The visitors, however, are still expecting some assistance for the seam bowlers

Tristan Lavalette13-Feb-2024

As they front up to the daunting challenge of playing Australia in a Test match for the first time, South Africa will step onto an iconic WACA ground famously known for fiery pace bowlingBut spin is expected to play a major factor with South Africa preparing to face an Australian team likely to feature three frontline spinners. Ashleigh Gardner and legspinner Alana King, who relishes the bounce of her home ground, are locks with recalled Sophie Molineux set to battle Jess Jonassen for the third spot.Experienced seamer Megan Schutt has been included in the squad, but a return to Test cricket appears unlikely with a dry surface expected amid searing heat through the match.Related

Molineux recalled to Australia Test squad, Schutt remains in contention

Perth, Australia’s sunniest city, has been in the grips of a heatwave with 42 degrees celsius forecast on day one. Domestic matches at the WACA this season have been mostly bowler-dominated with sharp turn and bounce evident. In last week’s Sheffield Shield match between Western Australia and New South Wales, spinners Chris Green and Corey Rocchiccioli combined for 16 wickets.There is the added layer of uncertainty over the surface that will be used for the Test match. Smack back in the middle of the ground, the pitch has not been used this season due to the growth of the grass being affected by Australian rules football – which is played at the WACA during the winter months.All those factors mean South Africa have used some of their limited preparation – with no time available for a practice match – to devise ways to curb Australia’s spinners.”We did discuss that there should be a bit of turn,” allrounder Nadine de Klerk told reporters in Perth. “I do actually think our team is a side that plays spin quite well. We’ve adapted quite well the last couple of years. We’ve played a lot of subcontinent teams, so I think we do play spin well and hopefully we can use that to our advantage.”Armed with impressive young seamers, including de Klerk who bowled well in the T20I and ODI series, South Africa are still expecting pace to have an impact during this contest as they play just their second Test match in a decade.”The WACA is known for being quite quick and bouncy,” de Klerk said. “I think that’s what we’re going to expect. I assume there will be some seam movement.”It’s going to be a great challenge for us. Obviously, it’s unknown territory for us. We haven’t had a lot of it [Test cricket], but we’re looking forward to going against them and it’s gonna be a great challenge for us as a side.”Australia are well stocked with seam and spin options as they look to clinch the mult-series outright after taking an 8-4 lead following the white-ball matches.”It’s going to be pretty hot…bit unsure what it [the pitch] will do on day one, but I think we’ve got the bowling attack to take 20 wickets,” Australia batter Beth Mooney said.”We’ve got great spinners in our line-up and great options. Traditionally this year it’s [the WACA] been a tough wicket to bat on.”Having starred at No. 4 in the shorter formats, Mooney is set to return to the top of the order alongside Phoebe Litchfield.”Really excited about the challenge and working through a pretty interesting wicket,” she said. “I feel like if my game is in order come Thursday, then hopefully I can contribute to success.”

India Women head coach particularly wants to create a pool of fast bowlers from the WPL

Vishal Dikshit28-Feb-2024

India Women head coach Amol Muzumdar sees the ongoing WPL 2024 as an opportunity to expand the team’s resources.”I would want another pool of 20-25 players to create a bench strength for the Indian team,” he said while commentating on the game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Giants on Tuesday evening. “Four fast bowlers played the last series, I want to create a pool of fast bowlers [from the WPL]. It makes a lot of difference if you strengthen the bowling attack.”Muzumdar took over as head coach late last year just before the home series against England and Australia. India won each of the one-off Tests against them but lost all the white-ball series which included a similar scoreline of 2-1 in the T20I series to England and Australia, along with a 3-0 thrashing from Australia in the ODIs.Related

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The four quicks who played in the white-ball matches were Renuka Singh, Titas Sadhu and the allrounders Pooja Vastrakar and Amanjot Kaur. For the Tests India also had Meghna Singh in the squad but she didn’t get to play either of the games. India may feel a lightness in their pace attack since Jhulan Goswami retired in 2022. They also appear to have moved on from the experienced Shikha Pandey. who made a brief comeback in T20Is in early 2023 but hasn’t played any of their recent games.Speaking of players such as Saika Ishaque and Shreyanka Patil, promising talents who can rise up the WPL pathway and push for a permanent spot in the India side, Muzumdar also lauded Sajeevan Sajana, who won Mumbai Indians the opening game of this WPL with a first-ball six on the last ball of the game when they needed five to win.”Sajana’s six gives you an idea of the depth in Indian cricket,” he said.An unknown name who didn’t need the WPL to win a national cap is Karnataka batter Satheesh Shubha. She made her debut in the Test match against England and struck a highly-composed half-century but missed the game against Australia because of injury. Muzumdar said he had spotted her during a warm-up match ahead of the home season and immediately decided to play her at the international level.”I organised a match at the NCA here at the Chinnaswamy Stadium,” he said. “It was a four-day warm-up match and she (Shubha) did very well there – she scored 99 and 50. She’s a left-hander and bats well at No. 3. After seeing her in the nets I had decided to bat her at No. 3. Not many players had seen her at the time.”I’ll thank Harman (India captain Harmanpreet Kaur) because she agreed for the call immediately.”Muzumdar added that India had held a camp before their two most recent assignments, with particular focus on the fitness and fielding. “In the first meeting before the England and Australia series we had cleared that fitness and fielding are non-negotiable. Every player is working towards it, it’s not just talk. There’s clear thinking and planning behind it.”After five games in the second season of the WPL, Muzumdar was pleased to see the runs being scored from some of the India batters, such as S Meghana (RCB), Richa Ghosh (RCB) and Shafali Verma (Delhi Capitals).”There is an upscale movement in India’s batters,” he said. “The confidence from those two series against England and Australia is on display because of how they performed there.”Before the WPL had started, Harmanpreet had also said the uncapped players can use the WPL as a platform to break into the India squad with a T20 World Cup coming up in September-October in Bangladesh.

كشف حسام المندوه أمين الصندوق بـ نادي الزمالك، أخر المستجدات الخاصة لـ أزمة سحب أرض فرع النادي بمدينة 6 أكتوبر.

وكان مسؤولو الزمالك قد أعلنوا أمس عن قيام وزارة الإسكان بسحب أرض فرع النادي الجديد بمدينة 6 أكتوبر، دون إبداء أي أسباب، وبشكل مفاجئ رغم بدء الأعمال الإنشائية.

وقال حسام المندوه في تصريحات إذاعية عبر ميجا اف ام: “قريبًا سيتم حل الأزمة، فنحن نمر بسوء حظ غير طبيعي، وقد فوجئنا بالأمس بوجود لجنة من وزارة الإسكان والمجتمعات العمرانية لسحب أرض النادي”.

وأردف: “لدينا ورقة رسمية بمد المهلة حتى شهر سبتمبر 2026، موقّعة من مستشار رئيس الجمهورية، لكن اللجنة أبلغتنا أن المهلة قد انتهت، ونحن الآن نتواصل مع وزير الإسكان لعقد جلسة اليوم من أجل حل هذه الأزمة، وننتظر رد الوزير”.

وواصل: “لقد صدّقنا النية ووضعنا نادي الزمالك على خطة استثمارية واضحة لتمكينه من الوقوف على قدميه، خلال الفترة الماضية، دخل للنادي ما يقرب من 500 مليون جنيه، ويسير المشروع الاستثماري للنادي بخطى ناجحة، رغم صعوبة الأزمة التي نمر بها”.

وزاد: “الدولة ساعدتنا في الحصول على التراخيص الخاصة بأرض النادي في 6 أكتوبر حتى سبتمبر 2026، ولذلك، نرجو أن يُسمح لنا بالعمل واستكمال خطتنا الاستثمارية، فنادي الزمالك لا يتحمل المزيد من الأزمات”.

وأضاف: “أنا متفائل بحل الأزمة خلال ساعات، ولكن في حال سحب الأرض بشكل نهائي، ستكون كارثة على نادي الزمالك، بل وقد تؤدي إلى انهياره”.

طالع | “الدولة لا تريد الكسل”.. شوبير يُعلق على قرار سحب أرض فرع الزمالك في 6 أكتوبر

وأشار: “المورد الحقيقي لاستقرار نادي الزمالك هو أرض 6 أكتوبر، فهي المصدر الأساسي لتأمين مستقبل النادي، لا يصح سحب الأرض في هذا التوقيت الحرج، نحن نعمل حاليًا في جميع الاتجاهات لتوضيح تفاصيل الأزمة التي تعرض لها نادي الزمالك أمام الرأي العام”.

وأتم: “ونناشد القيادة السياسية التدخل لحل هذه الأزمة، لإنقاذ الزمالك من الكبوة التي يمر بها، فالنادي في 6 أكتوبر هو حلم لكل الزملكاوية ومتنفس حقيقي لهم، وأنا واثق أن القيادة السياسية لن تتخلى عن نادي الزمالك في هذه المحنة، فـسحب أرض 6 أكتوبر سيعني موت نادي الزمالك”.

Everton supporters have always appreciated players who reflect their own values of hard work, humility and resilience and in Portuguese striker Beto, they’ve found exactly that. At 25, Beto arrived on Merseyside from Serie A outfit Udinese in a £25.75 million move, carrying with him a compelling personal story that resonates far beyond the pitch.

• Beto had a tough childhood
• Had to work in KFC for his "own money"
• Even worked in the forests cutting weeds

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Beto’s football journey didn’t begin in one of the gilded academies often associated with Premier League talent. He was given just a year within Benfica’s youth setup before being released at age 14. That moment could have spelt the end of his dreams, and for a while, it nearly did.

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  Over the next two years, Beto struggled to find consistent opportunities in football. With little exposure to competitive training environments, his development stalled. But rather than giving up, he took a different route, one that would shape his character more than any academy ever could.

• WHAT BETO SAID

  As the path to professional football dimmed, Beto focused on helping his family and found a job at KFC.

  “It was good. I always wanted to earn my own money. Until I was 15 or 16, I acted spoiled. I tried to have what my friends in school had, and I didn’t have the awareness that my mum couldn’t afford things," he said in an interview with

  As a teen, he admitted to being unaware of his mother’s financial struggles. He would come home asking for things he saw his peers receive, like a driver’s license, without realising the burden such requests placed on his mother.

  “My friend would say his dad paid for his driving licence, and I would go home and ask my mum for a driving licence. Now, with time, I see the things that my mum personally went through for me and my sisters," he added.

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  Apart from working in KFC, one of his earliest jobs was landscaping, cutting weeds in the forest. He vividly recalls the pride of earning €300 for a month’s worth of labour and handing it over to his mother to help with household expenses.

  “The first job I did was working in the woodland, cutting the weeds," he said. "I did one month of work, they paid me €300. Every day, I was happy to go to work because I knew I would have my reward. I gave my mum some of it to help her pay the bills. She wanted me to go through college, but I told her I can’t go. It was too boring. I just didn’t have interest at all. I would go there and want to sleep. One thing was sure; if I was not going to college, I would not be allowed to sit at home. I needed to put money in the house.”

Exclusive: Pulling out of other commitments at short notice is understood to be the main reason for his withdrawal

Alex Malcolm and Danyal Rasool16-Mar-2024Shane Watson has pulled out of the race to become Pakistan’s head coach after being the PCB’s preferred candidate.Watson, the former Australian allrounder who coached Quetta Gladiators this season in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), was in advanced discussions over the last week regarding him taking over as Pakistan’s limited-overs coach. It is understood he had seriously considered the offer after thoroughly enjoying his time in Pakistan during the PSL and was excited by the prospect of working with Pakistan’s players.Related

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PCB sounds out Shane Watson to coach Pakistan

But ESPNcricinfo understands that Watson has decided to honour his current coaching and commentary commitments for the time being. Watson currently has a commentary deal at the IPL and a head coaching role in Major League Cricket with San Francisco Unicorns, on top of his role with Quetta Gladiators. He also has a young family and is based in Sydney.A full-time position with Pakistan would have seen him assume charge with immediate effect ahead of Pakistan’s next limited-overs series against New Zealand at home in April and commit to Pakistan’s limited-overs programme year-round.Watson’s decision to pull out of the race means Pakistan remain without a head coach ahead of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. Pakistan are also due to play T20Is against England in May ahead of the T20 World Cup in June.While news reports in Pakistan suggested the PCB’s offer to Watson ranged around US$2 million a year, ESPNcricinfo understands the actual figure was closer to half that number. It is understood the PCB’s financial offer played no part in Watson’s decision to withdraw.The speed at which developments occurred concerning the PCB’s interest in Watson as head coach meant that accepting the offer would have necessitated pulling out of his other roles at short notice, which is understood to be the main reason for withdrawing.Watson was appointed head coach of Quetta Gladiators late last year. He won a title with Gladiators as a player in 2019.He has rung the changes at the top in his first season as coach, most notably playing a leading role in replacing Sarfaraz Ahmed – who had served as captain of the franchise for eight years – with South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw.Gladiators started extremely strongly and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. However, they lost momentum towards the tail-end of the tournament and were eliminated by Islamabad United on Friday.

MatériaMais Notícias

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, o Rei Pelé, 82 anos, está apresentando melhoras em seu estado de saúde, mas ainda não tem estipulada uma data para receber alta médica.

A informação foi divulgada nesta segunda-feira (12), através de novo boletim médico divulgado pelo Hospital Albert Einstein, em São Paulo (SP), onde o Rei está internado desde o dia29 de novembropara uma reavaliação do tratamento quimioterápico do tumor de colón, identificado em setembro de 2021.

RelacionadasFora de CampoFilha posta foto visitando Pelé no hospital; estado de saúde do Rei é atualizadoFora de Campo12/12/2022Futebol LatinoKaká ‘escapa’ de questionamento entre Messi e Cristiano RonaldoFutebol Latino12/12/2022Copa do MundoPresidente da Conmebol reforça desejo de centenário da Copa do Mundo na América do SulCopa do Mundo12/12/2022

+ Trava anúncio de Endrick no Real Madrid, Rodinei apresentado por novo clube… O Fim de Semana do Mercado!

– Ainda sem previsão de alta, o paciente continua apresentando melhora do estado clínico, em especial da infecção respiratória. Segue em quarto comum, consciente e com sinai vitais estáveis – diz o texto assinado pelos médicos Fabio Nasri, geriatra e endocrinologista, Rene Gansl, oncologista, e Miguel Cendoroglo Neto, diretor-superintendente médico do hospital.

A ‘Folha de S. Paulo‘ revelou no último dia 4 que o Rei não responde mais ao tratamento quimioterápico. E por isso foi colocado em cuidados paliativos após o tratamento comum ser suspenso.

Uma semana depois, à ‘TV Globo‘, Kely e Flávia Arantes do Nascimento, filhas de Pelé, desmentiram a informação e mostraram confiança na alta médica do pai para passar as festas de final de ano junto da família.

Kely, inclusive, postou fotos nesta segunda ao lado do pai no Einstein.Segundo o LANCE! apurou, ela acompanhou parte da Copa do Mundo no Qatar, representando o Rei em compromissos comerciais acertados com a Fifa e a Puma, empresa que possui contrato vitalício com o tricampeão mundial.

Pelé vem realizando uma série de postagens em suas redes sociais mesmo internado, agradecendo o carinho recebido e tranquilizando os fãs sobre sua condição.

O Rei também vem recebendo homenagens. No Qatar, a organização da Copa, atletas e entidades como a Conmebol realizaram eventos e deram declarações de apoio ao ex-jogador. Na capital paulista, torcedores do Santos, clube pelo qual atuou em toda a carreira, realizam vigílias, rezando pela recuperação do seu maior ídolo.

> Confira tabela e resultados da Copa do Mundo-22 no Qatar
​> Confira tabela, classificação e simule resultados do Paulistão-23

Sergio Aguero says Lamine Yamal “deserves the 10” at Barcelona, but admits comparisons with Lionel Messi “aren’t helpful”.

Teenager signed lucrative contractHanded iconic jersey in CatalunyaBacked to create his own legacyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Having seen another product of their famed La Masia academy system make a senior breakthrough at 15, Barca are trying to carefully manage Yamal through a testing stage of his career that presents plenty of distractions.

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He has been likened to eight-time Ballon d’Or winner for some time, as another left-footed superstar that is seemingly destined for greatness, with records tumbling around the youngster as he collected European Championship and La Liga titles.

WHAT AGUERO SAID

Spain international Yamal has now turned 18, allowing him to sign a lucrative contract, while an iconic shirt in Catalunya has been passed his way. Ex-Barcelona striker Aguero has told : “[Barcelona’s number 10] has got a lot of symbolic weight for sure. There's Leo to think about, yes, but also Ronaldinho, Diego [Maradona], and other great players. I think Lamine deserves the 10, having demonstrated a lot of character and skill for a player his age. He's performed great both at Barcelona as well as the national squad, so I'd say he's managed the pressure very well so far.”

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GettyDID YOU KNOW?

Aguero added on the pressure being lumped onto Yamal’s young shoulders as he heads down a similar path to Argentine GOAT Messi: “I don't believe there's a lot of value in this type of hypotheticals. Leo has a singular, one-of-a-kind trajectory of personal and team feats under his belt. For Barcelona, he's the best there ever was. So, this type of comparisons aren't helpful. Lamine should pave his own path. He's just getting started and he's done brilliantly until now.”

Surrey are closing in on an emphatic victory against Kent in the Vitality County Championship at Canterbury, after reducing the hosts to 120 for five in their second innings, a deficit of 179.Worrall took three for 18 as the champions rattled through Kent’s top order after declaring on 543 for seven.Matt Parkinson took five wickets for Kent, but they came at a cost of 177 runs, as Surrey hit out during a punishing afternoon session for the home side, to take a first-innings lead of 299, Dom Sibley making 150, Dan Lawrence 112 and Jamie Smith a quickfire 58.Ben Compton and Joey Evison were not out on eight and seven respectively at stumps, but with the forecast for clear skies tomorrow Kent will need something close to a miracle to escape with a draw on day four.For a third successive day this game was played out in a bone-chilling northerly wind and it went as almost everyone in the ground knew it would, with the champions making unmolested progress through the first hour.The landmarks ticked by. Sibley glanced Jas Singh for four through square leg to reach three figures and Lawrence tickled the same bowler for a single to reach his 50.Sibley then flicked Evison for four to put Surrey into the lead and Lawrence drove Jack Leaning through the covers to bring up his century.Kent opted not to take the new ball after 80 overs and Matt Parkinson vindicated the decision when he bowled Lawrence with the very next delivery.The afternoon session was significantly livelier. Sibley had just reached his 150 when he was given out caught and bowled by Parkinson after the umpires checked the ball had carried.Ben Foakes then made a rapid 24 from 20 balls but he was caught behind slashing at George Garrett.Smith was on 37 when he hooked Jas Singh to square leg, but the sub fielder Fred Klaassen couldn’t haul in the catch.Smith responded with a six off Parkinson that flew on to the upper balcony of the Cowdrey stand and he reached 50 when he swept the next delivery for a single, but he fell in Parkinson’s next over, the 99th, caught at long on by Arafat Bhuiyan.Parkinson got his fourth wicket when Ryan Patel drove him to Garrett at midwicket for 30 and despite the grim match situation he till let out a scream of delight when Jordan Clark hit him to Joe Denly at the midwicket boundary, giving him his first five-wicket haul for Kent.Surrey finally declared at tea and with Compton off the field due to a sore neck, Harry Finch opened the batting alongside Zak Crawley.The England opener contributed just four before he edged Worrall behind to become Foakes’ 300th first class victim for Surrey.Worrall then sent Daniel Bell-Drummond’s middle-stump flying for 10 and Finch went for an entertaining but brief 24 when he was lbw to Jordan Clark.Joe Denly made 38 but then prodded Cameron Steel to Smith at mid-wicket, before Worrall had Jack Leaning caught at slip by Sibley for 24.There were ironic cheers when Compton got off the mark after 30 balls, but if anyone can thwart Surrey on the final day it’s a man who values his wicket this dearly.

تلقى منتخب مصر للناشئين تحت 17 عامًا الخسارة أمام نظيره العماني في المباراة التي جمعتهما اليوم الجمعة، ضمن منافسات كأس الخليج للشباب.

والتقى منتخب مصر، مع نظيره العماني ضمن منافسات الجولة الأولى من دور المجموعات ببطولة كأس الخليج للشباب 2025.

ويحتل منتخب مصر المركز الأخير بعد خسارته أمام عمان، بدون نقاط، في المجموعة التي تضم العراق والبحرين واللذان يلتقيان بعد قليل.

طالع | مواعيد مباريات منتخب مصر في كأس الخليج العربي للشباب

وتأتي مشاركة منتخب مصر للناشئين تحت 17 عامًا مواليد 2008، بقيادة أحمد الكأس في بطولة كأس الخليج، بعد دعوته عقب انسحاب دولة الإمارات.

وتشهد البطولة مشاركة 8 منتخبات وزعت على مجموعتين؛ تضم المجموعة الأولى منتخبات السعودية وقطر والكويت واليمن، فيما جاء منتخب مصر في المجموعة الثانية إلى جانب عمان والعراق والبحرين.

ومن المقرر أن تقام المباريات على ملعبي مدينة الأمير سلطان بن عبدالعزيز الرياضية واستاد ضمك في المملكة العربية السعودية، خلال الفترة من 28 أغسطس وحتى 9 سبتمبر المقبل. ترتيب مجموعة مصر في كأس الخليج تحت 20 عامًا

1- عمان 3 نقاط

2- البحرين 0 نقاط

3- العراق 0 نقاط

4- مصر 0 نقاط

A high-class century from Grace Scrivens ensured that Sunrisers continued their strong start to the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy season with a five-wicket victory over Central Sparks at Kidderminster.Put in, Sparks lost both openers for ducks and recovered only partially to post a moderate 213 all out thanks principally to Abi Freeborn’s accomplished 93. Only Freeborn stayed long enough against a disciplined attack led by openers Kate Coppack (3 for 26) and Nicola Hancock (3 for 34).It looked a under-par total on a decent batting pitch and Scrivens navigated Sunrisers’ pursuit of it to perfection, with a stroke-laden unbeaten 118 off 123 balls to take her side to 214 for 5 with 10.2 overs to spare.A third win from four games strengthened Sunrisers’ place among the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy front-runners but Central Sparks need to reboot after following their opening-round win with three successive defeats.Abi Freeborn scored 93•Getty Images

“It was great to get another bonus-point win,” Scrivens said. “I’m feeling nice at the moment and when you are feeling nice you have to cash in. I was just happy I did that today and helped get us over the line.”I thought we kept them to a total which was a little bit below par. We bowled well up top to take some wickets and then bowled well through the middle too. Sometimes you can let things drift when you don’t take wickets but we stuck at it really well and it was nice to restrict Freeborn to the mid-nineties when she was in and set.”Sparks captain Eve Jones endured a bracing start to the day: at 10am, she lost the toss. At 10.30am, she edged the first ball of the match, an absolute beauty from Coppack, to wicketkeeper Amara Carr.When Chloe Brewer edged Coppack behind, both Sparks openers had departed without scoring and debutant Courtney Webb walked in to bat with the score at 1 for 2. The pressure on the batters remained high – Coppack opened with 5-2-8-2 and Hancock 5-1-6-0 – but Freeborn and Webb withstood it to add 67 in 20 overs before the latter miscued a straight hit and was caught by Scrivens in front of the sightscreen.Freeborn completed her second half-century of the season from 99 balls but partners continued to come and go as Davina Perrin and Katie George sent up catches in successive overs from Jo Gardner.Freeborn had her good fortune – on 69 she should have been out twice to the same ball from Gardner, stumped at one end then run out at the other as she tried to scramble a bye – but batted with selective assertion. The 27-year-old struck 12 fours and was seven short of emulating her century against Sunrisers last season when she top-edged a pull and fell to a fantastic diving catch by Mady Villiers.Related

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Bethan Ellis offered some impetus with a 35-ball 31 which included the only six of the innings, but Coppack and Hancock returned to lop off the tail, supported by more excellent catching.When Sunrisers replied, the catching bar was raised still further by George’s brilliant, one-handed grab at second slip off Grace Potts as Ariana Dowse became the third opening batter in the day to bag a duck.The fourth opener filled her boots though. Reprieved on 22 when wicketkeeper Freeborn grassed a tough chance from an edge off Grace Potts, Scrivens played with the freedom and confidence of a batter in top form. She reached 50 from 53 balls and celebrated by lifting Ria Fackrell over long-on for six.Scrivens and Cordelia Griffith (37) added 110 in 19 overs before Fackrell struck twice to retain a Sparks toe-hold in the game. Griffith belted a full toss straight to a fielder and Jodi Grewcock fell lbw, sweeping. When George took another fine catch, at midwicket off Ellis, to end Villiers’ counter-attack, it was 149 for 4 and Sparks had a glimmer of opportunity.That glimmer was emphatically extinguished by Scrivens and Carr (26), the former reaching her century from 108 balls in a victory-clinching fifth-wicket partnership of 59 in nine overs.