It is a curious artefact in the Holy of Holies, ranking somewhere between Tendulkar’s batting gloves and  Warne’s hair transplant. Yet it is a thing. To have one’s name inscribed thereon requires either five wickets or a century. The great man himself never achieved it, managing four scalps per innings many a time, but never the mystic Five-for. Some new names will be added, and not a moment too soon. But one is getting ahead of oneself. England’s innings resumed a couple of days since hoping for a substantial lead. Thanks to Kranti Gaud they never even looked like it. Gaud is a brisk seamer somewhat in the Glenn McGrath mode: not quick, but deadly accurate, delivering the ball between five and seven metres on and outside off-stump. She allowed natural variation and the Lords slope to work their magic, and bagged a well-earned 5/37 on a pitch that wasn’t doing an awful lot. Although her dismissal of Alice Capsey was more a Pat Cummins special, slanting in towards middle and leg and hitting the top of off.

Three of the top four were out leg before. None were especially blameworthy either. Gaud and Satghare simply outbowled the English women. The offspinner Sneh Rana chimed in with two more and England were dismissed for 170. Sciver-Brunt made a careful 44, and Amy Jones a sprightly 52, but no-one else really troubled the scorers. England needed quick wickets to have any hope in the match, but were instead ground down by Smriti Mandhana, who added 70 to her first-innings 83. She won’t appear on the Board of Boards, but perchance her time may yet come. She is a renowned smiter in white-ball cricket, but  restrained herself admirably. Yastika Bhatia carried the spoils with a marvellous century at number three. She hit fourteen boundaries in her knock and snuffed out England’s hopes. When the score reached 1/161 the lead was near 300. And still the English bowlers toiled away. Because this is Test cricket, after all.

That India did not make an absurd total was due to Sophie Ecclestone, who is well-used to long spells and got better as the day progressed. She is not a big spinner of the ball, but she is patience’s own child and wove her spells on the Indian middle order. 5/118 sounds like a long day’s work, and it was. But aside from Bell, who took the other two wickets and bowled with vim and precision, her compatriots could do nothing. Deepti Sharma made a joyous fifty as India did as they pleased and England had no answers. Finally Harmanpreet called a halt at 7/341, setting England a day and a bit to make 457. Which wasn’t going to happen. Day three ended with the last rites imminent. Gaud and Satghare destroyed the top order, and when Rana removed the English captain the last flicker of hope was expunged.

Day Four was all for honour. Villiers and Jones held the fort for a while. Jones made another fifty before being taken by Verma, and Villiers was unfortunate enough to club the ball at hurricane speed straight into the hands of Ghosh at silly mid-off. In 0.14 of a second Ghosh’s hands clutched at the ball in sheer self-preservation and held it. The tail did not abandon ship. They had to be prised out, and they were, after some stout defence. Ecclestone alone attempted some counter-strikes, and hit her way to a half-century before falling at last to a brute of an off-break from Rana, who took the bowling honours with 4/42. Kranti Gaud was named Player of the Match, and with seven wickets on a docile pitch she well and truly earned it. Sachin Tendulkar himself appeared in the stands, to the acclamation of the substantial crowd.

And the Honours Board? Gaud, Ecclestone and Bhatia’s names will be duly inscribed there. And not before time, either.

 

The curtain-raiser to this historic occasion occurred at the County Ground in Bristol, where England’s whitewash of India in T20 continued. One exception to the general want of patience and technique was supplied by the captain Shreyas Iyer, whose unbeaten 80 from 49 was all anyone could have asked for. The other batsmen had another day to forget, succumbing to Archer and Tongue’s menacing lift and bounce. It is a strange pitch hereabouts, resembling a rolled-out sponge cake laid over an aircraft runway. The English seamers made the ball fly and ignored the occasional six. India’s 158/7 was never going to be enough, and the home side strolled home with six overs to spare: Brook’s unbeaten 79 from 35 giving the home crowd plenty to cheer. Phil Salt endured another torrid maiden over from Arshdeep, but thereafter enjoyed himself. India are giving the appearance of being anxious to be on the plane home; but there is plenty of this tour to come, beginning with the final T20 in Southampton.

But the real news of the day was at Lords, where India’s women faced England. This is the first time in the history of this august venue that a Test match for women has been permitted here: a dubious statistic on which the egg-and-bacon crew need not congratulate themselves unduly. Sciver-Brunt won the toss and surprised Harmanpreet by asking her to bat, on a dry wicket in the midst of a heatwave against opposition with three high-quality spinners. At first it went pear-shaped for the home side, despite two early wickets to Bell and Filer. Bowlers who know the infamous Lords slope regard it as an attacking weapon. Those who have never played here before notably struggle. Bell and Filer will not have enjoyed the sight of their pitch maps. By the time Jemmy Rodrigues was out the hundred was already up in the 19th over.

She was dismissed by Issy Wong, who returned to the Test team today, in the unglamorous role of third seamer. She struggled with line and length. She tried to make the ball swing and it wouldn’t. Yet she persisted. And that was the story of England’s day. Smriti Mandhana looked set to make 200, having cashed in against some wayward bowling; but Wong picked her up too, caught by Jones standing up to the stumps. Multi-ethnic Birmingham’s poster woman then took a superb outfield catch to get rid of the dangerous Ghosh. Star all-rounder Deepti Sharma made a hard-hitting fifty, but perished to Ecclestone, who swept away the tail in short order.

The best delivery of the day came from Durham’s debutant off-spinner Maddy Villiers, who took some heavy treatment, but bravely continued to flight the ball outside off-stump, and was rewarded with a Nathan Lyon special to Harmanpreet. It looped up outside off, drifting away through the air, and darted between bat and pad like a kingfisher snaffling an early breakfast. As the stumps tilted back the Indian captain stared in disbelief, as well she might. Villiers trapped Rana in front, and returned to the pavilion with a hard-earned 2/79. England lost Beaumont early to Gaud, who attacked the stumps far more than her opponents had done. The home team will resume on 1/21, and will need to bat all day, at the very least.

 

It was only inevitable in retrospect that the final would be England vs Australia. The only two unbeaten teams. The only teams with eleven potential matchwinners. But a curious leitmotiv has become evident. Despite encouraging performances from emerging young cricketers, the actual matchwinners have been the veterans. Faced with the threat of losing their positions to the young and hungry, many of the tried and true have been inspired to hitherto unscaled heights. In no match was this more evident than in Thursday’s semi-final. South Africa’s bowling power play was entrusted to Marizanne Kapp (aged 36) and Shabnim Ismail (37) alone. Three overs each. And England’s top three had already been sent back. (Ismail has lost a little pace these days, but not a lot. And she is the fastest female bowler in history, having once exceeded 130 ks in the IPL.)

Thereafter? Why, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight restored order with patience, and a final flourish. England’s eventual total of 169/5 was too much for the South Africans. England’s spin trio of Smith, Dean and Ecclestone combined for 4/77 from their 12 overs. Only Tazmin Brits with a gallant 51 managed any sort of innings; and the one batsman who might have threatened England with a furious counter-attack was left with too much to do. Nadine de Klerk finished unbeaten and thoroughly frustrated on 14, and the Proteas fell 40 runs short.

Australia won the toss and elected to chase on a pitch which looks slow and low. Wyatt-Hodge and Jones began nervously against Garth. Hamilton’s left-arm pace induced an edge from Jones and was taken low down in the gully by Voll. England’s plan was to play with circumspection and cash in on the chaff. They had to wait until the fifth over for some of that. Sutherland sprayed the ball in all directions. But she has the knack of picking up wickets. When Wyatt-Hodge fanned at a leg-side wide Australia reviewed after Mooney’s acrobatic catch, and the evidence was in her favour. A faint glove it was indeed, and the veteran champion was sent on her way.

At the first refreshment break England was 2/39. It could have been three down had Gardner’s throw to Hamilton been more accurate. Alice Capsey was fortunate to survive her excessive exuberance in calling such a doubtful run. It took until the ninth over for the fireworks to begin, when Gardner was gored and savaged by Capsey. Her adventurism was ended by Molineux. Perhaps a reverse sweep against left-arm orthodox gazunders was a poor choice, and her off-stump was duly inclined. But the plan was sound enough. Let Capsey take the risks, and allow Sciver-Brunt to cruise until the time comes for a thundering exclamation mark towards the end.

By the 14-over break matters had reached a crisis for the home side at 4/93. Sciver-Brunt could no longer afford to trundle along as she had been. A run-a-ball 35 was a solid platform, but more would be needed. Par looked to be around 160, and that was currently many leagues distant. At the other end however was the tall, angular all-rounder Freya Kemp, and she it was who saluted. From an unbeaten fifth-wicket partnership of 80 from 55 Kemp smote her way to 44 from 28. And this against formidable opponents who gave little away, and who fielded like demons. With one exception, however: three times run-outs were missed which would ordinarily have been taken.

For Australia, the bowling stars were the openers Garth and Hamilton, whose seven overs combined for 2/39. Gardner was expensive, and Wareham must have wondered why she was only granted two overs of leg-spin, which yielded a mere nine runs. Nevertheless Australia must have been quietly confident. But this would be nothing like a cakewalk. The pitch is slow and low, and England will have learned useful lessons on where and how to bowl.

England sprang a surprise by opening with Dean’s off-spin. Voll clubbed the first ball straight for four, and was adjudged lbw to the second. It looked to be a poor decision, and on review it was indeed, having pitched outside leg. Lauren’s Bell’s first over was filled with incident, containing a no-ball, four byes, a wide, a pulled boundary, and Voll playing on to her stumps. The over concluded with Litchfield hitting her first delivery to the fence. Honours roughly even? Arguably, with a wicket and fifteen runs. With Australia’s prodigiously long batting lineup the plan was evident. Get the required rate down to a run a ball as soon as possible, and coast to victory.

After six overs Australia was 1/62. Only 89 required from 14 overs, and with Mooney and Litchfield in full cry England looked lost. But there was still four overs of Ecclestone to come. And perchance Kemp, fresh from her brilliant innings, might find something with her brisk mediums. As it happened, no, not really. Did I mention coasting? It appears that the word is not in these women’s lexicon. What Litchfield and Mooney unleashed upon the hapless English was more like a brutal massacre. When Linsey Smith went around the wicket Litchfield uncorked her favourite reverse sweep and clobbered the ball for six. Smith’s rueful smile spoke volumes. There were a few moments of unintended comedy when she tried to repeat the stroke against Ecclestone, who does not permit such extravagances. Litchfield whacked her pad with her bat in annoyance at having missed out, but it did not signify.

By the time Litchfield finally overreached and lost her stumps to Dean the game was done and dusted. Her 48 from 35 had been decisive. A good five minutes were wasted in determining whether or not Perry had been dismissed for a diamond duck. She hadn’t, since it was clear that Kemp had not touched the ball in her follow-through. But justice must be seen to be done and so forth. Although it did not seem to be a little later on. The English spin trio prolonged the contest with some tight overs. Then Perry spooned the ball low to Ecclestone, who apparently took the catch just above the turf. The third umpire disagreed. Unable to believe her eyes, the pony-tailed spinner advanced upon the umpires with smoke pouring out of her ears like the Flying Scotsman pulling in to Kings Cross station.

Fortunately for all concerned Charlie Dean – England’s deputy skipper – interposed her body and prevented a perilous incident. The match was over anyway, and this curious decision changed nothing. The contest ended in farce with five wides from the still incandescent Ecclestone. The truth was that England played according to the manual of past decades. If you bat first against Australia – whatever the pitch and conditions – you need a minimum of 170 to give yourself a chance. The two power plays told the story. England 2/39, Australia 1/62. Australia used their feet: either down the pitch or across the crease. England were mostly anchored as though chained to the turf. The visitors were simply too good, right throughout the tourney. Only India had made them improvise. This is Australia’s seventh T20 World Cup. None would deny that they were the champion team. Alana King – the premier bowler in World cricket – could not even make the eleven. Neither could Tahlia McGrath. One can scarcely recall Nicola Carey either batting or bowling. But there: as the poet Milton would have it, some also serve who only stand and wait.

The crowd? Lords was packed with almost 30,000 fans. They would for the most part have departed unsatisfied, but that’s sport for you. The final word belongs to Beth Mooney.  She had kept wickets superbly despite her injuries, standing up to the stumps and denying their enemy the chance to leave the crease. And she opened the batting and made 64 from 49 with ten boundaries. She assessed the English bowling and outwitted them repeatedly. She was adjudged leg before to Ecclestone at the end of the 16th, but by then the game was over. She is still only 32. Australia may give thanks that she is married to a physiotherapist, who doubtless helps keep her on the park. She still has much to give our Invincibles. Hurrah!

 

That Australia went south of the Thames as red-hot favourites meant precisely nothing. The slate is wiped clean, and the race begins anew. There was consternation in the Caribbean camp as Deandra Dottin was seen being carried off by her team-mates in obvious distress just before the commencement. Lucy Hamilton meanwhile faced the menace of Matthews. Everyone knows what carnage might strike from her bat. She whacked the first ball to the off-boundary. Thereafter she rode her luck: several lofted strokes just avoiding the clutching hands of the fielders. Qiana Joseph meanwhile was in the horrors. She is in the team for her power hitting, but it looked as though some malevolent genie had transformed her bat into a stick of celery. After the power-play she was on 6 from 16, and nothing was going right for her.

Matthews’ good fortune ran dry on Wareham’s first delivery, which snaked past her wandering feet and took the middle stump. Leg-spinners don’t have to bowl Warneish freaks of nature. Just a little drift in and straighten is enough for most purposes. Joseph meanwhile finally connected with a straight drive for six, but this was the most mendacious of false dawns. She slog-swept Molineux to Gardner at cow corner and was safely taken. Worse followed when Gardner cleaned up Taylor and Claxton. At 4/59 after 11 the innings was coming apart at the seams. Worse was to follow when Henry perished to Molineux, and Shemaine Campbelle holed out to Perry from Wareham.

At this point West Indies were 6/83 halfway through the 16th over, and facing an embarrassing disaster. Lo and behold! the new batsman was the patched-up Dottin. We still do not know what happened to her just prior to the start of play. She looked to be limping, but eager for the fray. She and Jannillea Glasgow then put on 42: the latter perishing to Sutherland from the final delivery. Dottin’s unbeaten 26 from 16 was but an echo of her past glories; but it was a brave intervention from a much-decorated cricketer. 7/125 was no sort of score on this friendly wicket. But it could have been so much worse. Australia might have missed a trick through not including King to make up a spin quartet. Gardner (2/13), Wareham (2/17) and Molineux (2/30) combined for 6/60 from their eleven overs. The only wicket to fall to seam was the final one. The women in maroon are proverbially more comfortable facing seam than spin.

Beth Mooney, we are informed, has a pair of broken fingers. She allowed Voll to take the gloves just once before returning to the side. Surprisingly, she opened the innings. After six overs she had stroked her way to 41, losing Voll and Litchfield on the way. There was no brutality here. It was more a case of surgical strikes. She watches the field rearrange itself and pierces the gaps as if spot-welding her way to a new apartment block. There was a flutter in the rooms as Perry sent herself off with an unexplained niggle. Safety first, we assume. We need not have troubled ourselves, as Mooney and Gardner picked off the runs with seven overs to spare. It was a crushing win by a side apparently in cruise control. And Lords awaits on Sunday.