Key events
WICKET! Claxton c Dunkley b Smith 17 West Indies 192-7)
A heave too many, and Dunkley takes the catch at deep mid wicket. A fourth for Smith!
38th over: West Indies 177-6 ( Alleyne 16, Claxton 17) 19 year old Caxton is having a ball. She smacks Cross’s first ball for four through the covers, and another, and then fires one back over Cross’s head, with crisp arms and a beautiful thwack of the bat.
37th over: West Indies 177-6 ( Alleyne 16, Claxton 5) Another cluster of singles, the crowd relaxing in the evening sunshine – plenty of caps, plenty of ice creams.
36th over: West Indies 173-6 ( Alleyne 15, Claxton 2) A fascinating listen on TMS at the moment. Katherine Sciver-Brunt talking about balancing declining fertility and motherhood with the desire to make the most of your career. West Indies require 172 from 84 balls, which would take quite some doing.
WICKET! Gajnabi c Jones b Cross 16 (West Indies 171-6)
A hundred ODI wickets for Kate Cross! Gajnabi pulls, top edges and Jones waits, squinting into the sun, for the ball to land in her gloves.
35th over: West Indies 171-5 (Gajnabi 16, Alleyne 15) Sudden plenty! Alleyne whisks a Smith full toss to the rope, then unleashes a fierce straight drive which threatens to remove Smith’s fingers.
34th over: West Indies 161-5 (Gajnabi 16, Alleyne 5) Fluffy clouds float past the ground, and the sails of the wind turbines pass over the top of the trees. Just one run from Cross’s over.
33rd over: West Indies 160-5 (Gajnabi 16, Alleyne 4) Gajnai scampers up the pitch and pings Smith back over her head for six.
32nd over: West Indies 154-5 (Gajnabi 10, Alleyne 4) Cross returns, and West Indies shimmy up a handful of runs here and there.
An email lands, hello Drew. “Watching Dean, Capsey and now Smith twirling, what’s the position with Sophie Ecclestone – official or unofficial?”
I have asked that fount of all knowledge, Raf Nicholson. “Official – not enough game time to play in this series, so has been clocking up some wickets for Lancs (including helping them win the County Cup on Monday). Unofficial – this was probably a face-saving way of Lottie showing who is boss!”
31st over: West Indies 147-5 (Gajnabi 6) Smith now has three for ten on ODI debut.
WICKET! Mangru b Smith 1 (West Indies 147-5)
Smith bowls full and wide, and Mangru fancies a bit of whoppee. A milli-second later, she’s lost her stumps.
30th over: West Indies 146-4 (Gajnabi 6, Mangru 1) Gajnabi has a go, and why not, sending Capsey up and over the top for four.
29th over: West Indies 139-4 (Gajnabi 0, Mangru 0) A wicket maiden for Smith.
WICKET! Campbelle b Smith 9 (West Indies 139-4)
Smith sneaks one slipperily through bat and pad.
WICKET! Joseph b Capsey 62 (West Indies 139-3)
A tired dirty waft, done a slower ball , she waves goodbye to middle and leg! Dropped by Capsey the ball before off her own bowling – but couldn’t profit from it.
28th over: West Indies 139-3 (Campbelle 9, Gajnabi 0)
27th over: West Indies 134-2 (Joseph 61, Campbelle 3) Smith, also in sunglasses, white suncream dabbed on the end of her nose, rattles through another at the other end. A somnolence falls upon the ground.
26th over: West Indies 132-2 (Joseph 61, Campbelle 3) Dean loops through another over in just a couple of minutes – and these overs are in danger of slipping through West Indies’ fingers.
25th over: West Indies 129-2 (Joseph 57, Campbelle 2) West Indies lose a run after the eagle eyed umpire spots one short. West Indies at the half way stage are some way short of being on their way – the run rate has risen to over eight and a half, it is currently 5.2
24th over: West Indies 127-2 (Joseph 57, Campbelle 2) Just two from Dean’s over, who, in the words of Alex Hartley, “is putting some revs on the ball.”
23rd over: West Indies 124-2 (Joseph 56, Campbelle o) Joseph pulls out her axe and splats Smith’s second ball to the rope, but Smith removes James two balls later. To be honest, the Windies probably needed her to get on, or get out.
WICKET! James lbw Smith 7 (West Indies 124-2)
A first ODI wicket for Smith! Traps James’ maroon leg infront of beige stump. Smith leaps in the air and is bounced on by her teammates.
22nd over: West Indies 119-1 (Joseph 51, James 7) Dean turns the screw, James struggling to get the ball away – now seven off 28 balls. A maiden – the second of the day.
21st over: West Indies 119-1 (Joseph 51, James 7) Much better from Capsey, just one from the over.
20th over: West Indies 118-1 (Joseph 51, James 6) A maiden for James at last, she drops to one knee and sweeps with elan.
Fifty for Joseph!
19th over: West Indies 112-1 (Joseph 50, James 1) Capsey’s first over is an expensive one. Joseph picks up two fours – a swipe across the line, then a pitch-perfect cover drive for four, and reaches fifty with a single and huge smile. She gets a big hug from the sapling-like James.
18th over: West Indies 98-1 (Joseph 40, James 0) England review a stumped – or maybe a caught behind – in any case, neither is out – ball missing Joseph’s bat and and boot firmly behind the line. Dean smiles and continues with her whippy action. Just a single from the over.
17th over: West Indies 97-1 (Joseph 38, James 0) James is struggling to lay a bat on Arlott – things have slowed now Matthews is back in the pavilion. Sunshine in Derby and blue skies as we stretch towards June.
16th over: West Indies 96-1 (Joseph 38, James 0) Five from the over – the camera pans to Charlotte Edwards who is watching on the balcony with pursed lips.
15th over: West Indies 91-1 (Joseph 33, James 0) Zaida James, another left hander, joins Joseph in the middle. Arlott fizzes past the outside edge of James’ bat, who is then dropped next ball at point by Sophia Dunkley – into the bread basket, and out again.
WICKET! Matthews c Jones b Arlott 48 (West Indies 91-1)
The big wicket! Matthew’s eyes light up and she swings to drive, getting a sandwich sized edge through to Jones. Much English relief all round.
14th over: West Indies 91-0 (Matthews 48, Joseph 33) An excellent effort by Charlie Dean, keeps Joseph under wraps until the last ball, when Joseph sweeps to the fine leg boundary.
13th over: West Indies 86-0 (Matthews 48, Joseph 29) Shot of the day! Matthews eyes up Arlott, steps out of her crease and fizzes her through the covers for four. West Indies ticking along very nicely here.
12th over: West Indies 82-0 (Matthews 44, Joseph 29) Charlie Dean, in her ever-present shades replaces Kate Cross. Joseph takes a huge stride down the pitch and slog-sweeps to the rope, the ball flies off the grass and past a bouncing Beaumont – whose little legs weren’t built for shots like that.
11th over: West Indies 76-0 (Matthews 42, Joseph 25) Arlott again: a leg bye, a wide, then the ball flies wide and nutmegs Jones behind the stumps. England have a funny five minutes here.
10th over: West Indies 67-0 (Matthews 39, Joseph 24) Not an over England will particularly cherish, first Joseph is dropped – a very hard chance – by a back-peddaling Arlott, then Lauren Bell’s tentative bit of fielding on the rope lets four through her fingers.
9th over: West Indies 62-0 (Matthews 35, Joseph 23) Em Arlott is handed the ball for the first time on her ODI debut. Dark hair tied back, brisk, no nonsense approach. Matthews now has her eye in, and a couple more balls fly to the rope – one of them past Nat Sciver Brunt at cover.
8th over: West Indies 52-0 (Matthews 27, Joseph 22) Cross sprints in, the pretty full stands at Derby watching in fierce concentration. Joseph gets away with a top edge, heaved into an ugly yet effective boundary, but earns the next four, flicking legside, past a driving Alice Capsey.
7th over: West Indies 40-0 (Matthews 28, Joseph 11) Bell’s fourth overs. Beats Matthews with a beauty that squares her up and turns her mouth into an O. Three fours off Matthew’s bat though, one to deep midwicket, one zipping through the offside and one just beating Tammy Beaumont at backward square leg.
6th over: West Indies 26-0 (Matthews 15, Joseph 10) Cross is such a reliable bowler – dot follows dot – though Matthews picks up one boundary leg side.
5th over: West Indies 22-0 (Matthews 9, Joseph 9) A miscommunication between the batters, as Matthews sends her partner back. A direct hit would have sent Joseph on her way, she’s not the most nimble to wear the maroon and gold. West Indies pick up a handful of singles.
4th over: West Indies 19-0 (Matthews 9, Joseph 9) Joseph swivel and hoicks – the ball flying through mid wicket for four. Cross beats her next ball, but Joseph has her eye in now and lofts Cross straight and high for four more – holding an excellent high-elbowed follow through.
3rd over: West Indies 10-0 (Matthews 8, Joseph 1) Just a wide from the over as Joseph is content to defend.
2nd over: West Indies 9-0 (Matthews 8, Joseph 1) It’s Kate Cross, and how nice to see her back in an England shirt after missing the winter’s travails in Australia. She’s pretty on the money, but the one that drifts wide is suitably punished by Matthews who rocks her through point to the rope.
1st over: West Indies 4-0 (Matthews 4, Joseph) Lauren Bell with the new ball, a long run, curving in like a forest path. Jones fumbles her first delivery behind the stumps. Matthews pulls the third up and to the rope. The commentators think Matthews might have hurt herself, but she’s playing things pretty close to her chest.
West Indies need 346 to win
And here come the players!
Thanks Jim! A pretty hefty total there by England, somewhat larger than the 234-8 that is currently West Indies highest chase in ODI cricket. Good to see Charlotte Edwards’ hunch of putting Amy Jones up the order working so instantly and so well.
The players are just tucking into some lunch but play will restart shortly.
James Wallace
That’s it from me, Tanya Aldred is settling into the OBO armchair to guide you through the chase. Arrivederci!
England make 345-6 off 50 overs
They’ll be happy with that. Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones both notched centuries on their way to putting on an opening stand of 200. That gave the rest of the batting order plenty of scope to press on for a big score, at on stage it looked as if 400 was in danger but West Indies chipped away with wickets to put the breaks on the scoring a smidge. This will take some chasing though, all eyes on how England fare with the ball with some debutants in the side and a point to prove under a new coach and captain.
… and Dean duly smokes her very first ball through cover for four!
WICKET! Capsey c Matthews b Alleyne 24 (England 334-6)
Capsey chips to extra cover! Here comes Charlie Dean with carte blanche…
49th over: England 332-5 (Capsey 24, Arlott 1) Em Arlott, on ODI debut, joins Capsey in the middle. England eyeing a big total…
WICKET! Nat Sciver-Brunt lbw b Fletcher 52 (England 331-5)
Sciver-Brunt goes to fifty with some elegant strokeplay but has to head back to the sheds with one over to go as she misses a straight one and the umpire’s decision is upheld on DRS.
