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since 1997 Feb 16

2017 Diary

A Ramble on Women's Cricket
 - with diversions -

This diary will be updated erratically throughout the year.

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With the BBL about to start (I refuse to call it WBBL until that other tournament is known as the MBBL) then the stats wallers have been sharpening their pencils - or more like clicking their keyboards to give us some background before the party kicks off. I found the exchange below quite interesting.
At first you might expect that the number of 50+ scores any one nation's players had contributed previously could perhaps be in proportion to the number of representatives they had in the tournament. However that can't be right, obviously, for Australia. All the other nations represented have provided the cream of their batting crop whereas Australia have to play a large number of non-internationals, in the same manner that England must do in the KSL.
So is the fact the home team have provided over 60% of the total mean they have a higher number than you might expect? I've no idea frankly but I find the numbers intriguing. Also have the Sri Lankans punched above their weight? You judge...

You can check the squads here although at least one late change has been announced.

How to Watch the BBL Online

ICC Awards for 2017

ODI Team of the Year

T20 Team of the Year

Tammy Beaumont
Beth Mooney
Meg Lanning
Danni Wyatt
Mithali Raj
Harmanpreet Kaur
Amy Satterthwaite
Stafanie Taylor
Ellyse Perry
Sophie Devine
Heather Knight
Deandra Dottin
Sarah Taylor (wk)
Hayley Matthews
Dane van Niekerk
Megan Schutt
Marizanne Kapp
Amanda Wellington
Ekta Bisht
Leah Tahuhu
Alex Hartley
Ekta Bisht
Note: Ekta Bisht the only player to feature in both teams!

ICC Awards

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for ICC Cricketer of the Year: Ellyse Perry (Australia)
ICC ODI Player of the Year: Amy Satterthwaite (New Zealand)
ICC T20I Player of the Year: Beth Mooney (Australia)
ICC Emerging Player of the Year: Beth Mooney (Australia)

Comment

There is absolutely no doubt that whoever you ask about these selections they are going to come up with something different here or there - a different batsman or fast bowler maybe...
When at school I was often told that cricket was a sport for tall people. 'Look at all those fast bowlers' they said, 'and what about the Ted Dexters of this world'? Hence my heroes tended to be among the shorter in stature, and although I thoroughly enjoyed watching 'Lord Ted' play many a  time at Hove and on the TV, I'd follow the scorecards of other games avidly wondering how the relatively diminutive Sunil Gavascar was doing, for instance, someone my father pointed out to me was about my height. I am thus a little smug that the only player to finish in both teams above is, I expect, the shortest of the other 20. Bisht well deserved her place and I would have included another relatively short player in both teams too, but my selections remain my own. No doubt all the others had a fine year so it would be churlish to gainsay their moment in the sun.

[Ekta Bisht] © Don Miles

Ekta Bisht

These choices inevitably leave out some players who have played outstanding innings and I feel an honourable mention must be made of the remarkable 178* (143 balls) including 22 x 4s and 6 x 6s, made by Chamari Jayangani taking on Australia in the World Cup, against what must be the world's best bowling attack.
Also in my list of 'must mentions' is Danni Wyatt's century against the same foe in the 3rd T20 of the Ashes series. I have 'blogged' on this a couple of pages back, but watching what I could on the TV and highlights packages, I watched the very best of no-fear cricket.
It's been a tough year for me, when ill health has kept me away from the boundary for all but a few matches at the end. It was a cruel time for it to strike with the World Cup in my home country, so thank heaven for the TV and a chance to watch at least a proportion of what otherwise I would have been able to photograph. And I must add my thanks to Martin and Mandy Davies of "Women's Cricket Blog" (currently off-air) for acting as chauffer so that I could catch a number of matches live including that exciting semi-final at Bristol between England and South Africa.
I hope to be in better shape in 2018 to watch what little remains of the County Championship, also the KSL, two international series and hopefully some club and age-group county cricket too.
Meantime my thanks to my readers and for the emails and tweets about this site.
Merry Christmas to Everyone!

Next Page : 2018 and Wisden and Wisden India Cover the Women's Year