Winter Watch | Week 3

Good news: it's Friday! Yes, the weekend is almost here and, with it, comes your opportunity to pull an Ashes all-nighter without having to function at work on absolutely zero sleep. Well, the majority of you, anyway. And we have overnight news from Perth from the opening day in the form of a certain Jof and a shiny red ball in his hand...

Jofra Archer

So, that happened. Just the one day to report on here, but what a day it was in Perth. Jofra played his part, too: a magical outing with the ball to inspire a wonderful comeback against Australia. 

He was the most economical by far: nine overs, four maidens, two wickets. And all for just 11 runs. It was Jofra at his brilliant best, taking the wickets of the two Aussie openers to help England into what should be a first innings lead. 

Anna Buckle

Having greatly impressed with the ball during her time with UTS North Sydney this winter, it was with the bat this time around where Anna raised a few eyebrows. Not known as much of a batter, here she was exceptional to help her side cross the line with a wonderful cameo. 

Her 29* off 33 deliveries was enough to sweep aside Northern District when matters looked bleak. We’ve spent a long time praising her bowling, but here it was all about Anna’s time at the crease.

Oli Carter

Heavily featuring at the top of the Sturt batting order, Oli’s recent outing saw his side take on West Torrens in a Division One match. Oli, opening alongside Josh de Caires, scored 16 runs as Sturt posted 233/5.

They’re next in action over the coming weekend, as they travel to East Torrens…

James Coles

Right, let’s catch up. First, it was the Hong Kong Sixes. Now, the 21-year-old has ventured west to play in the Abu Dhabi T10, and was selected by UAE Bulls. They have played their opening two matches of the tournament, though James is yet to feature.

Tom Haines

Our other star clad with three lions in Australia, opening batsman Tom’s competitive outing also begun overnight for England Lions against Cricket Australia XI.

Opening the batting alongside Ben McKinney, the pair put on 72 runs before McKinney fell for 42. Tom continued his spell at the crease, before being finally caught in the slips for the score of 38. A solid start, then, for our Sussex duo Down Under. 

Nathan McAndrew

Switching back to One-Day Cup, Nathan’s South Australia suffered a narrow defeat to Tasmania on a day where the all-rounder had a particularly proficient day with the bat.

He wasn’t too bad with the ball, either, claiming two wickets for the loss of 48 runs from his 10 over spell. But prior to this he’d blasted an electrifying 40 from a mere 29 balls – the second top score of the side. It wasn’t to be for his side, yet this was an excellent day for McAndrew.

Tymal Mills

Also out in the UAE alongside James Coles, Tymal is playing for the Aspin Stallions and impressed in his first outing of the campaign. Despite defeat for his team, which also features Sam Billings and the legendary Harbhajan Singh, Tymal bowled efficiently in his two-over spell: 2-0-15-1

Yesterday, the Stallions picked up their first win of the tournament, against the Ajman Titans. Tymal claimed another wicket, dismissing Chris Green in the run chase.

Aspin Stallions are next in action on Saturday, where they will face Vista Riders.

Ollie Robinson

Ollie has arrived in Canberra to join Tuggeranong Valley Cricket Club for the ACT Premier T20 competition, a move he says is about rediscovering his love for the game and giving back to the cricket community. 

The right-arm seamer had been playing for Sydney University, and bowed out with the wickets of Harjas Singh and Rohin Patel.

Jayden Seales

Two matches to report on since our previous Jayden update, and they’ve both gone to the way of New Zealand as the West Indies look to end the ODI series on a high on Saturday.

In the opening ODI – a match that saw NZ win by just 7 runs – Seales oozed class with the ball. His nine over spell spawned three wickets, one maiden and all for the loss of 41 runs. 

The second match, finished early on Wednesday morning, also went down to the wire. With New Zealand requiring 7 runs from the final over – bowled by Jayden himself – he sadly couldn’t quite ensure the victory as the hosts completed the five-wicket victory.

John Simpson

A flurry of innings in a whirlwind start to life with Kathmandu Gorkhas for our wicket-keeper captain over in Nepal for the Nepal Premier League, John's first two stints with the bat have earned him 13 and 24 runs respectively. It's also been an impressive start behind the stumps for our FC captain, with his side both victorious and defeated from the opening two rounds of the competition. 

He's next in action on Saturday, 9.45am GMT with his side facing Biratnagar Kings.

Talitha Stanley

It’s another week, and another Talitha Stanley bowling masterclass to tell you about. Playing A Grade cricket for Perth this winter, her side comprehensively swept aside Melville by 7 wickets – their fourth win in a row.

And Talitha was peerless here, taking three wickets from her six-over spell – all for the loss of a mere 15 runs. It’s her finest outing since arriving in Australia, and it takes her wicket tally to nine from her opening five matches.

George Thomas

Another who has settled in swiftly on the other side of the planet, we last mentioned George’s 38 with the bat to help propel his Cornwall team to 270/d, but what we have yet to mention is what ensued.

After taking three wickets in the first innings, he followed it up with a wonderful five-wicket haul to seal a supreme win over Napier Old Boys. Top work, ol’ boy.