Published: 2025-06-04 14:04:47 | Views: 11
Key events
16th over: England 116-0 (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.
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
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.
“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.
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.
