23:02
29th over: Pakistan 71-5 (Alia Riaz 7, Sidra 4) Riaz drives uphill but gets four. Sciver punishes himself for giving himself too much width from outside, over-compensating for leg-side wide first. However, the rest of the over is full o’dots.
22:59
28th over: Pakistan 65-5 (Alia Riaz 3, Sidra 4) Ecclestone, plaque swaying in the wind. Just two singles and one leg side wide.
22:56
Nice to see Covid restrictions lifted in New Zealand and good crowds:
sky sports cricket
(@skycricket)We are at the Hagley Oval for England vs Pakistan and the crowd is back! Watch ICC Women’s World Cup LIVE on Sky Sports from 12.30 PM onwards! #cwc22 pic.twitter.com/x9DKUNjVTJ
22:56
27th over: Pakistan 62-5 (Alia Riaz 2, Sidra 3) Sciver takes over from Brunt… and begins with a young woman.
22:54
26th over: Pakistan 62-5 (Alia Riaz 2, Sidra 3)The world’s number one bowler – Sophie Ecclestone is having a spin and it’s her first sight of spin. Riyaz and Sidra seem to be busy at the crease to rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard in check. Three from Ecclestone’s first.
Updates
22:51
25th over: Pakistan 59-5 (Alia Riaz 1, Sidra 1) Sidra Nawaz with Alia Riaz at the crease, the two new batsmen need to partner with their bowlers to get it to work or else England is going to canter it.
Updates
22:48
Wicket! Amin b Brunt 32 (Pakistan 58-5)
Brunt has three as she speaks to one through Amina (in fairness a big gap between bat and pad) To send the bails skyward! Pakistan also lost its set batsman. There is every kind of struggle for them here.
Updates
22:44
24th over: Pakistan 53-4 (Amin 28, Aaliya Riaz 0) Pakistan hits a four! First run in 19 balls and first four in 55. Still, credit where it deserves, a good whip from Amin to the mid-wicket rope. Five points make up the rest of the cross. Pakistan is not able to rotate the strike, it is going to be difficult for it at the moment.
22:39
Wicket! Dar b Brunt 4 (Pakistan 53-4)
Gave something! Brunt joins the dots with his first three balls and then pins Dar in front as the batsman goes down to try to take the ball away but it is too full. A review confirms this as an umpire’s call and therefore remains outside!
Maiden a wicket for Brunt. England on all this.
23rd over: Pakistan 53-4 (Amin 28, Aaliya Riaz 0)
22:34
22nd over: Pakistan 53-3 (Amin 28, Dar 4) Kate Cross does her job. dotdotdotdot and… dot. Death by Dots. Dotageddon. We dotdot kate, we dotdot. Gotta give something soon huh? I’m going dotty.
22:25
20th over: Pakistan 51-3 (Amin 27, Dar 3) Still no boundaries to break the shackles, Cross will bowl and bowl and bowl here, as he is used to.
22:22
19th over: Pakistan 48-3 (Amin 24, Dar 1) England have 9 fielders inside the ring but Pakistan can’t put any pressure on the fielding side by going on top. Just a few off from Sciver’s latest. The run rate is just over 2.5.
22:19
18th over: Pakistan 46-3 (Amin 24, Dar 1) After 15 consecutive dots, Dar scored a single for his side and went off the mark in the process. More intent from the batsmen as they dodge a couple and take a well-quick single from the final.
22:15
17th over: Pakistan 42-3 (Amin 21, Dar 0) Sciver makes it back to back maidens. Stingy stuff from England since drinks.
22:13
16th over: Pakistan 42-3 (Amin 21, Dar 0) Kate Cross joins the attack and is straight up in her precise and clever ways, keeping new batsman Nida Dar honest with a maiden.
Updates
22:10
15th over: Pakistan 42-3 (Amin 21, Dar 0) Amin plays the shot of the day so farA direct drive for four, behind Net Sciver! And another! This time a cover drive. Beautiful batting. And that’s the drink. England will be making the most of its high performance liquid solution.
Updates
22:05
Wicket! Sohail Beaumont 11 run out (Pakistan 33-3)
Tammy Beaumont swoops down to mid-off and pings the stumps with a straight diving. There really was no run, Sohail has to go this time!
21:58
13th over: Pakistan 33-2 (Amin 12, Sohail 11) Drop! In fact, the trade-off must have something to say for the two sofas – Dunkley and Ecclestone – as they both stare at each other as a dolly from Sohail falls between them. Either of them could hold it with one hand and the other had time to do a high five or play a round of rock, paper, scissors. A bit of lethargy is creeping in for England.
21:52
12th over: Pakistan 31-2 (Amin 11, Sohail 10) Shrubsole continues, after three points Sohail tries to move under the wicket and takes it away, but doesn’t really get a good connection, the ball passes over the fielders. Run out chance! Dunkley pulls a clean stop into the covers but throws it to the wrong end from his stretched position on the floor. An exemption for Pakistan.
21:47
11th over: Pakistan 29-2 (Amin 10, Sohail 9) Both these batsmen are building well again after that double clatter. Only one single before Sciver. The runs however are not hurting England (yet).
atif nawaz
(@atif nawaz)This greentop was always going to be a big test for Pakistan…It’s not going too bad. Yes, Brunt got Nahida out on the first ball. Bismah run out but the batsmen capitalized on the initial threat very well and kept on scoring. 28-2 against England after 10 overs isn’t bad at all. #cwc22
21:43
10th over: Pakistan 28-2 (Amin 10, Sohail 8) Ten overs were over in no time. The Powerplay is over and the dust is gathering, with Nat Sciver coming in for a detour.
21:39
9th over: Pakistan 27-2 (Amin 10, Sohail 7)Shot! Amin gets down on one knee to peel off a classical cover drive against Brunt. There is no need to run for this. Brunt keeps it full though looking to take advantage of this early movement. Doing nothing more than over.
21:35
8th over: Pakistan 23-2 (Amin 6, Sohail 7) Shrubsole delivers an absolute beauty that beats everything! Full and straight to finally cross the outer edge and pass inside the sweet nothing of the off stump. Just one single in the over.
21:33
7th over: Pakistan 22-2 (Amin 5, Sohail 7) There are still two slips left. Brunt takes the lead again but it goes straight down Amin’s bat and goes down the middle of said slip. three runs. Brunt is full and zoning out on the stumps and knee roll. He has bowled the best in the entire tournament.
21:28
6th over: Pakistan 19-2 (Amin 2, Sohail 7) Omina Sohail goes off the mark with a good looking drive that pulls right down the rope, the outfield is lush and a bit slow. Pakistan pick three. Sohail starts another drive and it’s a sweeter timing than the last, beating a diving Beaumont over the fence for four. Cute shot (co0).
21:24
5th over: Pakistan 11-2 (Amin 1, Sohail 0) Brunt it’s on a string. six points. a young woman.
21:23
Wicket! Bismah run out Jones/Dunkley 9 (Pakistan 11-2)
England have looked well into the field and truly for this match, Bismah tries to come back for a risky second run but is sniped after the ball by Amy Jones and hit by Sophie Dunkley at the stumps. With some quick work she is run out in half. Leg. Or a whole leg. Depends on how big your feet are. Ah Ian Smith at com believes it was four inches. Let’s go with it.
4th over: Pakistan 11-2 (Amin 1, Sohail 0)
21:17
3rd over: Pakistan 8-1 (Amin 1, Bismah 6) Brunt keeps it full and second slip is brought by the captain. Good attacking cricket from England. A drive for a couple and a blow for a single from Bismah.
21:13
2nd over: Pakistan 5-1 (Amin 1, Bismah 3) To start Anya Shrubsole from the other end….and she’s getting a massive amount of swing through the air. baggage load. She keeps it full, tempting the drive. A couple of that.
21:09
1st over: Pakistan 3-1 (Amin 0, Bismah 2) What a start for England. Brunt bowls another ball off the last ball of the over! Another knight but this time wide of a diving knight in the slips. Get there another Heather! The ball seems to be moving here and there. I’m awake. You?
21:03
Wicket! Khan c Knight b Brunt 0 (Pakistan 0-1)
Shock to Brunt on the first ball of the match! Full, a little nibble and Nahida Khan strikes the front of her body forward and Heather Knight gets a thick edge at the slip! Brunt’s hands are outstretched. that’ll do.
21:00
The players sang the national anthem and did their huddles. Katherine Brunt has the new ball. Nahida Khan and Sidra Amin are opening for Pakistan. let’s Play!
20:57
Emma Lamb Inn, Charlie Dean misses for England.
england cricket
(@englandcricket)With a change in XI @emmalamb236 make it first #cwc22 Appearance!
Heather won the toss and we will bowl first.
Updates
20:54
England will bowl first after winning the toss
Clear and bright in Christchurch but Heather Knight saw a splash of ‘live’ grass on the wicket and asked Pakistan to take the first dig.
20:52
Preface
Hello and welcome to the OBO of England vs Pakistan at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
This should win another match from Heather Knight, Three early defeats at the hands of Australia, West Indies and South Africa in the tournament have seen them on tip-toe, on the verge of elimination. Somehow they did not manage to get down. A late fumble against New Zealand in their previous game, one in which they coasted, exposed their plight – they simply can’t stand any more slip ups. Think of a trapeze performer over a pool of piranhas or Indiana Jones on that formidable bridge over crocodile-infested waters. a slip and this Bye, Gunashers can then still be out for a side that feels like it’s headed toward the end of a cycle for a while.
Still, a win here against Pakistan and a breakthrough over Bangladesh in their final first-round game on Saturday will make England more or less a place in the semi-finals. It will be some achievement, seeing as how things started and from there, who knows? It’s not like teams haven’t won the World Cup without some poor performances along the way, right?
“We’ve managed to turn it around a bit, but still haven’t played our best cricket,” Knight said after the thrilling win over New Zealand.
“We feel like we’re building. Our message at the beginning was ‘It’s not how you start in these tournaments, but how you finish.’ Hopefully we can make it come true.”
Pakistan may be moving up the table, but they are a talented team who will be elated after finishing an 18 match at the end. 13 yearsConsistent losing streak in the World Cup. Off-spinner Nida Dar took four wickets for just 10 runs in a bad weather game against West Indies to lead them to victory. England have won their last ten ODIs against Pakistan, but it promises to be an interesting competition with a World Cup and at least some legacies on the line.
As always get in touch with any music, murmurs or joy – I’m ‘doing double’ and will be here overnight in South London from my lonely-yet-amazingly-comfortable-couch-bed. So far I have a full mug of coffee for company and a 1 year old snores. Neither will last that way for long.
I’ll be back with news of the teams and the toss, with the game going on in Christchurch at 2PM local/1PM GMT/12PM/AEDT.