REVIEW – 2013 year-end recap (Women’s cricket)

  The year 2013 saw 56 one-day internationals – thanks to the tenth Women’s World Cup – and also 37 Twenty20 internationals, a format which is becoming a staple of the women’s game. Only one Women’s Test was played. Let us look at the highlights and moments of women’s cricket in 2013:-

– The tenth ICC Women’s World Cup took place in India at five venues across Mumbai and Cuttack from January 31 to February 17. Australia won its sixth title, defeating the West Indies by 114 runs in the final. Batting first, Australia were helped to 259/5 by Jess Cameron (75) before Ellyse Perry took 3/19 to condemn West Indies to 145 all out. The rest of the positions (3rd to 8th) were England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, India and Pakistan in that order. New Zealand’s Suzie Bates was the top run-scorer with 407, while Australia’s Megan Schutt took 15 wickets to finish as the highest wicket-taker.The West Indies made it to their maiden final.

    Australia won their 6th World Cup title, defeating West Indies by 114 runs in the final played at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai (source – smh.com.au)

– The leading run-scorer of the year in both Women’s ODI’s and T20I’s was Stefanie Taylor of the West Indies (707 in 21 matches and 313 in 9 matches respectively). Taylor was also the leading ODI wicket-taker (32 in 21 matches) while the leading T20I wicket-taker was her countrywoman Shanel Daley (18 in 11 matches).

– A unique concept to decide the winners of the ‘Women’s Ashes’ was introduced, with the first such series being played in England in August. The Ashes consisted of a single Test, three ODI’s and three T20I’s. The winner of the Test got 6 points while the winners of each of the limited-overs games got 2 points each. As it happened, the only Test was drawn. England then went on to win the ODI’s 2-1 and the T20I’s 3-0 to claim the Ashes by 12 points to 4.

– The only Test played at Wormsley between England and Australia was only the 134th Women’s Test of all time and the first since 2010-11, when the same two teams had played a one-off Test at Sydney.

  England won the 2013 Women’s Ashes by 12 points to 4. It was the first time that the Ashes were played across all three formats (source – bbc.co.uk)

– West Indies achieved their highest ever ODI total when they made 368/8 against Sri Lanka in Mumbai. Their victory margin of 209 in that match is also their highest.

– Sri Lanka had a memorable World Cup – they beat both England and India for the first time in ODI’s. They beat England by 1 wicket and India by 138 runs in Mumbai.

– The West Indies won their first bilateral series over New Zealand in October, winning the three-match series 2-1 in the Caribbean.

– Bangladesh played bilateral series in South Africa and India for the first time, playing a three-match ODI series and T20I series against each. Bangladesh lost all four series 3-0.

– Stefanie Taylor’s 171 for West Indies against Sri Lanka in Mumbai became the third highest individual score in Women’s ODI’s and also the highest by a West Indian.

– Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Ireland were the three teams who qualified for the 2014 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in Bangladesh, after finishing in the top three in the eight-team qualifying tournament held in Ireland in July and August. The final between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was shared, while Ireland clinched third place by pipping the Netherlands by 2 runs.

– Pakistan claimed their first ever victory over England in any form of the game when they won by 1 run in the second T20 international at Loughborough in July.

– Lydia Greenway’s unbeaten 80 against Australia at Southampton in August became the highest individual score by an Englishwoman in T20I’s. Incidentally, she broke the record of Sarah Taylor, who made 77 against the same opponents at Chelmsford just two days before.

– The fourth instance of a tied Women’s T20I match was recorded at Bridgetown in October, when the West Indies and England both ended on 118/7. The West Indies won the super-over.

   Australian all-rounder Lisa Sthalekar called it a day after a successful 12-year international career (source – stuff.co.nz)

– Australia’s 34 year-old all-rounder Lisa Sthalekar retired from international cricket following the World Cup in February. She played in 8 Tests (416 runs, 23 wickets), 125 ODI’s (2728 runs, 146 wickets) and 54 T20I’s (769 runs, 60 wickets) since making her debut in 2001. She is the third-highest Women’s ODI wicket-taker and the fourth-highest Women’s T20I wicket-taker of all time.