This week: Stars upset Vipers in the RHF Trophy Winners & losers in the race to host a Tier 1 county Meg Lanning opens up about her international retirement 3 women winners for Wisden ..read more

South East Stars got their 2024 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy campaign off to a winning start with a 4-wicket win against reigning champions Southern Vipers. But, on a freezing cold day at Beckenham, Vipers made them fight for the win tooth-and-nail, taking the match right down to the 50th over before Ryana MacDonald-Gay finally hit the winning run. Elsewhere, Storm were bowled out for 114, Blaze for 135 and Thunder for 165 in three one-sided contests. By contrast, this had all the feel of the two strongest sides in the competition laying out their cards early. Stars v Vipers at Beckenham pic ..read more

This week: We’re gearing up for a strange final season of regionals Who is the best overseas signing? Can Vipers do the double again? PCA report highlights continued issues with pay & facilities We review 2 documentaries: Cricket Actually and Bring The Thunder ..read more

This week: England win the ODI series v NZ but struggle with the bat Sophie Devine shines but what’s the future for NZ? Is the jury still out on Alice Capsey? England U19s win their tri-series Are male cricketers overpaid ..read more

An 8th ODI hundred for Sophie Devine, brought up with a 6 off the final ball of the game, gave New Zealand victory in the final T20 at Hamilton. #NZvENG England 194 v New Zealand 195-3 pic.twitter.com/tzV2jecWSM — CRICKETher (@crickether) April 7, 2024 Although New Zealand had already lost the series 2-1, they will take consolation from two crucial ICC Championship points, which could well be the difference between direct entry to the World Cup in India and having to schlep off to a qualifying tournament. Having drawn the short-straw of missing out on playing thus-far-winless Ireland (eve ..read more

England recovered from 166 for 7 to post 252 in Hamilton, eventually winning the match at a canter (by 56 runs) and with it the series. But the scoreline rather belies the fact that England very much did the hard yards to get the win under their belts. Tammy Beaumont was named Player of the Match for her 81 from 96 balls, continuing an emotional rollercoaster of a tour which has so far involved picking up her 100th T20 cap after a two-year wait, only to find herself dropped from the team for the final two matches of the T20 series. Her runs were crucial today but – as Beaumont herself admitted ..read more

England got out of jail free, passed ‘Go’, and collected 2 ICC Championship points, in the 1st ODI against New Zealand in Wellington. #NZvENG New Zealand 207 v England 209-6 pic.twitter.com/DRrqorYQ53 — CRICKETher (@crickether) April 1, 2024 The win leapfrogs England over New Zealand and Pakistan, from 5th place into 3rd in the ICC Championship, though the table does have to be read with some caution right now, with New Zealand having played 3 more games than England, and Pakistan 6 more. Chasing a sub-par 207, England had collapsed to 79-6 at the end of the 17th over when Wyatt, who had ..read more

This week: England v NZ T20s: Bouchier and Filer positives for England England A lose to NZ: Has the regional system failed? 2025 Women’s Ashes: Cricket Australia want to #FillTheMCG again ..read more

During the recent England v New Zealand T20 series, Alex Hartley observed on comms that for the first 4 games in the series, the team that had “won” the powerplay went on to lose the match. This was definitely an interesting titbit. In the entire history of T20s between the sides that now make up the ICC Championship, the team that won the powerplay went on to win the match 72% of the time. One of the other commentators then went on to assert two further things. That there had been a recent downward trend in that number. That this was due to improvements in middle-order batting. Let’s look a ..read more

A businesslike performance from England allowed them to win the final T20 in Wellington by 5 wickets, with 7 balls to spare, to close out the series 4-1. #NZvENG New Zealand 136-6 v England 138-5 pic.twitter.com/AVC7ktED1M — CRICKETher (@crickether) March 29, 2024 With Lauren Bell sitting this one out, England’s one change was to bring back Lauren Filer for her second outing of the series. It was a “like for like” replacement, in the sense that they are both “fast bowlers” but Filer’s plans today were not plans you’d have given Bell. Filer’s directives today were straight out of men’s cou ..read more