Key events
2nd over: England 6-0 (Beaumont 5, Jones 0) Beaumont is given a wide full toss by Cherry-Ann Fraser and the pint-sized batter clatters it for four to get England’s first boundary. Plenty of chat in the field from West Indies who are buzzing about, as well they might – it looks chilly and blustery in Derbyshire.
1st over: England 1-0 (Beaumont 1, Jones 0) A quiet start with just a Tammy Beaumont single to the open the home side’s account. Amy Jones hasn’t opened the batting for six years (since the 2019 Ashes) but I for one like this move by England, Jones has all the talent and I think will relish the new role and opportunity to set the tempo at the top of the order.
The players emerge under grey skies. Zaida James is going to open the bowling to the new England opening pair of Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones. Let’s play!
Confirmed Teams:
England: Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones (wk), Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, Em Arlott, Charlie Dean, Kate Cross, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell
West Indies: Hayley Matthews (c), 2 Qiana Joseph, 3 Ziana James, 4 Shemaine Campbelle, Gajnabi, Mandy Mangru (wk), Aaliyah Alleyne, Jahira Claxton, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Afy Fletcher, Karishma Ramharack
West Indies captain Hayley Matthews confirms she would have chosen to bowl first anyway and suggest that there might be some assistance from the wicket early on.
I think the wicket looks all right but it could get a bit slower,”
says Sciver-Brunt after choosing to bat.
There are ODI debuts for Em Arlott and Linsey Smith. Alice Capsey replaces Heather Knight and it looks like there’s change afoot at the top of the batting orde – Amy Jones moved up to open and Emma Lamb at first drop.
We have nine games before the World Cup starts so it’s a great chance to start looking forward to that.”
England win the toss and choose to bat first
Good news! The rain has passed over and the coin has been tossed. Nat Sciver-Brunt wins it and decides to have first use of the wicket. There are rumblings that the England XI will include a couple of debutants as Charlotte Edwards looks to shake up the ODI team.
Raining at the moment – toss delayed
Gah! –Those clouds are hanging about and making a nuisance of themselves in Derby, we’ll have a bit of a delay to the toss and start time. More as we get it…
In the meantime – why not have a read of Emma John’s piece on the globetrotting Sikander Raza:
Preamble
James Wallace
Hello and welcome to the OBO of the first ODI between England and West Indies from Derby.
Charlotte Edwards and Nat Sciver-Brunt will be quietly content with how the early days of their reign as England Head Coach and Captain have gone with a 3-0 clean sweep of West Indies in the T20Is. There are grey clouds though, and not just the ones rolling in over the Peak District and looming over the county ground at Derby as we speak.
Former captain Heather Knight is out for the entire summer with a hamstring injury that she sustained in the final T20I in Chelmsford on Monday, a real shame for her personally and England’s batting card is weakened without her class and experience in it. That last match also saw England slip into old and bad habits from the winter of discontent just gone as a series of catches were fluffed.
Edwards has promised higher standards across the board and so all eyes on England’s fielding today, as well as their batting and bowling of course – which has been pretty good.
The match starts at 1pm and the toss and teams are imminent. If you want to join in and offer thoughts, theories, pearls of wisdom or just to let me know your favourite condiment then hit the email link on the left.
