Monday 30 July 2012

World T20 provisional squad named

Selectors have today named the provisional 30-player England women's squad for the 2012 International Cricket Council Women's World Twenty20, to be staged in the Sri Lanka in September.

The Lionesses will face Australia, India and Pakistan in the group stages, beginning on Thursday September 27 against the latter in Galle. The squad will be cut to a final 14 players next month.

Here at Women's Cricket we think there are no huge surprises in this little lot, as they have all acquitted themselves well in the county game over recent seasons. Although all of them will have the chance to stake a claim in the t20s over the next few days. Watch this space...

Squad:

Charlotte Edwards (Captain, Kent)
Caroline Atkins (Sussex)
Tamsin Beaumont (Kent)
Arran Brindle (Sussex)
Katherine Brunt (Yorkshire)
Holly Colvin (Sussex)
Deanna Cooper (Kent)
Kate Cross (Lancashire)
Jodie Dibble (Devon)
Georgia Elwiss (Sussex)
Lydia Greenway (Kent)
Jenny Gunn (Nottinghamshire)
Danielle Hazell (Yorkshire)
Amy Jones (Warwickshire)
Heather Knight (Berkshire)
Beth Langston (Essex)
Beth Macgregor (Essex)
Alice Macleod (Berkshire)
Laura Marsh (Kent)
Natasha Miles (Middlesex)
Beth Morgan (Middlesex)
Fiona Morris (Gloucestershire)
Sonia Odedra (Nottinghamshire)
Susie Rowe (Kent)
Natalie Sciver (Kent)
Helen Shipman (Warwickshire)
Anya Shrubsole (Somerset)
Sarah Taylor (Sussex)
Fran Wilson (Somerset)
Danielle Wyatt (Staffordshire)

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Pakistan name squad for England and Ireland tour

Pakistan women have named a 14-strong squad for the tour of England and Ireland.
 Pakistan will be in Ireland from August 18-30, playing in a tri-series with the hosts and Bangladesh.

In preparation for the Women's World Twenty20 they will then play seven T20 games in England from August 30 to September 6, including two versus England and one against West Indies.

Pakistan squad: Sana Mir (captain), Syeda Nain Fatima Abidi (vice-captain), Bismah Maroof, Javeria Wadood, Nida Rashid, Marina Iqbal, Batool Fatima (wicketkeeper), Qanita Jalil, Asmavia Iqbal, Rabiya Shah, Elizabeth Khan, Sadia Yousaf, Nahida Bibi, Masooma Junaid.

Saturday 14 July 2012

Growing Greenway and ton-up Gunn

England’s Lydia Greenway has moved up a place to fourth in the International Cricket Council women's one-day international rankings with her runs against India.

The 26-year-old left-hander has usurped Australia’s Alex Blackwell and is now immediately behind team-mate Sarah Taylor.

Greenway missed the first two ODIs through injury but returned with scores of 20, 24 and 37 not out as England came from two down to win 3-2.

...Meanwhile Jenny Gunn has been reflecting on going past the 100-cap mark for her country.

Gunn, who was awarded a 100th England cap by skipper Charlotte Edwards in the last game of the Nat West series against India on Wednesday, said:

"I did not think I would play one game for England, let alone 100. It was a special occasion and I am just happy we won the game."

Reflecting on the highlights of her international career, she added: "Whitewashing Australia in Australia was special and obviously the two World Cup and Ashes wins.

"There has been quite a lot already, but hopefully there are still a lot more to come. I do not know (if she could get another 100). Maybe if my body holds up.”

Saturday 7 July 2012

Are tennis stars a leading light for the women's game?

After reading Hannah Wilks' soapbox piece in The Times today (July 7, sport p2 - "The women's game is not equal to the male version. It's actually far superior") it strikes us here at WC that our fair game could learn a lot from the lawns, clay and asphalt of tennis tournaments around the globe.

Even under the historical wood, iron and climbing vines of Wimbledon, the women have put themselves on an even keel with their male counterparts, but can we say the same at Lord's quite yet?

The key aspect is that, apart from the same prize-money, a large amount of strong competitors and crucially the same amount of media coverage as the men, they are always striving for more - in particular, equal recognition.

Although women's cricket is not at the same level in comparison, the fighting attitude of WTA professionals is right at the heart of why the sport has already become equal to the men's game. The players lead the way, and sections of the media (eg BBC) follow, all the way from the first round to a glitzy final.

Another strand to this view has to be the fact that tennis is global, but cricket is still struggling to cement itself in continental pastures new. Audiences and support in the US for example give a huge boost to women's football and women's tennis, as networks like ESPN dedicate swathes of journalists to covering the female side of various disciplines.

But progress is being made here in England, more T20s are a useful way of promoting women's cricket as part of 'double-header' packages for fans coupled with men's county clashes, but we need should not dilute the quality for the premise of quick media gains.

It took female tennis players a long time to get where they are now, but in the end it has been the quality of the sport - not gimmicks - that has seen them through, and it has been worth it.

As an experienced tennis writer, Wilkes stands up for the female side of her sport with gusto - cricket could do with some steely advocates of its own to promote and move forward the women's game for the long term.

Send us your comments women.cricket@yahoo.com or on twitter @womencricket

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Tweet us...

We have launched the @WomenCricket Twitter feed...

Over the course of the next few months we will establishing this blog as the place to go for info on Women's Cricket.

We are currently creating a dedicated website to take over - by the time summer 2013 comes around Twit Cricket will be the only place to learn, promote, and take part in the women's game.

Send us your news, views, club info, fixture lists and results. Let's get the women's game to where it should be.


Thanks, and more to come

Nick