That’s all for today. We’ll have a report along shortly, and we’ll be back for the second T20I on Friday. Night!
Heather Knight’s verdict
The scoreboard probably flatters us; we weren’t at our best. There was some brilliant stuff – the way Danni Gibson batted is a big positive – but there’s lots we can do better.
I liked the intent (with the bat), we just need slightly better execution next time. It’s the first game of the summer so we won’t look too deeply into it. It’s pretty clear that’s how we want to play and I want us to keep that intent.
I love captaining our three spinners. They’re all world-class and they’re all very different as bowlers and personalities which I enjoy. We really want to boss that middle phase of the innings.
Beth Langton said in Amy’s cap presentation earlier that she makes the extraordinary look ordinary. She’s an unbelievable cricketer who goes under the radar. You almost take her brilliance for granted and I’m really pleased for her today.
Nida Dar’s verdict
We started really well in both Powerplays but we need to go on. It was a great opportunity and we should have grabbed that. We need to sit down together and plan for the next game. There were some good things in the game and we should take that momentum.
The player of the match is Amy Jones
Yeah it was great fun, made a whole better by the win. One game for England is a huge honour and I feel very lucky to have played 100 T20s with an incredible group of girls. A good friend, Beth Langton, gave me my cap which made it even more special.
Pakistan bowled really well; their seamers hit a lot of good areas. When I got out there with Heather it was about rebuilding in a positive way. It felt like a good score in the end.
[On her great catch to dismiss Gull Feroza] You don’t get many down the leg side standing back so it was a great feeling when it went in. With the spinners it feels like every ball is coming to me; they’re a huge asset for us.
Lauren Bell finishes with three for 22, reaffirming her status as England’s first-choice quick in this format. The last wicket completes a good win for England, who recovered emphatically from a mildly farcical start in which they collapsed to 11 for four.
For the most part the game was a reminder of England’s strengths, most notably their three spinners (Sarah Glenn bowled brilliantly to take four for 12) and the wicketkeeping artistry of Amy Jones. Heather Knight and Dani Gibson also batted superbly, though Gibson took a bit of tap with the ball.
ENGLAND WIN BY 53 RUNS
WICKET! Pakistan 110 all out (Sadia c Kemp b Bell 8) That’ll do. Lauren Bell’s extra pace and bounce are too much for Sadia, who slaps a catch to cover point.
18th over: Pakistan 109-9 (Fatima 15, Sadia 8) Fatima makes room to blast Ecclestone wide of extra cover for four more. Pakistan’s last pair are having a bit of fun out there.
17th over: Pakistan 104-9 (Fatima 10, Sadia 8) When Sadia misses a sweep off Dean, England treat themselves to one last review. It pitched just outside leg. Sadia dabs the next ball for four to take Pakistan into three figures, then cuffs a slog-sweep for four more.
Dean finishes with 4-0-29-1. Nothing to tweet about, though she did take that crucial first wicket after Pakistan got off to a flyer.
16th over: Pakistan 94-9 (Fatima 9, Sadia 0) Fatima lashes Gibson to the extra-cover boundary, a defiant blow in the face of imminent defeat.
15th over: Pakistan 89-9 (Fatima 4, Sadia 0) Glenn finishes with career-best figures of 4-0-12-4. Outstanding.
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WICKET! Pakistan 89-9 (Waheeda b Glenn 0)
Make that six wickets for 10 runs. Sarah Glenn completes a fabulous spell by skidding one on to bowl Waheeda Akhtar. England are one wicket away from victory.
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WICKET! Pakistan 89-8 (Tuba c Jones b Glenn 0)
Tuba gets in a tangle against Glenn and gloves the ball through to Jones. She reviewed the decision, just in case, but it was clearly out. Pakistan have lost five wickets for 10 runs.
14th over: Pakistan 88-7 (Fatima 3, Tuba 0) While this hasn’t been a perfect performance from England, Jon Lewis will be thrilled with how they have recovered in both innings. After five overs of each innings England were 21 for four and Pakistan were 50 for one.
WICKET! Pakistan 88-7 (Rameen c Wyatt b Bell 2)
The wickets keep on falling. Rameen Shamim, deep in her crease after a couple of short balls, slogs a slower one from Lauren Bell high into the leg side. Danni Wyatt sprints in from deep midwicket and dives forward to take a terrific two-handed catch.
13th over: Pakistan 86-6 (Fatima 2, Rameen 1) That wicket was Sophie Ecclestone’s 114th in T20Is, equalling Katherine Sciver-Brunt’s England record. Look at Ecclestone’s average.
WICKET! Pakistan 85-6 (Pervaiz c Jones b Ecclestone 4)
Pervaiz tries to glide Ecclestone to third man, but there’s a bit of extra bounce and the ball brushes the glove before Jones takes a smart catch. Pervaiz considers a review, because that’s been the culture in the last 10 minutes, before walking off. England’s spin triplets are doing it again: they have combined figures of 8.1-0-41-4.
12th over: Pakistan 85-5 (Pervaiz 4, Fatima 2) Yep, England still have two reviews left. More importantly, Pakistan need 79 from 48 balls, having lost their way against England’s spinners.
FATIMA IS NOT OUT The ball hit the flap of the pad and then ran very close to the bottom edge. There’s a murmur, if that, on UltraEdge, but the third umpire Anna Harris is satisfied that there’s a gap between bat and ball. They check the LBW as well; that was outside the line, or at least umpire’s call.
Heather Knight is checking whether England have lost a review – I think the umpire’s call on the LBW means they retain it, though I wouldn’t put the farm on it.
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ENGLAND REVIEW FOR CAUGHT BEHIND Amy Jones is certain this is out. Fatima tried to cut Glenn and Jones took the ball smartly up to the stumps. We’ll soon find out whether Fatima hit the ball.
FATIMA IS NOT OUT Yep, it was only brushing leg stump and therefore the on-field decision stands.
ENGLAND REVIEW Glenn has a big LBW against Fatima turned down, but Heather Knight decides to go for the review. I suspect it will be umpire’s call when it hits leg stump.
WICKET! Pakistan 83-5 (Dar c Bouchier b Glenn 5)
See, I told you England would win comfortably. The captain Nida Dar slog-sweeps Glenn towards deep midwicket, where Bouchier takes a very good two-handed catch above her right shoulder. She made that look easy; it was anything but.
11th over: Pakistan 83-4 (Dar 5, Pervaiz 4) Natalia Pervaiz gets off the mark with an edge past Jones for four.
WICKET! Pakistan 79-4 (Sadaf run out 35)
A tame end to a fine innings from Sadaf Shamas, who swishes her bat angrily as she walks off. Dar clipped Charlie Dean into the leg side and set off for a dodgy single; Sadaf responded to the call and was well short when Jones collected Capsey’s throw from short midwicket and broke the stumps.
Sadaf hit seven boundaries, three or four them quite beautiful, in an innings of 35 from 24 balls.
Watch Amy Jones’ superb catch
"That's a BEAUTY... an absolute STUNNER!""
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) May 11, 2024
Amy Jones with an outstanding grab to remove Gull Feroza off Lauren Bell's bowling 😮 pic.twitter.com/nPBXIMpDIF
10th over: Pakistan 77-3 (Sadaf 34, Dar 4) Glenn has made a very good start: 2-0-9-1. Pakistan need 87 off the last 10 overs to win.
DAR IS NOT OUT! She was trapped in front by Glenn and given out LBW – but the ball hit the glove rather than the pad. Dar reviewed straight away and knew she was not out. Mind you, she very nearly gloved the ball onto the stumps.
PAKISTAN REVIEW! Dar LBW b Glenn 4 This will be overturned.
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9th over: Pakistan 72-3 (Sadaf 31, Dar 2) Sadaf continues her eye-catching innings, charging Ecclestone to clatter a boundary through extra cover. There were a couple of bits of imperfect fielding, one at extra cover and another on the boundary, but it was still a good shot.
Once again, though, Ecclestone pulls the over back, this time with four successive dot balls.
8th over: Pakistan 67-3 (Sadaf 27, Dar 1) The captain Nida Dar is the new batter.
WICKET! Pakistan 66-3 (Muneeba c Jones b Glenn 10)
Another useful wicket for England, this time from the new bowler Sarah Glenn. Muneeba Ali tries a reverse lap but can only lob the ball gently into the gloves of Amy Jones. England are starting to turn the screw.
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7th over: Pakistan 63-2 (Sadaf 26, Muneeba 8) Sophie Ecclestone’s first ball is too straight, allowing Muneeba to guide it round the corner for four. She pulls things back thereafter, conceding just two from the last five deliveries.
This spell of spin bowling will probably decide the game one way or another.
6th over: Pakistan 57-2 (Sadaf 25, Muneeba 3) Sadaf moves to 25 from 11 balls with the most beautiful back-foot square drive for four. She looks quite a player.
Even with that wicket it’s been a fabulous Powerplay for Pakistan, who have given themselves a chance of a famous victory. They need 107 runs from 84 balls.
WICKET! Pakistan 50-2 (Gull Feroza c Jones b Bell 17)
Amy Jones decorates her 100th T20I with a stunning catch. The new bowler Lauren Bell found the inside-edge with a sharp nipbacker, and in a split-second Jones changed direction, dived low to her left and grabbed the ball one-handed. An artist at work.
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5th over: Pakistan 50-1 (Gull Feroza 17, Sadaf 21) Gull Feroza reverse sweeps four more off Dean. Then Sadaf crashes a low full toss towards mid-on, where Gibson drops a tough low chance to her right.
At the halfway mark I thought England had more than enough runs; I might shut my mouth next time.
4th over: Pakistan 45-1 (Gull Feroza 12, Sadaf 21) Gibson is savaged by the new Sadaf Shamas, who hits five boundaries in the over: two beautiful cover drives, a carve over backward point, a clip through midwicket and a slash past backward point. Blimey.
At this stage of their innings England were 18 for four.
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3rd over: Pakistan 24-1 (Gull Feroza 12, Sadaf 1) We’re likely to see Charlie Dean a lot in the Powerplay at the World Cup. Not all spinners love bowling in the first six overs but she continues to have success.
WICKET! Pakistan 23-1 (S Ameen LBW b Dean 9)
Charlie Dean strikes with her fourth ball! Sidra Ameen, who had swept the previous ball for four, tried again to a fuller delivery and was hit on the back leg in front of middle. Plumb LBW. She reviewed the decision but there were three reds and Pakistan lose a review.
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2nd over: Pakistan 16-0 (Gull Feroza 11, S Ameen 3) Dani Gibson starts well, conceding only four from her first over. There were a couple of unpunished low full tosses but that aside it was good stuff.
1st over: Pakistan 12-0 (Gull Feroza 10, S Ameen 0) Gull Feroza gets off to a flyer, driving Bell classily down the ground before spanking another boundary through extra cover. A couple of wides make it a very good over for Pakistan, who have had a marginally better start than England.
It’s a very short turnaround, so the players are already back on the field. Lauren Bell will open the bowling to Gull Feroza.
20th over: England 163-6 (Gibson 41, Ecclestone 19) Gibson clouts the first ball to wide long-on for four, a fine piece of improvisation after Sadia saw her coming and tossed it very wide outside off stump.
It’s a clever and classy final over by Sadia, but Gibson manages to find the boundary again with a reverse sweep off the penultimate ball. She finishes with a career-best 41 not out from only 21 balls, a textbook No7’s innings.
Pakistan’s target is 164; you’d expect England to win comfortably. Such an assumption looked unlikely when they slipped to 11 for four inside three chaotic overs, but the way they rebuilt the innings was exemplary. The last nine overs yielded a whopping 97 runs.
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19th over: England 152-6 (Gibson 31, Ecclestone 18) Pakistan are behind the clock, which means they’re allowed only three fielders outside the circle for the last two overs.
Fatima’s final over is made up almost entirely of yorkers, but when she errs in line she is put away through square leg for four, one boundary apiece for Gibson and Ecclestone. This has been an admirable recovery from England, who were in all sorts at 11 for four.
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18th over: England 142-6 (Gibson 26, Ecclestone 13) Gibson is dropped at long-on, a fairly straightfoward chance to Gull Feroza off the bowling of Rameen. She punishes Pakistan with two boundaries, another sweep followed by a cracking shot through extra cover. This is a superb cameo: 26 from 12 balls.
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17th over: England 131-6 (Gibson 17, Ecclestone 11) Ecclestone gets four more with a fine shot, deliberately slicing Fatima to the left of long-off. After an awful start, England have scored 93 runs in the last 10 overs.
16th over: England 123-6 (Gibson 16, Ecclestone 4) Sophie Ecclestone belts her first ball for four, and why not.
WICKET! England 119-6 (Knight c Gull Feroza b Tuba 49)
Heather Knight falls just short of her fifty. She tried to clout the legspinner Tuba back over her head but had to reach for the ball and dragged it to mid-on. That’s a good wicket for Pakistan and the end of a superb innings: 49 from 44 balls with six fours.
15th over: England 111-5 (Knight 42, Gibson 15) England are flying now. Fatima’s second over disappears for 13, including a strongarm pull for four by Gibson; she’s raced to 15 off only six balls. That No7 position is going to be really important for England at the World Cup.
14th over: England 98-5 (Knight 36, Gibson 9) The wicket of Jones has rather surprisingly led to a flurry of runs: 20 from eight balls, including another sweep for four by Knight in that Dar over. England are on course for a very competitive total.
13th over: England 86-5 (Knight 25, Gibson 8) The new batter Dani Gibson gets off to a perfect start, squirting and cutting her first two deliveries past backward point for four.
WICKET! England 78-5 (Jones c Pervaiz b Sadia 37)
Amy Jones falls to a terrific catch from Natalia Pervaiz. She helped a low full toss from Sadia towards deep backward square, where Pervaiz ran round the boundary to make an awkward catch look easy. Pakistan needed that wicket.
12th over: England 77-4 (Knight 24, Jones 37) This is Jones’ 100th T20I, on her home ground, and she’s playing beautifully. She finishes Dar’s over with successive sweeps for four, the first through backward square and the second through midwicket. That takes her to 37 from only 25 balls.
Knight is not out! She missed a reverse sweep at Nida Dar’s first ball, a loopy offbreak, and was hit on the pad. It didn’t quite look right and, though Knight was given out on the field, replays confirmed she was outside the line.
ENGLAND REVIEW! Knight LBW b Dar 23
I think this will be overturned.
11th over: England 66-4 (Knight 23, Jones 27)
10th over: England 63-4 (Knight 21, Jones 26) England are targeting the offspinner Rameen. Jones clips and sweeps her first two balls for four, which brings up the fifty partnership from 39 balls. Aside from maybe one loose shot by Jones, it’s been a lesson in how to recover from an awful start while still scoring at more than a run a ball.
9th over: England 53-4 (Knight 20, Jones 17) Time for the young legspinner Tuba Hassan. Knight, who is batting with serene authority, skips down the track to drive over long-on for four. That’s her third boundary in the last seven balls.
8th over: England 46-4 (Knight 15, Jones 15) The offspinner Rameen Shahim comes into the attack – at which point Knight, hitherto watchful, goes on the attack. An elegant chip over extra cover for four is followed by an emphatic sweep to the square-leg boundary next ball. This has been a really well-judged partnership, which is now worth 35 from 30 balls.
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7th over: England 38-4 (Knight 7, Jones 15) Waheeda bowls her four overs straight through. Jones survives a hopeful LBW appeal – missing leg – before pulling her second boundary in as many overs.
A misfield at extra cover gives her a couple of bonus runs. This pair have calmed things down and can now think about trying toreach a competitive total.
6th over: England 29-4 (Knight 5, Jones 8) Fatima Sana struggles to control the swing in her first over and bowls a couple of wides. The over ends with an inswinger that is clipped carefully for four by Jones; that’s the first boundary in five overs.
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5th over: England 21-4 (Knight 4, Jones 4) So much for going soft: Jones has been dropped! She sliced Waheeda towards backward point, where Rameen Shahim put down a tricky chance low to her right.
Knight, pushing cautiously, is beaten on the inside by a wobbling delivery from Waheeda. She is bowling beautifully: 3-0-11-2.
4th over: England 18-4 (Knight 3, Jones 2) England tried to go hard; now it’s time to go soft. Jones and Knight – the player England would want in this situation – clip Sadia carefully into the leg side for one, two, one and one. A wide and a leg-bye make it seven from the over.
3rd over: England 11-4 (Knight 0, Jones 0) A wicket maiden from Waheeda; a double-wicket maiden from Pakistan.
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WICKET! England 11-4 (Kemp run out 0)
Pakistan are whatever comes after rampant! England have lost another wicket! Freya Kemp, after playing and missing twice, tried to take a single to mid-on, via a ricochet off the stumps at the non-striker’s end, and was sent back by Knight. She was three-quarters of the way down the pitch when she finally turned to go back; it was too late.
England have lose three wickets for no runs in six balls.
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WICKET! England 11-3 (Capsey c S Ameen b Waheeda 5)
Pakistan are rampant! Alice Capsey has fallen to the first ball of the third over, slogging Waheeda high in the air to mid-on. The fact all three wickets have been caught at mid-off or mid-on tells you that England have gone too hard, too soon. Better to do it now than in the World Cup I guess.
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2nd over: England 11-2 (Capsey 5, Knight 0) That was the last ball of the over. Hearther Knight is the new batter.
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WICKET! England 11-2 (Wyatt c Gull Feroza b Sadia 1)
Well this is going well. Danni Wyatt hoicks the left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal straight to mid-on, where Gull Feroza takes a comfortable catch and sets off on an aeroplane celebration. England are in a bit of bother.
1st over: England 8-1 (Wyatt 0, Capsey 4) Capsey almost falls first ball! She inside-edged Waheeda low to the left of the keeper Muneeba, who barely got a glove on the ball as she swooped to her left. Instead the ball ran away for four.
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WICKET! England 4-1 (Bouchier c Dar b Waheeda 4)
Maia Bouchier falls to the fourth ball of the innings! After dragging a boundary past short fine leg, she toe-ended a drive towards mid-off, where Dar ran in to take a well-judged catch.
Here come the players. First the Pakistan team, led by their new captain Nida Dar, then the England openers Danni Wyatt and Maia Bouchier.
Coverage of women’s cricket has improved so much in the past decade, and it’s great to see that Wisden now have a dedicated weekly podcast. The first episode is highly recommended.
Team news
No surprises in the England team, which in itself is a surprise of sorts. In times gone by, England playing three spinners at home – four if you count Alice Capsey – would have led to questions in parliament.
England Bouchier, Wyatt, Capsey, Knight (c), Kemp, Jones (wk), Gibson, Dean, Ecclestone, Glenn, Bell.
Pakistan S Ameen, Gull Feroza, Sadaf, Muneeba (wk), Dar (c), Pervaiz, Fatima, Tuba, Rameen, Waheeda, Sadia.
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Pakistan win the toss and bowl
Nida Dar says the pitch looks a bit green and should help their bowlers. Heather Knight says she would have had a bat, so that was a waste of everyone’s time.
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There’s plenty going on in the men’s game today, including the aforementioned announcement from Sir Jimmy Anderson. Taha Hashim has written about it, while Jim Wallace is at The Oval keeping an eye on all the county scores. Don’t worry, you we don’t expect blogogamy round here.
And this is probably my favourite piece on Anderson’s artistry.
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Preamble
Won’t you look at all this sunshine? It can mean only one thing: that for once, England’s international summer will begin in summery weather. They face Pakistan at Edgbaston in the first of six white-ball games: three T20s then three ODIs.
Now look, strictly between us, this isn’t an Ashes summer, so there won’t be quite the same excitement as there was a year ago. But the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh is less than five months away, and England haven’t won that thing since 2009.
You don’t need help from AI to name nine, perhaps 10, of Jon Lewis’s like XI for their first World Cup game. The most open position is at No7, and two of the contenders are likely to play today. Freya Kemp, who is only able to bat at the moment because of her recovery from a back injury, will fill in for Nat Sciver-Brunt at No5. Dani Gibson is likely to be the actual No7.
England are expected to beat Pakistan, though we said the same when they played Sri Lanka a year ago. Jimmy Anderson isn’t the only legend heading for retirement; this is Pakistan’s first series without Bismah Maroof, their leading runscorer in both white-ball codes, who has called it a day after 17 years of international cricket.
The match starts at 2.30pm.
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