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.”
Sunil Narine's plunders 81 to propel Kolkata Knight Riders to emphatic victory over Pooran's Lucknow Super Giants
In a sensational display of power hitting, Sunil Narine spearheaded Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a commanding victory over Nicholas Pooran's Lucknow Super Giants and a place atop of the IPL table with a stunning knock of 81 runs off just 39 deliveries.
Alongside Narine, contributions from Ramandeep Singh (25 off 6 balls), Phil Salt (32), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (32), and Shreyas Iyer ensured that KKR posted an imposing total of 235 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs.
The match, held at one of the lower-scoring venues in IPL 2024, set the stage for a challenging run chase for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Despite a 50-run partnership between KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis, LSG struggled to accelerate the scoring rate, ultimately succumbing to the pressure imposed by KKR's bowlers.
Andre Russell emerged as a pivotal figure in the match, not only with his powerful batting but also with his crucial contributions with the ball. Russell's bowling spell saw him claim the crucial wickets of Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran, swinging the match heavily in KKR's favor.
As LSG's innings faltered, the required run rate soared out of control, with the last nine wickets falling for just 67 runs. Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana were instrumental in dismantling LSG's batting lineup, each claiming three wickets.
Narine's explosive batting display in the initial overs set the tone for KKR's commanding total. After Salt's aggressive start, Narine took centre stage, unleashing a barrage of boundaries and sixes. His innings featured a total of seven sixes and six fours, demonstrating his ability to accelerate the scoring rate at will.
Despite eventually being dismissed while attempting another big hit, Narine's contribution laid the foundation for KKR's comprehensive victory. The match also witnessed standout performances from Ramandeep Singh, whose quick-fire innings added crucial runs to KKR's total, putting LSG under immense pressure.
With this convincing win, Kolkata Knight Riders continue to demonstrate their formidable form in IPL 2024, buoyed by standout performances from key players like Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, signaling their intent as serious contenders in the tournament.
IPL: Jadeja stars as CSK move into playoff places
Chennai Super Kings moved into the Indian Premier League playoff places after beating Punjab Kings by 28 runs in Dharamshala.
The reigning champions avenged their seven-wicket defeat by the Kings in Chennai four days earlier to climb to third place in the table with three games remaining.
After a slow start, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Daryl Mitchell's partnership brought 57 runs and settled CSK into their stride. Although MS Dhoni went for a duck, Ravindra Jadeja's late surge of 43 from 26 balls saw them close at 167-9.
Tushar Deshpande claimed Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw in the second over to stem the Kings' early momentum, while Jadeja (3-20) also took a quickfire double of Sam Curran and Ashutosh Sharma in the 13th over as the hosts finished well short of their target at 139-9.
Data debrief
In getting back to winning ways, CSK ended their five-game losing streak against the Kings, stretching back to 2021.
Despite going for a duck, Dhoni managed to make amends in the field. When he caught out Jitesh Sharma, he became the first player in IPL history to take 150 catches.
IPL: Du Plessis shines as RCB revival continues against Titans
A rapid 64 from captain Faf du Plessis helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a third consecutive Indian Premier League win as they again saw off Gujarat Titans.
RCB comfortably defeated the Titans in an away game six days ago and then comprehensively saw off Shubman Gill’s side once more on Saturday, this time at home.
After the Titans were bowled out for 147, RCB raced to a four-wicket victory with 38 balls to spare to move off the bottom of the IPL table, jumping up to seventh after overcoming a brief scare towards the end of their chase.
Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal and Vijaykumar Vyshak took two wickets apiece as the Titans struggled batting first, falling to 19-3 midway through the sixth over. They needed Shahrukh Khan (37), Rahul Tewatia (35) and David Miller (30) to post some kind of total, with Tewatia passing 1,000 career IPL runs.
Any faint hopes of halting RCB’s run of form were ended when Du Plessis fired 64 from just 23 balls with 10 fours and three sixes, ably supported by opening partner Virat Kohli (42).
A brief spell of chaos saw RCB fall from 92-0 to 117-6 with Josh Little taking 4-45, but Dinesh Karthik (21 not out) and Swapnil Singh (15no) steadied the ship and finished off the chase.
Data Debrief: Kohli regains Orange Cap
While Du Plessis top scored in this game, another good knock from Kohli, who hit four maximums, saw the India great regain possession of the Orange Cap. With 542 runs in IPL 2024, Kohli has a narrow lead over CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (509).
Kohli is averaging 67.75 and striking at 148.08, with four fifties and a century to his name from just 11 innings in a memorable campaign.
He has helped RCB recover from being beaten in seven of their first eight games, while the Titans, finalists in each of the last two editions, have now lost four of their last five.
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