http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/ en Copyright 2009 Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:09:46 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss

Haidee Tiffen: "I have been a part of the winning World Cup team in 2000 and made friendships I know will last forever" © Getty Images

  I had been thinking about retiring for a while and had spoken to my friends and family at Christmas about the thoughts of retiring. I know it is probably a bit odd at the timing of my retirement ahead of the World Twenty20 but I have had plenty of agonising hours deciding when it was right. I know in my heart before the World Cup that it was time. I thoroughly enjoyed the World Cup and I always wanted to retire on a high note and I feel I have done that. There is a new era of young talented White Ferns that I know will continue to represent our country with huge pride and passion. I know they will continue doing well. I will always be following the girls’ journey. One reason for my decision to retire was the loss of earnings for us while we are on tour. It is very difficult to balance full time teaching and full-time cricket. If I was paid I probably would still be playing. It is hard to keep the balance and I know it has been my choice for the past few years and I certainly did not play for money, I played because I am hugely passionate about cricket and my country. The positive thing in the women’s game is that the playing programme for the women has grown but there is far more of a time commitment now in order to prepare for those tours and I suppose the loss of earnings on tour did come into account in my decision to retire. It is not the main reason but certainly a part of the reason. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/04/the_pride_of_playing_for_new_z.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/04/the_pride_of_playing_for_new_z.php New Zealand cricket Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:09:46 +0000

We always knew that the World Cup was going to be a learning experience and if we needed a lesson in how to deliver one of the best batting performances of all time then we saw it on Thursday with Suzie Bates and Haidee Tiffen’s amazing 262-run partnership. Suzie’s innings in particular was the best-ever innings I have ever seen, even if we did help her by bowling both sides of the wicket. The way she powerfully struck our bowlers all around the ground was quite incredible and a great lesson for us to observe. The New Zealand and Pakistan teams have become very close during this event, ever since we played a warm-up game against each other, and they have been very helpful at passing on tips to us about how to make it at the top level. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/a_batting_lesson_from_new_zeal.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/a_batting_lesson_from_new_zeal.php Women's World Cup, 2009 Fri, 20 Mar 2009 03:51:22 +0000

What a game! We have made it to the World Cup final in quite some style. I am particularly chuffed about Suzie Bates’ 168 and our world-record stand – highest for the second wicket in women’s ODI. Her effort was fantastic, she is a very clean hitter of the ball and began very aggressively. The lightning quick outfield just made things a little easier. Some of her six sixes – another record – went right out the park and I can tell you that’s a pure joy to watch. But we didn’t get distracted by getting fours and sixes and also concentrated on accumulating singles. Looking back, 400 was possible but we were just looking to get as many runs as possible. Our batting is peaking at the right time and today we didn’t mess around with the line-up much. It’s a settled batting order which makes me feel at ease ahead of meeting England. I know we took 48 overs to bowl Pakistan out but it doesn’t worry me – their openers batted really well and the rest of the line-up hardly played any shots to give us a chance. There is still some concern over the fielding – we conceded many overthrows today – and that is an area we really need to work on. Rebecca Rolls, our former keeper, is holidaying in Australia right now and I must say she timed it well! She has always been a great supporter and morale-booster for us since she retired, always sending us texts and emails encouraging us. She is spending time with the team right now and was part of the side that rattled up 455 against Pakistan in 1997. How cool would that have been? She was certainly pleased by the show we put up. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/world_cup_final_here_we_come.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/world_cup_final_here_we_come.php Women's World Cup, 2009 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:37:53 +0000

I have to say I am really proud of the way New Zealand bounced back from the defeat against England to beat India today. We are getting closer to the World Cup final but that doesn’t mean we can take Pakistan – our next Super Six opponents - lightly. And we still have to improve in some of the areas, especially fielding. We need to take the opportunities we get: today we missed some run-outs and dropped a few catches and that can hurt us in the long run. Overall we have to be more consistent. We gave away 21 wides today but you know it’s not like the bowlers mean to bowl them. As a captain, I try and encourage my players, give the bowlers time to settle down and have a chat with them if required. After the game today we had a de-briefing where the bowlers acknowledged that they needed to work on their lines better. The Indian lower order, led by Reema Malhotra, batted really well and I don’t think we could have done anything to stop them. India have been successful in scoring that way – they have started out slow and taken advantage of the Powerplays to get the runs. They have relied on scoring in the death overs and that’s what they did today as well. I am also happy that our top order is taking the responsibility of batting through the innings. Suzie [Bates] did that for us today. Learning from our failed run-chase against England, we drew up a gameplan where we wanted Kate Pulford to go out and play her attacking shots while I consolidated. Then Suzie would come in and take charge. She did just that today; it was a very mature innings from her and I can tell you she’s stoked about it. The pitch was very good and we know the Indian spinners can tie us down so we wanted to get going before they came on. While our net run-rate is lower than India’s and Australia’s, I think we just need to concentrate on winning against Pakistan to reach the final. It’s not too far away now! ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/another_step_towards_the_world.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/another_step_towards_the_world.php Women's World Cup, 2009 Tue, 17 Mar 2009 08:53:03 +0000

It was a disappointing loss against England and I have to say some poor fielding cost us. We leaked about 20 runs on the field unnecessarily and the game slipped from our hands there. The pitch was slow and aided the spinners – England’s did better obviously. Among the top teams, New Zealand have played England and Australia in the World Cup so far and I have to say that their bowling attacks are similar – they both have very disciplined units and good allrounders like Shelley Nitschke, Lisa Sthalekar and Charlotte Edwards. Our strength I’d say is the ability of our pace bowlers to get some nip out of the pitches – Nicola Browne and Sophie Devine manage to get bounce and swing off the tracks. What has let us down is our inconsistency. If you see a pattern in the run-scoring in this tournament, you’ll see the teams that have done well have firstly been able to adapt to the different ground conditions: the North Sydney Oval helps fast bowlers, while Bankstown is slower, where 180 would be a good total; secondly a top-order batsman, like Anjum Chopra against Australia, has stayed on till 40 overs to steer the batting. We have that sort of batsmen, who can stay long and score at a quick rate and when we get it right we are a very strong batting team. We meet India on Tuesday and we know we need to be on the top of our game. People are saying India’s win against Australia was an ‘upset’ of sorts but really you can never underestimate a top-ranked team even if they are in a transitional phase. Any of the top four in this World Cup can beat the rest. I’d like to also say that the most impressive teams on this World Cup for me have been the relatively inexperienced ones – Pakistan, West Indies and South Africa. The West Indies bowlers bowl really good line and lengths while the others are also very committed on the field. They are young teams, full of enthusiasm and it’s been a revelation watching them play. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/time_to_bring_on_the_agame.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/time_to_bring_on_the_agame.php Women's World Cup, 2009 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:56:13 +0000

I am so proud of my team that we keep exceeding everybody’s expectations at this event and that we managed to record another victory on Saturday. The West Indies have done extremely well at this tournament so far, so to record a win over them was an extremely good effort and it was an excellent all-round display from the whole team. Early wickets were always going to be important and Almas Akram bowled a beautiful opening spell. She may not be very tall but she bowls with good pace and an excellent line-and-length and she received some good support from our other bowlers. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/we_keep_exceeding_expectations.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/we_keep_exceeding_expectations.php Women's World Cup, 2009 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 04:21:59 +0000

It has been a disappointing start to the World Cup, losing our first two matches in what has been a frustrating tournament to date. Our opening game against West Indies saw us put in a performance that I think we’ll all be thinking about for the next few months. After a solid start, we just collapsed, and scoring 116 all out in a World Cup game simply isn’t good enough and we all know that. Although we only lost by two wickets, I think our brilliant bowling performance made it even more frustrating as I believe we would have won comfortably if we had scored 30 to 40 more runs. The game against Australia was a much better performance and Alicia Smith bowled superbly to take three wickets and restrict them to 258 for 4 when at one stage it looked like they may get close to 300. And when Trisha Chetty, who batted superbly, and I were putting on a great partnership for the second wicket I genuinely thought that we had a chance of making the target. But Australia are the current World Cup holders for a reason and the spinners came on and tied us down, which put on extra pressure and meant we had to take some risks. It was frustrating that none of us went onto get a really big score. We needed somebody to have a big innings like Karen Rolton did for Australia if we were to have a chance of winning. I think this event has shown that we need to play more regular, competitive international cricket so that we have a chance of beating the best teams in the world. With some more experience, we could have got really close to Australia, which considering it is the No. 1 side in the world, would have been an amazing achievement. Hopefully we can learn from our mistakes and be even more competitive at the World Twenty20 in the summer, but for now we are just focussing on the challenge tomorrow. We know that South Africa has never beaten New Zealand in a women’s ODI match, but records are there to be broken, and the fact we need to win to get through to the Super Six stage is even more important. Nobody expects us to win, which perhaps means the pressure is off us, but there is pressure from within the team that we want to show the world what we can do. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/can_we_beat_new_zealand.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/can_we_beat_new_zealand.php Women's World Cup, 2009 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:04:42 +0000

Can I begin by thanking everybody for their comments and messages on my last blog. I read all of your words of encouragement and it was very much appreciated following the disappointment of Saturday’s defeat to India. I promised to the people of Pakistan ahead of today’s game against Sri Lanka that we would bounce back and I don’t think anybody could have expected a better performance than the one we put in today. I said at the weekend, after our loss against India, that we didn’t play up to our potential and that we would be fine if we got things right in all three key departments – batting, bowling and fielding – and that is what we did today. We have been waiting for years to beat Sri Lanka and it was the perfect day to win – the first time a Pakistan side had won in 19 matches against them and the first time Pakistan has won a match at the ICC Women’s World Cup. To be part of this moment of history and to captain the side makes me extremely proud. We know we have taken a vital step towards making it to the Super Six stage now, as Sri Lanka faces a difficult last match against India, so it is extremely exciting that we may get a chance to face the likes of Australia and New Zealand next week. After registering a decent total against Sri Lanka, which could have been higher if any of the girls who got good starts had gone onto make a big score, we knew that we had to take early wickets. I got an excellent response from all of my bowlers, having made a conscious decision to hold back Asmavia Iqbal from the opening overs, and once we got some early breakthroughs I was always confident of victory. There were a few tears coming out of my eyes at the end and it was a special moment to get this win in front of my parents. My father has really helped me with my game, while my mother is always very supportive of what I do. To celebrate the victory tonight, some of the team are going to come out for dinner with my parents, while other players will be with their families, before we gather all together at the hotel for a celebration later on. We won’t go too crazy though as we know we have another important group match on Thursday. We are all really looking forward to playing against England in our next match and I am excited that the game will be broadcast live on television. I hope that people at home will tune in to watch the match so that we can prove to people in Pakistan that women can play cricket.]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/we_have_been_waiting_for_years.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/we_have_been_waiting_for_years.php Women's World Cup, 2009 Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:31:15 +0000

We need a top-order batsman to stay put through the innings © Getty Images

  Well the best way to start the World Cup is with a win and we did just that. The rain spoilt a good game but we won’t complain. We arrived in Sydney at the start of the week and had warm-up games on Tuesday and Wednesday – we beat Pakistan and then lost to India. On Thursday we went for the opening ceremony of the World Cup. First to the Sydney Opera House for some photos and then across to Luna Park by ferry. The ceremony was very nice and after that we busied ourselves with captains’ interviews, eating and drinking. Today there was a good crowd at our game and it was nice to see Wasim Akram, Debbie Hockley, Belinda Clark and Danny Morrison giving TV commentary. The pitch was doing a little early in our innings and the Australian opening bowlers were getting the ball to move off the seam. They dug in the ball and it nipped off the pitch so we had to play knuckle down play cautiously. We got two half-century partnerships but need to look at how we can convert them into hundred-run stands. The spinners tied us down for a while but I think we played positively against them. Most of the teams will have decent spinners and what one needs to do is not let them settle down into a rhythm. I don’t mean attack them right from the start, but play positively and be clear about what shot you want to play before you play it. We used the batting Powerplays during the Rose Bowl Series so we are familiar with them but I can’t say we utilised them well today. We should have taken it in the 41st over – the one I got out in. But you know I feel the batting Powerplays do make a difference by giving you a chance to get back into the game. Though we won, we need to improve on our performance. Our middle order lost the plot today - from 171 for 3 we were bowled out for 205, losing our last seven wickets for 34 runs. To get totals over 250 we need someone from the top order to stay put through the innings. That’s what I was trying to do today when I got out to a silly shot. I’d like to mention Kate Pulford’s performance here: she made her return to international cricket after six years. She took a year off in between to go overseas but has been playing domestic cricket in between. She did exceptionally well this season and is looking like she’ll be the star for us this World Cup. Our plan ahead is to just be consistent, use our resources well and bat wisely. Let’s hope we can do it. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/pulfords_a_star.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/pulfords_a_star.php Women's World Cup, 2009 Sun, 08 Mar 2009 09:49:09 +0000

It was a terribly disappointing day for us against India and not the start that we dreamed off when we headed to the ground this morning. We didn’t play to our potential in any aspect of the game and it really was a very bad day at the office. I think the pressure of the occasion got to us, with all our players making their debut in a World Cup, and that was shown through some poor shot selection by the top-order batting. In the warm-up game against New Zealand, who I think is a similar standard to India, we showed that we can make runs against the best teams which makes it even more disappointing to not get the result that we wanted to today. At 25 for 7 I really feared what would happen, but at least our eighth-wicket partnership added some runs to our total. We also didn’t bowl as well as we know we can, so we have to improve our performance in all aspects of our game in the next matches. This afternoon we spent some time practising on the outfield to try and restore some of our confidence, just getting the feel of the ball on the middle of the bat. It might not seem much, but just getting your confidence back and proving to yourself that you are capable of scoring runs is important when you have suffered a heavy defeat. We know the result won’t be received particularly well back at home, particularly as it was against India, but we hope that people in Pakistan continue supporting us. We were lucky enough to have some very vocal backing at the match today from quite a few Pakistani supporters and they have said they will be coming to watch our vital match against Sri Lanka on Monday. The last time a Pakistan side came to Australia for a World Cup in cricket, they didn’t get off to a very good start and went onto win the men’s event in 1992, so hopefully we can use that team as an inspiration to improve our performances later in the tournament. I am very confident that we can bounce back against Sri Lanka and get through to the Super Sixes. Despite all the disappointment, it was still very special to play my first match at a World Cup and also to be at Bowral, the home of Sir Donald Bradman, and one of the greatest players to play the sport. If only we could have batted like him during the match, things could have been very different! ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/a_disappointing_start_to_the_w.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/a_disappointing_start_to_the_w.php Women's World Cup, 2009 Sat, 07 Mar 2009 09:28:34 +0000

I am very excited that we are finally in Australia and that the World Cup is just a day away. I am looking forward to the chance to implement everything we have talked about in the last couple of months at our training camps and challenging myself against the best players in the world, some of whom I haven’t played against since the last World Cup in 2005 in South Africa. It was good to get a win under our belt against Pakistan in the warm-up matches while we were all pleased with our level of performance versus India. I think that gave an illustration of the depth of our ability and what we can do in this tournament and we are all hopeful of getting a top four finish. The West Indies game for us on Sunday is massive. Some of us have played them before, back in 2005, and we also have got information on some of their games, and we are very conscious they have the potential to be an excellent team if everything is going well for them. We want to concentrate on our game and we know if we play well we should beat them and that should set us up to make it through to the Super Sixes. On a personal note, I am determined to play to the best of my ability and focus on getting as many runs as I can. As I am no longer captain, there is more time to focus on my game and relax, and I am determined to make some big scores during the tournament. During the first two warm-up games, the first time we have played under Sunette Loubser’s captaincy, I decided that it was appropriate not to make too many suggestions to her in the field, as all captains have very different styles, but she knows that I am there for her if she needs my support. This is my first time in Australia and although the schedule is very busy I am looking forward to seeing some of the tourist sights in Sydney. There was a welcome function and I was so excited about having the opportunity to see places such as the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. I feel that I have just about overcome my jetlag. There is a nine-hour time difference between Australia and South Africa, which potentially could have been a challenge, but we did as much as we could to prepare ourselves for this and we got some really good advice from the men’s teams. All the squad tried to sleep on Australian time zones two days before we came out and even on the plane we were told when we were allowed to sleep and when we were not. With two consecutive warm-up matches after we arrived, we wanted to try and ensure we were not jetlagged, and this has seemed to have worked! ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/gearing_up_for_crunch_game.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/gearing_up_for_crunch_game.php Women's World Cup, 2009 Sat, 07 Mar 2009 03:35:10 +0000

It is now one day till our first match and I have mixed feelings of anxiety, nerves and excitement ahead of our opening game. It is an amazing feeling to be part of the women’s World Cup, the biggest event in women’s cricket, and to play in my first major international tournament. Preparations have gone well, with some improved showings against Bangladesh during the triangular series last month, although once again we didn’t score enough runs with the bat. However, the warm-up matches have been much more encouraging with some good totals against New Zealand and South Africa and we know we will need to maintain and improve that standard if we are going to have a chance in this competition. It is great to be in Sydney and fantastic to have the support of my parents with me, who have both flown out from Karachi for the tournament. We will at least have some support here as some of the other players in our squad have siblings who live in Australia as well. I have really liked what I have seen of the city and have been lucky enough to go to two welcome functions which have both provided spectacular views of the harbour area. I would really love to go on a fishing trip if there was time but the thing I most want to do while I am here is to attempt the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb as I have heard that it is an amazing feeling when you get to the top. Maybe if I do the climb I will be able to be given the day off training! It has been great to be staying in the same hotel as all of the teams and meet some of the greatest players in the women’s game. It is like a dream to be able to talk to the sport’s biggest names and find out how they prepare for matches. I was honoured to sit next to Charlotte Edwards at dinner on Wednesday night who I believe has done a lot for the women’s game. She mentioned it will be her fourth World Cup – obviously this is my first event – and I appreciate the dedication it has taken to help her become one of the world’s greatest players. India will be a very tough challenge on the opening day of the event, but we have targeted the Sri Lankan game as one we certainly are capable of winning. Having played them so many times we know what the strengths and weaknesses of the Sri Lankan team are and we believe we are at the same level as them – we just need to make sure we adapt well to pressurised situations as I know we are capable of defeating them. We are obviously all very sad about what has happened back at home this week and our sympathies go out to the Sri Lankan men’s cricket team and everybody affected by what happened, but we have to keep our focus on playing cricket and doing the best we can at the World Cup. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/playing_my_first_world_cup.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/03/playing_my_first_world_cup.php Women's World Cup, 2009 Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:46:30 +0000

Cricket lovely cricket! What a game! I wondered what life would be without playing the game over the years. Finally, I did it! The game has been rewarding and hard. There were good times and bad. My life was all about cricket, but it all started too late. This makes you wish that you were a few years younger. Cricket has finally taken off. The rewards look promising and everyone seems to be getting into the groove of things. I finally retired and I feel extremely satisfied with my decision. The team is presently young and slowly gaining experience. Over the two years I watch the team members grow in stature and maturity, taking on a vast responsibility. I wish the team all the best and my thoughts and prayers are with them. There are a few players who will show their class and wit during the world cup. I will not single those players out at this time. There will be a few surprises and I am looking forward to it. But, I will admit I felt sorry I had to disappoint the team by my sudden departure from the game. I must say it is for the good. One must understand when the mind and the body say no it means no. When the support is not forthcoming this can breed discontentment. When the fun is out of the game also the joy of playing goes with it. It was just not me. My experiences, knowledge, players, well wishers and love of the game were the only thing keeping me going. However, the experiences and the behaviour of some makes you wonder if they knew what it means to have fun and play the game seriously? A word to the wise, “you must have fun to play with passion…” ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/02/moving_on_from_a_life_of_crick.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/02/moving_on_from_a_life_of_crick.php Women's World Cup, 2009 Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:39:31 +0000

The Rose Bowl Series will be our first international outing in a year but it’s not like we haven’t played hard competitive cricket for 12 months. In fact I believe the preparation for the upcoming season has been excellent. During the winter we had monthly camps involving everything from skills, game plans, guest speakers, fitness, cooking skills, to a gruelling team challenge. We also had matches pre-season against representative boys. Our season started in October for a club competition and our domestic State competition started in early December. The State competition is extremely important for our preparation. It showed this year any team can be beaten and the competition was always closely fought and players put under pressure. The introduction of the State Twenty20 competition last year has proven to be successful and further develops the style of play we enjoy playing. Our domestic season has been a huge success. The league has certainly evened up and there was certainly intense competition for places in the national side. During the last round four teams were fighting for the finals spot and the players were put under immense pressure. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/01/rose_bowl.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/01/rose_bowl.php New Zealand cricket Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:59:40 +0000

It has been quite an up-and-down year for the team as well as for me personally but now we need to regroup and look ahead to the World Cup in Australia. I believe our performance in Australia, despite the 0-5 scoreline was better than the one in England. A few of us managed to get runs on the grounds that we will be playing our World Cup matches on. We have a fair idea of Australian conditions and Australian bowlers which will help us in preparing for the tournament. Australia tried out quite a few young players against us and I have to say none of them played like debutants. Even the Under-21 players played some tough cricket. There is hardly any difference between domestic and international sides while touring Australia. We would do really well to learn from their fighting spirit and don’t-give-an-inch attitude. In fact I have seen a lot of youngsters in our domestic season this year who have the right attitude for the international level. They don’t worry about names when they play and I appreciate that. I believe there need be no undue respect on the field for star players. ]]> http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/01/high_stakes_high_expectations.php http://blogs.cricinfo.com/girlsaloud/archives/2009/01/high_stakes_high_expectations.php Women's World Cup, 2009 Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:41:34 +0000