The date: 12 November 2018.
The place: Gros Islet, St Lucia, West Indies.
The occasion: England’s de-facto opening game of the 2018 World Cup v Bangladesh, after their actual opening match v Sri Lanka had been washed-out without a ball being bowled.
Among three women to make their debut that day was 23-year-old Linsey Smith. Smith didn’t have a bad game, but she was definitely outshone by fellow debutante Kirstie Gordon, who took Player of the Match for her 3-16. (Oh and if you’re wondering, the other new cap was Sophia Dunkley – whatever became of her?)
In the seven years since, Smith has notched-up 19 more England appearances, but all in the T20 format… until today when, having bowled (and fielded) her socks off in the T20s, she was rewarded with her first ODI cap aged 30.
Smith is not England’s oldest ODI debutante – not by a long shot. Kay Green (who was born before the WCA was founded and played her only Test in 1954) was 45 when she played her maiden ODI the year the format began in 1973. But I’m pretty certain Smith is the oldest (for England) this century – making her a virtual grandma in modern cricketing terms.
That Smith then went on to take a 5fer on debut – only the 2nd England player to do so, and again the first this century (Laura Harper did it against the Netherlands in 1999) – made it all the more special an occasion for a player who has worked unbelievably hard in the last few years to become not just the player, but the professional athlete, she now is.
Smith is not a complete mug with the bat; but at this level she is perhaps a “Genuine Number 10”, which is where she was carded in the T20s. In fact, she has batted just once for England – making 1 off 6 balls against Australia in the Ashes back in January. She didn’t get the opportunity to improve on that at Derby today, as England powered to 345-6, with centuries for Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones.
This was Beaumont’s 12th ODI hundred for England, as she continues to pull clear of the former record holder Charlotte Edwards and Nat Sciver-Brunt, who both have 9 – a number NSB may well add to, but Lottie is unlikely to! And for me, this was the better of the two hundreds scored today.
Beaumont set herself up, scoring steadily up to around the 25-over mark – making her first 50 at a Strike Rate of 68; before exploding at around the 25 over mark and scoring her second 50 at a Strike Rate of 227. It was very-much like the hundred she scored in Ireland last September, where she played the role of the anchor and the finisher.
And talking of finishers… that’s the role Amy Jones has mainly played for England these past 5 years. Having opened the batting regularly under Mark Robinson in 2018/2019, she was dropped down the order specifically to play the “finisher” role under Lisa Keightley, and continued in that job during Jon Lewis’s tenure.
But Charlotte Edwards seems to have decided that was a mistake, and the numbers even before today perhaps bear this out. Despite being probably a better player now, her numbers batting at 5/6/7 have never matched her numbers opening back in 2018/19. Restored to that opening role – one she has been dancing domestically for the Blaze this season too – she played positively but not recklessly today to reach 100 for the first time in her long England career. It wasn’t perfect – she was dropped a couple of times in the Nervous Nineties – but it was a marker that at 32-next-month she isn’t finished yet.
Chasing 345, West Indies never really had a prayer – no one has ever chased anything like that before. But they started positively and on 67-0 after 10 overs our WinHer Win Predictor had them ahead. But once they lost Hayley Matthews, beaten by a decent ball from Em Arlott that left the batter just enough off the pitch, a win never felt remotely on the cards.
But England’s perennial problem recently has been taking wickets, so there remained the question of whether the West Indies could bat through and frustrate England. That was a question Smith ultimately answered. Initially, with two left-handers at the crease after Matthews’ dismissal, England went with their off-spinners and kept Smith in the bag until the 23rd over. But when she did get hold of the ball, her impact was immediate – Zaida James getting herself in a muddle and being struck LBW. Two overs later, she darted one beautifully through the defences of Shemaine Campbelle; before bowling Mandy Mangru as well with a top-spinner.
Smith’s final two wickets were less spectacular, but were of sentimental significance – both caught in the deep by Sophia Dunkley. Yes – that’s what became of her – over 100 England appearances of her own since, and it was Dunkley that had handed Smith her cap in the England huddle before the match too.
It will be fascinating to see what Charlotte Edwards does when Sophie Ecclestone (presumably) returns for the India series later this summer. Teams seem reluctant to play two left-arm spinners; and even if England should choose to do so, that would presumably mean dropping Charlie Dean, who was vice captain during the T20 series and is firmly part of Edwards’ much-vaunted “leadership group” – her answer to the question of captaincy succession-planning.
Smith had already thrown a cat amongst the pigeons with her performances in the T20s, but a small cat – a lynx, perhaps?
Now though, it’s a tiger.
