Category Sports News

First T20, Trent Bridge

India 210-5 (20 overs): Mandhana 112 (62), Deol 43 (23); Bell 3-27

England 113 all out (14.5 overs): Sciver-Brunt 66 (42); Charani 4-12

India won by 97 runs

Smriti Mandhana scored a stunning century as India inflicted England’s heaviest T20 defeat by runs with a comprehensive 97-run triumph at Trent Bridge.

The opener blitzed 112 from 62 balls for her maiden T20 international hundred as India posted 210-5 on a flat surface in the series opener.

It was the second-highest total England have conceded in the format and they had no answer to the class of Mandhana, who struck 15 fours and three sixes in a remarkable innings.

The 28-year-old left-hander put England under pressure from the off and, with number three Harleen Deol contributing a rapid 43 from 23 balls, helped India post their second-highest T20I total.

It was a stark reminder of the work England still have to do following the encouraging T20 and one-day international series sweeps of the West Indies to kick-off the new era under coach Charlotte Edwards.

That feeling was only amplified as the home side lost four wickets in the first seven overs of the chase, captain Nat Sciver-Brunt providing the only resistance.

The game was long gone by the time Sciver-Brunt was eventually dismissed for 66 off 42 balls as England slumped to 113 all out with India left-arm spinner Shree Charani taking 4-12 on debut.

It was clear Mandhana was in the mood from the moment she effortlessly sent her first ball back down the ground for four.

She had added two more boundaries before top-edging a pull shot off Em Arlott in the second over.

The ball looped into the leg side but landed safely as Alice Capsey misjudged it, took her eye off the ball assuming it was going well over her head, only for it to drop just past her left shoulder onto the turf.

By the next time Mandhana offered England a chance, she had reached three figures.

After a productive powerplay, the India star then welcomed Sophie Ecclestone back to international cricket by slog-sweeping the left-arm spinner’s first ball into the stands for six.

Another followed three balls later as 19 came from the over and while Ecclestone eventually dismissed Mandhana in the last over of the innings, there was no suggestion of the England bowler – who finished with figures of 1-43 from three overs – having the last laugh.

In between, Mandhana continued to play a knock of the very highest order. Her strike-rate was 180 but there was no slogging, just a succession of classical cricket shots executed to near-perfection.

Sumptuous drives both down the ground and through the covers, masterful sweeps and some crunching pull shots – whatever England threw at her, Mandhana had the answer.

A false shot percentage of only 10% does not necessarily mean the other 90% came slap bang out of the middle of the bat but it felt that way as ball after ball raced towards the boundary.

It came as something of a shock when she was caught with four balls left in the innings, having scored a run fewer than England’s XI managed combined, but the damage had been done.

This traveling roadshow is currently moving through Australia at a snail’s pace.

Before tents are packed for Sydney and beyond, stop in Brisbane with the team’s names on Monday for the Queensland Reds, which will be played on Wednesday.

Tomos Williams, a Welsh scrum-half, was excellent off the bench in the team’s defeat a week ago, scoring twice, before suffering what is being referred to as a “tight hamstring.”

How slender are you? In the aftermath, head coach Andy Farrell attempted to use a straight bat. Regarding the extent of the injury, Farrell said, “You don’t know until you know, and we’ll only know in the morning.”

Could he take Ben White from Scotland to visit with Gregor Townsend’s team in Auckland for a three-game South Pacific tour? Another contender is Jack van Poortvliet, but he lives in Argentina far from England.

Farrell remarked, “You have to let these things settle down and see what the outcome is,” adding that. I’m not sure what to do. Fingers crossed, but there is a little bit of concern there, but you can only deal with what is currently in your possession.

Jamison Gibson-Park should start on Wednesday in Brisbane with a recovery. It is two fully-fit scrum-halves thanks to Alex Mitchell. The key is whether Williams will need to wait until after his recovery before returning to the fold or is completely out. A call to Auckland is certain in either case.

When one of the two, Ireland’s Gibson-Park, is only recovering from an injury himself, it is impolite to have only two fit scrum-halves for a while.

Nobody can comprehend the difficulties of Lions tours if anyone expected it to be perfect. In the first half, they had a high penalty count. In the opening ten minutes of their match against Argentina, they sent four goals and five conceded. Henry Pollock was sin-binned and late in the first half due to a breakdown.

Farrell attributed the problems to a sense of fervency, which it was. The players are eager to impress. They are inflated. It can be fixed, but for the first 40 minutes, the Lions’ failure and restart issue came up too frequently.

They slammed their mitts against the wall and jumped offside. It significantly improved the Force’s field position in the game. They were not capable of exploiting. If this tour is continued, others might be. You’d encourage the Lions to do their thing as they go.

Second-row conditions are starting to become really intriguing. As a captain and totem, Marco Itoje is a certain Tests starter. Did it surprise him that he didn’t start his first Saturday game while touring? one that is minor.

This season, Itoje has played more than 2,000 minutes. One of the entire squad’s players is one of the most played, if not the most played. It’s wise to give him a break. It makes sense to rest him on Wednesday and then allow him to play the Saturday games from then on. It’s essential to have a fresh itoje.

Farrell might want a bigger six-unit, like Tadhg Beirne or Ollie Chessum, to open a lock next to Itoje. When the really big stuff starts to happen, maybe he will be more of a six-cum-lock than a lock-cum-six, even though it appeared that Beirne would be taking that spot.

If that’s the case, Ireland’s Joe McCarthy is now in the lead.

Farrell said, “He’s much more composed in what he does, but he’s never wavered in the direction of his game.”

You watched him leave the set-piece, running down the wing, cutting back inside, looking for off-loads, going through rucks, and acting like the force he is in the match. He is working on improving his overall game, and he will only progress from here.

After just one game against Australia’s weakest franchise, it might seem silly to ask that question.

However, we ask because Farrell praised his wing after the game, which raises eyebrows. Mack Hansen was the play of the game, according to Farrell, who praised some Irish wing try-assistance.

The Force encountered numerous issues in the form of Hansen, as well as in Ireland. He is a selfless type winger. His try-scoring return is not very high and he won’t kill anyone with his speed or level of power, but he has a lot of influence. His energy is incredible. He reads a game with such skill.

It was a powerful statement that revealed how deeply cherished Farrell is by him. There were even more. Back and forward, competing independently for his team all the time on the field. A Lion should do that for his team-mates without any exception.

The Lions still have a way to go in terms of playing, entertaining, attacking head-on, taking risks, and offloading. In Perth, there were 24 offloads. Some attempted with joy.

A little bit Scotland and a little bit Ireland were involved. Not the South African Lions of 2021. If they continue to play winning and ambitious rugby, this looks like a team you could fall in love with.

The Lions will grow when combinations settle, but the biggest caveat is that they were playing a poor team that ran out of steam after 40 minutes.

The Lions’ attacking philosophy is centered on flyhalf Finn Russell. He has won the last four games against Australia and has six victories for Scotland. He is adept at accomplishing tasks.

He doesn’t do much for you because of his creativity, doesn’t he? “Farrell” said. playing by instinct. The quick tap [for Elliot Daly’s first try], the crossfield kick [for Dan Sheehan’s opener], etc., etc. He’s prepared to leave, which is good.

This traveling roadshow is currently moving through Australia at a snail’s pace.

Before tents are packed for Sydney and beyond, stop in Brisbane with the team’s names on Monday for the Queensland Reds, which will be played on Wednesday.

Tomos Williams, a Welsh scrum-half, was excellent off the bench in the team’s defeat a week ago, scoring twice, before suffering what is being referred to as a “tight hamstring.”

How slender are you? In the aftermath, head coach Andy Farrell attempted to use a straight bat. Regarding the extent of the injury, Farrell said, “You don’t know until you know, and we’ll only know in the morning.”

Could he take Ben White from Scotland to visit with Gregor Townsend’s team in Auckland for a three-game South Pacific tour? Another contender is Jack van Poortvliet, but he lives in Argentina far from England.

Farrell remarked, “You have to let these things settle down and see what the outcome is,” adding that. I’m not sure what to do. Fingers crossed, but there is a little bit of concern there, but you can only deal with what is currently in your possession.

Jamison Gibson-Park should start on Wednesday in Brisbane with a recovery. It is two fully-fit scrum-halves thanks to Alex Mitchell. The key is whether Williams will need to wait until after his recovery before returning to the fold or is completely out. A call to Auckland is certain in either case.

When one of the two, Ireland’s Gibson-Park, is only recovering from an injury himself, it is impolite to have only two fit scrum-halves for a while.

Nobody can comprehend the difficulties of Lions tours if anyone expected it to be perfect. In the first half, they had a high penalty count. In the opening ten minutes of their match against Argentina, they sent four goals and five conceded. Henry Pollock was sin-binned and late in the first half due to a breakdown.

Farrell attributed the problems to a sense of fervency, which it was. The players are eager to impress. They are inflated. It can be fixed, but for the first 40 minutes, the Lions’ failure and restart issue came up too frequently.

They slammed their mitts against the wall and jumped offside. It significantly improved the Force’s field position in the game. They were not capable of exploiting. If this tour is continued, others might be. You’d encourage the Lions to do their thing as they go.

Second-row conditions are starting to become really intriguing. As a captain and totem, Marco Itoje is a certain Tests starter. Did it surprise him that he didn’t start his first Saturday game while touring? one that is minor.

This season, Itoje has played more than 2,000 minutes. One of the entire squad’s players is one of the most played, if not the most played. It’s wise to give him a break. It makes sense to rest him on Wednesday and then allow him to play the Saturday games from then on. It’s essential to have a fresh itoje.

Farrell might want a bigger six-unit, like Tadhg Beirne or Ollie Chessum, to open a lock next to Itoje. When the really big stuff starts to happen, maybe he will be more of a six-cum-lock than a lock-cum-six, even though it appeared that Beirne would be taking that spot.

If that’s the case, Ireland’s Joe McCarthy is now in the lead.

Farrell said, “He’s much more composed in what he does, but he’s never wavered in the direction of his game.”

You watched him leave the set-piece, running down the wing, cutting back inside, looking for off-loads, going through rucks, and acting like the force he is in the match. He is working on improving his overall game, and he will only progress from here.

After just one game against Australia’s weakest franchise, it might seem silly to ask that question.

However, we ask because Farrell praised his wing after the game, which raises eyebrows. Mack Hansen was the play of the game, according to Farrell, who praised some Irish wing try-assistance.

The Force encountered numerous issues in the form of Hansen, as well as in Ireland. He is a selfless type winger. His try-scoring return is not very high and he won’t kill anyone with his speed or level of power, but he has a lot of influence. His energy is incredible. He reads a game with such skill.

It was a powerful statement that revealed how deeply cherished Farrell is by him. There were even more. Back and forward, competing independently for his team all the time on the field. A Lion should do that for his team-mates without any exception.

The Lions still have a way to go in terms of playing, entertaining, attacking head-on, taking risks, and offloading. In Perth, there were 24 offloads. Some attempted with joy.

A little bit Scotland and a little bit Ireland were involved. Not the South African Lions of 2021. If they continue to play winning and ambitious rugby, this looks like a team you could fall in love with.

The Lions will grow when combinations settle, but the biggest caveat is that they were playing a poor team that ran out of steam after 40 minutes.

The Lions’ attacking philosophy is centered on flyhalf Finn Russell. He has won the last four games against Australia and has six victories for Scotland. He is adept at accomplishing tasks.

He doesn’t do much for you because of his creativity, doesn’t he? “Farrell” said. playing by instinct. The quick tap [for Elliot Daly’s first try], the crossfield kick [for Dan Sheehan’s opener], etc., etc. He’s prepared to leave, which is good.

Iga Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion, criticized her for “showing there is hope” for her on grass despite her defeat to American Jessica Pegula in the final of the Bad Homburg Open.

Swiatek, the former world number one, lost to Pegula in her first grass-court final, 6-4 7-5.

Swiatek struggled on the quicker grass surface in her professional career despite winning the junior title at Wimbledon. Her 22 WTA titles have been won on clay (10) or hard courts (12) to date).

Poland’s four-time French Open champion and one-time US Open champion reached Wimbledon’s quarter-finals in 2023 but hasn’t advanced past the fourth round in any of her previous four appearances.

She appeared to turn heads in Germany this week, defeating Italian champion Jasmine Paolini 6-1, 6-3, in the semi-finals, her first victory over a top-10 player on grass.

In her on-court interview, Pegula, the third world number three, told Swiatek, “I know you say you can’t play on grass, but you can still play pretty good on grass. Take some slack on yourself.

Good luck for the following week, I am aware that both of us will have a short turnaround.

On Tuesday, Pegula will face Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the first round of Wimbledon, while Pegula will face Russian Polina Kudermetova.

With a difficult draw, Swiatek will face French Open champion Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the fourth round.

Western Force: (7) 7

Try: White Con: Donaldson

British and Irish Lions: (21) 54

The British and Irish Lions eased to an eight-try 54-7 victory against Western Force in the first game of their tour on Australian soil.

Captain Dan Sheehan, Tomos Williams and Elliot Daly scored in a first half largely dominated by the profligate hosts in terms of territory but not on the scoreboard.

The Lions led 21-7 at the break, the Force’s own skipper Nic White crossing for their only try in front of 46,656, a record crowd for a rugby union game in Perth.

Beyond the break, it was all Lions, though.

Williams scored a blistering, breakaway second while Henry Pollock was in the sin-bin. The moment was overshadowed by Williams’ worrying looking injury in the process.

A flawed start and a worrying amount of possession and opportunity for the Force gave way to a strong win in the end for the Lions.

McCarthy was a compelling force up front as the Lions backline eventually ran amok.

They will sweat on what looked like a hamstring injury for Williams, who had been playing like a thoroughbred.

Jamison Gibson-Park has not yet played for these Lions, although he is expected to be available for midweek in Brisbane. It is a worry for coach Andy Farrell.

The Lions got off to a flyer on the night after a sustained bout of possession when Russell dipped into his box of tricks with a sumptuous cross-kick to Sheehan on the right wing.

Sheehan tapped to James Lowe, who gave it back to his captain for the score. The creator banged over the conversion.

A blistering beginning, but there was trouble ahead. Just as the Lions scored with their first attack, so too did the Force.

Again it was a slow turning of the screw before White sprung from the bottom of a ruck just short the line. Ben Donaldson was good with the conversion.

The Force were heavy underdogs but for 40 minutes they played with a confidence that belied their poor season in Super Rugby. They repeatedly got into the Lions 22 and time and again the tourists got pinged.

The Lions conceded five penalties in 80 minutes against the Pumas in Dublin. They conceded four in 10 minutes in Perth. Sheehan was warned about the ill discipline of his team as early as the 11th minute. This is not how it was supposed to be.

If the Force had been more accurate they would have capitalised on all those entries into the Lions 22.

They won a penalty and went for touch on the right, but nothing came of it. They won another penalty and went for touch on the left, but nothing came of that either.

Credit the tenacity of the Lions defence too, but they were doing much of it. When they got ball in hand, they were the polar opposite of the Force.

It must have been a sickener for the hosts when the visitors lifted the siege in their own territory only to score straight away.

A break from Ireland’s Josh van der Flier, a big burst from England’s Pollock and a support line from Wales’ Williams and over they went. Ruthless. More Force wastefulness followed and soon another Lions try arrived.

Like the first, it was Russell at the root of it, his tap penalty, break and offload putting Daly over. A minor scuffle broke out in the aftermath.

A 14-point half-time lead for the Lions felt out of kilter with the flow of the game.

It got better, though. A lot better. Even with Pollock in the bin, the Lions struck out for a majestic score from inside their own 22.

Hansen got them moving but it was Lowe and Williams who did a supreme job in pulling the trigger, running and offloading before the scrum-half went over for his second score.

The downside – and it was a significant one – was the injury he picked up in the act of scoring.

It had everyone in the media seats scurrying around determining the whereabouts of Scotland’s Ben White (handily placed in New Zealand) and England’s Jack van Poortvliet (not so handy in Argentina).

As the Force tired, the Lions piled on the heat.

Ringrose went over for try number five after fine work by Hansen, and the combative and impressive McCarthy went over for number six after more terrific work from Pollock. Russell’s conversion brought up the 40-point mark.

Western Force: Donaldson, Grealy, Proctor, Stewart, Pietsch, Harford, White (capt); T Robertson, Paenga-Amosa, Hoskins, Carter, Swain, Harris, Champion de-Crespigny, Ekuasi

Replacements: Horton, Pearce, Tauakipulu, Faifua, Prinsep, H Robertson, Burey, Kuenzie

British and Irish Lions: Daly, Hansen, Ringrose, Tuipulotu, Lowe, Russell, Williams; Schoeman, Sheehan (capt), Furlong, Cummings, McCarthy, Beirne, Van der Flier, Pollock

Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)

Assistant referee 1: Paul Williams (New Zealand)

Assistant referee 2: James Doleman (New Zealand)

TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)

In a boost to England’s preparations for the Euro 2025, Chelsea forward Lauren James has returned from a hamstring injury to play against Jamaica.

The 23-year-old is expected to start in England’s final friendly on Sunday at 17:00 BST since he hasn’t played for either club or nation in three months.

When France face France in their group opener on July 5, Sarina Wiegman’s side will face off in Switzerland to defend their European title.

“We can manage that a little bit,” she said. “She will likely come off the bench.”

She performed incredibly well during the training sessions. She was able to handle and recover from stress.

“She gave a really good performance,” she said. We’re just getting started right away, she’s ready. She’s entering a game for the first time in a while.

She must move past that, she says. Then we’ll proceed with the tournament from there.

Before being sent off in the final-16 defeat to Nigeria, James was one of England’s stars in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final. He had three goals and three assists in the group stages.

Jess Carter, the defender for England, expressed confidence in seeing James back in training and said it was “exciting” to see her make a statement at the tournament.

She has almost returned as a new player, according to Carter, which is what I find most impressive.

She appears so young and sharp. Playing against her is difficult. Good luck to anyone who encounters her in a tournament.

Carter, a defender for Gotham FC, wants to start alongside Wiegman in the starting XI, but he claims the squad’s level of competition is “great.”

There is no way to be complacent, they say. Every training session and game, you must perform at the highest level, because failing to do so will likely lead to a bad outcome, Carter said.