Key events
43rd over: England 305-2 (Lamb 50, Sciver-Brunt 12) Sciver-Brunt brings up England’s 300 with her first boundary, walking a long way across to drag Claxton past short fine leg. A trademark scoop, played from miles outside off stump, goes for four more.
The over ends with a stinging hit from Sciver-Brunt that Claxton can’t hold in her follow through. She hurts herself in the process and needs treatment at the end of the over; it looks like an impact injury rather than a break or dislocation.
42nd over: England 296-2 (Lamb 50, Sciver-Brunt 4) Lamb is playing some classy strokes now. She waves Fraser to the cover boundary to move into the forties, then slaps a back cut for four more. A single brings up a very assured half-century from 41 balls.
Those few overs she took to get her eye in were worth it; after making 13 from her first 20 balls, Lamb has scored 37 from the last 21.
41st over: England 284-2 (Lamb 39, Sciver-Brunt 3) A change of pace at the start of the last 10 overs. Claxton replaces Fletcher and sees her first ball flicked for four by Lamb. After that she does well to keep England to three from the last five deliveries.
40th over: England 277-2 (Lamb 32, Sciver-Brunt 3) Ramharack finishes with figures with 10-0-57-2, a good effort in the circumstances.
WICKET! England 273-2 (Beaumont c Gajnabi b Ramharack 106)
Beaumont carts a slog-sweep towards straight deep midwicket, where Ganjabi takes a good running catch and rolls over theatrically in celebration. The West Indies congratulate Beaumont on a fine innings: 106 from 109 balls with 12 fours and the six that brought up her hundred.
39th over: England 273-1 (Beaumont 106, Lamb 31) Now Emma Lamb is vrooming through the gears. She late cuts and back cuts two boundaries in three balls off Fletcher, who then spills a stinging return catch offered by Beaumont. She did pretty well just to stop the ball as it flew towards her face.
Beaumont brings up a century with a six!
38th over: England 261-1 (Beaumont 105, Lamb 20) That’s how to race through the nineties. Beaumont goes from 91 to 101 in two deliveries from Ramharack, a pull for four and the sweetest clip over wide long-on for six. A mighty clump to the same area makes it 14 from the last three balls of the over.
As we mentioned a while ago, this is the third time Beaumont has scored back-to-back hundreds in ODIs. No other player has done it more than once in women’s cricket.
37th over: England 245-1 (Beaumont 91, Lamb 19) Lamb gets her first boundary with a premeditated paddle off Fletcher, who is back in the attack in place of James. Four singles make it a useful over for England. They’ve slowed down since the dismissal of Amy Jones but are still on course for a huge score, maybe an England ODI record.
36th over: England 237-1 (Beaumont 89, Lamb 13) A quiet over from Ramharack to Lamb, who is probably hearing the first grumbles from her inner critic. She has 13 from 20 balls.
35th over: England 234-1 (Beaumont 89, Lamb 10) It looks like Beaumont is targeting Zaida James. A precise, firm sweep round the corner brings her another boundary, then a couple of well-struck shots don’t get past the infield.
34th over: England 228-1 (Beaumont 83, Lamb 10) Lamb almost walks past a delivery from Ramharack, who puts her hands to her head when the ball deflects to safety on the leg side. The two spinners, Ramharack and Fletcher, have bowled tidily; Ramharack almost gets her second wicket when Beaumont top-edges a sweep that bounces a few yards in front of deep square leg.
33rd over: England 224-1 (Beaumont 80, Lamb 8) Make that two boundaries in 21 overs for Beaumont, who has just played a deft reverse sweep off James. She’s 20 runs away from back-to-back ODI centuries for the third time in her career, which would be a remarkable achievement. Hence us remarking upon it.
32nd over: England 213-1 (Beaumont 74, Lamb 4) Lamb can afford to take a few overs to get her eye in, knowing that she should be able to catch up if she does so. That and Beaumont’s boundarylessness – only one in the last 20 overs – means we’re watching the most sedate period of the innings.
31st over: England 209-1 (Beaumont 72, Lamb 2) A quiet over from the returning Zaida James takes us once again to drinks.
30th over: England 204-1 (Beaumont 68, Lamb 1) Emma Lamb was padded up for 35.4 overs in the first ODI; today she’s in early after 29.2.
WICKET! England 202-1 (Jones ct and b Ramharack 129)
A quiet end to a terrific innings. Jones blasts the ball straight back at Ramharack, who takes a smart catch and does not celebrate one iota. Jones hit 20 fours in a career-best 129 from 98 balls.
Beaumont and Jones make historic 200 partnership
29th over: England 201-0 (Beaumont 66, Jones 129) Two more fours to Jones off Alleyne, a classy punch down the ground and an uppish slice that just clears backward point. If she’s still batting in the 40th over she will almost certainly have beaten Charlotte Edwards’ record for England’s highest ODI score, 173 not out I think.
Talking of records, a wide brings up England’s 200 and makes this pair the first in ODI history to have consecutive 200+ partnerships.
28th over: England 188-0 (Beaumont 65, Jones 118) No sign yet of acceleration from Beaumont, who has scored only 35 from her last 56 deliveries. In the grand scheme it shouldn’t matter but she must be getting slightly frustrated.
27th over: England 184-0 (Beaumont 63, Jones 116) Jones gets her 18th four with a beautifully placed clip through midwicket off Alleyne. That placement has been one of the main features of this tremendous innings: 116 from 88 balls now.
“Hi Rob,” says Ant Pease. ““I find Amy Jones’ centuries to be very much like London buses; significantly more likely to turn up in Derby or Leicester than London.”
26th over: England 176-0 (Beaumont 61, Jones 109) Jones drives Ramharack down the ground for one four, thanks to a bad misfield on the boundary. Not sure who it was but they made precisely no eye contact with Ramharack in the aftermath.
25th over: England 169-0 (Beaumont 60, Jones 104) Aaliyah Alleyne becomes West Indies’ seventh bowler in this innings. They are facing an unwanted record here; the highest ODI score against West Indies is the 358 that India made last year.
Beaumont cuts wristily behind square for four, which prompts Simon Doull to talk about “breaking the wrists” and I really do wish commentators would stop using that phrase because HAVE YOU EVER BROKEN A BLOODY WRIST I MEAN I HAVEN’T BUT I CAN’T IMAGINE IT’S MUCH FUN AND EVERY TIME THEY SAY I FEEL A BIT SICK AND IT CERTAINLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DEFT STROKEPLAY I MEAN CAN YOU IMAGINE DROPPING THAT ONE INTO CONVERSATION IN A&E ON A BUSY DAY YES DOCTOR WE HAVE A PATIENT WITH TWO BROKEN WRISTS, HE’S BATTING BEAUTIFULLY AND IS 84 NOT OUT FROM 67 CAN YOU WAIT FOR HIM TO GET HIS HUNDRED FIRST MAYBE GO AND HAVE A LOOK AT THAT BLOKE OVER THERE WITH GOUT WHO REALLY SHOULD BE IN THE MINOR INJURIES UNIT IF I’M HONEST
That’s one way of looking at it anyway.
Jones strokes superb 76-ball hundred
24th over: England 163-0 (Beaumont 55, Jones 103) Jones skips down the pitch to drive Ramharack high over the off side. It looks set to go for four, which would have brought up her hundred, only for Fraser to make another terrific stop.
No matter: Jones pings the next ball crisply through extra cover to bring up a fabulous hundred from only 76 balls. She’s hit 16 fours, all round the ground, and has played with a relaxed certainty that is pretty rare in any form of international cricket.
Jones waited 4501 days from her debut to score her first ODI hundred. The second came six days later.
Fifty from Beaumont
23rd over: England 151-0 (Beaumont 54, Jones 96) Beaumont square drives Fletcher for two to reach her half-century from 64 balls. She’ll want to go through the gears, as she did at Derby when her second fifty took only 22 balls.
A reminder that England’s highest ODI score is 378 for five against Pakistan in 2016. It’s on.
22nd over: England 148-0 (Beaumont 49, Jones 94) The offspinner Karishma Ramharack’s first ball is chipped stylishly down the ground for four by Jones, who moves into the nineties. Beaumont, one short of another fifty, is frustrated when she fails to pierec the field with a back-foot force.
21st over: England 143-0 (Beaumont 49, Jones 89) Fletcher has bowled nicely, with a tight line and some teasing flight. After another boundaryless over, she has figures of 5-0-25-0.
20th over: England 140-0 (Beaumont 48, Jones 87) No such problems from Amy Jones. She crashes three consecutive fours off Glasgow – midwicket, third, fine leg – then gets a moment of fortune when a leading edge loops over mid-off and lands safely.
Jones is rampaging towards her second ODI hundred in a week. Before that she’d played 97 ODIs with a highest score of 94.
Just to be clear, the first person to mention London buses gets it.
19th over: England 122-0 (Beaumont 45, Jones 73) That lap stroke was the result of a dry spell for Beaumont, who is struggling to rotate strike. She’s scored only nine from the last 27 deliveries, including 18 dot-balls.
REVIEW! England 120-0 (Beaumont not out 44)
Tammy Beaumont has an LBW decision overturned on review. She missed a premeditated lap at a delivery from Fletcher that dipped under the bat and skidded onto hit the pad.
Beaumont, who was a long way across, reviewed in the hope/expectation that it would have missed off stump. After a long wait for the technology to load, the ball tracking confirmed as much.
18th over: England 119-0 (Beaumont 44, Jones 71) The boundaries are starting to dry up: 17 in the first 13 overs, 1 in the last 5. That’s a natural part of the rhythm of an ODI innings, though, and England remain on course for a huge score with 32 overs to go.
17th over: England 117-0 (Beaumont 43, Jones 70) A tidy over of legspin from Afy Fletcher, who doesn’t give the England batters any room to free their arms. Five from it.
Drinks: England speed to 112 without loss
16th over: England 112-0 (Beaumont 40, Jones 65) Gajnabi saves three runs with a running save at long-on, as does Fraser with an even better diving stop on the cover boundary. The dropped catch aside, West Indies’ fielding has been good today.
Time for the drinks break, which is a good time to plug the latest edition of The Spin. Spoiler alert: it’s better than last week’s.
15th over: England 106-0 (Beaumont 38, Jones 64) Jones squirts a single to bring up the hundred partnership, her sixth for the first wicket with Jones in ODIs. Only three opening pairs have scored more, with Belinda Clark and Lisa Keightley inevitably top of the list.
Jones is already approaching a century of her own; she moves into the sixties with a deft steer to the boundary at third person. She has 64 from 49 balls, Beaumount 38 from 41.
14th over: England 99-0 (Beaumont 37, Jones 58) An accurate over from Glasgow, the best of the innings to date, includes five consecutive dot balls to Beaumont.
13th over: England 98-0 (Beaumont 37, Jones 57) Time for some legspin from Afy Fletcher. That means a change of pace, but only from the West Indies. Jones continues England’s charge by skidding back in her crease to lash a boundary – her 10th, England’s 17th – through wide mid-on.
Amy Jones races to fifty
12th over: England 91-0 (Beaumont 36, Jones 51) Jones waves a single to reach a cool, classy half-century from 41 balls. Before the weekend she hadn’t opened in an ODI since she was tormented by Ellyse Perry in 2019; the decision to move her back up has gone reasonably well so far.
She bats well with Beaumont – they are about to become England’s most prolific opening partnership in women’s ODIs – and later in the over Beaumont clips a Glasgow full toss for four more.
11th over: England 84-0 (Beaumont 31, Jones 49) After an excellent third over, Claxton starts her fourth with a high full toss that is pulled for four by Beaumont. It’s a no-ball, too, although Claxton turns the free hit into a free miss with a lovely slower ball that beats Beaumont and bounces into the stumps.
10th over: England 77-0 (Beaumont 26, Jones 48) Jannillea Glasgow, another right-arm seamer, replaces Cherry-Ann Fraser, whose figures of 4-0-32-0 are a bit harsh. She starts really well – good pace, tight line – but her last ball is slightly too full and Jones clatters it through mid-on for four more. She’s batting beautifully in her new/old role at the top of the order.
9th over: England 70-0 (Beaumont 24, Jones 43) Claxton, who is only 19, points to her high ceiling with a cracking one-two to Tammy Beaumont. Both were perfectly pitched, a fraction outside off stump. The first popped past the edge at 68mph; the second came back off the seam to take the inside edge and fly past leg stump for four.
She should have taken her first wicket later in the over when Jones slapped a short ball to cover and was dropped by Grimmond. Her hands were too tense and, though it wasn’t a sitter, she’d expect to take that catch seven or eight times out of 10.
8th over: England 65-0 (Beaumont 19, Jones 43) Jones gets her seventh boundary with a lovely on-drive when Fraser overpitches, and then another with a short-arm pull through midwicket. The second one was only fractionally short. Fraser, who has bowled reasonably well, has been punished every time she has missed her length. For all West Indies’ struggles, England are batting with cold-eyed intent.
7th over: England 54-0 (Beaumont 18, Jones 34) A full toss outside leg stump from Claxton is helped on its way for four by Jones. You have to feel for this young West Indies team. They were finding it hard enough with the inspirational Hayley Matthews in the team but without her their spirit looks broken.
As I type, Matthews, wearing a sling, is walking round the boundary edge to talk to Cherry-Ann Fraser.
6th over: England 49-0 (Beaumont 18, Jones 29) Jones slams consecutive deliveries from Fraser through the covers four and two. A carve to third man brings another boundary, England’s ninth in six overs.
It already feels like England’s highest ODI score is in sight; the record is 378 for 5 v Pakistan in 2016.
5th over: England 38-0 (Beaumont 18, Jones 18) Jahzara Claxton replaces James and starts with a leg-side wide. Beaumont threads another beautiful drive between extra cover and mid-off, then pulls a long hope for four more. West Indies are really struggling here.
4th over: England 26-0 (Beaumont 10, Jones 15) A sharp delivery from Fraser almost gets through Jones, who is able to deflect it onto the pad. When Fraser gets it right she looks a proper bowler; her problem at this stage is consistency. That’s a good second over, with just one run off the bat – and that came from a misfield.
3rd over: England 24-0 (Beaumont 10, Jones 14) Another boundary for Amy Jones, clipped crisply through midwicket off James. England are off to a flyer.
2nd over: England 17-0 (Beaumont 9, Jones 8) Cherry-Ann Fraser, West Indies’ right-arm quick, shares the new ball. A couple of half-volleys are driven for four by Beaumont, the first through the covers and the second timed beautifully past extra cover.
I don’t love saying this – and I hope I’m eating it in a few hours’ time – but West Indies already look a beaten side.
1st over: England 9-0 (Beaumont 1, Jones 8) The consensus in the commentary box is that this is an extremely good day for batting, and that England should be looking for at least 350. Amy Jones gets them off to a good start with a couple of boundaries off James. The first was a total freebie, the second clipped nicely off the pads.
The players are ready for action in Leicester. Zaida James is going to open the bowling with her left-arm spin.
It’s nine years since Mike Selvey left The Guardian. I could prattle on for hours about what a giant of a human being he is, how enthusiastic and helpful he was towards the OBO when many people looked down their nose at us, how many brilliant stories he has and why he should write a bloody book, Selve.
That’s for another day. This is a quick note to wish Selve and everyone at Olney CC – including Young Selve, a new-ball bowler of course – all the best for their 150th anniversary match this afternoon. They’re playing an MCC side that apparently includes our buddy Adam Collins.
Olney is known for the world’s oldest pancake race and the hymn Amazing Grace, which was written there by the Reverend John Newton. If you fancy an afternoon in the sun* watching cricket with good people and at least one giant of a human being, get down to the Recreation Ground.
In fact, there’s a livestream here too. If it rains in Leicester, we’ll pop over to Olney.
* It’s a little brisk
Team news: Matthews injured
West Indies’ representative at the toss was Shemaine Campbell, who standing in as captain because of a shoulder injury to Hayley Matthews. That’s a big blow – to both teams. So is the absence of Matthews’ opening partner Qiana Joseph.
Realeanna Grimmond comes into the side and will open alongside Zaida James. Stafanie Taylor and Jannillea Glasgow are also included; Mandy Mangru drops out.
England have made two changes, with Alice Davidson-Richards and Lauren Filer replacing Charlie Dean and Em Arlott. Nat Sciver-Brunt says they are keen to look at the whole squad ahead of the World Cup.
England Beaumont, Jones (wk), Lamb, Sciver-Brunt (c), Dunkley, Capsey, Davidson-Richards, Cross, Smith, Filer, Bell.
West Indies Grimmond, James, Campbelle (c/wk), Taylor, Gajnabi, Glasgow, Alleyne, Claxton, Fraser, Fletcher, Ramharack.
England win the toss and bat
“Looks a good surface,” says NSB, “and as a team we’d like to challenge ourselves to repeat a good batting performance the other day.”
It’s a blustery day in Leicester, more than a little brisk, but the forecast is dry so we should start on time.
Preamble
Another day, another England v West Indies fixture. This is their eighth game in 15 days across formats and genders – pity the fool who signed up to cover the lot, eh – and so far England have won them all.
If that run continues in Leicester today, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Charlotte Edwards clinch their second series win as England captain and coach. They won’t be getting carried away – this is a weakened West Indies side, and England usually hammer them in bilateral series anyway.
Nasser Hussain made an excellent point on the Sky Cricket podcast that, if England want to become the best in the world, they should assess their performance against the remarkable Hayley Matthews rather than the rest of the West Indies team.
Matthews has scored 44 per cent of West Indies’ runs across the two white-ball series, with innings of 100*, 6, 71 and 48. Two of her dismissals have been at the hands of Em Arlott, who has caught the eye in an impressive debut series.
So has Linsey Smith, a semi-regular in the T20 side who took a five-for on her ODI debut on Sunday. And Amy Jones, pushed back up to open in the ODI team, started with a lovely century at Derby.
It’s those fresh details, rather than the fairly predictable results, that have made it all worthwhile.
The match starts at 1pm.
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