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England v New Zealand: first women’s T20 cricket international – live | Women’s cricket
Key events
Drinks: England need 68 from 60 balls
10th over: England 69-2 (Capsey 39, Knight 15) Sophie Devine, the only batter to strike at more than 130 tonight, has a go with the ball. It’s a good over for England, who take 10 runs off the target without needing to find the boundary.
With England needing 68 from the last 10 overs, it’s time for drinks.
9th over: England 59-2 (Capsey 36, Knight 9) Six balls, six singles in Melie Kerr’s second over. Level-headed batting from Capsey and Knight.
8th over: England 53-2 (Capsey 33, Knight 6) The new bowler Rosemary Mair is slashed for four by Capsey. Illing got a touch at short third but the ball got through and ran to the boundary.
England need 84 from 72 balls.
7th over: England 44-2 (Capsey 27, Knight 3) With the Powerplay done, Melie Kerr brings herself on to bowl some legspin. England are content to take five low-risk singles from her first over.
6th over: England 39-2 (Capsey 24, Knight 1) Capsey guides a low full toss past backward point for four. She took a few deliveries to have a look but she’s playing superbly now: 4 from the first 9 deliveries, 20 from the next 9.
WICKET! England 33-2 (Bouchier b Illing 5)
Beautifully bowled! That’s a textbook left-armer’s dismissal from Bree Illing, a full-length inswinger that bowls Bouchier neck and crop.
5th over: England 33-1 (Capsey 20, Boucher 5) Capsey gets England moving by taking 16 from Jess Kerr’s third over. It includes three boundaries: a fleet-footed scoop for four, a meaty thump down the ground for six and a tickle to fine leg.
4th over: England 17-1 (Capsey 4, Boucher 5) Suzie Bates, who was surprisingly unused with the bat, comes on to bowl some offspin. Bouchier pulls a full toss to deep square leg, where the diving Plimmer does well to save two runs. New Zealand have started excellently in the field.
3rd over: England 13-1 (Capsey 4, Boucher 1) Maia Bouchier comes in at No3. There might be a bit of rain on the way in Derby.
WICKET! England 10-1 (Dunkley c Sharp b J Kerr 8)
That’s not a great shot from Sophia Dunkley. She got lucky when the previous ball teased two fielders before landing safely, but she went for another big shot and sliced it high to Izzy Sharp at point.
2nd over: England 8-0 (Dunkley 6, Capsey 2) The left-armer Bree Illing shares the new ball. Dunkley walks down the track to an inswinger and is relieved to see an inside-edge fly past leg stump. A good start from Illing, everything on the money.
1st over: England 6-0 (Dunkley 5, Capsey 1) Jess Kerr starts with some good-length inswingers to restrict England’s openers – but then her last ball is a wide half volley that Dunkley puts away for four.
It’s a quick turnaround and the players are back on the field. Jess Kerr will open the bowling to Sophia Dunkley.
England need 137 to win
20th over: New Zealand 136-7 (Sharp 26) That was a fine last over from Linsey Smith, who finishes with exceptional figures of 4-1-10-1. New Zealand’s total feels 20 or 30 under par.
WICKET! New Zealand 136-7 (J Kerr run out 5)
Jess Kerr is run out of the last ball of the innings.
19th over: New Zealand 131-6 (Sharp 25, J Kerr 1) Still no sign of Suzie Bates for some reason; Jess Kerr is the new batter.
Lauren Bell finishes another good spell with figures of 4-0-23-2.
WICKET! New Zealand 130-6 (Green c Ecclestone b Bell 23)
After four slower balls in a row, Lauren Bell bowls a sharp bumper that Green hooks instinctively round the corner. Sophie Ecclestone takes a smart two-handed catch at short fine leg. That’s really good bowling from Bell.
18th over: New Zealand 125-5 (Green 23, Sharp 21) Much better from New Zealand, with Sharp making room to thump Dean over midwicket for six. Green blasts a full toss for a one-bounce four to complete a good over for New Zealand; Dean finishes with figures of 4-0-29-2.
17th over: New Zealand 112-5 (Green 18, Sharp 13) Kemp bowls another boundaryless over, which suits England just fine at this stage. New Zealand have hit only one four in the last five overs.
16th over: New Zealand 107-5 (Green 16, Sharp 10) New Zealand continue to go after Ecclestone, with Sharp pull/sweeping four more. Ecclestone’s figures are 3-0-34-0.
15th over: New Zealand 98-5 (Green 14, Sharp 3) An excellent over from Gibson, bowling wicket to wicket, costs only three runs. England have taken control of the game since the dismissal of Devine.
14th over: New Zealand 95-5 (Green 13, Sharp 1) Izzy Sharp is the new batter.
WICKET! New Zealand 94-5 (Halliday c Boucher b Dean 14)
Another one gone. Halliday lifts Dean down the ground, doesn’t get enough on it and is beautifully caught on the run by Bouchier. England’s fielding has been good tonight.
13th over: New Zealand 93-4 (Halliday 14, Green 12) Green makes room to steer Bell expertly between backward point and short third for a boundary. New Zealand no longer have the intimidating power of Devine but they are inching towards a competitive score.
12th over: New Zealand 87-4 (Halliday 13, Green 7) Another rapid and thrifty over from Smith, who has outstanding figures of 3-1-5-1.
11th over: New Zealand 84-4 (Halliday 11, Green 6) With Devine gone, Sophie Ecclestone is brought back into the attack. Maddy Green reverse sweeps classily for the only boundary of the over.
10th over: New Zealand 77-4 (Halliday 8, Green 1) Halliday reverse sweeps Dean nicely for four. New Zealand still have plenty of batting, including Suzie Bates at No8, so they can’t afford to keep playing aggressively.
9th over: New Zealand 70-4 (Halliday 3, Green 0) That was the last ball of the over.
WICKET! New Zealand 70-4 (Devine b Gibson 45)
Well bowled Dani Gibson! Devine is bowled by a slower ball that snakes under the bat and kisses the off bail. Amy Jones wasn’t sure whether she had disturbed the stumps herself, but replays confirmed it was out. Devine goes for a thrilling 22-ball 45.
8th over: New Zealand 63-3 (Devine 40, Halliday 1) Brooke Halliday takes a single off her first ball, which allows Devine to blast another comically emphatic slog-sweep for six. She’s peppering the short legside boundary at that end.
WICKET! New Zealand 56-3 (Gaze b Dean 12)
Terrific bowling from Charlie Dean. She started with three dot balls to Gaze, who succumbed to the growing pressure. She charged the fourth delivery, missed a hack across the line and was bowled.
7th over: New Zealand 56-2 (Gaze 12, Devine 34) The left-arm seamer Freya Kemp comes on for Gibson. Devine hits her for consecutive fours, a tuck off the hip and a blast down the ground that just evaded the diving Gibson at long-on. Gibson may have got a touch but it was another extremely tough chance.
Devine, who looks in scarily good form, has raced to 34 from 17 balls.
Devine hits Ecclestone for three sixes in an over
6th over: New Zealand 45-2 (Gaze 10, Devine 25) Time for England’s best bowler, Sophie Ecclestone. And she’s still England’s best bowler despite disappearing for 18 in her first over. Sophie Devine slog-swept Ecclestone’s first ball for six, and then the third, and then the sixth! That’s outrageously good batting.
5th over: New Zealand 27-2 (Gaze 10, Devine 7) Dani Gibson, one of two seam-bowling allrounders in the team along with Freya Kemp, replaces Lauren Bell. She almost strikes second ball when Devine cuffs a short ball just wide of the diving Bell at mid-on. In fact it goes down as a dropped catch because Bell got a touch, but it was a seriously tough chance.
The ball runs away for four, and later in the over Gaze clatters a lower-risk boundary through extra cover.
4th over: New Zealand 16-2 (Gaze 5, Devine 1) Sophie Devine is in at No4. She misses a slog sweep and is hit on the pad; England enquire for LBW but that would have swung past leg stump.
WICKET! New Zealand 13-2 (M Kerr c Bell b Smith 8)
A big wicket for England. Melie Kerr tries to blast Linsey Smith over the top but doesn’t clear Lauren Bell, who takes an excellent running catch at mid-off.
3rd over: New Zealand 13-1 (Gaze 4, M Kerr 8) Gaze plays the first shot of authority, clouting a short ball from Bell through midwicket for four. She’s beaten by the next ball, then misses a premeditated ramp that is spilled by Jones for a bye.
That brings Kerr back on strike; she lifts Bell sweetly to deep backward square for a one-bounce four. A much better over for New Zealand.
2nd over: New Zealand 2-1 (Gaze 0, M Kerr 2) No surprise to see Linsey Smith share the new ball with her stump-threatening left-arm spin. It’s a fine first over, a maiden to Gaze that includes a couple of false strokes.
1st over: New Zealand 2-1 (Gaze 0, M Kerr 2) The New Zealand captain Melie Kerr clips her first ball through midwicket for a couple. But she’s beaten by the next two deliveries, the first after walking down the track.
It’s been a scruffy start form New Zealand, and Izzy Gaze is almost run out without facing off the last ball of the over. She was sent back by Kerr and was barely in the frame when Bouchier’s throw from backward point bounced past the stumps.
WICKET! New Zealand 0-1 (Plimmer b Bell 0)
Gone first ball! Georgia Plimmer, shaping to cut with an angled bat, drags Bell back onto the stumps to give England the perfect start.
England captain Charlie Dean flicks the ball to Lauren Bell, who will open the bowling. She’s the only specialist seamer in the team.
Team news
Alice Capsey opens for England in the absence of Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who is awaiting the birth of her first child. Maia Bouchier, who is not in the World Cup squad, takes Sciver-Brunt’s place at No3. There’s no place yet for Tilly Corteen-Coleman.
New Zealand make one change from their win over South Africa at Wellington in March: Bree Illing replaces Lea Tahuhu.
England Dunkley, Capsey, Bouchier, Knight, Kemp, Gibson, Jones (wk), Dean (c), Ecclestone, Smith, Bell.
New Zealand Plimmer, Gaze (wk), M Kerr (c), Devine, Halliday, Green, Sharp, Bates, J Kerr, Mair, Illing.
England win the toss and bowl
Charlie Dean says Nat Sciver-Brunt’s absence is “pretty precautionary” and that England aren’t worried. Oh, and that England would like to field first.
Melie Kerr says New Zealand would also have bowled.
There’s been a bit of rain in Derbs today but tonight’s forecast is good, so we should get a full game.
Daniel Gallan
Every cricket-loving parent will know the feeling. Not a feeling, exactly, more a tiny flicker of hope. A ridiculous, irrational hope that the gods who once reached down and gently kissed the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Ellyse Perry might one day do the same to your little sprog.
You hold your breath the first time you wrap their chubby hands around a plastic bat. You start dreaming absurd dreams when you softly lob a tennis ball in their direction and they accidentally smoke one into the couch.
Maybe, despite all available evidence, despite the fact that you were, at best, a middling club cricketer with an exaggerated pull shot and a weakness against anything spinning away, maybe your child will be different.
In all likelihood they won’t become the next superstar. And that’s fine. Because what you’re really hoping for has little to do with fame or contracts or Test caps. What you’re really hoping for is that they fall in love with the game.
Preamble
England haven’t played a T20 international in the last 10 months. Tonight’s match against the world champions New Zealand at Derby is the first of at least 11 T20s in the next six and a half weeks. England will hope it’s 13 games, because that would mean reaching the final of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
England Women have never failed to win a Women’s World Cup as hosts: 1973, 1993, 2009 and 2017. “No pressure, then!” joked their coach Charlotte Edwards when reminded of that particular statistic.
Before the tournament begins on 12 June, England have two three-match series against New Zealand and India. It’s a chance for Edwards to work out her World Cup team while also looking at alternative options such as Alice Capsey behind the stumps.
Edwards may finalise her best XI, but she won’t see it in action: the captain Nat Sciver-Brunt has been ruled out of both series with an increasingly worrying calf injury. Charlie Dean will deputise.
The match starts at 6.30pm BST.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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