9th over: Ireland 42-1 (Lewis 10, Hunter 13) That’s a bit more like it from Hunter, drills Wong back past mid off for four, then out through cover for two, the shot demanding a sprinting and cartwheeling save from the sweeper.
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8th over: Ireland 34-1 (Lewis 7, Hunter 8) The quicks continue, Filer with a wide and a few singles. Ireland playing it very quietly so far today.
7th over: Ireland 30-1 (Lewis 6, Hunter 6) Now, Issy Wong is a model of accuracy. Really drills onto a line on off stump and stays there, ironclad. Hunter isn’t game to knock Wong off that line, and sees out five dots before nudging a single to off.
6th over: Ireland 29-1 (Lewis 6, Hunter 5) Something goes Lewis’ way, thanks to a big tangle on the boundary from Sophia Dunkley. Square drive, Dunkley comes sliding across the line of the ball from backward point, but fumbles it as she slides and somehow lets the ball roll up and over her, and into the boundary sponge. Filer the unlucky bowler.
5th over: Ireland 23-1 (Lewis 1, Hunter 5) Oh dear. Wong takes the wicket first ball of the over, gets crunches square by Amy Hunter for four, then loses her line wide of the off stump with the ball swinging away. Wide, then wide again, and a third, and a fourth time! Then bowls a peach that comes back through the gate and over the bails. Ten-ball over, ten runs and a wicket from it. Oh, and Gaby Lewis finally gets off the mark! A single nudged to cover, in the fifth over.
WICKET! Tector c Capsey b Wong 11, Ireland 13-1
Capsey as keeper is away! I can’t say that was the most conventional method – she lunges across and sticks out one hand in front of slip, rather than moving her feet and getting both gloves to it – but she holds the take. Good bowling from Wong, a bit of swing away, and Tector just places the bat there looking to push square on the off side again.
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4th over: Ireland 13-0 (Tector 11, Lewis 0) Almost through! Filer gets the ball swinging into Lewis, so far in that it smacks the pads outside the line of leg stump, then deflects back past the off stump! Lewis still hasn’t scored, and somehow survives. Leg bye.
3rd over: Ireland 11-0 (Tector 10, Lewis 0) Wong looks much better with her bowling action than she has in a while, nice smooth release. A bit too wide, and after a few on that line she’s driven behind square for two, then Tector gets her timing right and spanks a cover drive for four! Wong responds with a yorker that is heading towards the stumps before swinging away late, sparing the batter. Good contest.
2nd over: Ireland 5-0 (Tector 4, Lewis 0) Lauren Filer has ended up on the deck already, which is her signature move at this stage of her career. Bowls, follows through, falls over. Got some nice inswing going from wide of the stumps. One ball starts too wide of off, and is called, but that’s the only score from the over.
1st over: Ireland 4-0 (Tector 4, Lewis 0) Issy Wong to start us off, and she’s zinging the first few in at the pads of Alice Tector, there’s an lbw appeal to start, but everything is sliding leg side from over the wicket. Fourth ball though belongs to Ireland, wide and fast, square driven stylishly for four. The last one is similar in length, but swings away from the edge and is almost nicked through.
It’ll be pace pace pace up top for England, with Wong and Filer in the side.
We’re up in Leicester for today’s game, where so many England women’s ODIs have been hosted over the years. Mild day, 20 degrees, says the weather readout.
Teams
Interesting! Alice Capsey will keep wicket, which some people (me) were keen to see during the World Cup, given how Amy Jones kept whacking the ball to catchers in the ring. Jones is rested, as are Sciver-Brunt and Danni Wyatt-Hodge, while Heather Knight has retired. Plenty of change, some chances for fringe players. For Ireland, the promising young Alice Tector gets a chance to open the batting.
Ireland
Gaby Lewis *
Alice Tector
Amy Hunter +
Orla Prendergast
Rebecca Stokell
Leah Paul
Louise Little
Arlene Kelly
Cara Murray
Jane Maguire
Kia McCartney
England
Maia Bouchier
Sophia Dunkley
Jodi Grewcock
Alice Capsey +
Freya Kemp
Dani Gibson
Charlie Dean *
Mady Villiers
Issy Wong
Lauren Filer
Tilly Corteen-Coleman
England win the toss and bowl
Plenty of England players resting for this series, so Charlie Dean is captaining in place of Nat Sciver-Brunt. Dean has the coin fall her way and wants to chase. Ireland captain Gaby Lewis says she would have batted anyway, in time-honoured style.
Preamble
Hello! It’s the first of September, which still counts as summer in the north of Europe, and it’s time for cricket. Been a long while since we had a women’s bilateral series in England this season, having come through the Hundred and before that the T20 World Cup, but we’re back now on the bread and butter of the international game.
Ireland had a disappointing World Cup, though they did finally get their first win at the tournament. Now it’s time to change format to the one-day game. England will be looking at this series as a chance to tune up in the middle format after a big focus on short-form hitting. There may be some teething problems for both sides.
