It was classic Jon-Ball™ – exciting, big-hitting, fearless cricket. It was inspiring. It was entertaining. And it knocked England out of the World Cup in the final match of the group stages.
England 141-7 v West Indies 142-4 #T20WC
— CRICKETher (@crickether.bsky.social) 2024-10-15T17:15:20.954Z
It was that West Indies powerplay that changed the game – England had made a pretty reasonable 141, which is (just, but a single run) better than the average first innings total in T20s between the sides competing at this World Cup over the past 2 years. West Indies couldn’t afford to be complacent chasing a total like that, and 9-and-a-half times out of 10 you’d have backed England, who haven’t lost to the West Indies since their group stage defeat to the then-hosts of the 2018 T20 World Cup in St Lucia.
West Indies needed something special and they got it from Qiana Joseph, who has never made an international 50 before. She attacked England’s bowling and the gods willed her on, as she was dropped 5 times on her way to 52 off 38 balls, with 2 6s and 6 4s. The dropped catches weren’t all easy chances, especially the 3rd and 4th ones, with Maia Bouchier running round the boundary, though we have seen Bouchier pouch more difficult opportunities. But Dunkley in the 2nd over, and Capsey in the 5th, could have… should have… would have… made all the difference if they’d held on. Catches win matches.
Those 67 runs off the powerplay – a Strike Rate of over 180 – put the West Indies in such a commanding position that they could afford to slow down substantially, which is just what they did – pootling along (at least by the standards they’d set in the first 6) at around 6 an over through the middle overs.
In fact, they almost pootled a little too much, with a required rate which had been well under 6, getting back to a run a ball in the last 5 overs, with two new batters at the crease. On the sofa next to me, Raf Nicholson was contemplating the possibility of a rewrite to her “on-the-whistle” (yes – they still call it that!) report for the Guardian. But cometh the hour, cometh Deandra Dottin, as if the scriptwriters had known it all along, walloping Charlie Dean for a 4 and then 2 6s to claw back the initiative. Ecclestone ultimately nailed Dottin in what turned out to be the final over, but it was all too late. Aaliyah Alleyne came in and stroked her first ball beautifully through the covers for 4, then finished the job 3 balls later with another 4. Game, set and match to the Windies.
Do England have any excuses? Jon Lewis pointed out afterwards (whilst saying that he “wasn’t making excuses”) that it was England’s first chance to play in this stadium, with it’s “Ring Of Fire” lights which can make it challenging to judge the high ball; but on the other hand, England have had far more chances to play under lights in general than the West Indies over the past few years – they’ve played 17 T20s under lights in the past 3 years (only Australia (19) have played more) whist the West Indies have played just 9.
The truth is that England probably did score enough runs to win on any other day, but this wasn’t any other day. They had their own big bit of luck with Nat Sciver-Brunt being given not out LBW after the West Indies had already burned both their reviews – if they’d had another review, NSB would have been walking off and England would not have got to 141.
The Heather Knight situation didn’t help. Despite England literally having had Knight sit out of a match last summer to simulate her being unavailable, England didn’t really know how to manage the game without their all-powerful skipper. Nat Sciver-Brunt is a remarkable player, but she is not a captain, and she just looked slightly lost, trying to bring both Amy Jones and Sophie Ecclestone into the decision-making as England faltered.
Arguably, Knight choosing to not come out to field was an interesting decision of itself – she walked off, and she was fit enough to have been ready to bat again at the end of the innings if required, so could she have fielded? It was almost like she was protecting herself ahead of a semi-final which didn’t come partly because she wasn’t out there.
What this did show is that there isn’t another captain in this group, and that Heather Knight will be right to continue in the T20 captaincy through to the 2026 World Cup in England (as we expect to happen) because there is no other option – Knight has played a blinder in ensuring that there are no successors breathing down her neck. But Grace Scrivens has to be be brought in to the ODI side now to allow her to take over the ODI captaincy after the 50 over World Cup in India, and the T20 leadership in 2026. The tours to South Africa and Australia are what England need to be looking to now, and Scrivens absolutely must be on those planes.
