England’s final hopes threatened by potential washout
Knight’s team would go out as group runners-up Thunderstorms and rain forecast for semi-finals
Rain interfered with England’s chances of winning the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia during the final group matches yesterday, but Sydney’s weather could deal a more significant blow during the semi-finals scheduled for tomorrow.
England’s four group matches were finished before yesterday, but placings in Group B depended on the final day. England could have held top spot if South Africa had lost their final match against the West Indies. Instead, South Africa went top of the group, with the extra point provided by a washout.
Normally, England might have been happy with this: finishing second means playing India, against whom England’s strong record includes
winning the 2017 World Cup final. Topping the group would have meant facing Australia: the hosts, four-time World T20 champions, and a team who have given England so much trouble in big matches recently.
However, match-ups only matter if games get played. Both semi-finals are scheduled to be played in Sydney, with thunderstorms forecast for the morning and rain throughout the day.
If no play was possible, the top teams from each group would play the final; in this case, India and South Africa. This is what was at stake for England when South Africa’s final group match was washed out yesterday.
The playing conditions for this tournament require 10 overs per side to constitute a match in the semi-finals, as opposed to five overs
in the group matches. Sydney Cricket ground staff managed to provide 12 overs per side in this year’s Big Bash League final, during a dry break on a day when Sydney was flooded. But tomorrow will need at least 40 overs to be bowled across both matches. A dry spell might also mean one semi-final can be played but not the other, giving only one of the second-placed teams a chance to qualify.
There is no option of a reserve day, despite the semi-finals being played tomorrow and the final on Sunday. This is in contrast to the men’s 50-over World Cup last year, when India and New Zealand took two days to finish their semi-final.
England all-rounder Natalie Sciver expressed her surprise at the lack of a reserve day. “It’s a real shame,” she told the Daily Mail. “In Australia you don’t expect it to rain,
but it is towards the end of the summer so you have to be prepared.”
International Cricket Council officials have suggested it would be unreasonable to ask teams to play on Friday, travel on Saturday and play on Sunday, but with only a one-hour flight from Sydney to Melbourne, few English or Australian players would likely object.
If England do get on the park, they will be a more cohesive outfit than earlier in the tournament. The structural changes made before the last group match against the West Indies were positive.
Moving wicketkeeper-bat Amy Jones down to No6 looked to have allowed her to break a run of poor scores. Her replacement, Tammy Beaumont, has done well as an opener, despite a duck in that game.
England belatedly dispensed with a redundant spare batter in
Lauren Winfield at No 8, bringing in all-rounder Mady Villiers, who adds much-needed speed and vitality in the field. She also completes a trio of young spinners, her off-breaks complementing leg-spinner Sarah Glenn and the left-arm orthodox Sophie Ecclestone. Against the West Indies, they combined to take six for 53 from their 11.1 overs.
England lost their opening game to South Africa by six wickets, but reached the semi-final with victories over Thailand, Pakistan and the West Indies. “After losing the first game, every game kind of became knockout cricket, so it’s good to know that we’re performing well under the pressure,” Anya Shrubsole said. “I would say the last game was our best yet. I think as a bowling group we’re going really well.”
The SCG is not the spinning paradise of old, but its pitches usually take some turn, and tend to come on to the bat with less pace and bounce than other Australian venues.
Taking in extra spinning options would be the best bet for England. It is just a matter of putting aside an often conservative approach to instead back young players when the stakes are high. Ecclestone has thrived on such support in the past couple of years; Glenn and Villiers need a chance to do the same.
Add their energy to the bowling smarts of seamers Shrubsole and Katherine Brunt, the in-form batting of Heather Knight and Natalie Sciver, and the free-scoring wild cards of Jones and Danni Wyatt, and there is no reason why these English players could not land this World Cup. Two wins from here is all it will take. The catch is whether they get the chance to play. Only the heavens can decide that one.