Women’s T20 World Cup: Packed stands, early drama and England's fast start!

0:01Yeah, go on, go on, he gets his fairytale ending. An epic way to go to a Test Match 100. The London Spirit of First Time win is the most remarkable thing you'll probably ever see in cricket. 604 and final Test wicket that's due at all. It's India who will win the T20 World Cup. England's captain Ben Stokes, while he is there, England have hope.

0:32Welcome to what was the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, but for the next couple of weeks is the Sky Cricket Women's T20 World Cup Podcast. That is longer than one of my innings when I used to play the game. We have binned off Michael Atherton. He's on men's test match duty, and there's plenty to talk about and write about on that. And we are focusing on the Women's World Cup. And we have had an upgrade on Atherton as well, which isn't hard. Tash Farrant will be with me for the next couple of weeks. And to kick things off, we've got Mel Jones. Mel, start with you. How are you? Last time I heard you, you were in my ear laughing last night when Harman Preet Kaur gave me nothing in reply to my question about her injury.

1:17Are you still in Birmingham? I am. I'm just about to jump on a train up to Leeds. It was the perfect straight back to your nets, and I could see it coming a mile away. and Tash where are you you had a day off yesterday did you yeah you guys have been a bit busier than I have I'm like almost the pitch report specialist at the moment but yeah no I'm down in Southampton for the England Island game tomorrow so I had a little rest day yesterday which was nice um but yeah no so ready to go for tomorrow be good good we will focus in on England towards the end of this podcast but let's talk about the tournament early stages obviously we're just into it but Mel What have you made of it?

1:55You've covered quite a few of these. You've covered quite a few world events. How has this tournament started in your eyes? Yeah, look, I think probably the most important thing is that we've probably had the best uniforms as commentators for a World Cup for a very long time. So happy commentators, happy calls. I think there's a few things that certainly stood out straight away. Crowds have been ridiculously good and not just for the England Games. It was good enough to be at Manchester and see Scotland and Ireland the other day, then leading into Australia and South Africa. Super crowd there and a pretty cold, blustery day.

2:33New people came over from the Netherlands to watch them yesterday at Edgebaston and didn't realise there was another game on after it. I was wondering why there were so many people around. Enter Pakistan and India, sold out crowd. It looked great on TV down in Southampton as well. So that certainly is a fantastic sign for women's cricket here in England, but globally as well. So crowds have been brilliant. Pitches, we go on and on about it all the time. But I think the ground staff so far have got the memo and are producing pitches that sort of, you know, can highlight the skills of the teams and pitches and boundaries.

3:10You know, we've got 70 metre boundaries, which I think is fantastic because we still see the sixes getting hit. But we're seeing catches on boundary lines. we're seeing running between wickets, that other element that can bring in some of the teams that have as much of the power game, they sort of bring them back into the game as well. And lots of teams setting and winning too. So there might be some different game plans coming out over the World Cup as well. Yeah, actually Matt, I was listening to you guys on commentary and you were saying about the hybrid pitches and I think you gave a brilliant explanation because sometimes we just say hybrid pitches and sort of expect everyone to know what it is.

3:45So it's almost 5 % synthetic fibers in with sort of the normal grass that you get on the wicket is do you think that's a good way to go in the women's game in particular I know they just are speaking to Beth Barrett Wilde at the start of the tournament actually she said to me one of her major concerns and priority was actually to get make sure we had the pace the bounce in the surfaces for the World Cup because I just think that creates a better spectacle but do you think that's sort of a good way to go especially in tournament cricket when there's so many games seven venues yeah I I think when you look at the structure of this tournament and you've got triple-headed days and most of the grounds would hold two of those games, but we're getting through so many so quickly.

4:25And we don't want to see what we've had in the men's test matches where the pitchers have played such a pivotal role in the results of things. We want to try and make this as even a competition as possible, but we're also still trying to highlight the skill set and bring new people into watching women's cricket as well. So I must admit I was surprised that we were using hybrid pitches because my old school brain goes, that's not right. We should just be playing on turf and, you know, get your act together and hang in and produce these pitches. But just the amount of cricket that's played here in England, whether it hasn't been the greatest coming in other than that heat wave, if you can try and manufacture the perfect pitch for the women's game without taking away all the beautiful nuances of it all, and it's 5%, you know, it might just well work.

5:10Mel spoke about the bigger grounds there, Tash, and it obviously brings fielding and a variety of other things in it, running between the wickets, spinners. With regards to fielding, you did the game at the Utilita Bowl and New Zealand dropped some catches and that costum. We did a game yesterday at Edge, Baston and Pakistan dropped Smriti Mandana twice and that costum. Who would you say is the best fielding outfit in this World Cup and who do you think is the best women's fielder at the moment in the game? Yeah, I was at that game at the Hampshire Bowl and I couldn't quite believe my eyes what was happening to New Zealand.

5:48Just the wheels came off. It kind of reminded me slightly of when England got knocked out by West Indies in 2024. I didn't want to almost brought back the bad memories. But yeah, I think I just think Australia, when you watch them, I watch them a bit in the warm up games. And sometimes in warm up games, you can be a little not at your sort of high intensity when you kind of come to the proper Greek games. And even then, they're just so clinical, not necessarily always having to pull out speckies and direct hits. But actually, every time, the ball just goes cleanly in the hand. And I think that's what we've been a little bit critical of England in that just a few fumbles and it just doesn't look that clean.

6:28So annoyingly, I would say it is Australia just because of how clinical they are. And then in terms of fielding, I think if I can split it into two, I would say Georgia Wareham on the boundary. I think that she feels a lot on the boundary. It's almost a specialist fielding position. She's got the pace. She's got great hands as well, but just the angles that she creates and she cuts off. And then I'd probably go Laura Wolva in the ring. She's the captain of South Africa, so she's almost always in that sort of extra cover region. I think she's taken something ridiculous, like 14 out of her 15 catches in T20 cricket.

7:09So, yeah, if I'm allowed to, I would go for those two. And I think you do get specialist sort of boundary fielders and inner ring fielders now. So hopefully you'll let me off there. I was going to say exactly the same. No, Georgia Wareham. I mean, oh, good. Yeah, we did that game. And that is a complete all round game, wasn't it? that she pulled off in coming in in that middle order, getting runs, getting wickets, catches and run outs. And it just really shows the depth to that Australian side. What did you make of that first performance from Australia, who in nearly everyone's minds are the favourites?

7:46I know they've had a couple of difficult ICC events, but they've won it six times. So they must be favourites. What did you make of their first performance? I think if you take the actual result out of the equation to start with, There was, for me, it's just a slight change in the guard. You've got a new captain. Shelley Nishke's coach has been reinstated for the next three years, so that's stable. But you've got some new kids coming through as well, like Lucy Hamilton in amongst the squad. There's no Elisa Healy. There's no Meg Lanning from all those sixes. So there does seem to be a little shift.

8:17And I was just looking at them on the field warming up and even in between overs. And I mentioned this yesterday. Julia Price sort of, I think, absolutely nailed it. It was just becoming a little bit mechanical sometimes in their play out on the field, almost robotic of, you know, this is our plan, this is what we've got to get done, and that's it. There was an enjoyment about them that I just, it was refreshing in a lot of ways, and some playfulness, and then they'd switch back on at that key moment. And I think that is so critical, because you don't know if that's your last game ever for Australia.

8:52So when you go out there, it should be enjoyable. It should be fun, and you should be able to show people that you can mix those two things really, really well. And that's the thing for me that just made me so happy. And not so that it's going to mean that they're going to win a World Cup, but I just think that that's a really important part of the game. And I think it also will help them win a T20 World Cup as well. So I looked at that game and I thought they were probably about 75%. So I think there's still room for them to keep growing into the tournament as well. Yeah, and on Molyneux, I think there's been a surprise to quite a few people when she was named Australia captain.

9:28I mean, you could have given it to a number of players, Ashgarn, Tali McGrath, who was the vice captain, and Phoebe Litchfield, I think her name was thrown in there as well. I think anything that I've heard about Sophie Monaghan is so positive from a leadership point of view. But actually, something that I wanted to ask you was, Australia always seem like they've got a lot of options when there is sort of the change in captaincy. There always seems like there's a sort of a bulk of three or four players who could potentially do it. In England, I don't think we've quite had that over the last couple of years.

10:02Is there sort of something that is done in domestic cricket, WBBL, even like the likes of Fieber Litscher, she's the captain of Sydney Thunder and also Hannah Darlington, for an example. Is that sort of a conscious effort, the Australia cricket speaking to the domestic game and trying to get these young captains some experience? Yeah, I think it's just called planning and strategy and transition. It's the normal sort of stuff, isn't it? You go into, I mean, you see all the movies about NFL teams and all the sports in America and they have their war room, don't they? And so they look at their player lists and trying to get their balance right with all the team aspects.

10:39But such a big part of it is that leadership is particularly in the game of cricket. And, you know, I think from a state perspective is that, you know, you've got your WNCL, you've also got WBBL. So you've got a number of different, even the spring challenge that we've got now, you've got all these competitions there that you can start to build a base of leaders. And I think what we're realising in Australia too, and a lot of people go, you've got two vice captains. Why have you got two vice captains? Because it's such an out-of-the-box kind of thing, people just think it's wrong. But for Australian cricket, a lot of it is that your vice captain doesn't necessarily mean that that's your next captain.

11:17Your vice captain is someone to compliment the captain that's in there at the moment. I thought Rachel Haynes and Meg Lanning were sort of the perfect foils for each other. Admittedly, yes, Rach did sort of step in when Meg was injured, but she didn't step in once she'd gone. So it's trying to find that right balance. And it also then allows all these leaders that you might not think was a leader an opportunity of coming in and shining as well. So, and I think state cricket is starting to understand that more and more. and with the schedule these days with the amount of cricket on, you need to have a depth not just in your players but in your leadership group as well.

11:52I was very impressed with Sophie Molling's first international game I've seen her do and I just watched her body language and obviously spoke to her at the toss and everything and I think just where she had Wareham in the field, she was very switched on. She's obviously done it quite a lot in domestic cricket but maybe the most impressive thing was what she did at the toss than just before, in that it cannot be easy as a captain coming in and new captain and some saying, well, why is she captain? And then turning to Grace Harris, you know, Talia McGrath. Who else did she leave out there? Oh, Megan Schuetz.

12:29Now, you're talking three players that would get into any other side at any other stage in any game. That's quite a brave thing to do. How do you think those three cricketers would take? Would they just go fine? It's horses for courses. Alana King has to play. She's played against South Africa and done very well. This ground, she's done very well. Leg spin here. How would those three in particular have taken being left out? Yeah, I think it's one of the strengths of Australia. When you come into tournament-style play, you are playing in different venues every day against different opposition. And I can remember going back a long time ago, In our 2005 World Cup, we picked Emma Twining, Emma Liddell at the time, to play the semi-final.

13:13She bowled superbly well against India, but Clea Smith came in for the final. Sorry, semi against England and then final against India. And it was purely on state of play of the ground, the opposition. And I think from then, most people that come into the Australian women's cricket team know that for tournament-style play, this is what's going to happen. And I think the likes of someone like Megan Shute would be filthy she's not playing absolutely just loves playing and would love to be out there and was actually out there on the field for quite a bit of time anyways but she knows that it's the bigger picture piece grace harris is very much just tell me my role and i'll be there for you whenever you need be kind of thing so yes you sort of got to manage it and you know you know you got to get around them a little bit which sophie will certainly do um but at the end of the day it is the it's the collective and that's what they're looking at yeah i guess that there's there's been some Because I was at that New Zealand game, they left out Susie Bates and Leah Tahuhu.

14:07And I guess it's tricky, isn't it? Because you want to sort of play your best side, but you do need to have that experience there. And I just almost felt in that situation in the field, I know Susie Bates hasn't been getting the runs under her belt. And she would be the first to say that, that her form has really dropped in the last couple of years. but actually just in World Cup cricket that experience is so key you just felt if Susie Bates was on the field actually no one was going to chat with Meleka and I know she's got a huge amount of experience but she hasn't capped in New Zealand in a World Cup situation like that and so it's just trying to get the balance of your side I did feel that during that game and it's all in hindsight isn't it but if you just had someone like this I mean I know that she wouldn't be dropping those catches that they dropped.

14:56Yeah, but she can take hindsight out if you plan well for it. And I don't know the inside conversations that were had within the New Zealand set up about this moment, but did they, six months ago, look at this World Cup and say, this is probably going to be our squad, sit down with Mealy and Susie and Soph and Leah and say, you guys might not play again. That might just be, you know, we're hoping you do and you're in form and all this and stuff but if you don't this is what we need from you and then it sort of tries to mitigate things when you come to these kinds of situations so that they're ready to get get around you know be running on the field and you know showing a little bit of energy where they can kind of thing and and again haven't been part of it all but it just felt as if maybe that didn't happen as much to get ready for that moment yeah I don't think it did happen because in the series against England you know they were still they were still Batesy was in one game she was out the other game she's batting eight and she was opening the batting so yeah no it's a good point now I think yeah they kind of almost left it a little bit too late for that sort of big call as well.

15:56Now let's talk yesterday's game India-Pakistan simply because we want our numbers going up on this pod listening to be honest so what did you make of India what do you make of the rivalry really obviously India-Pakistan any sport any game is a massive rivalry but in the women's game I see Australia-India as the biggest rivalry maybe or you know that it just felt like turning up yes then I'll come on to reasons for this but you've just wiped the ashes out of it yeah it's great England just knew you just I felt I knew who was going to win yesterday but it was great to see those two two legends really that have had slightly difficult times and it's not over egg it um Deep Dishama and Smriti Mandana when it gets to a big game they often turn up those two yeah they do I mean I Mentioned the crowd at the start.

16:47It was just, I sat out there for a little moment just in the crowd and it was, you know, Pakistan, family from Pakistan, family for India, you know, living in Birmingham but supporting of the team and they're just chit-chatting about the game, all eyes on it, completely focused and supporting their team but then also supporting just good cricket. Cast my mind back to D.Y. Patel Stadium for the Women's World Cup final and that Indian crowd started the chant of well-played Laura even though India had just won the World Cup. And so there's a different, I think just a different vibe at a women's cricket game.

17:17And we certainly had that vibe there. So they were there purely just as supporters of the women's game and these two women's teams, which I think, you know, gave a fantastic atmosphere. The competition between the two teams is poles apart at the moment. And that's kudos to the 100 and the WBBL and the WPL sort of elevating those players. And it's something that the Pakistan Cricket Board, I know, are looking at to try and ensure that that gap doesn't keep growing and growing and growing. Did India show their full worth? Probably not. I think they've still got room for improvement. I'm still not convinced on the 11.

17:53They're sort of going in five bowlers with Shefali Verma as their maybe if need be kind of bowler. And I'm not too sure that's the best way to be going in to get some of the bigger teams to win a T20 title. Tash, can I ask you, I'm being a bit harsh on Pakistan, actually. I sort of felt I knew the result before I turned up to the game. You know, it is an unfair, it's an unlevel playing field. You look at the big sides and it's a bit sort of self-perpetuating because they are playing more franchise cricket, they get better. And because they get better, their nation gets better. And because that happens, then they play more franchise cricket.

18:30So it is not fair for Bangladesh, Pakistan, who don't have players go off and play 100. And, you know, Marufa Akhtar from Bangladesh wickets again yesterday. Fatima Sana, these are excellent cricketers. Should world cricket and franchise cricket be signing these cricketers so that the competition is genuinely worldwide? Yeah, I guess it's a tricky one, isn't it? Because, you know, these franchise teams, their first and foremost thing is to make sure that they've got, you know, not only the best players, they do want the household names because obviously that helps sales tickets, sales T-shirts, sales grounds.

19:09yeah I mean I would love to see these like Marouf actor in the last 50 year World Cup that was almost the perfect opportunity for her to get picked up in something like the WPL but I mean I would love to see these players even so taking Scotland for an example I think they look looking in a pretty good shape and I feel that's because they've got the Bryce sisters they've got Kirsty Gordon they've got Catherine Fraser they've got almost half of their 11 probably even more who were actually playing in English domestic cricket and so when these players out there in their own home in their own home country don't have necessarily the cricket that's a high enough standard to get them to a good level in international cricket you know they need to sort of get out of their domestic system and go and play around the world but it's easier said than done isn't it I hope as the game grows and as more teams are going to be in this T20 World Cup then players like Marufa Akta for example get exposed a little bit more then you just hope they get that opportunity to go and play in one of these franchise leagues but I still think we're probably a way off that if you you know having one player go from a Bangladesh side say you know it's better than nothing but it's not going to make Bangladesh compete at these world tournaments so yeah I hope that these individual stars or put a good name for themselves in these world cuts that's all they can do really and then hopefully uh one of these franchise sides will pick them up in the future and that they'll only help the sort of lesser teams try and close that gap but at the moment it's it's quite hard to close that gap if you have one or two players getting picked up around the world.

20:48Mel we've got to let you go because you have literally got a train to catch haven't you so where are you off to and what is your next game? Off to Leeds um on the Aussie bandwagon for a couple of games so we've got uh Australia Bangladesh on Wednesday. Good, enjoy. The weather's warming up, I hear, so enjoy. See you somewhere in the future. Cheers, Scott. Thanks, Matt.

21:16Hi there, I'm Pete Graves, and while you're enjoying this show, I just wanted to let you know that we are back with another round of Transfer Talk, where we'll be talking about who's on the move, where they're going, what they could bring to your team. So if you don't already, please like and subscribe. You can watch 3Sky TV on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. See you soon.

21:42So, Tash, let's focus our attention on England. We were both there for their first game against Sri Lanka. What did you make of their performance? It couldn't have gone any better. Only lost one wicket and got 10 wickets. It doesn't get much better than that. Yeah, no. And, you know, they would have had a lot of nerves going into that game. I have felt there's been rightly so, so much media, huge amount of build-up. They've almost been here, there and everywhere talking about the Home World Cup. And, you know, that added pressure of England have never lost a Home World Cup. And also then the Lionesses and the Red Roses.

22:15So I did feel that there was a lot of nerves in the camp. They have been playing a lot of cricket. Those two series against New Zealand and then India and then the warm-up games. They had 11 games in a pretty short period of time. So I think they were just relieved to get out there, get that first game done. And, you know, Sri Lanka, they didn't play well. I thought they bowled really poorly on a really good batting surface. But, you know, you can only play what's in front of you. And for them to get over 200 and Danny Wyatt Hodge with that brilliant 100, you know, she'll say herself, it's not the best bowling line-up she'll ever face.

22:52But even to get her 30-200 is pretty good going just to keep the concentration for that period of time. So, yeah, no, I think England, they couldn't have asked for anything better. But I do think they'll park that. They'll realise that Sri Lanka weren't at their best anywhere near their best. But, yeah, I just think they'll be relieved. They've had a nice couple of days off because they have been so busy. So I think they can just reset and go into the next game against Ireland. Yeah, I mean, I thought Sri Lanka, I agree with you, I thought Sri Lanka were really poor with the ball and it looked like they hadn't done their preparation really.

23:28I mean, Danny White-Hodge, you don't bowl short and wide too and they did. And even more unbelievable was, you know, like just the lines they bowled to Amy Jones and not having a mid-wicket to Amy Jones. The one area in world cricket everyone knows occasionally Amy Jones chips it is to short mid-wicket. She did it a couple of times and there was no one there. So they need to look at their planning a little bit more. Let's talk Danny White-Hodge. Back from becoming a mum from the first time, she's a little bit feast or famine. I've seen her go in and get out for first ball ducks about three times, but she now has three T20 international hundreds.

24:10is that her personality that she just sort of, she strikes me as someone that just brushes off the ducks and just looks forward to the next game? Or is she a worrier? I think she's very level. She's England's highest cap T20 player. So, yes, I think she's always got the perfect mindset for T20 cricket. That is her favourite format. She absolutely loves it. But, you know, she won't have not realised that she has had bad form going to, turned up to international summer late because of the birth of her child, Daisy. Yeah, I actually, I spoke to her after that game and, you know, she was nervous, but she just says that she has to back her experience and that's what she did.

24:54And yeah, she can be a little bit feast or famine, but what she does do, probably along with Natsira Brunt, just that those two, once she does get a good start and she gets 50, then you know that she's going to go on and score big and I think that's probably been the criticism against Sophia Dunkley. She was the batter. There's been a lot of chat which batter and what the batting line-up was going to be. Sophia Dunkley was the one to miss out there. And that's probably been her criticism that she gets good starts and she gets off to a good start, good strike rate, but actually she hasn't been able to go on and make that big impact.

25:34And I know what Charlotte Edwards is like. Like she, you know, she was like he's a batter. She wants players to go within 10, but actually she wants them to make match significant big scores. And that's what Dani did. So, yeah, I feel that that would have just given her just the confidence she needed to go on through the tournament. And important, the two that hadn't been playing much, Dani White-Hodge and Nat Siverbrunt because of a calf injury. Sometimes you want everyone to have a bat because of what lies ahead in the tournament. but it was quite nice that those two in particular had so much time in the crease.

26:08And the running between the wickets, we've spoken about the bigger grounds, which brings in spinners and fielding, but also brings in running between the wickets. And you'd spoken to Nat Siverbrunt on that excellent interview you did with her. You text me going, what should I ask Nat Siverbrunt? And I gave you like seven things and then I listened to the interview and you didn't use one of them at any stage. I actually did, but I think they cut it out. So maybe it was a really bad question. Because it was so dull questioned. But their running between the wickets was very good. They put the Sri Lankan fielders under immense pressure.