• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Eng W Vs Ind W Nat Sciver Appointed Vice Captain As England Womens Announce Squad For India Series

ENG W vs IND W: Nat Sciver appointed vice-captain as England Women’s announce squad for India series

All-rounder Nat Sciver has been appointed all format vice-captain of the England Women’s team. She would start her tenure with the three format encounters against India Women at home. The England squad for the one-off Tests was announced on June 9. Pacer Emily Arlott, who has picked up eight wickets in three games including a hattrick in her last outing in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy this weekend has earned a maiden call up to the squad. 

Head Coach Lisa Keightley, while speaking on the selection of the 17 member squad said, “It’s been hard to pick a squad given the balance of needing cover in a COVID world while wanting to give players as much chance as possible to play cricket.”

This English squad would further be trimmed ahead of the start of the Test on June 16. This would be done to make sure that non-playing members are sent back to play in the RHF trophy. “We want players to have opportunities out in the middle so we’re looking to reduce our numbers slightly ahead of the Test to give the non-selected players that chance,” Keightley added. 

The coach is further pumped up as she takes the India series as a first step towards the upcoming Ashes, then the two World Cups and the Commonwealth Games in which Women’s cricket has been introduced for the first time. 

“I’m really excited by the summer ahead. We’ve been working really hard across the last 10 weeks, India are a strong side and it’s the beginning of a two-year journey for us that takes in two ICC World Cups, an Ashes and the Commonwealth Games,” she said. 

The one-off Test will be played at Bristol County Ground starting June 16. It would be the two teams' second meeting on the red ball format in seven years. In the last meeting, India triumphed by six wickets.

Squad: Heather Knight (C), Emily Arlott, Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Tash Farrant, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver (VC), Anya Shrubsole, Mady Villiers, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield-Hill

Discover more
Top Stories
news

Reports: Seven Australian players mulling pull out from Caribbean tour

Some of the top Australian players including the likes of David Warner, Pat Cummins, Jhye Richardson, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis could consider pulling out their names from the white ball series slated to be played against West Indies next month citing bubble fatigue issues. A report in Nine Media on Wednesday stated that these seven players might consider pulling out of the tour as they have already spent a considerable period in various bio-secure bubbles for several months now. The news came out a day after Cricket Australia announced six additional names to their 23 members preliminary squad for the tour of West Indies and Bangladesh slated to be held in July and August. Meanwhile all-rounder Daniel Sams has already made himself unavailable for the series owing to mental health issues. The left-arm pacer had contracted COVID during his stay in India prior to the Indian Premier League. All the members who are considering pulling out of the series were part of the 14th season of IPL which was halted midway owing to cases being reported inside the bio-bubbles. The players from the Australian contingent had spent 14 days in quarantine in Maldives before leaving for Australia. They again underwent seven days of quarantine after their arrival in Sydney. The Australian players are expected to travel to the Caribbean shores on 28th June which means that the players will get less than a month’s time after they were freed from quarantine on 31st May.

news

Kane Williamson ruled out of second Test against England

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the second Test against England to get some rest for his 'irritated' left-elbow, NZC confirmed. Tom Latham will be leading the side in his absence. "It's not an easy decision for Kane to have to miss a Test, but we think it's the right one," New Zealand coach Gary Stead said. "He's had an injection in his elbow to relieve the irritation he's been experiencing when he bats and a period of rest and rehabilitation will help maximise his recovery." "The decision has been made very much with the ICC World Test Championship Final at Southampton in mind and we are confident he will be ready for that match starting on June 18." The right-handed batsman sustained an elbow injury during the first match against England at Lord’s and was being monitored by the medical team. The first match between the two sides ended in a draw after rain played spoilsport on Day 3 of the match. Nevertheless, there were some brilliant individual performances from both sides. Devon Conway who made his Test debut for New Zealand in this match struck a fine double-century while fast bowler Tim Southee bagged a six-wicket haul in the first innings. In reply, England opener Rory Burns notched up a ton and helped his team come out of a tricky situation during the course. Apart from Burns, another debutant in the match Ollie Robinson began his career with an impressive performance as he scaled seven wickets in two innings for England. But Robinson has been suspended from the second Test against England after his racist and sexist posts that he had tweeted a few years back resurfaced on social media. The second game is slated to take place in Birmingham from Thursday (June 10, 2021).

news

Mike Hesson wants Mayank Agarwal to get a chance in WTC final

One of the most successful New Zealand coaches and currently the Director of Cricket Operations at Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mike Hesson feels that playing three matches in a short span of time for New Zealand will mean that they have to manage their workload very carefully and make sure that they are not exhausted coming into the biggest Test of their lives. New Zealand will play the ICC World Test Championship final against India starting from 18th June. “It is an issue (playing three Tests with a four-day gap in between). New Zealand will have to look at the bowling attack and that’s potentially why Trent Boult will play this game (second Test against England from Thursday,” Hesson was quoted as saying by the PTI. “That will give one of those other quicks to rest potentially because it’s only four days between each Test. So, three on the bounce is a big deal, especially if you put in 45 to 50 overs in the second Test, or they just decide to manage the workloads which is not something you usually do going into a Test match,” he said. New Zealand will be in a slightly advantageous position with the chance of getting acclimatised to the conditions in England. They are currently playing a two-match Test series, the second of which will kick off from June 10 (Thursday). On the other, India will be devoid of any match practice since the IPL might be an issue coming into these alien conditions. As of now, India is likely to pick Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as the openers but Mike Hesson feels that Mayank Agarwal’s experience of playing the New Zealand bowlers in their conditions should push India to give him a chance. When India toured New Zealand back in 2020 just before the COVID-19 outbreak, Mayank Agarwal was the highest run-getter for India and only one among the four Indians to score a half-century in that particular series. “They will probably go with Rohit and Shubman but I think Mayank needs to be considered. He has faced the New Zealand attack in New Zealand, where he would have got some crucial experience,” said Hesson.

news

ENG vs NZ | 2nd Test Preview: Dress rehearsal for New Zealand ahead of WTC showdown

New Zealand are left with their last assignment before they head to Southampton where they are slated to play India in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship. The Blackcaps take on England in the second and final Test of the series in Birmingham from Thursday (June 10, 2021). The first encounter between the two sides ended in a draw at Lord’s after rain played spoilsport on Day 3. But despite the draw, both sides had a lot to take away from the game. Devon Conway who made his Test debut for New Zealand in this match notched up a double-century in the first innings to become only the second Kiwi player to achieve the feat. While the likes of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor failed to leave a mark, Conway and Henry Nicholls showed some character and played crucial knocks to get their team out of a tricky situation. Nicholls scored 61 during the course. While the New Zealand batting witnessed some heroics in the first innings, pacer Tim Southee too showed his mettle. The right-arm bowler picked up six wickets in the first innings to go on the Honours Boards at Lord’s for the second time. Although the visiting team did have an impressive outing with both bat and ball in the first clash the hosts too had some names in the ranks who played an important role in helping their side manage a draw. Opener Rory Burns struck a super hundred while Ollie Robinson who was capped for the first time in Tests for England returned with seven wickets in two innings and also chipped in a 101-ball 42 in the first innings to stop it from falling away. The bowler though won’t be a part of the English lineup in the second Test as he has been suspended by the ECB for his racist and sexist tweets as a teenager, which resurfaced on social media, just after he made his debut. Another England fast bowler who was pretty lethal with his pace was Mark Wood in the first match. He peppered the batsmen with short deliveries creating a lot of problems for them. Wood scalped a total of four wickets in two innings out of which three came in the first innings. Match details Date: June 10-14, 2021 (Thursday-Monday). Time: 11:00 AM (Local/ BST), 3:30 PM (IST), and 10:00 AM (GMT). Venue: Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham. Weather Report The weather in Birmingham is expected to be pleasant with minimal chances of showers on Day 1 and Day 5. Pitch Report The track at Edgbaston would give an edge to the fast bowlers especially in the initial part of the game. The batsmen might face some trouble with the new ball. Nevertheless, they still have something for themselves in the kitty. The carry can help them score runs once the batsmen get their eye in. However, the English team called in Dom Bess as Jack Leach's cover in the squad, suggesting that there might be spin and turn on offer in the latter part of the game. Team News England The home side will not have the services of Ollie Robinson for this game as he was suspended by the board. Talking about Bess' entry into the side, English coach Chris Silverwood said, "If Jack was to feature, we would need back-up for him in terms of concussion replacements and things like that." With a packed calendar ahead of them, the England team management would be looking to make a couple of changes here and there to rest the players in this match. New Zealand New Zealand captain Kane Williamson had sustained an elbow injury in the first match and was monitored by the medical staff. He has now been ruled out of the second clash to get some rest for his 'irritated' left elbow, NZC confirmed. "It's not an easy decision for Kane to have to miss a Test, but we think it's the right one," coach Gary Stead said. "He's had an injection in his elbow to relieve the irritation he's been experiencing when he bats and a period of rest and rehabilitation will help maximise his recovery.” "The decision has been made very much with the ICC World Test Championship Final at Southampton in mind and we are confident he will be ready for that match starting on June 18." Apart from Williamson, spinner Mitchell Santner has been ruled out of the second Test as well with a split left index finger. Fast bowler Trent Boult who missed the first match is back and available for selection. With an important fixture slated to take place in a week’s time, New Zealand would also be looking to rest their key players and try some new combinations in this final Test. Probable XI England: Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root (c), Daniel Lawrence, Ollie Pope, James Bracey (wk), Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson New Zealand: Tom Latham (C), Devon Conway, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Ajaz Patel, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner. Fantasy XI Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Ollie Pope, Joe Root (C), Colin de Grandhomme, BJ Watling, Trent Boult, Tim Southee (vc), Mark Wood, James Anderson, Ajaz Patel