English cricket women best in the world
Last updated 01/07/2009 12:05:51
English cricket women best in the world
If you happen to be in Stratford-upon-Avon on Friday do yourself a favour. After viewing the newly built Shakespeare theatre; lunching at The Other Place and downing a pint at the Dirty Duck, get yourself down to the local cricket ground.
It's England versus Australia – but these are the women and, in case you didn't know, England are the best team in the world at every level, 20 overs, 50 overs and the four day game.
The second best team are Australia, but, unlike the men, they are not in the same class as England who have already gone two up in the one day series, showing the sort of class that is , at the moment, missing from our men.
Forget old fashioned ideas of women's cricket for this is serious stuff, played by serious players at a very, very high level.
Captain Charlotte Edwards of Kent is considered the best player in the world but she missed the opening two one day games in Essex and, despite her absence through illness, England built up a 2-0 lead with wicketkeeper/ batsman Sarah Taylor the star of both games with 68 not out in the first match and a chanceless 120 before being run out in the second while, behind the stumps, she is spectacular, with stumpings and catches in both games, suggesting she could play at any level of the game.
Claire Taylor, along with the skipper, is another outstanding bat; Katherine Brunt a Yorkshire fast bowler in the true Freddie Trueman mould; Laura Marsh and Holly Colvin turn the ball prodigiously and Isa Guha is as sharp a fielder as you would find in any game.
If you cannot make the Bard's home on Friday the girls move onto the picturesque Wormsley CC on Sunday , July 5 and then finish the one day series at Lord's, where else, two days later.
Then it is down to the serious business with the one four day Ashes test, at the beautiful Worcester ground where entrance is FREE , July 10-13.
From what I have seen of both teams you won't be disappointed by the quality or the intensity, even though it is hugely ignored by our national press, some of whom could barely stretch to a scoreline on Wednesday even though the first two games have been live on Sky Sport.
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