After a superb 10-wicket victory over South Africa in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup opener, England won’t allow themselves to become complacent, according to Linsey Smith.
MATCH REPORT: Ruthless England thrash SA in the opening match of the World Cup.
After a superb 10-wicket victory over South Africa in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup opener, England won’t allow themselves to become complacent, according to Linsey Smith.
ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup: England vs. South Africa Match Recap.
When the season is this stop-start, it’s difficult to gather momentum. Next week, there will be a second international window, with another coming in November.
Top-flight teams will be eager to enter the most recent break on high following yet another miserable midweek of European football for our clubs.
Hearts will be hoping to increase their lead to five points when Edinburgh’s top two teams meet on Saturday. Even for a night, really.
Hibs will make the trip across the capital with the intention of taking Leith Walk for the first time in over 100 years.
Robbie Neilson, the former Jambos manager, is correct to predict “a real barnstormer” between two unbeaten league rivals.
The maroon side’s record this term compares favorably to Hibs’, who has won and drawn five games, but the green and white have only recently improved.
Hibs won the derby twice last season, including the Boxing Day meeting in Gorgie, and won the other one.
However, this term has a significant difference. In the dugout at home, Derek McInnes.
Since taking over in the summer, the Hearts head coach has a two-point lead over reigning champions Celtic, who won’t play until Sunday. He has yet to lose in 90 minutes.
Although this will be his first derby experience, he has had previous victories at St. Johnstone, Aberdeen, and Kilmarnock.
Gray made it back from a poor start to clinch third place after losing the derby in his debut campaign.
Elliot Watt was at the forefront of Motherwell’s first league victory against Aberdeen last weekend.
The midfielder hosted the Saturday night show but was neither on the scoresheet nor the assist producer.
Jens Berthel Askou’s side were forced to sit back, suck up pressure, and hurry away on the break when the Dons burst out the blocks and appeared rejuvenated by their switch in system in the first half.
Watt was on hand to control the Steelmen’s movement, change the starting play, and pull the strings. He did it with a dash of energy and elegance.
He made the most entries into the final third (22) and sprayed the most claret and amber passes (110), with Opta deeming 102 of them to be accurate.
If Motherwell want to win at Celtic Park on Sunday with a positive result, they will need to do so.
For the manager who is subject to the most weekly scrutiny, it feels like a roulette match between Rangers’ Russell Martin and Aberdeen’s Jimmy Thelin.
The Swede’s performance improved against Motherwell, where they lost the game in stoppage-time, and a valiant effort in Europe against Shakhtar Donetsk has lowered the profile.
A lacklustre Europa League defeat to Sturm Graz may have increased the glare even more, as a result of Livingston’s unconvincing first league win of the year.
The Ibrox side conceded two awful first-half goals in Austria, despite the head coach claiming it was due to team mentality rather than tactics.
Things could get ugly if they don’t have the right mindset for Falkirk on Sunday.
Rangers will travel to one of the newly promoted Premiership teams for the second consecutive weekend. And in John McGlynn, Martin squares off against a cunning operator who enjoys playing anywhere he’s been, regardless of his level.
The FCDS claims that about 70% of the Nukak population has been driven from their ancestral homelands.
Most families were forced to lead sedentary lifestyles, settling in dormant camps near towns, where child sex abuse and addiction became commonplace.
Others have settled on small plots in rural areas where land disputes between settlers and residents erupted.
The land was taken over as if it were vacant by the colonists. They claim there were no Nukak, but Njibe claimed that the Nukak became ill and left.
The Colombian government is not very active in the Nukak reservation’s most remote areas of the Amazon.
Therefore, when the Nukak attempt to reclaim their lands, they have few legal protections from settler violence.
However, in recent years, Nukak members like Njibe have decided to leave their homes after getting tired of waiting for government intervention.
In 2020, several clans retreated into the jungle out of fear of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The clans, however, considered staying for the duration after returning to their relative isolation. They requested assistance from non-governmental organizations like FCDS.
Njibe was residing within the Nukak Maku reservation at the time.
Large tracts of the forest had been wiped out even within the reservation after decades of colonization. The tallest palm trees in the Amazon had fallen to grassy pastures full of cows.
Following a government-FARC peace agreement in 2016, deforestation had increased. The rebel group had previously restricted Amazon forest degradation to protect itself from airstrikes.
However, the largest armed rebel group at the time, the FARC, agreed to demobilize as part of the deal. Its replacement was left with a power vacuum.
The FARC claimed that powerful landowners converted the land into cattle pastures as they quickly moved into the areas where they once held cattle.
Armed dissident organizations that disagreed with the peace deal continued to operate in the area, charging extortion rates per cow.
A FCDS expert who declined to be identified for fear of reprisal claimed that “the colonization process has caused many]Nukak] sites to be destroyed or absorbed by settler farms.
The FCDS continued to advance with a pilot program to assist seven Nukak communities as they settled deeper into the reservation, where the lush forest was still present, in 2022. The Nukak were hoping to bring back a more traditional, if not entirely nomadic, way of life.
However, many attempts to find permanent relocation locations were unsuccessful.
Njibe initially planned to relocate to a sacred lake inside the reservation, which he had recalled from childhood, but when he arrived, it turned out to be a ranch.
Njibe was forced to choose another place to live when the settler who owned the ranch requested permission to stay there.
He considered moving back to a forested area that he thought his childhood home was, which is roughly 24 hectares (59 acres) wide and the size of 33 football fields.
It’s not often England land in Australia for an Ashes series with a more settled top order than their hosts.
Yet such is England’s planning for this winter, they head down under with a top six that has, for the most part, stayed together ever since head coach Brendon McCullum took charge.
Australia do not have such luxuries: they have struggled to find somebody to replace opener David Warner, while number three has been a problem position for a while.
It’s been more than two years since an Australian scored a Test century at first drop: Marnus Labuschagne’s 111 against England at Old Trafford in the most recent Ashes series.
“It doesn’t strike me like the batting line-ups I came up against,” said former England spinner Phil Tufnell.
“All great sides have a solid opening partnership with a number three who is the best player in the side.
“If England can get the wood over that opening partnership, it doesn’t half make a difference. This is a slightly vulnerable batting line-up.”
It means places are up for grabs, certainly in the top three, when the Sheffield Shield, Australia’s four-day state competition, begins overnight.
Khawaja, who is set to play in his seventh Ashes series, will turn 39 during the third Test but is seen as the glue at the top of the Australian batting order.
While not as prolific in recent years, he started the year by scoring a double century against Sri Lanka in Galle to underline his status as Australia’s leading player against spin.
Travis Head, Steve Smith, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney and Labuschagne have all been tried as openers but none have proven to be successful enough to stay there.
Head and Smith are now back in more familiar middle-order roles and will be expected to score big runs against England, while 20-year-old Konstas averaged just 8.33 in three Tests against West Indies after a promising start to his Test career against India last winter.
A century for Australia A earlier this month may boost Konstas’ claim.
But if not Konstas, then who?
This is where we start throwing out more familiar names from Ashes past: the likes of Cameron Bancroft and Matthew Renshaw. Another option would be uncapped 30-year-old Jake Weatherald, who crunched 183 in a high-scoring draw against Sri Lanka A in July.
Former Australia wicketkeeper Ryan Campbell, however, would go left-field and select Leeds-born Josh Inglis, who has batted in the middle order in his previous three Tests.
“Since Warner’s gone, we have lost mojo at the top of the order,” said Campbell.
“I would go with Josh Inglis, who bats down the order but has opened in T20 cricket and has opened as a youngster.
“I was lucky enough to see him as a 14-year-old at my club and I know he’s from England but he speaks good Aussie now.
“He attacks and when Australia play well, we attack and don’t just defend.
“If you’re going to take a gamble on someone, here’s a kid who has played lots of international cricket. Yes, he’s batted a bit down the order but he’s got a beautiful technique and can whack it.”
Interestingly, only two batters – current Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey and Jason Sangha – averaged more than Inglis’ 72.6 for Western Australia in the Shield last season.
In Perth, albeit at the Waca and not the Optus Stadium, where the first Test will be held, Inglis averaged 99 and scored heavily square of the wicket (22% either side).
With Steve Smith at number four and Travis Head at five, Australia look to have a solid and stable engine room.
However, they are yet to find an established number three who can soak up pressure or build on a dominant foundation.
After a run-laden start to his career, Labuschagne, 31, appears to have dropped out of favour, though a good start to the domestic season could change his fortunes.
McSweeney, who made his Test debut as an opener against India last winter before being replaced by Konstas, appears the man the selectors fancy given he batted there in the recent India A series.
The 26-year-old right-hander impressed in the second of the two-match series, which India won 1-0, with scores of 74 and 85 not out.
He could, of course, be considered as an opener too. That would open the door for the likes of Marcus Harris, who scored more than 1,000 runs for Lancashire in the second division of the County Championship this summer at an average of 60.
Perhaps the most likely candidate to step up is all-rounder Cameron Green, which would allow Australia to also play Beau Webster at six – boosting their seam-bowling options and taking some of the pressure off the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who may all be playing their final Ashes series.
Green, 26, averaged more than 50 in 2024 and is approaching his best years with 32 caps to his name.
“I think Cameron Green is an amazing cricketer,” said Campbell. “Once he starts bowling again, he adds another dimension for Australia.”
Green batted at first drop in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s, and then in three Tests against West Indies this summer.
On difficult pitches, he impressed in the Caribbean, passing 40 in three of his five innings.
If we look at individual batting records in the Sheffield Shield last summer on Test grounds in Australia (Adelaide Oval, Gabba, MCG and SCG), 32-year-old Kurtis Patterson (383 runs at 63.8) stands out for runs scored, with the highest average belonging to Queensland’s uncapped left-hander Jack Clayton (285 runs at 71.3).
It’s not often England land in Australia for an Ashes series with a more settled top order than their hosts.
Yet such is England’s planning for this winter, they head down under with a top six that has, for the most part, stayed together ever since head coach Brendon McCullum took charge.
Australia do not have such luxuries: they have struggled to find somebody to replace opener David Warner, while number three has been a problem position for a while.
It’s been more than two years since an Australian scored a Test century at first drop: Marnus Labuschagne’s 111 against England at Old Trafford in the most recent Ashes series.
“It doesn’t strike me like the batting line-ups I came up against,” said former England spinner Phil Tufnell.
“All great sides have a solid opening partnership with a number three who is the best player in the side.
“If England can get the wood over that opening partnership, it doesn’t half make a difference. This is a slightly vulnerable batting line-up.”
It means places are up for grabs, certainly in the top three, when the Sheffield Shield, Australia’s four-day state competition, begins overnight.
Khawaja, who is set to play in his seventh Ashes series, will turn 39 during the third Test but is seen as the glue at the top of the Australian batting order.
While not as prolific in recent years, he started the year by scoring a double century against Sri Lanka in Galle to underline his status as Australia’s leading player against spin.
Travis Head, Steve Smith, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney and Labuschagne have all been tried as openers but none have proven to be successful enough to stay there.
Head and Smith are now back in more familiar middle-order roles and will be expected to score big runs against England, while 20-year-old Konstas averaged just 8.33 in three Tests against West Indies after a promising start to his Test career against India last winter.
A century for Australia A earlier this month may boost Konstas’ claim.
But if not Konstas, then who?
This is where we start throwing out more familiar names from Ashes past: the likes of Cameron Bancroft and Matthew Renshaw. Another option would be uncapped 30-year-old Jake Weatherald, who crunched 183 in a high-scoring draw against Sri Lanka A in July.
Former Australia wicketkeeper Ryan Campbell, however, would go left-field and select Leeds-born Josh Inglis, who has batted in the middle order in his previous three Tests.
“Since Warner’s gone, we have lost mojo at the top of the order,” said Campbell.
“I would go with Josh Inglis, who bats down the order but has opened in T20 cricket and has opened as a youngster.
“I was lucky enough to see him as a 14-year-old at my club and I know he’s from England but he speaks good Aussie now.
“He attacks and when Australia play well, we attack and don’t just defend.
“If you’re going to take a gamble on someone, here’s a kid who has played lots of international cricket. Yes, he’s batted a bit down the order but he’s got a beautiful technique and can whack it.”
Interestingly, only two batters – current Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey and Jason Sangha – averaged more than Inglis’ 72.6 for Western Australia in the Shield last season.
In Perth, albeit at the Waca and not the Optus Stadium, where the first Test will be held, Inglis averaged 99 and scored heavily square of the wicket (22% either side).
With Steve Smith at number four and Travis Head at five, Australia look to have a solid and stable engine room.
However, they are yet to find an established number three who can soak up pressure or build on a dominant foundation.
After a run-laden start to his career, Labuschagne, 31, appears to have dropped out of favour, though a good start to the domestic season could change his fortunes.
McSweeney, who made his Test debut as an opener against India last winter before being replaced by Konstas, appears the man the selectors fancy given he batted there in the recent India A series.
The 26-year-old right-hander impressed in the second of the two-match series, which India won 1-0, with scores of 74 and 85 not out.
He could, of course, be considered as an opener too. That would open the door for the likes of Marcus Harris, who scored more than 1,000 runs for Lancashire in the second division of the County Championship this summer at an average of 60.
Perhaps the most likely candidate to step up is all-rounder Cameron Green, which would allow Australia to also play Beau Webster at six – boosting their seam-bowling options and taking some of the pressure off the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who may all be playing their final Ashes series.
Green, 26, averaged more than 50 in 2024 and is approaching his best years with 32 caps to his name.
“I think Cameron Green is an amazing cricketer,” said Campbell. “Once he starts bowling again, he adds another dimension for Australia.”
Green batted at first drop in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s, and then in three Tests against West Indies this summer.
On difficult pitches, he impressed in the Caribbean, passing 40 in three of his five innings.
If we look at individual batting records in the Sheffield Shield last summer on Test grounds in Australia (Adelaide Oval, Gabba, MCG and SCG), 32-year-old Kurtis Patterson (383 runs at 63.8) stands out for runs scored, with the highest average belonging to Queensland’s uncapped left-hander Jack Clayton (285 runs at 71.3).