Day 62: Impressive win for England and other good news

What a win for England in the first T20 against New Zealand? (https://www.womenssportdaily.co.uk/article/2021/03/03/england-ease-t20-victory-over-new-zealand) In a format where a couple of payers can be the difference in winning or losing, England had a team of players that contributed with bat or ball. Heather Knight run out can be exempted as her captaincy skills cannot go unacknowledged.

It was great to see Danni Wyatt look at her attacking best, and it is something for her to build on. If England are to be successful in the next 18 months or so, then runs at the top from Wyatt and Tammy Beaumont will be crucial.

More good news in the women's game is the announcement that France and Germany will meet in July for five T20 internationals. It will be useful preparation for both sides who will be competing against each other in Scotland at the end of August. The ICC T20 Qualification tournament will pit the sides against hosts Scotland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Turkey and each other.

With the T20 format being encouraged to grow the women's game, it is exciting to see nations that you wouldn't traditionally associate with cricket. It is one of my ambitions to promote the European teams in particular, and hopefully, I will be in Scotland for most of that qualification tournament.

England's men go into the final test of their series against India in the early hours of Thursday. Let's hope that there is more talk about the actual cricket than the state of the pitch. While it is true that the pitch can be the deciding factor in a game, it would be better if the skills of the players were at the centre of the action.

I hope there is a recall for Dom Bess; he has taken wickets consistently this winter, but without the control, at times, he would have liked. He is a young player, though, who talks well about his game and how he strives to become the best bowler he can be.

With the confirmation of Jeetan Patel this week as England's spin bowling coach, I can see a profitable period for Bess. They have both worked together in the past; Bess has spoken about the help he has received from Patel.