The ODI series in England was disappointing to say the least and to make matters worse I am likely to sit out the Challenger Series, starting October 2 in Ahmedabad, because of some niggling injuries.
But though we lost 4-0 to England I can honestly say we have taken quite a lot from the experience of playing there. That holds true especially for the younger players in the squad for whom the tour was a first-ever outside the subcontinent. I’d say we were enjoying a lot of a confidence after our Asia Cup win but England are a level higher than any of the sides we played in Sri Lanka. The one thing I observed in the England players was their confidence – simply brimming – which I believe is because of their Ashes win in Australia. Unlike us, England have been consistently playing against good sides and that shows in their performance. They are one of the best fielding sides today.
In analysing our defeat, I’d say we didn’t give enough importance to partnerships. In fact we hardly had any to build an innings with. Unless at least two decent partnerships can be mustered, it is very difficult to cross 180 to 200. However at a time when the team is losing badly the important thing is to remain positive. Our coach would focus on the good aspects of the match because there is no point in getting the young players down ahead of the next one.
I think where we went wrong in England was picking a lot of inexperienced players. If I had to do it all over again, I would have a mixture of seniors and juniors, giving a little more weightage to experience. On a personal level, I was quite happy with the way I negotiated the England bowlers, especially Jenny Gunn, who had troubled me a lot in our last tour in 2006. Every time I came to bat, Charlotte Edwards would call on Jenny to bowl. So this time I looked up some videos of her from the Quadrangular series and worked out a strategy to negotiate her. I won’t reveal my methods but its suffice to say they worked.
Our next tour is to Australia and it will give us an opportunity to get a better idea of the players we’d like for the World Cup. No one is a certainty yet and the tour, as well as the domestic tournaments following it, will help in marking out potential players. For now I am looking forward to the Challengers, whether I play in it or not, because there is a lot of new talent there waiting to be discovered.
Posted by: Anonymous at September 24, 2008 6:19 AM
First of all i congrates your performence in England. Injuries is a part of player's life.England tour is a experience.Think better for Australia.I personally think that never pick lot of inexperienced players to Abroad tour.We must have lot of Under 19 tournaments and camps and then pick a younger player to replace the senior.Just like Men we must have INDIA A TEAM. RITA DEY
Posted by: Shreen at September 27, 2008 12:00 PM
Hai Team India..Success and failure are there in every thing we do.But losing yes definitely shakes your confidence.Inspite of that as a Captain you tried your level best.Good for that. Definitely we need lots of experienced players to be in the squad when playing against a strong team as England.It is not good also to rely on juniors whose skills,confidence is not tested against such a team.more than skills its the confidence that matters.If you believe in yourself nothing can stop you.But once you give up no one can save you.This every individual has to remember..As a sportsperson you(Team)need more to survive in the competitive world.It is the determination towards the game.Once you are confined to a job Do The Best you can.Every player is like you.They will also be scared to face your bowling and struggle to bowl a good ball that you can't attempt.Every individual has their weakness.But dont let anybody take advantage over you.It should be you to damage their confidence.ONLY U.........
Posted by: Nini at September 30, 2008 5:46 AM
first of all well done on your good performance despite the team underperformed during the england tour.... i agree with you that the team was far too much inexperienced to play teams like england or australia... i hope rumeli gets fit for the ausi tour and i hope the selectors can use the experience of Anjum as well.... two lefty openers might be the answer to the ausi bowling attack.... as the coming world cup is in Austrailia , experienced players will be the key to coup up with the conditions...hope you guys will give a better and improved performance in Austrailia .... Best of luck for the future tours....
Posted by: shikha at October 15, 2008 12:43 PM
the team looked weak on experience..n the batting dint seem too gud..i guess only u were tye one who looked comfortable n were consistent..congrtas u for that...
hope the gals do well in the forthcomin australia tour with the experienced players makin a comback
Posted by: Gurmit Singh at October 16, 2008 8:37 AM
Hey itz great to see Mithali you among the toppers but you need to be at the top. I have seen couple of your matches in DD channel and was happy with the way u batted. That was a class. You are a Beautiful cricketer with a beautiful technique and a wonderful smile. Hope more of your matches are telecast in the channels
Mithali Raj, India's former captain, has been on the international circuit for a decade. In August 2006, she led India to their first-ever Test and series win in England and capped off the year by winning the Asia Cup - the second time in 12 months - without dropping a game. India, under her captaincy, also reached the World Cup final in 2005. Now, as one of the senior members of the side, and the premier batsman, a lot will be riding on her for the two World Cups - 50-over and Twenty20 - that India will play in 2009.
Urooj Mumtaz managed to juggle a course in dentistry along with captaining Pakistan. Their most recent triumph was qualifying for the World Cup next year and the 22-year old Urooj will lead a young team to Australia in hope of creating a favourable impression of the Pakistan women's team among the other sides as well as back home. A legspinner, she has a hat-trick against Zimbabwe.
Cri-zelda Brits became South Africa’s captain at the age of 23, standing in for Shandre Fritze in the home series against Pakistan in 2007. She followed this by captaining the side to a 3-0 series whitewash against the Netherlands as well as winning the first-ever Test between the two sides by 159 runs. In 2008 she scored her maiden ODI hundred and led South Africa to a spot in the World Cup after beating Pakistan in the Qualifiers final in Stellenbosch. She also coaches the Northwest women's team, based in Potchefstroom, and runs her own academy.
Shelley Nitschke combines playing for Australia and her state with working in cricket, as a school officer. A useful spinner, her batting is also worth talking about – she has developed into a handy allrounder. Her major achievements to date are winning the 2005 World Cup, taking 7 for 24 against England in Kidderminster in 2005 and being nominated for the ICC Women's Player of the Year in 2006-07. Although she has played netball, softball and basketball, cricket has always been her stand-out sport.
Ebony Rainford-Brent made history as one of eight England players to be handed a Chance to Shine coaching contract, allowing her flexibility around training. A top-order batsman, she fought back from what doctors thought was a career-killing back injury and could one day bowl again – calling her determined is an understatement. She is on the Surrey Academy and her Super 4s side is Diamonds. Proficient in basketball and athletics, she settled for playing cricket … and the drums.
Haidee Tiffen has played for New Zealand for more than ten years and is now their captain, having begun her career with Otago Under-21s before heading to Canterbury. She has played representational hockey, basketball and rugby – but cricket is her passion and won out over New Zealand junior hockey. She is particularly proud of winning the World Cup in 2000, reaching the 100-ODI milestone and being skipper. Her experience also includes playing for Sussex for two winters and she was also part of the first female academy in Lincoln. Somehow she also finds time to teach Health and PE at Hillmorton High School.
Isobel Joyce,a class bat with a steely mentality, comes from a family full of cricketers - twin sister Cecilia plays alongside her for Ireland and brother Dom for the men’s national team, while another brother, Ed, plays for England and Middlesex. Her first half-century came against a strong New Zealand attack in Dublin in 2004 and her figures of 4 for 20 helped her side beat Scotland by six wickets in the European Championship in 2001, where Ireland won all their three matches. Her 46 against Netherlands in the summer of 2007 helped to maintain her place in the World Cup qualifiers in South Africa. She was in outstanding form with both and ball during the tournament, scoring 148 runs at 37 and taking 10 wickets at an average of 7. She ran out five Pakistani players in Ireland's first match, before earning two successive Player-of-the-Match awards against Scotland and then Zimbabwe, against whom she scored 70 and took 4 for 10. She was named captain for their next series, against West Indies, after Heather Whelan pulled out because she was expecting.
Nadine George has been a regular for West Indies since her debut in 1999. She first led the side on their tour of Europe in June-July 2008, when West Indies thrashed Ireland and Netherlands while putting up a respectable performance against England. Nadine combines playing for West Indies and her national team, St.Lucia, with her day job as a Sergeant in the Police Marine Unit of the Royal St.Lucia Police Force. A left-hand batsman and wicketkeeper, Nadine says the highlights of her career are receiving an MBE at Buckingham Palace in 2005, being the first West Indies woman cricketer to score a century in a Test (in Pakistan in 2004), playing in the World Cup in South Africa (2005), and playing club cricket in Australia in 2006. Nadine also plays netball and volleyball and loves the marine environment and is passionate about diving. She is a qualified open water diver and during her working hours captains a 65 and 82 ft vessel. Her motto in life is "with hard work and dedication one can achieve".
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