On Wednesday morning, the ECB announced an ambitious 2023 Women’s Ashes fixture list, which includes maiden visits to Lord’s, the Oval and Edgbaston; and a five-day Test at Trent Bridge. It is a schedule designed to reflect the apparent preeminence of England and Australia in global women’s cricket: these two teams are the ones who are worth showing up for. By the evening, Harmanpreet Kaur had enjoyed ripping that assumption up into tiny shreds and placing it in a metaphorical wastepaper basket.
In a series-sealing performance at Canterbury, the India captain struck an imperious 143 not out from 111 balls as India stacked up a total of 333 for five – the second highest ever against England in ODIs. Kaur sealed the deal by running out local hero Tammy Beaumont in the second over of England’s chase with a direct hit from mid-on.
