England have been, as recounted previously, absurdly fortunate thus far. Last night they earned their place in the playoffs in a gritty, hard-fought contest against India at Indore. Nat Sciver-Brunt won the toss and decided to bat on a newly-laid strip. One can never really tell, but it looked a 300 pitch. They played cautiously and within themselves for the bulk of the innings, anchored by Heather Knight’s excellent century. In the 39th over they had reached 2/211, and 300 looked to be a bare minimum from there. They reckoned without Deepti Sharma. The wily all-rounder relishes bowling at the pointy end. Where she excels is in outwitting the batsman. You’re going across the crease? I will follow you. Coming down? I’ll pitch shorter and flatter. She took 4/51 from her ten as England’s batting subsided ungracefully.

All except for Charlie Dean. Her unbeaten 19 (from 13) doesn’t sound much; but the Pride of Burton-on-Trent kept her head, and took 11 from the final over. It turned out to be the difference. 8/288 was a good score, but considerably less than had looked likely earlier on. Much of the credit goes to the Indian fielding, which was mostly exceptional. Lauren Bell removed Pratika early; and Harleen Deol fell leg before to Dean at the end of the power play, leaving the hosts at 2/42. Thereafter it was Mandhana and Harmanpreet scoring at will. The required run rate remained steady at a run a ball or thereabouts, and England could do nothing but persist.

And persist they did. The persevering captain removed Harmanpreet for a run-a-ball 70. Mandhana and Sharma proceeded to 234 and the game looked safe in India’s keeping. Sciver-Brunt kept shuffling her bowlers, and Smith picked up Mandhana for 88, caught in the outfield by Capsey. It had been a superb innings until then, but there was no need for such a rash hoick. Deepti and Ghosh were still together with five overs to go, and a mere 36 to get. Then Sciver-Brunt induced an indiscretion from Ghosh. The next over was Eccleston’s last, and Sharma, on 50, decided on a wild swipe into the outfield. Sophia Dunkley has had a dreadful time of it of late, but she held the catch.

With 27 needed from the last three the match was still open. Two of the last three were to be bowled by Linsey Smith’s slow left-arm. She bowled a full length and a tight line, and Amanjot and Rana could do little. Nine runs from Bell’s final over (the 49th) were insufficient; and the innings ended with a futile boundary which left England victors by four runs. This time, luck had nothing to do with it. England fought hard with the metaphysical wind blowing in their faces, and triumphed. India now face a virtual eliminator against New Zealand, who – inexplicably – are still in it with one win from five matches. The Sri Lankan monsoon has played hob with the points table. Australia and England are still unbeaten; and South Africa after their opening embarrassment against Bangla Desh have four wins on the trot. The final place is still to be determined.

Joty won the toss and decided to bat. At once a greater sense of urgency seemed to animate the women at the crease. They were helped by an untidy efort in the field from Australia. Six catches went down: mostly very difficult ones, but still. Many other strokes just eluded grasping hands. Jhelik prospered, hitting out brightly. At 1/73 in the 18th over things were looking up. But the Australian bowling tightened its grip, and the flow of runs dried up. The crucial spell was from Alana King, whose ten-over spell produced 2/18. The pitch had been pronounced ideal for batting; but King extracted considerable turn from the somnolent surface, as did Wareham later on.

The innings finished at 9/198, which was considerably more than Australia had counted on with the steady fall of wickets. But Sobhana Mostary kept her head amid the carnage, and found an ideal partner in Farhia Trisna at no.11. She made only one run off four balls, but her frenetic running between wickets allowed Mostary to pick up twos where only ones looked likely. She was left unbeaten on an excellent 66, and their partnership of 33 off 25 was the second highest of the innings. For Australia, Sutherland, King, Wareham and Gardner all picked up two wickets, and Schutt removed the opener Pinky in a tidy five-over spell. The third top score was Ms Extras, with 28. With the Bangla spin attack being their strength, Australia had work to do.

Or so it seemed. The camera kept cutting to Ellyse Perry in her pads, gloves and helmet, assiduously practising strokeplay; but she was not needed. Neither was anybody else. Healy and Litchfield polished off the runs without fuss, and in a mere 25 overs. The pitch had settled down, certainly, and batting had become easier than before. Both batsmen used their feet to excellent effect against the spinners, and they treated the gentle mediums with disdain. Healy offered but the one chance, and Litchfield none at all. The latter finished on 84; and the Aussie captain, shrugging off a day to forget behind the stumps, blitzed her way to her second century in a row. We hope the Bangla women are not too disheartened by this horror show. Rather should they concentrate on their three previous matches, in which they beat Pakistan, and gave both England and South Africa an almighty scare. Tonight it all went pear-shaped for them. Australia face England and South Africa in their final games, secure in the knowledge that they have already qualified for the semi-finals.

Bangla Desh won the toss and Joty decided to bat. From the outset South Africa kept things quiet enough. And there seemed no disposition for haste from the batsmen. After forty overs they had meandered to 2/150. One wondered what the plan was. Joty had shown some signs of life with a comparatively lively 32. She fell next ball to Mlaba, and Shorna Akter strode to the middle. This teenage leg-spinner is not so much a breath of fresh air as a sprightly hurricane, and she set about the bowling with all the enthusiasm of a kitten with a new toy. At the other end Sharmin Akter seemed lost in a daydream. When she wandered out of her crease and failed to make it back in time it was almost a relief for the spectators. She had made a careful 50 from 75; but urgency was now required.

When Ritu Moni emerged at an unaccustomed no.8, a wonder of change came over the game. Their partnership lasted 18 balls and produced 37. Shorna completed a brilliant unbeaten 51 from 35, including three sixes. Until tonight, apparently the entire history of Bangla Desh women’s cricket had seen just twenty sixes. There are now 23, and Shorna has four of them. She hits hard and often, mostly straight down the ground. The Bangla Plan A seemed to be to compile a careful 200 and hope. As it was, South Africa now face a target of 233. They have successfully chased far more than that; but against the spin quintuplet this will not be the walk in the park Wolvaardt might have hoped for.

The Proteas’ crest fell with Nahida’s first delivery to Tasmin Brits, who hit a carrom ball straight back to the bowler. Wolvaardt and Bosch set about the task and were cruising at 1/58 before the captain was run out. A clatter of wickets fell and suddenly the Proteas were staring defeat in the face at 5/78. Thereafter Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk pushed on, holding their nerve, and secured a narrow win. The eventual margin was three wickets, with three deliveries in hand. The Bangla women had in truth let victory slip through their fingers with a number of missed chances. South Africa heaved a huge sigh of relief. The only consolation for the defeated was the reflection that nobody will take them lightly in the future.

Slow and steady was also the watchword for Sri Lanka, facing New Zealand at Colombo. Although 0/52 from the power play was, if anything, rather quicker than that. This they owed to their star player Athapaththu. Thereafter progress slowed, as the home side preferred to keep wickets in hand. They lost both openers, but not before posting a century opening stand. At forty overs the score was 2/178. Somebody would have to get a move on; but with eight wickets in the shed a variety of auditions were possible. The jackpot was rung by Nilakshi Silva, who electrified the ground with a whirlwind half-century. Her unbeaten 55 occupied just 28 balls, and meant that Sri Lanka finished with a challenging total of 6/258.

Silva swung repeatedly across the line, sweeping or pulling the ball off her stumps and hitting with tremendous power. For the White Ferns it was a fielding performance to forget. Missed stumpings, missed catches, missed reviews: all told a tale of dismal woe. They have been horribly out of form thus far, and will need to play at their best to climb the mountain against the local spin battery. The good news is that the pitch has been newly relaid and looks excellent for batting. The bad news was the weather, which closed in with tropical rapidity and prevented any more play. New Zealand are now on the brink. Sri Lanka, with just two draws and two losses, are probably out of the reckoning.

More rain saved England’s bacon last night. Fatima Sana won the toss and sent England in; and she was unstoppable, taking 4/27. Only Charlie Dean was able to play any sort of innings and managed 33 between rain breaks. 7/79 off 25 eventually became 133/9 off 31. Pakistan’s innings began promisingly, but the return of the monsoon put an end to Pakistan’s hopes. England have had the devil’s own luck this tournament. They still lead the points table on NRR, but ought to have been well-beaten last night.

Healy won the toss and inserted the Indians on an awfully flat-looking wicket. Both sides have experienced major stutters with the bat thus far. Today there was none of that. India took on Australia’s bowling and pillaged to their hearts’ content. Had it not been for Annabelle Sutherland India might have made 400. Pratika and Mandhana began with an opening stand of 155 at better than a run a ball. Thereafter the rest of the side chipped in with useful runs. But no-one made a century, and this ultimately was the difference. Sutherland’s changes of pace – she has three different slower deliveries – flummoxed the Indians at crucial moments. Her 5/40 saved the women in yellow from an impossible chase. In the end India were bowled out a trifle early for 330.

The shenanigans at New Delhi notwithstanding, everything would have to go right in such a massive run-chase. The power play produced eighty-odd without loss. Healy lost Litchfield for an excellent 40, but Perry provided excellent support until she had to retire hurt. Then Mooney and Sutherland fell cheaply and the home crowd’s spirits swelled in admiration. But Healy was unstoppable. Tonight she shook off her want of concentration and waited for the ball to come to her. She put on 95 with Gardner and victory beckoned. But by the end she was exhausted, and chipped a low catch to Rana. By then she had made 142 from 107, and the end seemed plain sailing.

Appearances were deceptive. India fought hard, and fielded as though their lives depended on it. Much of the home team’s recovery depended on Shree Charani, whose quickish left-arm orthodox halted Australia in their tracks. Her ten overs produced a priceless 3/41, and she dragged India to within a gasp of victory. Charani’s secret is that she spins the ball hard, producing both turn and drift. But the return of Perry at no.8 turned the tide in Australia’s favour. She and Garth calmly picked off the runs; Perry concluding proceedings an over early with a straight-driven six.

This was surely the match of the tournament thus far. Both teams produced their best efforts. Because only the best would do.

India and South Africa played out a familiar script at Visakhapatnam. After the power-play India were flying at 0/55. An hour and a bit later they were 6/102. The pitches at the World Cup are ideally suited for left-arm orthodox spinners. South Africa has Chloe Tryon and Nonkululeko Mlaba, who shared five tidy wickets between them. Want of purpose and impatience saw the women in blue make another mess of their batting. Richa Gosh was however hiding down the order at no.8, and she applied herself to the task at hand with relish. She was given able assistance by Amanjot Kaur and Sneh Rana. But the match turned when South Africa’s bowling and fielding fell to bits. What had been a low-scoring match suddenly wasn’t. 98 were scored from the last ten overs, mostly from Gosh, who fell just short of a brilliant century. 251 all out looked about par, all things considered. But it ought to have been far less than that.

South Africa seemed determined to follow India’s example. They lost their top five wickets inside 20 overs and the game looked done and dusted. Wolvaardt kept her head and made a patient 70. With Chloe Tryon she managed 61 for the sixth wicket. The game turned on Wolvaardt’s dismissal. Nadine de Klerk had experienced the horrors with the ball, losing both line and length piteously. But there was nothing tentative about her innings. She put on 69 in ten overs with Tryon. On the latter’s departure, the eighth wicket saw 41 in three overs. Khakha contributed one of these runs. de Klerk was unstoppable. Eight fours and five sixes out of 84no from 54 saw the Proteas unexpectedly home with seven balls to spare.

We appear to be seeing a pattern here. Perhaps batting really does get easier in the latter stages. This is an older paradigm for one-day cricket: caution until the 40th over, then party time. Perhaps teams might consider not throwing most of their wickets away early on?

Tonight it appeared New Zealand had absorbed the lesson at Guwahati. Suzie Bates got off to a flyer but managed to run herself out. Plimmer and Kerr got themselves out, unable to negotiate the fivefold spin attack. At 3/38 off 11 overs, and without the luxury of dynamite hitters down the order, the situation cried out for caution. Which was exactly what Devine and Halliday employed. Between them they batted for more than 30 overs. They laboured, but both managed sixties. Devine’s struggles in the stifling humidity were piteous; but, exhausted as she was, she managed a couple of late sixes before departing. Aside from Green, none of the others troubled the scorers overmuch, but the eventual tally of 9/227 was far better than earlier proceedings had promised. The pick of the bowlers was the youthful and fearless Rabeya Khan, whose 3/30 was no less than she deserved.

A bridge too far for the Tigresses? And so it was. The three seamers Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair and Lea Tahuhu reduced them to 6/33 after 14 overs and the rest was anticlimactic. Fahima and Rabeya prolonged the resistance without threatening an upset, and the White Ferns were on the board at last. England meanwhile took on Sri Lanka and made somewhat heavy weather of their innings. All except for Nat Sciver-Brunt, whose run-a-ball 117 was easily the standout performance. Beaumont and Knight made useful runs, and the rest came and went, mesmerised somewhat by Ranaweera’s left-arm orthodox offerings. She took 3/33 from her ten. The other bowlers also contributed well.

But the occasion was Sciver-Brunt’s. She also took two handy wickets as Sri Lanka subsided for 164, devastated by Ecclestone’s incisions. 4/17 is impressive enough from ten overs; but these were all top-order players. England leads the table, following India’s shock defeat. Tonight India takes on Australia. The winner will qualify. The loser may also; but not without palpitations.

Fatima Sana won the toss and sent the Australians in on a slow, turning wicket. The Experts called this decision into question, since the pitch is expected to deteriorate during the evening. Yet she was vindicated in the short term. Australia began brightly, but Healy continued her distressing pattern of losing patience, and lofted a wayward drive to Diana at mid-wicket. Litchfield experienced an adrenaline rush and hit an atempted swipe straight up in the air. The Australians kept chasing the ball, and the Pakistan spin trio of Sadia, Shamim and Nashra cashed in. They bowled brilliantly, with subtle changes of flight and length, and some sharp spin, and 6/98 from their combined thirty overs was no more than their due.

Perry alone was not really to blame for her dismissal. She advanced down the track to drive Nashra and found the ball exploding off the surface like an adrenaline-soaked firecracker. Sidra whipped the bails off in a trice and Perry was on her way. Sidra Nawaz is certainly the form wicket-keeper in world cricket. She stood up to all the bowlers and did not miss a trick until the final over. Halfway through the 22nd over Australia found themselves hanging over the precipice at 7/76. On pitches like these you must wait for the ball to come to you. The only one who did was Beth Mooney. Amid the carnage she held her nerve and refused to panic. Like many a player before in this tournament her unheard cry must have been for someone to consider staying with me out here?

Kim Garth knuckled down and defended stoutly until a wide from Diana found her momentarily out of her ground. Though completely unsighted Sidra pouched the ball and swept off the bails. At 8/115 Australia was still in a whole world of trouble. Alana King strode to the centre wicket and proceeded to play herself in. At one stage she played out a maiden from one of the spinners; but for the most part she turned the strike over without taking needless risks. And Mooney batted on, delighted to have found such a stalwart companion. The score rose steadily, without fuss. When Mooney brought up her latest and best hundred the crowd erupted in jubilation. Then King took over proceedings. She is a noted belter through bovine corner, but had restrained herself admirably until the final two overs, which went for 34; most of them to King’s ferocious smiting.

Australia probably needs to stop doing this. It is tempting fate to dig yourself into such a cavernous hole and have to excavate your way to safety. And they must be kicking themselves for omitting Molineux, for reasons which escape us. This is assuredly a pitch ideal for her left-arm orthodox bowling. Nevertheless, Mooney (109 from 114) and King (51 no from 49) deserve all the praise showered upon them. Their ninth-wicket stand produced an improbable 106 from 16 overs.

Could Pakistan recover from this reversal of fortune? No, they could not. Kim Garth and Megan Schutt took five wickets in the power play and the match was over. Unless of course they had a Beth Mooney. Sidra Amin has been Pakistan’s only form batsman, and she held the Australians off for a while. But there was to be no second miracle. When Sidra fell to Gardner the last hope was extinguished. All out for 114 left Pakistan at the bottom of the table. Australia, briefly, are on top.

In Dorothy L Sayers’ Murder Must Advertise, the aged Mr Brotherhood enquires with some asperity ‘Why on earth did you send this man in ninth?’ (This referred, inevitably, to Lord Peter Wimsey’s dazzling batsmanship.) A similar question might be asked of Nigar Sultana Joty. Fresh from their thrilling victory over Pakistan, the Bangla side found themselves inserted at Guwahati on a pitch with a degree of turn available. Bell removed Dzhili early, and Smith induced a feeble catch from Joty. At 2/25 and suddenly deprived of their twin batting heroes, Bangla Desh seemed rudderless, adrift in a Sargasso Sea of inertia. No blame whatever attaches to Sobhara Mostary, who held her end up and collected such runs as made themselves available. As wickets steadily fell around her, it was all she could do to fight on and attempt to get some sort of total on the board. She top-scored with a patient 60 (off 108), but her partners seemed mesmerised by England’s spin quartet.

When Ritu Moni was finally out for 5 off 36 it seemed a moment of relief. Yes, there was spin. But not extravagant spin. It was like watching a somnolent net practice as the run-rate plunged downwards. Two-thirds of the balls bowled were dots. There was no attempt to force the pace or improvise, save against the two seamers, whose twelve overs cost 1/60. Ecclestone, Dean, Smith and Capsey took the other nine wickets exceedingly cheaply. When Rabeya Khan went out to bat at no.9 the camera kept turning to the pavilion, where Joty expostulated visibly. Could somebody please DO something?? she appeared to be beseeching the heavens.

Rabeya is but twenty years old, and has it appears no fear of anybody. As she swept, drove, glanced, glided and clubbed the English attack all over the park, it simply went to show what might have been possible. When the final wicket fell in the last over she was left stranded, unbeaten on 43 off 27. Going by what we saw, she must be sent in no lower than no.6 in future. But even as she thrilled the crowd with her exuberant strokeplay, the lasting impression on the viewer was What Then Will England Do?

Marufa began proceedings with her customary brio, trapping Jones leg before in her first over. She then dropped Beaumont off Nahida: an easy catch which ought to have been taken. Undeterred, she had Knight caught behind: a decision later reversed on mystifying grounds. She then trapped Beaumont in front, and repeated the dose to Knight, who successfully appealed again, and was spared once more. At least this time the decision was comprehensible. Marufa must have steeped on a pavement crack, or else crossed the path of a black cat; for she had little luck.

The Bangla spin battery kept things relatively quiet at one end. At the other was Nat Sciver-Brunt, who had had quite enough of all this excitement, and raced to a run-a-ball 30 by drinks. Thereafter Knight enjoyed yet another bewildering reprieve, this time for a catch in the field. She would be well-advised to buy herself a lottery ticket tomorrow. Then Fahima Khatun took a hand in proceedings. She induced a loose waft from Sciver-Brunt; trapped Dunkley in front, and had Lamb go for an ambitious leg-side swipe which landed in Nahida’s grasp. The umpires then reviewed the catch. For a direful moment it seemed Bangla Desh might be sawn off yet again, but sanity prevailed and Lamb was on her way.

With England at 5/78 the match was tottering towards an upset. Capsey strode to the wicket and played an excellent cameo of 20 until she played all over the left-arm spin of Meghla and was palpably leg before. England 6/104 and still knee-deep in trouble. What would Knight do? By this stage she had reached a cautious, sedate 27, trusting in the favourable star which had thus far preserved her. But she appeared to decide that Charlie Dean was a reliable partner. And Joty’s problem was that, the excellent Khatun aside, her wrist-spinners were steadily bleeding runs. And indeed Knight and Dean calmly picked off the runs, taking their time about it because they could. They saw off Khatun, whose ten overs produced 3/16. Bangla Desh had put up a tremendous fight, but the palm went to England after all. Knight’s unbeaten 79 was the difference.

The weather which denied Australia two days previous held off, and nothing worse than clouds of insects discommoded the players. It seemed there was something irresistible about the cricketers out there which inspired clouds of winged spectators. The fielding side attempted to discourage them with spray cans, but they may as well have tried to drain the Indian Ocean with a bucket and spade. Having been thoroughly trounced by Bangla Desh in Colombo, Pakistan’s match against India looked to be the mismatch of the tournament. Yet Pakistan showed considerable fight despite a poor beginning.

And India have problems of their own. All their batsmen got a start, but none carried on to an innings of great substance. Only a punishing 35no (from 20) by Richa Gosh saw India reach even a moderate total of 247. And Pakistan, for the first time, actually bowled India out on the final ball. Diana Baig had a bad day with the ball, but still managed four wickets. Could Pakistan make a fight of it with the bat, after their previous horror show? Indeed they did. Sidra Amin made a superb 81. But she did not get enough support after Kranti Gaud tore through the top order. Deepti Sharma finished the job, but India are still misfiring. They will need to play better against Australia and England.

Meanwhile in Indore Laura Wolvaardt lost the toss against New Zealand. This is very much by the form book. Some captains are born under a fortunate star when it comes to coin tosses. Wolvaardt isn’t. This is a vital game for both sides, coming off losses. Lose this and you’re in deep trouble. Devine stared at the piebald pitch, pondered the non-appearance of dew in Australia’s game, and seems to have decided the surface won’t get any better later on. The Kiwis lost Suzie Bates first ball to Kapp’s late outswing when what looked like a leg-side drifter turned out not to be. Thereafter the Wellington twins Plimmer and Kerr played with circumspection and a great many dot balls. When the Proteas erred in line and length – a rare enough occurrence – the batsmen cashed in. The power play ended at an unusually sedate 1/38.

The match continued to meander aimlessly. Plimmer’s struggles were awful to behold; and Kerr, feeling that Something Ought To Be Done, swiped de Klerk wide off mid-off and was taken by Luus. Devine strode to the crease and managed to kick-start the scoring rate. But Plimmer remained stranded in the doldrums, and eventually succumbed to Tryon’s first over. Her 31 had chewed up 68 deliveries and she may even have felt some fleeting relief that her travails were over. Brooke Halliday may have rubbed inadvertent salt into Plimmer’s wounds by joyfully hopping into Tryon’s spin. She raced to 31 off 18 by drinks and seemed to be having fun out there. Devine must have appreciated the respite at the other end. Halliday has discovered the joys of sweeping, and the spinners suffered. The seamers had been bowling straight, and both Devine and Halliday glanced so often that Wolvaardt felt obliged to retire to deep fine leg to stop the boundaries.

3/148 off 32 appeared to promise an eventual score in the region of 260-270, with Devine and Halliday picking up singles at will. But on 45 Halliday skied Mlaba back to her and departed. Mlaba finished with 4/40 from her ten overs of skilful left-arm spin. She varied her flight and pace and the White Ferns had no answers. Chief among her wickets was Devine, who was unfortunate enough to be bowled off her pads. Wolvaardt’s catch to dismiss Tahuhu was more redolent of a conjurer’s stage than a cricket field. 231 was far less than New Zealand had hoped for. But this pitch is slow, and a little uneven. If the White Ferns could equal their opponents’ brilliant fielding and disciplined bowling, they still had a fair chance.

This hope proved as evanescent as morning mist. After Jess Kerr removed Wolvaardt early, Brits and Luus strolled towards their goal and nothing went right for the White Ferns. Sune Luus struggled for survival without throwing her hand away, and finished unbeaten on 83. But the Proteas’ innings was all about Tazmin Brits. She danced down the pitch and clubbed the spinners anywhere she pleased. She reached her fifth century this year with fifteen fours and a six, from 89 deliveries. When she was finally out the target was 46 from almost 20 overs. Three late wickets fell, but this was junk-time. South Africa have revived their campaign. New Zealand are on the brink.

Only 34.3 overs were possible tonight, despite the presence of competition heavyweights England and South Africa. Rain? Not so much. What South Africa served up was a display of bungling incompetence which left their captain Volvaardt white of face, tight of lip, and unable to see any humour whatever in the situation. England had chosen a triple-spin attack of Smith, Ecclestone and Dean, with Capsey in reserve if required; plus Bell and Sciver-Brunt for seam. Smith opened the bowling and was taken off after four overs. Her figures of 3/7 earned her a Player of the Match trophy. She caught the captain from a teasing drifter, and bowled Brits and Kapp, the Proteas’ three gun batsmen.

The rest, dismayed, subsided meekly save for the keeper Jafta, ninth out for 22. Nobody else managed double figures. You would think this had been a raging turner. As in Colombo last night, it really wasn’t, as shown by the ease with which Jones and Beaumont knocked off the runs. Rarely has an ODI been so one-sided, or finished so early. Asked afterwards what her secret might be, Smith’s response said it all. ‘Attack the stumps’. Cricket can be a simple game. England bowled exceptionally well on a pitch which offered only the most modest of help. And South Africa lost their way in a calamitous fashion. One imagines that Annerie Dercksen – inexplicably omitted tonight – will return to the side. The rest: back to the nets and practise waiting for the ball to come to you.

This column opined, after the disastrous Test series against Australia, that it was time for a female coach for England. Charlotte Edwards is now at the helm, and the team looks refreshed and ready for anything.

Thus Ernest Bramah, an enterprising purveyor of Edwardiana. The Kai Lung books have little to do with any version of China recognisable by historians, but he did have a fine turn of phrase. It seemed an apposite description of tonight’s match in Colombo. Pakistan won the toss on a good wicket and batted. Their opponents? Bangla Desh, who are only at this World Cup at all after narrowly defeating the once mighty West Indies in the qualifying rounds. If Pakistan expected an easy win they were in for a rude awakening.  Marufa Akter is the Bangla side’s only seamer. But her opening over rattled through Omaima and Sidra. 2/2 was hardly the start they had expected. Marufa swung the new ball at a good pace and demanded exaggerated respect.

The remainder of the Bangla attack was spin, spin, and yet more spin. Their five-fold battery tied up the Pakistani batsmen into Turks’ head knots. They had no answers, and were bowled out in the 39th over for a pitiable 129. All the spinners took wickets, and Shorna Akter finished with the absurd figures of 3/5. The much-decorated Diana Baig, batting at no.9, was left unbeaten and untroubled on 16. Not for the first time, she must wonder why she is not sent in earlier. During Diana’s opening spell the target of 130 looked a long way off. She is a multi-talented athlete who has also represented Pakistan at soccer, and has carried their attack for more years than she probably cares to remember. Five overs in the power-play yielded her figures of 1/2. Most of the dot balls were from plays and misses. Had she beaten the bat any more often she could justly have demanded forfeits from the hapless batsmen.

Fatima Sana beat the bat almost as often. And yet the Bangla women stood their ground and refused to throw their hands away as Pakistan had done. Their batting has long been fragile, and relies heavily on their captain Nigar Sultana Joty. When Joty came out at no.4 she took her time to play herself in. She also took time out to reassure her partner Rubya Haider Jhilik, who had batted through from the outset and clung to the crease like a short-sighted limpet. The substance of their talks was self-evident. No, this is not Galle, where the ball turns square. Let’s take these spinners on now, and belt them out of the attack. And they did, forcing the recall of Diana and Fatima. Fatima accounted for Joty, but the game was gone by then. Victory was achieved with nineteen overs and seven wickets to spare, with Jhilik unbeaten on 54. Minnows in world cricket, are we? We’ll see about that.