An opening partnership of 171 between Nicole Bolton and Beth Mooney paved the way for Australia women to begin their title defence with an eight-wicket win against West Indies, the team they beat in the 2013 final. Mooney made 70, while Bolton remained unbeaten on 107 as Australia completed their chase of 205 in 38.1 overs.
At no point were West Indies on top after they chose, after all manner of toss-related confusion, to bat first. Four of their top five got starts, but none of them got past fifty, as Australia's bowlers, led by Ellyse Perry, kept striking regular blows to ensure that an innings struggling to get out of second gear never built significant momentum.
Wickets through the middle overs cut short any partnership that threatened to blossom. Jess Jonassen, who dropped the opener Hayley Matthews on 27, made amends by bowling her with an arm ball just when she was looking dangerous, having added 19 off her last 18 balls. That ended a second-wicket stand of 52 between Matthews and Chedean Nation.
Then came a cameo from Deandra Dottin, who put on 34 in 29 balls with her captain Stafanie Taylor for the fourth wicket. Dottin may have just begun to worry Australia's think tank when Perry brought a swift end to her innings. Having just conceded two successive fours - a pull and a flick, both placed wide of midwicket - she came up with the perfect riposte, an inducker that bowled Dottin through the gate.
Never doubt the ability of legal manoeuvring to make apparently sane, rational individuals look like big idiots. Almost eight months after the alleged (you never know, it might not have ever happened) Twitter message that has resulted in Darren Bravo essentially being kicked out of West Indies cricket, we have now been made aware of the following: 1. Nobody can prove that the message from Bravo’s Twitter account referring to Cricket West Indies president Dave Cameron as a “Big Idiot” was actually sent by him. 2. Bravo cannot say whether or not he sent it. 3. His lawyers—Donna Symmonds and Leslie Haynes—are not prepared, at this time, so say whether he sent it because, according to them, due process has not been followed in the matter by Cricket West Indies (CWI). I wonder what is the reaction now of all those who have been rallying round the left-hander to the extent of not merely reinforcing the alleged “Big Idiot” accusation, but going even further to refer to the primary focus of their anger and vitriol in far less complimentary terms? Credit to Barbadian broadcaster and media personality Barry Wilkinson for finally getting Bravo to respond to questions on the issue on his “Line and Length” show over the weekend as aired on Sportsmax. But, as was to be expected when you saw the eminent legal luminaries involved in the interview, the exercise transpired to be nothing more than elaborate and tedious obfuscation.
Fifty overs. Forty-three overs. It doesn't quite matter. India are a bot designed to score 300 and not too many more when batting first, which proved to be more than enough against the inexperienced West Indies batting. No team has scored as many 300s as India - 96 - and it was fitting that they took the lead by seamlessly recalibrating their approach in a rain-curtailed ODI.
Ajinkya Rahane got to his third ODI century - the period approaching his hundred was the only slow spell in India's innings, Shikhar Dhawan's run continued with yet another half-century, and Virat Kohli knocked off an effortless 87 off 66. Shai Hope delayed the inevitable West Indies defeat with a fine 81, but once they had lost two wickets before the first run had been scored off a bat, further rain was their only ally. It was not to be.
Early morning rain had left the pitch damp and the atmosphere heavy, ideal bowling conditions that prompted the hosts to invite India to bat. The conditions eventually didn't turn out to be as treacherous as expected, but it didn't help that West Indies' new-ball bowlers never got their length right. They were either too short or too full, getting cut and pulled or driven with ease. There was also more intent from the India openers, who as a partnership have the best average among all pairs who have added at least 1500 runs together. Rahane got going with an upper-cut for a six, and Dhawan loved the driving practice given to him, off-driving Jason Holder for successive boundaries before pulling him for one more in the eighth over. India's 63 in the first 10 overs was about 14 more than what has been their average since the 2015 World Cup.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Torrential rain wrecked the opening One-Day International between West Indies and India here Friday, allowing just over three hours play at Queen’s Park Oval.
Opting to bat first, the visitors had cruised to 199 for three in the 40th over behind half-centuries from openers Shikhar Dhawan (87) and Ajinkya Rahane (62) when rain arrived for the second time around 12:30 pm, to bring a premature end to the contest.
The adverse weather had halted play 45 minutes earlier with India on 189 for three after 38 overs.
When the showers abaited late in the afternoon, the game was set to be a 26-over contest with West Indies chasing 194 for victory under Duckworth/Lewis but the rains soon returned, forcing officials to abandon the match.
Dhawan had earlier extended his prolific ICC Champions Trophy form as he put on an enterprising 132 for the first wicket with Rahane.
The left-handed Dhawan faced 92 balls and struck eight fours and two sixes while Rahane, a right-hander, counted eight fours in his 78-ball knock.
Without really taking the bowling by the scruff of the neck, both batsmen played fluently, gathering boundaries off the new-ball pair of captain Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph.
Committed to America, CPL aims at long term sustainability worldwide
Fri, Jun 23, '17
The Caribbean Premier League will begin its fifth edition on August 4 when the St Lucia Stars host the Trinbago Knight Riders. Now the longest running T20 competition that has ever taken place in the West Indies, the CPL may not offer the glitz and glamour of the IPL or the quality of the Big Bash or Pakistan Super League, but it is carving out its own niche as one of the foremost T20 leagues in the world. Attendances have risen steadily over the past four seasons and last year 134 million people worldwide watched it on TV - an increase of 44% from the previous season. The cricket has been of a rising standard and the traditional Caribbean party atmosphere has been on full show. Last year, six matches were played in America as the tournament looks to expand, and financially, it broke even for the first time in 2016. To add to it, the creation of thousands of jobs providing a clear boost to the local economies in the West Indies, has played a part in its successful beginning.
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