Umeed toils throughout day – and night – to thwart Lancashire
NATALIE SCIVER and Heather Knight both hit maiden oneday international centuries as England got their World Cup campaign back on track with a 107-run Duckworth-Lewis victory over Pakistan.
England, who suffered a shock defeat against India in their tournament opener, bounced back to rack up their World Cup-best 377-7 as Sciver (137) and captain Knight (106) put on 213 for the third wicket at Grace Road.
Katherine Brunt then took two early wickets as Pakistan reached 107-3 in the 30th over before rain, which had delayed the start of the match by half-an-hour, returned to force a DL result overwhelmingly in the hosts’ favour.
In pursuit of the secondhighest total in the tournament’s history, Pakistan were never threatening, despite a careerbest 56 not out from opener Ayesha Zafar.
Sciver’s century came from just 76 balls and contained 13 fours, and Knight reached three figures from 105 with her 11th four to go with two sixes.
Knight lost the toss and England then struggled to 42-2.
Sarah Taylor missed some fulllength swing to be lbw to Kainat Imtiaz, and Tammy Beaumont was caught-behind off the same bowler as Pakistan’s seamers found swing under cloudy skies.
Knight and Sciver soon prospered against spin, however.
The third of four successive fours off slow left-armer Nashra Sandhu took Sciver past her 50, and 84 runs were plundered between the 20th and 30th overs.
The stand had equalled England’s and the tournament record when Knight’s attempt to dispatch Asmavia Iqbal (3-62) saw her instead caught at long-off.
Sciver hit three successive sixes in the same over, but in the next holed out at deep midwicket.
England had two new batswomen in at the start of the last 10 overs. But Danni Wyatt, in her 50th ODI, and Fran Wilson bagged a stand of 59 off 35 balls as the hosts fell just one run short of their all-time ODI record total – against the same opponents, last year. ANDREW UMEED kept Warwickshire from further batting ruin with a marathon century against in-form Lancashire in the Specsavers County Championship at Edgbaston.
In reply to Lancashire’s 273, the home side reached 259-7 by the close of the second day thanks largely to Umeed’s unbeaten 103 from 339 balls with six fours.
Against a Lancashire seam attack that bowled with impressive control all day, Umeed’s concentration was unwavering. The 21-year-old batted throughout the day, at the end of which his innings had lasted 434 minutes.
While partners came and went, Umeed dealt capably with the novel challenges of pink ball and day-night championship cricket, perhaps helped by having played in last year’s trial second XI game in those conditions against Worcestershire at Edgbaston.
For a Warwickshire side with four innings defeats in six games this season, such resolve was priceless though Lancashire’s bowlers, led by a big shift from James Anderson, kept their opponents under pressure all day.
After Warwickshire resumed on 23-1, Umeed and Jonathan Trott took their stand to 74 in 29 overs before the latter fell lbw to Jordan Clark.
Clark then produced a superb ball to have Ian Bell caught behind for a fourth-ball duck.
Anderson removed Sam Hain for 10 with a sharp return catch before Tim Ambrose, having batted positively for 19, attacked a wide ball from Clark and edged to Dane Vilas at first slip.
Anderson almost removed Umeed on 49 when the batsman edged, but neither wicketkeeper nor first slip could make the catch and the ball squirted between them to raise the young opener’s half-century.
Rikki Clarke (26) got stuck in alongside Umeed to grind out 49 in 30 overs but then Tom Bailey removed the former and Keith Barker with successive balls.
That left Warwickshire uneasily perched on 184 for seven and Lancashire eyeing a useful lead but Umeed - who left the field to a standing ovation - and Jeetan Patel (36 not out) added an unbroken 75 up to the close to leave the home side just 14 runs adrift.
Only 13 overs were possible on a wet second day of the clash between Hampshire and Somerset at the Ageas Bowl.
Somerset opener Marcus Trescothick chopped the ball onto his own stumps, the only wicket of the day as the weather forced an early finish with Somerset on 43-1.
Rain meant no play was possible on the second day of the day-night match at Chelmsford, where leaders Essex waited in vain to resume their first-innings response to Middlesex’s 246. Essex’s not-out overnight batsmen, Alastair Cook and Nick Browne, twice fastened and then unfastened their pads on frustrating day.