9th over: England 86-2 (Wyatt-Hodge 39, Capsey 21) Time for some leg spin from Ramharack, in mirrored shades and maroon cap. No boundaries but DWH and Capsey are running well in the heat and there’s seven off the over.
9th over: England 79-2 (Wyatt-Hodge 36, Capsey 17) Another short one, this time from Fletcher, and Capsey tucks in, thanks very much, pulling it for four. England hit powerfully but managing unerringly to pick out the fielders.
8th over: England 69-2 (Wyatt-Hodge 32, Capsey 11) West Indies have successfully slowed England down a little – DW sends Matthews flying over point for one boundary, but then just singles.
7th over: England 61-2 (Wyatt-Hodge 26, Capsey 9) Some Adele blasts over Lord’s as the players finish their drinks. Looks like there is a nice a shady spot or two in the pavilion. Anyway, time for Alleyne who is on. the. money. Just four singles from it..
Hello Tim Sanders!
”I was at the England v Scotland game at Headingley on Saturday evening, and had a fabulous time. Kemp and Gibson’s late-innings acceleration was a thing of wonder. It wasn’t about short boundaries either, there were no concessions on that score. I only wish now that I’d taken a couple of days off work and taken in the other games.
”My only two reservations were the predominance of sponsors’ logos over actual scoreboard information; and the availability of vuvuzelas. I started the game wanting Scotland to do well, but after a few blasts, my eardrums had overruled my heart.
”I trust Lords has stood firm against the advancing tide of barbarism ?”
I hear and see no vuvuzela evil. If you are at Lord’s, and have a vuvuzela, do tell us. And yes I had heard about the scoreboards being sold off to the Corporate sponsor – bit like flogging the family photos – makes it difficult for people to work out what’s actually going on.
6th over: England 57-2 (Wyatt-Hodge 24, Capsey 7) Munisar again, long arms, plaits. A quarter of a chance at point as Wyatt Hodge cuts and watches the ball fly, brushing the finger tips of the leaping Dottin and flying for four to tick over the England fifty. Four more from a DWH outside edge – ten from the over and time for a much-needed hydration break.
5th over: England 47-2 (Wyatt-Hodge 15, Capsey 6) Alleyne’s first over. She surprises DWH with one that cuts in and leaves her jumping, but Capsey finds a boundary off her penultimate ball, slamming a short one through midwicket.
4th over: England 41-2 (Wyatt-Hodge 14, Capsey 1) Dunkley had time just to play one hearty reverse sweep beore Munisar got her number.
WICKET! Dunkley lbw Munisar 14 (England 38-2)
Stoops to sweep , misses, and is hit on her bright red front pad right in front of her stumps. Turns on her heel and walks off, declining DWH’s offer of a review.
3rd over: England 34-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 10, Dunkley 12) Henry’s first ball is another short one and Wyatt Hodge pulls it through midwicket for a punctuating boundary. A wide follows. And another, and another. She nearly gets Wyatt Hodge in exactly the same way as Jones, but the ball bounces short and flies away to the rope. A stylish drive shimmies through the off side from DWH’s bat for three more. Eventually the over comes to an end – 17 from it.
Raf says that the ground is half full – with lots of people probably staying away because of the red extreme heat warning – only to travel if essential.
2nd over: England 17-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 0, Dunkley 8) Hayley Matthews with the second over, but Dunkley is ready for her, sweeping and pulling two boundaries with aplomb.
1st over: England 8-1 (Wyatt-Hodge 0, Dunkley 0) Chinelle Henry falls over in the follow through to her her first ball, Amy Jones tucks into two short offerings served up next, but Henry finds the perfect delivery to finish the over and gets her woman.
WICKET! Jones c Fletcher b Henry 8 (England 8-1)
First strike for West Indies as Jones swings the bat in a pretty arc but outside edges to short third.
Updated
No Sciver-Brunt again today, as she continues to recuperate from that left calf strain she retwinged while batting against Ireland. Charlie Dean takes the reins.
“The cake is unbelievably good,” reports Raf. “Huge chocolate brownies, chewy oatmeal cookies and savoury muffins. The press box is heaving with people hiding from the heat!”
The ICC have plumped for full sized flags today, despite the heat – they ditched them at Bristol yesterday. Here are the anthems – the camera pans to a watching Curtly Ambrose during Rally round the West Indies, who looks very cool in a linen shirt.
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Do get in touch if your fingers don’t stick to the keyboard. The stands don’t look hugely full but again people may be hiding behind the stands in the shade before the game starts.
West Indies: Hayley Matthews (capt), Deandra Dottin, Shemaine Campbell (wk), Stafanie Taylor, Jahzara Claxton, Chinelle Henry, Jannillea Glasgow, Aaliyah Alleyne, Afy Fletcher, Karishma Ramharack, Ashmini Munisar.
England XI
England XI: Amy Jones (wk), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Dani Gibson, Charlie Dean (capt), Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell.
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Nasser is interesting about the pitch – says the ODI pitches are different to the Test pitches. We will see if the pace and bounce are different.
West Indies win the toss and will bowl
Hayley Matthews said they’ll have a bowl first as the pitch looks fresh – which will suit England’s batters very well. “It’s pretty warm,” she says, “but we all prefer it to be this temperature. “
“We would have been happy to bowl as well,” says Charlie Dean. “It’s obviously an absolute scorcher. …I think captaincy is something you get into the routine of doing and the girls have been very supportive.”
Both sides are unchanged from their last game.
Raf has gone to north London, so we don’t have to.
“It is absolutely sweltering out there,” she says. “Almost cooked on the tube on the way here. West Indies have just done a very complex warm-up with some kind of cone colour-coding system.”
Wherever you are, stay hydrated.
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Preamble
Hello from the relative cool of my living room, though my body is slowly congealing into a three day old lasagne. At Lord’s, England, in cooling vests and ice packs, have their toughest test of the tournament on the hottest June day on record. Just as well the World Cup isn’t sponsored by the world’s single largest corporate carbon polluter.
West Indies, like England, have also played three, won three, though at a less impressive run rate. Should be a great match, if you can stand the heat.
