Bowler Lauren Filer admits she is “grateful for every moment” after an impressive ODI debut in England’s seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka.
The 22-year-old starred alongside fellow debutants Mahika Gaur and Maia Bouchier as the hosts cruised to victory in the first ODI at Chester-le-Street.
Filer took three wickets, having last featured for England in their Ashes Test against Australia in June, and is enjoying being back among the team for the 50-over contests against Sri Lanka.
“I’m just taking it in my stride, everything’s happened quite quickly this year and I wasn’t expecting it to happen this year at all,” she told the post-match press conference.
“I’m just grateful for every moment I get on the pitch and, if I have to sit on the bench for a series, I don’t mind that at all, it means I’m part of the team.
“We’ve got a great group of players, so that does sometimes mean you have to sit on the bench, but you’ve just got to do your part for the team.”
All three of England’s debutants made their mark as the hosts dominated the first ODI, which took place just two days after they had lost the T20 leg of the series.
Gaur and Filer picked up three wickets each, as did Sarah Glenn, while Alice Capsey picked up the other as the visitors were all out for 106.
Tammy Beaumont and Emma Lamb put on a 61-run opening partnership on their return to the ODI squad before Bouchier hit the winning runs with a mammoth 32 overs to spare.
Reflecting on the game and her contributions, Filer said: “It was really good. I probably didn’t feel at my best, you have those days and you’ve just got to power through.
“It was great to pick up a few wickets and it was nice to get the win at the end.
“Mahika obviously bowled very, very well, she’s got skill and swing at the start of the innings then came back on and bowled a beauty to get them all out.
“Then Bouchier at the end was great, it’s nice for all three of us to contribute in some sort of way.”
Filer took her first ODI wicket when Hasini Perera feathered the ball through to Amy Jones behind the stumps.
Her debut got even better with two wickets in the 20th over. Kavisha Dilhari was caught behind, with Jones making a fine grab to her right, before Filer dismissed Nilakshi de Silva the very next ball in a similar fashion.
The crowd cheered the 22-year-old as Oshadi Ranasinghe eventually defended the hat-trick ball in an atmosphere that reminded Filer of the Test earlier this year.
“It kind of brought me back to the Test match a little bit. I know Emma Lamb said that on the pitch because there was a part in the Test where everyone was clapping,” she added.
“It was nice to have that and reminisce on that. It was probably in my head, ‘Just don’t bowl a wide’, but it was great and to have that opportunity was good.
“The third one was probably my favourite, just because you don’t expect to get one straight after you’ve got another one, so it was nice. Jonesy did also take a good catch for the second one so that was good.”
Gurbaz makes history as Afghanistan thrash South Africa
Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored his seventh ODI century, setting Afghanistan on their way to a dominant 177-run win over South Africa on Friday.
Afghanistan now have an unassailable 2-0 lead in their ODI series, with South Africa unable to mount any sort of threat in the sweltering heat in Sharjah.
Gurbaz set the tone from the off with his stand of 105 from 110 balls, which included 10 fours and three sixes, and put together a 101-run partnership with Rahmat Shah (50).
Nandre Burger eventually took Gurbaz, but Azmatullah Omarzai kept the pressure on with his unbeaten 86, bringing up his fastest ODI fifty, as they finished on 311-4.
With the intimidating target set, South Africa's chase got off to a decent start through Temba Bavuma (38) and Tony de Zorzi (31), but Afghanistan's bowlers soon stepped up their game.
Rashid Khan (5-19) and Nangeyalia Kharote (4-26) gave their opponents little to work with as none of the final seven batters hit double figures, with South Africa slumping to 134 all out in the 35th over.
Data Debrief: A historic stand
Gurbaz's century was his seventh in ODIs, breaking Mohammad Shahzad's record, while Shah brought up his 29th half-century in their brilliant stand.
Afghanistan's 177-run win against SA is their largest margin of victory in terms of runs in ODIs, beating their 154-win against Zimbabwe. It was also the tenth time they topped 300 in ODI cricket, and the first against South Africa.
CWI announces re-election of Azim Bassarath as vice president
Cricket West Indies (CWI) today announced the re-election of Azim Bassarath to the role of Vice President of its Board of Directors.
Pursuant to the CWI Articles of Association, a Special Meeting of Members was convened on Friday for the sole purpose of electing a new Vice President.
At the close of nominations, Mr. Bassarath was the sole candidate, having been nominated by the Jamaica Cricket Association and Leeward Islands Cricket Board. The nominations were circulated as customary, and every territorial board, which constitutes the shareholders, was adequately notified.
Of his re-election Azim Bassarath said, “I’m excited to return to my duties for the good of West Indies cricket, working alongside my dedicated colleagues at Cricket West Indies. Since March of 2023 when myself and Dr Shallow took over, we made great strides in the most popular format of the game – T20 and we are determined to continue making these strides in the other two international formats. I have committed and remain committed to serving with integrity and respect for the process, while upholding the best governance practices. This vote of confidence signals that we can move forward with the business of cricket and deliver the results shareholders and fans across the region and around the world are eager to see, under the leadership of Dr. Kishore Shallow.”
All Territorial Boards except the Guyana Cricket Board attended the Special Meeting of the Members. Guided by its Articles of Association, CWI reaffirms its unwavering commitment to democratic principles and transparency.
At the close of the meeting, CWI President Dr. Kishore Shallow thanked members for their participation and reiterated calls for unity amongst West Indies Cricket stakeholders.
CWI will host its next quarterly board meeting on September 28, 2024. The meeting will be held in Trinidad and Tobago.
Chandimal and Karunaratne hand Sri Lanka comfortable advantage
Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne forged a 147-run partnership to propel hosts Sri Lanka to a lead of 202 on day three of the first Test against New Zealand.
Chandimal (61) and Karunaratne (83) notched 12 fours between them, having seen Pathum Nissanka (two) fall inside the first two overs to Will O'Rourke (3-37).
New Zealand resumed on 255-4 but were restricted to adding just 95 runs to their overnight total, with Prabath Jayasuriya (4-136) starring for the hosts.
Nissanka's early dismissal handed the tourists a lifeline, only for Chandimal and Karunaratne to take centre stage and increase Sri Lanka's advantage.
Karunaratne's innings came to an end after being bowled out by Ajaz Patel (1-68), with Chandimal following his partner in the following over.
However, steadying knocks from both Angelo Mathews (34 not out) and Dhananjaya de Silva (34 not out) saw the Lions inch toward their hard-earned lead at stumps.
Data Debrief: Double trouble for Sri Lanka
Chandimal and Karunaratne took the fight to New Zealand, with their respective innings coming to a close with impressive numbers to show for it.
Karunaratne ended with a strike rate of 65.35 from the 127 deliveries he faced, while Chandimal finished on 40.67 having batted against 23 more balls than his team-mate.
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