-9 ( Murray 1, Maguire 3) Just a couple off Lauren Bell’s over, Ireland looking to bat out the overs and eke out every run.
WICKET! Laura Delany b Ecclestone 12 (Ireland 103-9)
Ecclestone finishes with 3-13 off her four overs, she is master of her craft – scudding one past Laura Delany’s bat to send the Irish captain back to the hutch. How many can Ireland crawl to?
17th over: Ireland 103-9 ( Murray 1, Maguire 0)
16th over: Ireland 101-8 (Delany 11, Murray 1) Counterpunch from Laura Delany as she crunches a square drive off Lauren Bell that hurtles to the boundary with smoke coming off it. The hundred comes up for Ireland but they would have fancied many more after their positive start, it’s been a middle overs decimation.
WICKET! Arlene Kelly c Knight b Bell 1 (Ireland 95-8)
You guessed it, another wicket. Heather Knight holds onto a sharp catch at short cover. England need just two more wickets, it’s been some turnaround from Ireland dominating the early overs.
Leah Paul b Glenn 0 (Ireland 94-7)
Glenn picks up her third wicket by bowling Leah Paul! Some collapse this by Ireland, they’ve lost five wickets in 14 (there’s that number again – spooky) balls.
15th over: Ireland 95-7 (Delany 6, Kelly 1)
I can’t type this fast but we’ve got another wicket!
WICKET! Mary Waldron lbw b Glenn 5
Sent upstairs but given out all the same. Waldron perishes on the sweep and Sarah Glenn has another!
We’ve got a review for LBW…
14th over: Ireland 94-5 (Delany 6, Waldron 5) FOURTEEN runs and a wicket off the fourteenth over. Mary Waldron gets going in fine fashion with a reverse-dab that races away down to the fence behind deep third.
WICKET! Louise Little c Ecclestone b Dean 8 (Ireland 89-5)
Another one gone! Little launches Charlie Dean down the ground for a large six but perishes next ball, Ecclestone (who else) pulling off a fine diving catch at mid-off.
13th over: Ireland 80-4 (Delany 6, Little 0) Double-wicket maiden for Ecclestone. She’s pure class. Ireland stuttering in the middle overs here, Louise Little joins her skipper in the middle.
Here we go then… ah no dice.
WICKET! Eimear Richardson lbw b Ecclestone 0 (Ireland 80-4)
First ball, stone dead! Sophie Ecclestone is on a hat-trick!
WICKET! Gaby Lewis c Wyatt b Ecclestone 36 (Ireland 80-3)
Sophie Ecclestone has Lewis caught behind square!
12th over: Ireland 80-2 (Lewis 36, Delany 5) England have sharpened up in the field, some decent stops and boundary saves in the last few overs. Nat Sciver-Brunt varies her speeds and lengths, denying the batters a chance to line her up for a big shot. The BIG SHOT comes from Lewis and it looks mighty close to being LBW. We’re going to go upstairs… and it is umpires call (Not Out) on impact, which was just outside the line of off-stump. A scruffy over in the end from Nat Sciver-Brunt, a wide and a couple of drag downs. Eight runs from it.
11th over: Ireland 72-2 (Lewis 31, Delany 4) Sarah Glenn gives it a wristy flick and Lewis can’t get her away, two dots bring about a huge heave across the line that flicks Lewis’ thigh and runs away fine for a couple of leg byes, three singles makes it five off the over. Ireland ticking over.
10th over: Ireland 67-2 (Lewis 29, Delany 3) Katherine Sciver-Brunt back into the attack, Delany and Lewis keep the scoreboard ticking over- one scampered single slightly too close for comfort but the throw came in and bounced over the stumps. Ten overs done and time for a drink.
9th over: Ireland 61-2 (Lewis 26, Delany 1) Ireland’s skipper joins Gaby Lewis at the crease. Lewis keeps motoring along, another firmly struck four back past Glenn finishes the over.
WICKET! Orla Prendergast b Glenn 17 (Ireland 56-2)
Bowled by the one that skids under! Prendergast hit a beautiful four over the top the ball before but tries the same again and loses her shape… and then her off stump. Well bowled Sarah Glenn.
8th over: Ireland 51-1 (Lewis 21, Prendergast 13) Amy Jones stands up to the stumps as Nat of the Sciver-Brunts comes on for a bowl. She targets a back of a length err length and manages to slow the run rate down. Penny, or crore, for NSB’s thoughts – she has just been signed by Mumbai Indians, who will be coached by former England captain Charlotte Edwards, for £320,000.
7th over: Ireland 47-1 (Lewis 21, Prendergast 10) A nurdle off the legs and a scampered single to Prendergast. A direct hit from the throw causes another stump mic kerfuffle. We’ve had 38 balls in as many minutes I reckon. Heather Knight gets her players into a huddle, they look a bit like they’ve been caught on the hop by this Irish aggression. Finally the players are allowed to start again and England’s ragged start continues – Sophie Ecclestone mis-fielding to gift Prendergast a further three runs.
It’s been a strong start for Ireland
6th over: Ireland 42-1 (Lewis 20, Prendergast 6) Orla Prendergast is the new batter and she announces herself with a skimming cover drive for four. Her strike rate against off-spin is more than nifty. Powerplay done and Sarah Glenn is coming on to bowl the seventh.
WICKET! Amy Hunter c Dunkley b Dean 15 (Ireland 35-1)
Caught on the boundary, Charlie Dean gives it some flight and gets England into the game. Safe hands from Dunkley but a regulation catch.
5th over: Ireland 35-0 (Lewis 15, Hunter 19) They are back under way after someone was sent out to fettle some wires. Stumps back in and Sophie Ecclestone has the ball in hand. Bosh! More of the same from Ireland – four runs to Lewis as Nat Sciver-Brunt loses the line of the ball in the field, pesky sun. Ireland continue to go for their shots, a plink over the infield brings two more to the total. England look a bit rattled here.
A brief pause in proceedings as the stump microphones are replaced
4th over: Ireland 27-0 (Lewis 14, Hunter 12) Charlie Dean gets away with a leg bye off a loose delivery first up. Lewis then gets down well to reverse sweep finely for four, she saw the gap and executed sublimely. Another single makes it six off the over and Ireland’s zippy start continues.
3rd over: Ireland 21-0 (Lewis 9, Hunter 12)It is Sophie Ecclestone, fresh of a sizeable WPL deal to give her a further spring in her jaunty run up. The left-armer finds her length straight away and is attacking the stumps and pads. Ecclestone spears one into Lewis and goes up for half an appeal but the ball was sliding down. Just three off the over. Charlie Dean has been given the nod too, so we’ll have spin from both ends.
2nd over: Ireland 18-0 (Lewis 8, Hunter 10)Ireland have come out all guns blazing and England look rattled. Katherine Sciver-Brunt gets driven through cover off her first ball and then foes the full tea-pot as Hunter trots down and smashes the ball back past her for another boundary. Great intent from this opening pair. Knight has already summoned Ecclestone to warm up… Nine runs off the over.
1st over: Ireland 9-0 (Lewis 8, Hunter 1) Lauren Bell starts first up for England and Ireland and Amy Hunter are off the mark with a single. Gaby Lewis then bunts a full ball over the in-field for Ireland’s first boundary. DROP! Danni Wyatt shells an aerial cut shot, in and out and down. Lewis survives and then picks up the final ball of the over beautifully, clipping over mid-wicket for another four. Sloppy first over from England notes Nasser Hussain on the TV commentary. Good start for Ireland game on!
The players head out onto the bright green outfield and belt out the anthems. We’ll be underway in just a couple of minutes, just time to grab a cuppa.
In case you missed it:
Picture perfect Paarl
Here are the teams:
Ireland: Hunter, Lewis, Prendergast, Delany (c), Richardson, Little, Waldron (wk), Paul, Kelly, Murray, Maguire
England: Wyatt, Dunkley, Capsey, N Sciver-Brunt, Knight (C), Jones (wk), K Sciver-Brunt, Ecclestone, Dean, Glenn, Bell
Ireland win the toss and will bat first
The sun is scorching down in Paarl and the wicket looks a biscuit coloured belter. “Looks a good wicket, can’t wait to get out there with the bat,” says Ireland skipper Laura Delany. “There’s a good buzz and energy around the group. We’re playing three spinners, the rest are seamers and batters.”
Teams coming up!
Preamble
Hello and welcome to sunny Paarl (by way of a sofa in *equally* sunny south London) for the OBO of Ireland v England in the Women’s T20 World Cup.
Cricket is bonkers sometimes eh? You all know this of course but here’s a new one. Imagine being in the dressing room hoicking on your coloured kit to go out and represent your country in a World Cup match whilst potentially the biggest thing to happen in your career/life is happening simultaneously in an auction room in a different time zone. That’s the bafflingly unique scenario that some of today’s players find themselves in – one ear on the gavel at the Women’s Premier League Auction and everything else trained on the task in hand.
The auction is still ongoing at the Jio World Convention Centre at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai. I’ll try and post some of the big news during the build up to the start of today’s game. Oh yeh, there’s a game on. A World Cup one.
Heather Knight’s England coasted through their first game – a seven wicket win with 33 balls to spare against West Indies but they won’t be taking Ireland lightly. Laura Delany’s team are fresh off beating Australia in Stellenbosch a few days ago, a gritty all round team performance that saw them come out on top against the current World Champions with just two balls and three wickets left. Ireland haven’t played a T20 World Cup game for five years but have already proved they will be a threat to some of the bigger sides (India, Pakistan and West Indies) in group two as they get their campaign underway today in Paarl.
Play begins at 1pm GMT, I’ll be back with the news of the toss and teams shortly, please do get in touch if you are tuning in, you can holler at me on email or tweet @Jimbo_Cricket.
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