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Ricky Ponting, Sanjay Manjrekar and Brad Haddin all think so, citing Ashwin’s record against Australia and the nature of The Oval track

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-20231:36

Manjrekar ‘surprised’ by Ashwin’s omission

Did India fall into the trap of picking an attack that works only for the first innings at the WTC final? Ricky Ponting, the former Australia captain, certainly thinks so.Ponting said on television commentary that the dryness underneath the surface, which had more than just a sprinkling of live grass, would have brought him into the game, especially with Australia having four left-hand batters in the top seven – Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Travis Head and Alex Carey.”Australia have many left-handers; Ashwin would trouble the left-handers more than Jadeja. I saw the grass, yes there was grass but the deeper I looked, it seemed dry to me,” Ponting said on Star Sports.Former India captain Sachin Tendulkar, meanwhile, felt highly-skilled bowlers like Ashwin had the potential to take pitches out of the equation, so it was worth India taking a punt on him.”It need not be always a turning track as sometimes the spinners rely a lot on the bounce, sometimes that little bit of zip that they get off the pitch, also on the overhead conditions and it depends a lot on the shiny side of the ball,” he said in the build-up to the toss, on his website . “If they are able to get that drift, they can make the ball talk in the air without the pitch coming into play. So, The Oval is going to be good venue for India.”Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar echoed Ponting’s views on the surface, expressing surprise at Ashwin’s omission. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s analysis show Match Day, he cited Ashwin’s success against Australia, both in Australia (2020-21) and India (2022-23) and his overall record overseas since 2018.”It seems like they’re convinced this pitch is very seam-friendly, because Ashwin of late in overseas matches has been pretty good,” Manjrekar said. “There’s clearly a green look to it [pitch] but the soil underneath looked white to suggest there’s some dryness as well, and The Oval historically has never been a seaming pitch.”Manjrekar also felt Jasprit Bumrah’s non-availability may have influenced the team management, pushing them towards four seamers and one spinner instead of a 3-2 attack. With Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami picking themselves and India seemingly intent on playing Shardul Thakur for the all-round depth he lends alongside Ravindra Jadeja, it was between Umesh Yadav and Ashwin for the final spot and India went with the former.In Thakur’s favour, his previous performance at The Oval was match turning: twin half-centuries to go with three wickets to help India to a 157-run win and go 2-1 up against England in September 2021.Former Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, Manjrekar’s co-panelist on Match Day, also felt the absence of a fierce competitor like Ashwin in a contest as big as this may put “massive pressure” on India’s four-pronged pace attack.”It [Ashwin] would’ve been the first name I would’ve looked at [on the team sheet] if I was one of the [opposition’s] left-handers,” he said. “You want a player, especially in a big event like this, who walks towards the fire. And Ashwin’s definitely one of those guys against Australia.”He loves playing against them, gets into the contest. I know he gets under the skin of the Australian batsmen. One of the big successes India have had over Australia has been due to Ashwin’s presence. They’ll miss him out there and the pressure is on four quicks to put pressure on that middle order.”

Did the experience of the previous WTC final play a part in India’s decision?

Ashwin was part of India’s XI when they played the WTC final in 2021 against New Zealand in Southampton. Back then, India fielded three seamers and two spinners, while New Zealand played four specialist seamers and had a fifth option in allrounder Colin de Grandhomme.It’s a decision India rued later, as they lost in conditions where there was plenty for the fast bowlers all through – and rain around. Ashwin didn’t feature in any of the four subsequent Tests India played later in that summer against England.Were India scarred by that decision from 2021?”Maybe,” Manjrekar said. “But conditions were different. It was a venue where seam bowlers had to bowl. New Zealand had five seam options. I believe you have to look at the history of a certain venue and a pitch rather than how a pitch looks on day one.”Ashwin, for many reasons, would’ve been a good selection [here], plus he adds a bit of batting depth as well. The Ashwin we saw against New Zealand in that WTC final and the Ashwin of today, there’s a marked change in the way he bowls. This Ashwin you’d think would’ve done well in these conditions. Having said that, Jadeja against the left-handers isn’t too bad, maybe that is the reason why they felt we can still it do with one spinner.”

Australia captain thrilled by strong crowds in England and looks forward to next T20I at Lord’s

Valkerie Baynes06-Jul-2023Australia may be looking to arrest a run of two flawed performances, but for their captain Alyssa Healy, it’s far from panic stations after conceding defeat to England in their second T20I before a huge crowd at The Oval.While Australia managed to scrape a four-wicket victory with one ball to spare in the opening match at Edgbaston on Saturday, a sub-par fielding performance by their lofty standards, and a batting collapse from 59 without loss to 96 for 5 on Wednesday, allowed England to keep the Women’s Ashes series alive.”It felt like we were slightly off in every facet of the game again – and we mentioned that after the last game – but we were probably a little bit worse again tonight,” Healy said. “I guess it’s some sort of comfort to know that we didn’t play our best and still only lost by four runs. We’ll just pinpoint it over the next day and a half, and hopefully put it all together for Lord’s [for the third T20I].Related

• Danni Wyatt and spinners keep England alive in the Women's Ashes

“We’re allowed to lose games of cricket. England also came out at the start of the series and said this is their strongest format. So you’ve got to potentially think they’re going to challenge you at some point, and they did tonight. It’s the game of cricket. You win some, you lose some. Fortunately for us, we haven’t lost a lot. But in saying that, hopefully we learn a lot more out of the loss tonight.”Australia still lead the Ashes by six points to two, with one more T20I and three ODIs – each worth two points – remaining. And they nearly recovered to chase down a target of 187 at The Oval, thanks to Ellyse Perry’s unbeaten 51 off only 27 balls, after Danni Wyatt’s 76 had led England to 186.It was the second-highest total conceded by Australia in the format, behind the 187 in December against India, who won that match in a Super Over, Australia’s only other T20I defeat in their past 25 completed matches as England prevailed by three runs on this occasion.”We spoke about what [are] some areas that we needed to improve on for the last game, and I think we improved in some of them,” Healy said. “But we’re still sort of letting ourselves down in some little one percenters in the game – whether it be the fielding or execution with bat and ball – so there’s not much you can do about it.”You can train all you like but ultimately if you turn up with a ruthless attitude and a want to win, you can get yourselves over the line. I’m not saying that’s what the issue, is but we just [have to] reset, refocus.”Just as they have set the standard as reigning T20I and ODI world champions, Healy believed this series was doing the same for the Women’s Ashes, with bumper crowds attending ahead of the next fixture at Lord’s on Saturday, only the second time England Women have played there since their World Cup victory in 2017.Some 20,328 fans had packed into The Oval to roar England to victory, their first against Australia in any format since February 2020, when they had won in a Super Over in Canberra during the tri-series also involving India. The crowd figure surpassed the 19,527 at Edgbaston for the first T20I after 23,207 attended the Test over the course of five days at Trent Bridge.”It was a great game of cricket at one of the most iconic grounds in England, which was a great showcase for women’s sport. And you see what you can do when you play on a good ground with a good wicket – people want to turn up and watch,” Healy said of The Oval. “We [have] set our sights on what is going to be an amazing occasion at Lord’s on Saturday night. This Ashes series has been such an amazing one so far.”We’re playing at some of the biggest grounds in the country, and people are wanting to turn up and watch because they know what they’re going to get. So to tick Lord’s off, it’ll be a really a special occasion for the girls who get that opportunity. But I’m sure that the girls that aren’t playing, there’s going to be plenty more opportunities in future Ashes series because they’ve set the benchmark now, which is really exciting.””Some of us are emotional because it’s been a long time coming,” Sarah Glenn on England’s win in the second T20I•Getty Images

For England’s part, Sarah Glenn, who took two wickets and shared an important 31-run stand for the eighth wicket with fellow spinner Sophie Ecclestone, said the victory in the second T20I was an emotional one, having pushed Australia during stages of the Test and in the previous T20I.”Oh God, so many emotions. Really happy,” Glenn said. “Some of us are a bit emotional just because it’s been a long time coming. We’ve had lots of really close calls, and we’ve always known we can beat them. It’s just actually [about] getting over the line against a top line-up, who have had momentum for a long time.”We really improved from the last game, but I think there’s still a lot to come from us as well. We will celebrate the win definitely, but with a top-class side, they’ll just come back just as hard or even harder. So I think we’re just going to prepare for the next couple of days, how we can try and get over the line again, and just keep that momentum with us.”

Anya Shrubsole took a hat-trick while Natalie Sciver finished with incredible figures of 3 for 4 as England sealed their semi-final berth in the 2018 World T20

The Report by Shashank Kishore16-Nov-2018Another crunch game, another heartburn for South Africa.Two nights after sensationally losing 9 for 28 against West Indies, South Africa collapsed from 55 for 4 to 85 all out, with Anya Shrubsole, Player of the Final at last year’s World Cup, taking a hat-trick to hasten the end. In the absence of Katherine Brunt, Natalie Sciver, who took the new ball, bowled an incredible 20 dot balls and finished with 3 for 4 to set up the game.The pair had a combined contribution of 6 for 15 on the face of South Africa’s block-block-slog approach to hand the advantage on a platter to England. The target hardly caused a flutter, England it chased down in just 14.1 overs to put themselves in an excellent position to make the semi-finals.Anya Shrubsole bagged a hat-trick against South Africa•ICC

England blasted five boundaries in the first four overs, with Danielle Wyatt quickly unsettling the fast bowlers by giving them the charge. She raced to 17 off 14 balls, but shouldn’t have lasted beyond the first over. Chloe Tryon, among the better fielders, let her off by missing a direct hit at the bowler’s end from mid-off. This would repeat itself three more times; Tryon missing on each occasion.With South Africa’s intensity and energy on the field lacking, the game was sealed even before the Powerplay finished. Although England lost a clutch of wickets, the result was never in doubt.England resisted the temptation to play an extra seamer, and continued to persist with left-arm spinners Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith and Kirstie Gordon. All three played a part in choking South Africa at different stages.Lizelle Lee, who has been struggling for timing and form, ate up deliveries and limped to 3 off 15 in the first five overs. After plodding her way, she was out lbw playing all around a full Sciver delivery. The wheels truly came off when Marizanne Kapp and Dane Van Niekerk fell in the space of four deliveries to leave South Africa reeling at 30 for 4 in the ninth over. Van Niekerk’s wicket could count as a lucky break as it deflected off the bowler’s hand after Kapp drilled it straight back.In all, South Africa played out 43 dots in the first 10 overs, lost too many wickets and then got into a tangle because they didn’t have enough batting depth. Tryon tried to provide a late lift by muscling two sixes and a four in her 27, but fell in trying to score runs amid a clutch of lower order wickets.England also lost three quick wickets, but their pulsating start in pursuit of a small target left them with no hiccups, Heather Knight and Amy Jones seeing them through without much fuss.

On Friday morning, two seats in the Compton Stand were on sale on StubHub for more than 50 times their original price

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2019Tickets for Sunday’s World Cup final between England and New Zealand at Lord’s are being offered for resale with a mark-up of thousands of pounds, despite the ICC warning it will cancel tickets purchased via unauthorised outlets.The ICC provides its own platform on which unwanted tickets can be sold on, and has repeatedly made clear its dissatisfaction with secondary ticketing sites offering seats at vastly inflated prices.On Friday morning, two seats in the Compton Stand were on sale on StubHub for £16,584.80 (US$20,776) each – more than 50 times their face value of £295. Several other packages were being touted at prices of £3000-4000 (US$3700-5000).The ICC has previously counselled those with unwanted tickets not to use unauthorised resale sites.”In order to maximise attendance and support the long-term growth of cricket, we have worked hard to ensure that genuine fans from around the world can attend CWC19, with an affordable and fair ticket-pricing policy being a top priority for this tournament,” Steve Elworthy, ICC Cricket World Cup managing director, said.World Cup final tickets for sale on StubHub•Screenshot

“It is therefore very disappointing to see tickets on secondary ticketing websites selling at vastly inflated prices. We are doing our utmost to limit the secondary ticket market, however, a lack of legislation in the UK means we are restricted in the preventative action we can take to stop fans being ripped off and forced to pay over the odds. We have been and will continue to cancel the accounts and tickets we see being sold on secondary sites.”The only way fans can guarantee their ticket will be valid is to buy it from the Official Ticket Re-sale Platform, which allows fans unable to attend the final to sell to other genuine fans at face value. Anyone purchasing tickets from an unauthorised source, either online or in person, faces the risk of being left out of pocket and unable to enter the venue.”Tickets for the final were originally sold in Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze bands, ranging in price from £395 (US$495) to £95 (US$120). The ICC site offers fans until midday on Saturday to put unwanted tickets up for sale.There had previously been concerns about the possibility of low attendance for the semi-final between England and Australia at Edgbaston – although in the end the ground was very near full – with many tickets having been bought in advance by India fans expecting their side to play there. A similar situation could affect the final, after India suffered a surprise defeat to New Zealand at Old Trafford.England and New Zealand will contest the World Cup final, with both teams looking to lift the trophy for the first time. The game will be broadcast free-to-air in both countries, after the respective host broadcasters made arrangements to lower their paywalls.

Starc damaged his middle bowling finger in the field on day one at the MCG

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Dec-2022Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc is in major doubt for the third Test against South Africa in Sydney after damaging his finger in the field on the first day of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.Starc dislocated the tip of his middle finger on his left hand, his bowling hand, while attempting to take a catch at long-on during the middle session on day one.Starc immediately left the field for treatment. He later returned to the field for the end of South Africa’s first innings after having a brief bowl in the nets out the back of the MCG, but he was not required to bowl.Australia’s team management confirmed on the second morning that Starc had been cleared to continue to play in the match and he did bat in the nets before play. But the CA statement said his “condition will be reassessed at the completion of the match” and there were no details of the result of his scan overnight.Australia have two spare fast bowlers with the squad. Josh Hazlewood and Lance Morris both had a bowl in the nets on the second morning at the MCG. Morris had been called up ahead of the Adelaide Test against West Indies as specific cover for Starc who has been Australia’s most durable fast bowler having played the last 18 consecutive Tests since only being selected for one of the five Tests in the 2019 Ashes.Australia may also consider adding another specialist spinner to the Test squad for the third Test in Sydney given the only Sheffield Shield match played there this summer was a spinner’s paradise with New South Wales offspinner Chris Green taking nine wickets and West Australia offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli taking eight in a low-scoring game.

He says that Sri Lanka’s chances in Tests depend on Herath and the ability of the batsmen to post a good first-innings total

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Oct-20182:15

‘Brilliant’ England can win in the subcontinent – Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara has labelled England the best all-round side “in any conditions”, and expects them to challenge Sri Lanka in the three-Test series in November.Although England will begin the ODI series as favourites – they are the top-ranked team, while Sri Lanka are eighth – Sangakkara said Sri Lanka will “have to be on top of their game” in Tests, in order to defeat England. This, despite Sri Lanka having trounced South Africa 2-0 in July this year, and Australia 3-0 in 2016.Sangakkara had observed the England team at close quarters during their recently concluded summer, having commentated on Pakistan and India’s tours to England. He had also played three seasons of county cricket for Surrey, and has played with or against several of the England players on tour.”It’s going to be a tough series for Sri Lanka against an England side, who I think will be well adapted to any conditions we play them under,” Sangakkara told ESPNcricinfo. “I think they are the best all-round side in world cricket without a doubt, in any conditions. They have allrounders down to no. 10 – they bat very deep. They have a settled batting line-up, which they haven’t changed. They have strokemakers and batsmen who can knuckle down. Since Alastair Cook has left, they’ll have a new opening combination, so whoever comes in there, Sri Lanka can target.”Spin is a frequent shortcoming of visiting Test sides, with Sri Lanka’s batsmen often able to neutralise the opposition’s spin options much better than the opposition can negotiate Sri Lanka’s spin options. According to Sangakkara, however, England are capable of being potent on Sri Lanka’s dusty tracks.”They have very good spinners in Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali,” he said. “Rashid in Sri Lankan conditions will become a very potent threat. They have bowlers who know have to reverse swing as well, so they’re bringing a very, very strong unit. They have the ability to adapt, because if they want to play three spinners, they can play three spinners. They can play an extra seamer if they want, without really compromising on their batting. Sri Lanka will have to be on the top of their game. A lot will depend on Rangana Herath and our batsmen’s ability to post a good first-innings total.”Opener Rory Burns is set to make his Test debut in this series while middle-order batsman Ollie Pope, who had played two Tests against India, is likely to play his first Test away from home. Sangakkara has played alongside both of them, at Surrey.”Burns has performed consistently over the last five years for Surrey and finally he’s getting a look into the international side – I think it should have happened a couple of years ago but it’s good that he’s getting that opportunity while he’s in form. Pope has really blossomed with responsibility of being a key player for Surrey in the middle order. He’s a very attacking player, likes to score runs quickly, and is very good with spin. He sweeps and reverse sweeps well and these are all things you look at in young players to identify whether they’re good enough to play at the next level.”But Sri Lanka is not the easiest place to tour, so I don’t think they should really go there trying to think that this is going to be a make or break tour for Burns and Pope. Just go there with an open mind, enjoy the tour, learn from it and keep growing. I think they have great potential to have long-term careers for England.”

The visitors could only make 132 as Queensland registered their fourth win of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2022Queensland made short work of ACT as they raced to victory with more than 26 overs to spare. Georgia Redmayne’s brisk half-century led the chase after the home side had put in an impressive bowling and fielding display.The tone was set in the fifth over of the day when captain Jess Jonassen plucked a one-handed catch above her head at mid-on to remove Rebecca Carter. When ACT’s leading batter, Katie Mack, cut to point and Matilda Lugg clipped to square leg they were 3 for 31.They were unable to mount a recovery as the Queensland attack chipped away. Jonassen would finished with figures 2 for 5 from seven overs which included three maidens. There was some resistance in a ninth-wicket stand of 33 between Holly Ferling and Chloe Rafferty which was ended when Georgia Voll held a stinging return catch as all seven of Queensland’s bowlers got among the wickets.Voll, who made 145 in the opening game of the season against New South Wales, then helped Redmayne skip out of the blocks in a first-wicket stand of 83 in 15 overs.The victory means Queensland have started their season with four wins from four while ACT have four losses.

CoA chief Vinod Rai has said the ACU will now have a ‘presence in every zone’

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2018Corruption remains a challenge in Indian cricket, and to counter this the BCCI will beef up its anti-corruption unit (ACU), the CoA chief Vinod Rai has said. A new possible avenue of corruption is the introduction of new states to first-class cricket. Many of these states don’t have a settled feeder system, and there are fears that fringe players from outside these states could use unfair means to play for them.Rai said it was important that the ACU be reinforced to tackle any such issues. “We don’t want to single out any state or a group of states,” Rai said. “As far as the BCCI is concerned, we have an ACU, which we are now beefing up. That is one of the very important mandates which has been given to us.”It used to be only one plus two persons, but now we are ensuring they will have presence in every zone. That presence will be of people who would have worked in that zone, have some idea about that zone, so that they can interact. The idea is to not set up an entire police force on its own but have people who can monitor and provide an intelligence network through which this kind of activities can be looked into, can be addressed, and preventive action can be taken.”The ACU has had its hands full of late. BB Misra, the Supreme Court-mandated lead investigator into the IPL corruption case, has recently red-flagged the player-agent nexus and also brought to light a World Cup-winning player’s phone calls with a bookie in the lead-up to international matches. In an interview with the , Misra said he didn’t get enough time to probe that particular case. This was followed by Justice Lodha’s comments that a probe be re-opened.Rai said a probe has been commissioned, but he also said the BCCI was not aware of any such incident. “We saw the report [in the newspaper],” Rai said. “We looked into it. We entrusted the chief of the ACU in the BCCI to look into it. We found that in the BCCI we have no records at all about any of these issues. Maybe there are some records which are available to him but we are not aware of that. Anyway, the chief of the ACU has been entrusted to make an enquiry into it. He will take the steps, he is best qualified to try and enquire into it.”

London Spirit outgunned despite posting competitive 151 target in Ageas Bowl eliminator

ECB Reporters Network02-Sep-2022Manchester Originals 151 for 5 (Evans 72) beat London Spirit 150 for 7 (McDermott 59, Walter 3-29) by five wicketsLaurie Evans blasted a phenomenal 72 off 34 balls to send Manchester Originals to the Hundred final on Saturday evening, after they beat London Spirit by five wickets.Opening batter Evans, who replaced the injured Jos Buttler as captain of the Originals, got his side off to a flier in response to Spirit’s 150, with a 101-run stand with Phil Salt.But a wobble led by Mason Crane and Nathan Ellis – two for 35 and two for 31 respectively – gave Eoin Morgan’s men hope but Ashton Turner and Tom Lammonby got Originals over the line with 11 balls to spare.Originals will now hot-foot it up the M3 to face Trent Rockets at Lord’s at 6:30pm on Saturday.After Adam Rossington fell to the second ball of the match, Ben McDermott and Zak Crawley got the innings rolling with a 69-run stand after Spirit at chosen to bat first.McDermott, who played for Hampshire in the Blast, was imperious from ball two, which he thrashed over the square boundary before bashing through cover next ball.Crawley was bowled by Walter for 36 from 23 balls, to be replaced by Dan Lawrence, but McDermott kicked into the next gear as he guided a boundary through deep third to bring up a 33-ball fifty – his 59 one shy of his best for his county on this ground.Just as an enormous total was brewing, the innings spluttered between balls 74 and 85, as Originals twice claimed two wickets in two balls.First, Walter picked up McDermott with a slower ball that he launched to deep midwicket and then Eoin Morgan was caught at mid-off first ball. Ravi Bopara resolutely blocked the hat-trick ball, as Walter ended up with figures of three for 29.Then in the following end, Matt Parkinson had Lawrence holing out before Jordan Thompson’s leading edge gave him two-in-two, but there was to be no hat-trick ball as the leg-spinner was bowled out.Bopara starred in the final 15 balls, with a pair of sixes – the first swung square, the second a skier over long-on – to smash 34 off 16 balls. Despite Liam Dawson slapping to extra cover, Spirit reached 150 for seven.All eyes were on how Spirit’s Hampshire-flavoured attack would defend on their county ground. Between Chris Wood, Crane, Dawson and Ellis, they have played 165 T20/Hundred games at the Ageas Bowl – taking 163 wickets in the process.Evans, who has his own T20 history on the ground with two half-centuries, didn’t care for ‘home’ advantage. He’d already struck four of his first eight balls to the boundary before slog-sweeping sweetly into the stands.Another six over long-on, followed by a scampered two, took him to a 19-ball fifty – his first of the tournament.Salt had largely done his best to stay out of Evans’ way, but took centre stage when he took Crane downtown, only for Evans to hit back with a six of his own off Dawson.The 101-run opening stand ended with ball 50 when Dawson had Salt caught-and-bowled, and two balls later, Evans swept Crane to deep square leg. In the following set, Walter drove firmly to cover off Ellis.Ellis then yorked Wayne Madsen, after a period of squeeze, and Crane induced Tristan Stubbs into a squirt to point, to take the equation to 18 off 20 balls.But Turner and Lammonby made sure they booked their place in the showpiece without any more worries.

Smith claimed career-best figures of 5 for 17 after Tammy Beaumont made 77 not out to help Sydney Thunder knock over the reigning champion Perth Scorchers

AAP22-Oct-2022Lauren Smith took a career-best 5 for 17 while Tammy Beaumont starred with the bat as Sydney Thunder belatedly kick-started their WBBL campaign in style with a surprise win over the unbeaten Perth Scorchers at the WACA.The Scorchers had few answers with the bat, eventually reaching 141 for 9 to fall 25 runs shy of their opponents as the holders slipped to a rare home defeat.Smith helped turn the screws with 3 for 13 from three overs before returning 5 for 17 from her four allotted overs.The Thunder set up a first win of the season in their fourth outing with an imposing 166 for 4 from their 20 overs.Opener Beaumont cast aside a string of low scores to hit an unbeaten 77 off 59 balls for the Thunder’s biggest tally of the season.Thunder star Rachael Haynes looked in good form before her 24-ball innings came to an end on 28.Alana King took the prized wicket of Haynes, but it was an otherwise rare off day for the international legspinner who went for 22 from her two overs.Holly Ferling debuted in Scorchers colours and soon had the scalp of Amy Jones, eventually returning 1 for 25 from three overs.In reply, the home side started strongly with 25 off the first three overs before Sophie Devine was dismissed for 12.And the Scorchers’ hopes took a nosedive as Olivia Porter scooped up a fine sprawling catch to get rid of run machine Beth Mooney.It was a second catch in a matter of minutes for the youngster who earlier chipped in with a handy unbeaten 17 off only six deliveries in just her second outing.Mooney’s dismissal marked the beginning of the end for the high-flying Scorchers who soon slipped to 48 for 5 at the midway point of the innings and facing a near impossible required run-rate they never recovered with Smith running through them.