India beat England in the final ODI at Lord’s on Saturday by 16 runs, but the match ended in controversial fashion after Deepti Sharma eliminated Charlie Dean at the non-strikers end, prompting a chorus of boos from the crowd. .
England had looked for the count after collapsing to 53 for five before the first drinking break was taken, chasing just 170, but a remarkable rearguard effort from Dean (47), who calmly added 35 runs with Freya Davies for the final wicket. It looked like he could see them over the line until Sharma’s intervention in the 44th.
Dean was in tears but determinedly shook hands with the opposition players before leaving as India celebrated.
“I don’t think it was any crime, it’s part of the game,” India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said. “Show your knowledge of what hitters are doing. I will support my players, she has not done anything outside the rules”.
Kate Cross from England said: “Ultimately it is Deepti’s choice how she does it. If you’re talking about the spirit of cricket, I thought [shaking hands] It was brilliant of Deano.”
The incident threatened to overshadow an occasion that was destined to be the final match for Jhulan Goswami, 39, who has been terrorizing batsmen with his 5-foot-11 frame since 2002. His swan song initially looked as if it might end. in anticlimax: Freya Kemp bowled her for a golden duck, before sending five overs without a wicket when all Lord’s, England and India fans alike, wanted her.
Finally, on the sixth try, he caught Alice Capsey at the cover point, proving you’re never too old to teach a young dog new tricks. Twenty-five overs later, he completed his last over in international cricket by bowling with Cross. She was harassed by her teammates and the crowd gave her a standing ovation.
England’s defeat came despite an unplayable five-over opening spell from Cross that cut India to 17 for three, the closer using a late move to flick Shafali Verma and Yastika Bhatia for ducks and catching Harmanpreet lbw by just four, following his lunge at Canterbury on Wednesday.
Cross returned in the 22nd to eliminate a flowing-looking Smriti Mandhana (50) who hit a goalie into her own stumps. But Sharma then worked his way up to 68, not out, setting up enough of a comeback for his side along with an aggressive Pooja Vastrakar (22) to see them in a clean drive.
England will return to Lord’s next summer as part of their lively multi-format Women’s Ashes series which, for the first time, includes matches at some of England’s outstanding grounds (a test at Trent Bridge and evening T20s at Edgbaston, the Kia Oval and Lord’s ). For one thing, a return to the “home of cricket” long ago: before that, England had not played an international match at Lord’s since the 2017 World Cup final.
The ECB’s ambition to make a seismic breakthrough from land like Worcester (capacity 5,000) and Hove (6,000) to Edgbaston (25,000) and the Oval (27,500) is to be applauded, and the crowd of 15,000 at Lord’s would suggest the appetite to watch live international women’s cricket in London is alive and well.
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A dejected Charlie Dean leaves as India celebrates England’s defeat. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
On the other hand, if the goal is to attract a new generation of fans, the pressure will be on to ensure that next summer’s Women’s Ashes is competitive at the very least. On the last two occasions (at home in 2019 and away in 2021-22), the final score was 4-12, and not in favor of England. All of England’s strategy this summer has been focused on making sure those results aren’t repeated in 2023. Four players (Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Freya Kemp and Issy Wong) have made their debuts, while two (Alice Davison-Richards and Bryony Smith) have debuted. made returns.
And yet, consistency for this new England has so far been elusive. Their early summer success against a crumbling South Africa did them little good at the Commonwealth Games (medal count: nil), while the loss to India is their first loss in a bilateral series at home against an opposition that not be Australia in 15 years. . “It’s a frustrating time because as an England team you want to win cricket games,” Cross said.
England’s big problem against India has been the leadership vacuum that has dogged the team since Heather Knight suffered a hip injury in July. Nat Sciver reluctantly agreed to the gig for the Commonwealth Games, before dropping out just three days before the first T20 against India, citing “emotional fatigue”.
Amy Jones, who had never before been a cricket captain in her 50s, was cast in the role apparently in the absence of other plausible candidates. She has looked more and more out of the depth of it.
One would hope that this is where a new coach can step in and make his mark: Applications for the job close today.
Meanwhile, England will be desperate to see a successful return from Knight ahead of his next international assignment in the Caribbean this winter. The captaincy has been a hot potato long enough.
Source: www.theguardian.com