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West Indies and Jamaica Tallawahs allrounder Andre Russell has made his first public comments since being charged by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission with committing an “anti-doping whereabouts” violation earlier this year

Peter Della Penna in Florida26-Jul-2016West Indies and Jamaica Tallawahs allrounder Andre Russell has made his first public comments since being charged by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) with committing an “anti-doping whereabouts” violation earlier this year for having allegedly missed three drug tests in a 12-month period. Three missed tests trigger a failed drug test ruling under anti-doping regulations.Preparing for Tallawahs’ final two games of the league stage of the Caribbean Premier League, in Lauderhill, Florida, Russell was asked what it had been like to play with the uncertainty of the JADCO tribunal process hanging over his head. Russell replied by describing the mental strain he has gone through since reports first surfaced in March that he was facing a two-year ban.”It’s not easy, honestly, it’s tough,” Russell said. “When I cross the rope, I definitely block it off my head but then when you go back to your room and you know you have to face reality and know that something is going on like that, it’s kind of stressing and depressing. But I have an amazing bunch of guys around me. So they keep me occupied, they keep me laughing. I just think that is a very good thing to do while going through something like that.”Everything is in place. My lawyers are doing whatever they have to do so I don’t really want to have to talk about it that much.”Russell avoided questions about last week’s independent panel hearing, offering a “no comment” when asked about the most recent events. According to , Russell’s lawyer Patrick Forster claimed at the hearing of an independent panel on July 20 that his client had received correspondence from JADCO for only twice – January to March, 2015 and July to September, 2015 – for allegedly missing the out-of-competition doping tests.In the mean time, Russell said he was focused on helping the first-place Tallawahs secure a second CPL title, after first winning it in 2013. Tallawahs round out their league stage by playing St Lucia Zouks twice, on July 30 and 31. Heading into the playoffs, a win in either game will clinch first place for Tallawahs, giving them two chances to reach the final.”This is what we live for, to be on top of the table,” Russell said. “We still have a few games to go. We’re still not going to take anything for granted. We’re going to try and play our best cricket so we can be in form going into the crucial games.”

Pragyan Ojha has joined Bengal as a professional after leaving his home team Hyderabad to strengthen his case for a national recall

Amol Karhadkar02-Jul-2015Pragyan Ojha has joined Bengal as a professional after leaving his home team Hyderabad. Ojha, who was cleared to bowl in February after being suspended for using an illegal action earlier in the 2014-15 season, confirmed that he decided to move to Bengal for strengthening his case of a recall into the national team.”With all due respects to Hyderabad, I wanted to play for a team that is in the top rung (of the Ranji Trophy) and Bengal suited my cause. With so many Test matches coming up, I hope to come up with stronger performances in the coming season,” Ojha told ESPNcricinfo.Ojha will start the new season next month, playing for India A in two four-day games against Australia A. India are scheduled to play three Test matches in Sri Lanka in August-September, followed by four matches at home against South Africa in October-November.With Hyderabad playing in Group C, the lowest rung of the Ranji Trophy, Ojha opted to switch allegiance to a higher-ranked team. Bengal were happy to have him on board since they were struggling to find a lead spinner.Ojha will thus become the second high-profile cricketer to leave Hyderabad in recent seasons. After a spat with the Hyderabad Cricket Association hierarchy, Ambati Rayudu had moved first to neighbouring Andhra before settling on Baroda. Ojha’s switch, on the other hand, looks like a smooth one.”He approached us and explained his rationale honestly,” John Manoj, the HCA secretary, said. “Once he had made up his mind, we just respected his decision, supported him and issued the NOC.”According to BCCI rules, players who wish to turn professional have to first obtain a No-Objection certificate from their home association and submit it to the BCCI. The deadline for domestic transfers is September 1.Bengal, meanwhile, have approached Lalchand Rajput, the former India opening batsman, to replace Ashok Malhotra as coach. It is understood that Rajput has also been in talks with Uttar Pradesh, who are looking for a replacement for Venkatesh Prasad.

Michael Clarke’s prolific batting and captaincy has been critical to the development of the team but so too has Peter Siddle’s bowling old-fashioned aggressive bowling

Daniel Brettig at Bellerive Oval18-Dec-2012In the hour after Australia’s first home Test win of the summer, it was entirely fitting that the captain Michael Clarke found himself sitting next to the man of the match Peter Siddle. Clarke’s prolific batting and flair-filled captaincy has been critical to the development of a team far better than the one that was trounced by England in 2010-11, but so too has Siddle’s bowling, which in the past 15 months has added patience and wit to physical endurance and old-fashioned aggression. His place as Australia’s spearhead is as undisputed as Clarke’s vitality as leader.Clarke’s chances of finding the 55 runs he needs to claim Ricky Ponting’s Australian record for most runs in a calendar year now hinge on whether or not his strained hamstring will recover in time for Boxing Day, but he said his personal success was now closely intertwined with that of his team.”It is nice, there’s no doubt about it to be scoring runs and to be leading from the front as captain of the team,” Clarke said. “But I’ve said for a while I’ll take no runs if we keep playing the way we’re playing and we keep having success like we did through this Test match. That’s as pleased as you can be as a captain.”I’d like to say there’s an easy way but there’s not. There’s been a lot of hard work. It’s taken a lot of years for me to learn my game, and there are still areas of my game that need to continue to improve.”A bit of old advice from my father, he’s been doing a lot of my one-on-one batting stuff over the last couple of years that’s been great, but I think the one thing he continues to push with me is to keep that hunger. As a kid he always said make sure you’re hungry to score runs, and that’s the thing I’ve tried to do this summer. It’s always hard to get in, you can get out early, but once I’ve got in and got a start, I’ve tried to be as hungry as I can to go in and get big scores.”That hunger was evident again on the fourth day, when Clarke crafted a wonderfully rapid innings to ensure Australia could set their target in a timely manner. His knack for not only scoring vital runs, but scoring them in a manner entirely appropriate to the match situation, is perhaps unrivalled around the world.”If you look at since he’s become captain, the way he’s played and performed, you always want your leader to stand up and be the one who leads from the front, and he’s been phenomenal at that,” Siddle said of Clarke. “He’s been outstanding, it makes us better players, he’s been producing targets we can defend, and given us time to do our work.”That makes it a lot easier, and yesterday it showed. On a wicket that was hard to score on, that he went about it his way and got us into a position that we could set a nice target, and go out there and do our business.”As for Siddle, his lift in consistency and reliability since last year’s Sri Lanka tour has allowed Clarke to turn to him in most circumstances, and there was no bowler more dearly missed during the chaos of the second afternoon against South Africa in Perth, when inspiration and direction eluded Australia for a critical two hours.”The man beside me continues to lead our attack,” Clarke said. “I think he has done for a while now, he’s loved that opportunity to be our No. 1 strike bowler, he really looks forward to the pressure situation, doesn’t care if he opens the bowling or bowls first change, it’s about helping the team have success. If everyone’s got the heart he has, we’ll definitely get back to being the No. 1 Test team in the world.”Siddle’s heart and skill, and Clarke’s runs. Australia would be lost without them.

A round-up of the action from the Stanbic Bank 20 Series 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2011Mid West Rhinos took a close game against Mashonaland Eagles by seven runs, defending 184. After being put in, Rhinos were given a solid start by their openers Brendan Taylor and Riki Wessels: the pair put on 111 in 13.5 overs before Wessels fell for 51. Taylor fell soon after for 54, but Gary Ballance built on the start with a rapid knock of 53 off 25 that included five sixes. Rhinos finished with 184 for 2, and Eagles launched a solid reply through Stuart Matsikenyeri. The opener hit 73 off 55 before falling to Michael Chinouya. He was backed up by Peter Trego, who slammed 71 not out of 49, but the run out of Ryan ten Doeschate for six in the final over just about secured the match for Rhinos.Mountaineers registered their third win in four games, beating Southern Rocks by 43 runs to move to the top of the Stanbic Bank 20 points table. The win was fashioned by a team performance. After being put into bat, Mountaineers put on 166 for 6, as six of their eight batsmen got into double figures. Opener Phil Mustard was their top scorer, with 40, but the fire power was provided by Kudzai Sauramba – he slammed 36 not out off 15 balls to carry the side past 150. Southern Rocks’ reply was mainly driven by a quick half-century from Shane Burger, but he fell for 62 to Dirk Nannes. There was not much of a challenge raised from the other, as Southern Rocks managed only 123 for 6 in their 20 overs. Shingi Masakadza was the pick of the Mountaineers’ bowlers, taking three wickets in a miserly spell.

Makhaya Ntini, the South Africa fast bowler, has retired from international cricket

Firdose Moonda02-Nov-2010Makhaya Ntini, the South Africa fast bowler, has announced his retirement from international cricket but will continue representing domestic sides. Ntini will be given a farewell during the Twenty20 international between South Africa and India at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on January 9, when he will make his final appearance for South Africa.An emotional Ntini, fighting back tears, announced his decision at a press conference in Johannesburg on Tuesday. He reflected on his journey from being the first black African cricketer to play for South Africa in 1998 to becoming one of the nation’s premier bowlers.”It has been a wonderful journey for me to represent my country,” Ntini said at his retirement press conference in Johannesburg. “I have so many great memories, which I will carry with me for the rest of my life. My career is by no means over; it just means that internationally my time has come to hang up my boots. Domestic cricket is thriving at the moment, and I want to be a part of the set up, as a player, for as long as possible.”Ntini said he made his decision “two months ago” but only announced it on Tuesday because he has been in meetings with Cricket South Africa over his future. “I was in Port Elizabeth and thought it’s time to call it a day. I can’t keep waiting to end something when I don’t know when it’s going to end. I didn’t want to be pushed out of the game.”His international career spanned 13 years and he was the first black African player to represent the country, four years after democracy. It was the completion of a journey that began when, as a 14-year-old boy who could barely speak English, Ntini was given a scholarship to Dale College. The prestigious Eastern Cape school had deep cricketing roots and was where Ntini honedhis skills and made a name for himself. Seven years later, he was picked for South Africa, achieving what many thought was impossible.”Nobody ever thought that we as black people would be able to compete, but I’ve done that. I’ve conquered and I’ve been through all the cricketing countries. I left footprints, I did everything that I needed to do to show that we as black people can manage, we can do everything.”He has never shied away from being the black face of South African cricket and acting as a role model to black youth. Ntini said in his time with the national team “all the coaches and the three captains, the late Hansie Cronje, Shaun Pollock, Graeme Smith showed me that it’s not about your colour, it’s about what you can do.”Ntini always maintained the combination of coming from a rural, poor background and his race meant that he had to work harder than anyone else. “I knew that challenges that would come in the years to come and I was prepared for it. I tied my laces, I ran every day because I wanted to achieve what no one else could,” said Ntini.The hours spent practicing could all have amounted to nought when Ntini was convicted of rape two years after making his debut. He reflected on that time as the worst in his life. “I thought I would never play again. The worst badge you could put on anyone is that of a rapist.” The then United Cricket Board assisted Ntini in his appeal and he was subsequently acquitted but he still had a tainted reputation that took time to mend. “Some of the people of this country believed that if you are mentioned in that way (as a rapist), you’d done it, and to win all of them back was hard.”Despite the difficulty, he managed to do just that. In 2005 and 2007, Ntini was voted South Africa’s most popular sportsman of the year in the BMI Adult SportTrack Report . By then, he had also become the first South African to take 10 wickets at Lords and had claimed the best return by a South African bowler in a Test match, with 13 wickets for 132 runs against the West Indies in Trinidad.”Taking Test wickets was the most important thing that happened to me in my life,” said Ntini, who quickly added that he has no regrets about retiring before reaching the magical 400-wicket mark. “It’s just one of those things that happens.” Ntini retired with 390 wickets from 101 tests at an average of 28.82.His love of cricket has not dimmed and he is committed to playing for the Warriors for “as long as they will have me.” He also plans to spend his part of retirement working at his academy in Mdantsane, near East London. The academy will focus on players between the ages of seven and 24 and will seek to assist players of colour. “I am sick and tired identifying a child and putting him in an academy and six months later, we don’t see him again. We need to make sure we protect the new generations of cricketers,” said Ntini.Although the academy is an independent project, Ntini is in talks with Cricket South Africa (CSA) to assimilate with their development programmes. He will also be acting as a CSA ambassador. Gerald Majola, chief executive officer of CSA said that helping Ntini cope post-retirement is part of an initiative by the body so that “Makhaya can have a career after cricket.” Majola said CSA aims to assist former players in accordance with their “calibre and level of skills.”Ntini ‘s effervescent personality makes him an ideal representative for CSA and will also ensure that he can keep to his promise of “making sure cricket in this country does not die.” Most of all, he wants to remembered as a uniter. “Makhaya is not just a name, or a person, its energy, dedication, pride, all of us together. It’s Ubuntu.” The word originates from African traditions and focuses on communities. Its meaning, ‘I am because we are,’ captures how Ntini flew the flag for the black majority in South African cricket.

West Indies have been dealt a major blow with attack spearhead Jerome Taylor off the field and in doubt for the remainder of the match

Alex Brown27-Nov-2009West Indies were dealt a major blow on the second morning of the first Test, with attack spearhead Jerome Taylor forced from the field and in doubt for the remainder of the match with a left hip injury. Taylor sustained the problem on the first day at the Gabba, managing just nine overs, and was absent from the field entirely on Friday.”He had some Tests done with the physio,” Denesh Ramdin said. “We will have to see how it goes. He’s one of our best bowlers at this ppoint in time. It will be hard for us if we need to rest him.”Taylor’s absence left West Indies with a vast fast bowling vacuum. Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul – with a combined two Tests’ experience – were called upon to shoulder the pace duties on Friday along with allrounder Dwayne Bravo. The trio can expect more of the same if the Australians take to the crease for a second innings and Taylor remains on the sidelines.Taylor was ruled out of the tour match against Queensland due to general stiffness, and experienced problems early in the first Test. Having removed Shane Watson in the third over of the day, Taylor returned for a second spell on Thursday and reported soreness in the hip. Roach, who fronted the media after stumps on day one, expressed confidence Taylor would recover for the second day’s play, however his condition deteriorated overnight. His further participation in the match is uncertain.Taylor’s injury follows the one sustained by senior batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan on the eve of the Test. Sarwan injured his back during a training drill on Wednesday and was subsequently ruled out of the match. He is expected to be available for the second Test in Adelaide.

Hampshire crash and burn in reply as visitors secure points by convincing margin

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay17-Jun-2025Dom Sibley continued Surrey’s dominance at Utilita Bowl in the Men’s Vitality Blast with a crushing 70 against Hampshire Hawks.Former England Test opener Sibley’s breezy 46-ball knock provided the backbone for his side’s commanding victory on the south coast – Surrey’s sixth straight T20 win on the ground.Opening partner Will Jacks and Sam Curran whacked quick-fire runs to back Sibley up as Surrey reached 193. Despite short explosive cameos from South African duo Dewald Brevis and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, two wickets apiece for the returning Reece Topley, Chris Jordan and Mitchell Santner, and 3 for 18 for Nathan Smith, gave the visitors a one-sided win.Having been put into bat, Jacks and Sibley seemed to amass runs without massive swings of the bat, with Sibley’s two sixes over midwicket anomalies in a 59-run powerplay.Jacks’ sweet timing had brought him 41 in a blink-of-an-eye 24 balls but Benny Howell’s introduction began a squeeze. Howell and Liam Dawson stopped the flow of runs with their off-pace deliveries, with Howell getting Jacks slapping to point and Jason Roy run out via a one-motion dive by James Vince.Sibley continued to turn over the strike, along with the odd boundary, as he found a tempo and stuck to it, reaching his ninth T20 fifty in 32 balls.He eventually fell for an impressive 70, but that only began the Surrey fireworks – with 51 runs coming from the last four overs. Sam Curran baseball-swatted Chris Wood and then swivelled James Fuller for sixes, and when he was out his brother Tom fired an outrageous six over extra cover.In the second half of the innings, Surrey only allowed 10 dot balls, with power-hitting interspersing smart running.In Hampshire’s reply, Pretorius almost monopolised the strike in the first three-and-a-half overs, but when he hit the ball, it stayed hit. His third-ball wristy flick off his pads cleared the ropes with ease, before one of three fours cannoned off the non-striker’s stumps and into the padding in next to no time.But Jacks stopped him in his tracks, when a reverse sweep went wrong, before Vince – who had only faced eight balls in 4.5 overs – spliced to mid-on.Toby Albert was caught behind by a tumbling Laurie Evans, but Brevis blew some life back into the innings with a six straight into a cameraman and then an audacious back-foot hammer for another maximum. But scoreboard pressure saw more and more desperate rash shots, and each seemed to be paired with a catch.Brevis, Joe Weatherley, Fuller, Dawson, Howell, and John Turner all took to the sky, while Wood was castled.

It means for at least four years there will no free-to-air coverage of global events

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2023Australia’s World Test Championship and ODI World Cup defences will be shown exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.The streaming platform has secured the broadcast rights in Australia for all men’s and women’s International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments.Foxtel/Kayo broadcast the entire recent ODI World Cup, while the Nine Network screened Australia’s games and a handful of others. But under this new deal there will be no free-to-air element.In Australia men’s home Tests and all women’s internationals remain on free-to-air with Seven, but men’s white-ball internationals are with Foxtel. Men’s away Ashes series in 2027 and 2031 will be shown on the Nine Network.The move comes just days after the federal government reaffirmed its commitment to sport anti-siphoning measures.Communications minister Michelle Rowland last week introduced laws to parliament updating anti-siphoning measures that would require free-to-air services to be offered first refusal for important sporting events.”All Australians regardless of where they live, or what they earn, should have the opportunity to enjoy free TV coverage of iconic sporting events,” Rowland said.ICC boss Geoff Allardice welcomed the partnership with Amazon.”We are very excited to be entering a new four-year partnership with Prime Video for ICC cricket rights in Australia,” he said in a statement. “The recently concluded men’s World Cup has highlighted the interest and passion for ICC events across the globe, and especially in Australia where cricket fans have enjoyed the recent success of their men’s and women’s teams.”We look forward to working with Prime Video Australia to provide an innovative coverage of world class cricket to more fans in Australia.”The new partnership between the ICC and Amazon, who also broadcast New Zealand’s home internationals into India, will begin in January with the men’s Under-19 World Cup with the first senior tournament being the men’s T20 World Cup in West Indies and the USA. Later in the year, Australia’s women will be involved in their T20 World Cup in Bangladesh during September and October.Meanwhile, Amazon also confirmed a third season of the documentary would be released in 2024 which will cover this year’s Ashes series in England which finished 2-2.”As a cricket fan, I couldn’t wait to see what happened when the unstoppable force of ‘BazBall’ batting came up against the best test bowling lineup in the world. The 2023 Ashes were the most closely contested and memorable of recent times, and I am delighted to be able to relive them along with our customers in Australia and around the world,” said Hushidar Kharas, head of Prime Video Australia and New Zealand.The first season of the followed the fallout of the 2019 ball-tampering scandal, while the second released last year followed the 2021-22 men’s Ashes and tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Haris Rauf bowled economically with 2 for 22 to restrict New Zealand despite Kane Williamson’s 59

Deivarayan Muthu14-Oct-2022
An audacious assault from Haider Ali and Mohammad Nawaz blindsided New Zealand and gave Pakistan the tri-series title in Christchurch. Their stand included smashing 33 in eight balls starting from the 15th over to offset a powerplay slowdown and help Pakistan chase down 164. Though Haider and Asif Ali holed out at the death, Nawaz coolly closed out the game for Pakistan for the second day in a row, along with Ifthikar Ahmed.After having hit an unbeaten 45 off 20 balls at No. 4 against Bangladesh on Thursday, Nawaz stepped up with an unbeaten 38 off 22 balls as a pinch-hitting No. 4 once again, offering Pakistan a great deal of flexibility for the T20 World Cup in Australia to immediately follow.Pakistan were 74 for 3 in the 12th over when Nawaz and Haider got together. Michael Bracewell had completed another misery spell, picking up 2 for 14 in his four overs. Haider, however, launched the first ball he faced from Ish Sodhi for six and then combined with Nawaz to take 25 runs off Sodhi in the 15th over. From thereon, there was only one result possible, and that was Pakistan winning their last T20I before heading for the World Cup.How just one huge over off Ish Sodhi ballooned Pakistan’s win probability•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

After New Zealand had been asked to bat, their captain Kane Williamson found form with a 33-ball half-century. However, Haris Rauf, who was featuring in his 50th T20I, handcuffed New Zealand in the end overs with his variations, coming away with 2 for 22 in his four overs. New Zealand managed only 33 for 4 in their last five overs, a passage of play which eventually proved decisive.Williamson breaks out of the funk

Before Friday, Williamson had last scored a T20 fifty in April, when he opened the batting for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. His niggly elbow has also disrupted his rhythm in the recent past. After being rested for the previous match against Bangladesh, Williamson showed signs of his best during an innings of 59 from 38 balls.He dashed out of the blocks with four fours in his first five balls and continued to show attacking intent against spin. Williamson charged at Nawaz and pumped him into the sightscreen for six, and even attempted a reverse sweep off Shadab Khan. He struck up a 50-run partnership with Glenn Phillips off 37 balls after New Zealand had lost Finn Allen and Devon Conway in the powerplay.Rauf proves unhittable
Rauf, who replaced Mohammad Hasnain, got to work in the powerplay by digging one into the pitch and having Conway chopping on for 14 off 17 deliveries. He then splintered the toe of Phillips’ bat by cranking his pace up to 143kph. Rauf not only hustled batters for pace at the death but also dared them to manufacture it for themselves by bowling cutters into the pitch. His last two overs cost Pakistan just seven runs. At the other end, Naseem Shah backed Rauf up with his slower legcutter and on-pace yorkers.Mohammad Nawaz and Haider Ali added 56 off only 26 balls•Joe Allison/Getty Images

Bracewell impresses with the ball again
After Tim Southee – playing his 100th T20I – and Trent Boult conceded a combined 19 runs in the first two overs, Williamson threw the new ball to Bracewell. The offspinner drew a top edge from Babar Azam and had him skying a catch to Wiliamson at midwicket. Bracewell then won his match-up against the left-hander Shan Masood, leaving Pakistan at 64 for 2 in the 11th over. He ended the series with eight wickets at an incredible economy rate of 4.94, strengthening his case for a spot in New Zealand’s World Cup XI.Nawaz seals the deal
In the next over, Sodhi pinned Rizwan lbw for 34 off 29 balls. Haider and Nawaz, though, changed the mood and tempo of the game with a whirlwind 56-run fourth-wicket stand off only 26 balls.Nawaz fulfilled his role as the spin-hitter, the same one that Shadab had played for Pakistan in the early exchanges of the tournament. After smoking Sodhi for back-to-back sixes, Nawaz also swatted the inexperienced seamer Blair Tickner into the grassbanks to rush Pakistan home.In the absence of both Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne, New Zealand’s pace attack didn’t have the kind of penetration or depth that Pakistan’s had on Friday.

Western Storm stumble after century opening stand between Parfitt and Knight

ECB Reporters' Network31-May-2021Central Sparks emerged victorious by 41 runs against Western Storm thanks to a magnificent innings by Amy Jones, who recorded the highest score in the Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy to date. Jones finished not out on 163 not out, her second successive century to guide her team into a winning position, despite a good bowling performance from Storm.With Sparks reaching 295 for 7, it proved a step too far for Storm, with Ria Fackrell taking 4 for 34, despite an unbroken opening partnership of 102 between Heather Knight and Lauren Parfitt who both scored half-centuries.It was a restrictive start by Storm taking key early wickets, as the Sparks reached 44 for 3 after 13 overs. Lauren Filer took two wickets in her first spell, with Eve Jones and Marie Kelly dismissed for 5 and 7 respectively, and Gwenan Davies was run out for 15.However, from then on the Sparks looked comfortable in their innings, as Amy Jones played freely to make her century, and having excellent support from the middle order. Milly Home contributed 18 to a partnership of 80 before falling to Fi Morris; Steph Butler and Amy Jones then put on 68, before Knight bowled Butler for 27.Jones carried on her excellent form from the Sparks’ victory in their previous game against Diamonds, bringing her century up off 83 balls, including 11 fours and three sixes. The Sparks kicked on after reaching 200 in the 40th over, with Jones finishing unbeaten on 163 from 114 balls, while Sarah Glenn and Fackrell fell for 7 and 11 respectively.Western Storm did get off to a fast start however, reaching 102 without loss, before Glenn got the much-needed breakthrough, bowling Knight for 59. Parfitt then brought up her half-century, from 80 balls, as the Sparks began to take command, taking five wickets for 35 runs, and restricting Storm. Fackrell claimed her first three wickets to put the Sparks in the driving seat.Parfitt was first to fall, bowled for 91, followed by Sophie Luff going lbw to Liz Russell for 27 and Hennesey stumped for 4 off Fackrell’s bowling. Nat Wraith was then bowled by Glenn for 2, with Danielle Gibson the third of Fackrell’s wickets, caught for 18.Left needing 88 from the final ten overs, wickets continued to fall for Storm, with Emily Arlott taking two in two balls: Anya Shrubsole was caught for 13, and Morris dismissed in the same fashion for 21. With Fackrell claiming her fourth wicket, Mollie Robbins caught for 1, the remaining requirement proved too much for Storm.