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Western Storm will face Southern Vipers in a repeat of last year’s Kia Super League final after they overcame a top-order collapse to beat Surrey Stars by three wickets in the semi-final at Hove.After restricting Surrey to 100 for 7, Storm lost four wickets for five runs in 10 balls as their run chase got off to a terrible start. But from the wreckage of 17 for 4 in the fourth over, they were led to victory by West Indies allrounder Stefanie Taylor, who made an unbeaten 37 to steer her side home with seven balls to spare.Surrey’s hopes had been raised by a superb spell from South Africa quick Marizanne Kapp, who took three wickets in four balls. Her offcutter deceived England captain Heather Knight and Fran Wilson was lbw to an inswinger off the next delivery. In her next over Kapp had Sophie Luff brilliantly caught behind by Tammy Beaumont diving to her right, while Rachel Priest was bowled when Nat Sciver got one to nip back through her defences.But Taylor and Georgia Hennessy settled Storm’s nerves with a stand of 44 for the fifth wicket. Hennessy (21) was bowled by Laura Marsh in the 13th over and Storm were struggling on 67 for 6 in the 15th over when Lissy MacLeod drove to extra cover. Anya Shrubsole hit Alex Hartley for a straight six to get them back on track and although she holed out to deep midwicket, Taylor adroitly kept finding the gaps. She only hit two fours but her 37 off 46 deliveries made the difference.Earlier, Surrey had struggled to get any momentum after winning the toss. The pitch lacked pace and only Sophia Dunkley-Brown, who scored 30 from 33 balls, got to grips with the conditions and an accurate attack.England opener Tammy Beaumont needed 17 deliveries to score three runs and later dropped Hennessy before she had scored while South Africa’s Lizelle Lee and England allrounder Sciver failed to build on promising starts. Shrubsole picked up three wickets in the last over to finish with 3 for 22 and was well backed up by Storm’s spinners with Claire Nicholas, who took the new ball, the pick with 1 for 14.

Defending champions Southern Vipers bowled struggling Lancashire out for 87 in a six-wicket win at Liverpool to qualify for next week’s Finals Day with a group game to spare.The Vipers consigned the Thunder to their fourth straight defeat with an impressive, but not perfect, performance built on success with the ball.Spin proved crucial as the Vipers took their first four wickets for just seven runs in 17 balls, although they dropped a couple of catches and later slipped to 41 for 4in reply.The hosts, who elected to bat, failed to recover from losing key batsmen Sarah Taylor and Amy Satterthwaite in the space of five balls to the off-spin of Hayley Matthews and left-armer Lynsey Smith as the score fell to 9 for 3 in the fourth over.Taylor was brilliantly caught one-handed for one by West Indian Matthews off her own bowling. Either side of the two international dismissals, Smith bowled Emma Lamb and Eve Jones to return 3 for 16.Former Thunder batsman Danni Wyatt then held the Vipers chase together with a composed unbeaten 29-ball 46 following the loss of star player Suzie Bates.New Zealander Bates still managed to stay in the thick of the action. She had Sophie Ecclestone caught at mid-on with her first ball as Lancashire fell to 57 for 8 and also took two catches.She is the leading run-scorer in the competition with 227, the leading catcher with six and the second leading wicket-taker with seven.Lancashire at least gained some respectability through captain Danni Hazell, who hit three sixes in 37, and Kate Cross with 19. They shared 21 for the ninth wicket to avoid the competition’s lowest score across two seasons – 64.Spin continued to prosper in the Vipers chase as left-arm spinner Ecclestone struck twice in her first over, the second of the innings, as the score fell to 7 for 2.She had Matthews caught at mid-off and bowled Georgia Adams before Jess Jonassen had Bates caught at mid-off and Hazell bowled Mignon du Preez.From there, Wyatt was helped along by fifth-wicket partner Arran Brindle, who hit 19 not out. They shared an unbroken 47 and won with 5.1 overs remaining.Vipers host Yorkshire Diamonds at Arundel in their final group game on Saturday afternoon, and a win could still hand them a direct passage into the final with them three points behind Surrey. Lancashire travel to Bristol to face Western Storm.

West Indies women’s squad

Stafanie Taylor (capt.), Merissa Aguilleira, Reniece Boyce, Shamilia Connell, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Qiana Joseph, Kyshona Knight, Hayley Matthews, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Akeira Peters, Shakera Selman, Felicia Walters

West Indies women’s squad for the World Cup, which will be played in England in June-July, features four new faces, including 16-year-old fast bowler Qiana Joseph. The three other newcomers include 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Reniece Boyce, 23-year-old allrounder Akeira Peters and 25-year-old opening batsman Felicia Walters.Chairman of the selection panel Courtney Browne said these four players caught the eye at the emerging women’s players camp held last year. “The team is composed of a mixture of youth and experience,” Browne said. “Performances in this year’s Women’s Regional Super50 Tournament along with the form of incumbent players over the last few international tours were taken into consideration.”The panel felt all four [new] players bring a specific skill-set to the team. It should also be noted that all four players are products of our last training camp for emerging women’s players held last year. We feel at this time that these players, although not as experienced, have shown improvement and can add value to our squad.”Allrounder Shanel Daley, who last played in November 2014, returned to the squad. Browne said of her selection: “Shanel’s ability as a player has never been in question. She however, had some injury issues over the last few years. Those issues are now under control and our medical personnel, as well as Oba Gulston, the physiotherapist for the women’s team, will continue to monitor and manage her.”Allrounder Shaquana Quintyne missed out with injury.The Women’s World Cup runs from June 24 to July 23. West Indies play their first match on June 26, against Australia in Taunton. They are one of eight teams in the tournament, alongside Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Match Abandoned
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShakib Al Hasan stood in as Bangladesh captain in the absence of Mashrafe Mortaza•Getty Images/Sportsfile

Heavy rain in Malahide washed out the tri-series’ opener between Ireland and Bangladesh after the visitors’ innings came to a halt in the 32nd over. Bangladesh were 157 for 4 in 31.1 overs when the weather forced them off, and they did not return. Although the rain relented as the evening progressed, it never entirely stopped. The game was called off at 4.50 pm local time.In what is their first visit to England and Ireland in seven years, the Bangladesh batsmen, barring Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah, struggled on a green pitch.Tamim and Mahmudullah led the visitors’ recovery with an unbroken 87-run fifth-wicket stand – after they were struggling at 70 for 4 – but it was mainly the Ireland bowlers’ inability to take full advantage of pace-friendly conditions that let the visitors off the hook.Peter Chase was the pick of the bowlers with his three wickets, while Tim Murtagh and left-arm spinner George Dockrell kept Bangladesh in check with tight bowling. Barry McCarthy, Kevin O’Brien and Stuart Thompson however failed to find their rhythm.Tamim battled hard for his 88-ball 64, finding the boundary eight times, while Mahmudullah scored 43 off 56 balls, bringing to a halt his string of low scores in ODIs since October.On a pitch that was hard to differentiate from the outfield, Bangladesh started gingerly, losing Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman in the first 3.2 overs. Soumya edged Chase’s short ball, which was moving away from his off stump, while Sabbir was struck on his arm first ball before deciding that an ultra-aggressive shot was needed to break the shackles. The attempted slog over midwicket duly ended up in third man’s grasp and Chase had struck twice in quick succession.Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim then added 38 for the third wicket, but the former drove at and edged a Barry McCarthy good-length delivery to the slip fielder in the 12th over.Shakib Al Hasan, standing in as captain for the suspended Mashrafe Mortaza, also looked uncomfortable tackling such a pitch. Even as he looked to get his timing right, Chase got him on 14 with a wide delivery.Like Tamim, Mahmudullah generally played the ball quite late, making sure he used the depth of the crease. Both batsmen left the ball regularly, whenever a delivery’s line and length made it risky to drive through off.But the Ireland bowlers kept feeding them boundary balls and wide deliveries (they bowled 13 in the first 20 overs), which meant that the pressure on the pair wasn’t absolute. They figured out how to deal with the green top, but the rain arrived just when they had started to dominate the home bowling attack.

The ICC has approved a tenfold increase in prize-money for the Women’s World Cup this year, with $2 million up for grabs at the tournament, which begins in England next month. At the 2013 Women’s World Cup, which was won by Australia, the total prize fund was $200,000.”The ICC Women’s World Cup is the pinnacle of the women’s game and as such the players should be rewarded appropriately,” the ICC chief executive, David Richardson, said. “Two million dollars is the first step towards greater parity and recognition. The prize fund for the 2013 edition was just $200,000, and this announcement shows a greater level of commitment than ever before.”The change will not happen overnight but the women’s game is crucial to the global growth of cricket. There is undoubtedly an audience for it – there were almost 18 million views of highlights of the Women’s World Cup Qualifier earlier this year – and we need to grow that further. There is greater depth in the women’s game and that is leading to increased competitiveness which is what fans want to see.”We think the Women’s World Cup this summer will be a turning point in the history of the game. There is growing interest globally in women’s sports and we want cricket to be front and centre of this and lead by example.”The ICC also announced that, for the first time in the event’s history, every match of the Women’s World Cup would be broadcast either on television or live-streamed. As part of the broadcast, the DRS will be introduced into women’s cricket for the first time.”I am delighted with the commitment shown to the growth of the women’s game by the ICC,” Clare Connor, the chair of the ICC Women’s Committee, said. “The significant uplift in prize money since 2013 and the ambition of future parity, along with every game being broadcast is a huge moment for the sport.”To recognise the players in this way demonstrates the value women’s cricket can add to the game globally and I know we’ll see some exceptional cricket this summer that can grow our fan-base around the world”

Charl Langeveldt, South Africa’s bowling coach, has asked for more discipline from his attack, who he admitted will have to “box smart” on a tricky Dunedin pitch. Although Langeveldt believes New Zealand probably got the best of the surface on the first morning, when there was variable bounce, he believes South Africa could still tighten up and take control of the match.”If you’re going to have attacking fields, you are going to leak runs. In hindsight, we went for too many fours,” Langeveldt said. “Kane (Williamson) put us under pressure, especially against the spinner. He didn’t let the spinner settle down. Just blocking up one end would have been ideal. But Kane was on fire. Jeetan put us under pressure as well.”Not only did Williamson score freely off Keshav Maharaj, but he also took runs off Kagiso Rabada, who struggled with a slight stomach bug. Rabada’s illness was not serious enough to prevent him from taking the field, and Langeveldt is confident he will return with more venom on the third morning, but has invested most of his hopes in the team’s ability to strike early and find reverse-swing.”This is like a Port Elizabeth wicket. At the end there was a hint of reverse, so hopefully that will work in our favour,” Langeveldt said. “We have to box smart and try and contain Kane Williamson. He’s the key. I’m not sure whether Ross Taylor is going to come back but he’s a good batsman and they’ve got a few allrounders coming in. So we still have to bowl well to get them out. Tomorrow morning I feel we’ll have that opportunity, and then we need to box smart after that.”Taylor left the field with a calf injury and had scans at the university hospital. There is no definitive call on his availability for the rest of the match. Whether or not he returns, South Africa still have some big hitters and quick run-scorers to contend with, including Jimmy Neesham. Langeveldt would like to see his bowlers emulate New Zealand and squeeze a first-innings lead. “They bowled brilliantly and built pressure from both ends,” he said.Almost a third (32%) of the 122.4 overs New Zealand bowled were maidens, and they kept South Africa’s scoring rate to 2.51, as part of a plan to frustrate the opposition’s powerful line-up. “We were just looking to grip the ball and ask tough questions and not let them get too far ahead,” Trent Boult explained. “Everyone applied pressure in different stages, so it was easy for Kane to move between bowlers and not let that foot up. Stepping up maidens and dot balls was a big part of our plan, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”By comparison, South Africa’s maidens efficiency was only 23%, and allowed New Zealand to score at 3.21. Still, Langeveldt believes the bowlers can make something happen, especially because Morne Morkel, who made a return after 14 months on the sidelines nursing a back injury, seems to be making a strong comeback. “His pace was up, he bowled a good amount of overs, he bowled really well and he got the ball in good areas. But the key thing was that Morne Morkel’s pace was up and he was bowling at 100%,” Langeveldt said.

Bangladesh’s manager Khaled Mahmud has said that Mushfiqur Rahim has been informed he will play the upcoming Tests against Sri Lanka as a specialist batsman, and has to give up his position as the designated wicketkeeper. This means Liton Das, the other specialist wicketkeeper in the Test squad, will take over the role.Mushfiqur’s wicketkeeping came under focus after he missed plenty of chances during the Afghanistan series last year. In Bangladesh’s last Test, against India in Hyderabad last month, his missed stumping of Wriddhiman Saha cost the team and highlighted his frailties behind the stumps. During the interim, the BCB had said that the matter will be discussed with Mushfiqur, which is what the team management has done ahead of the Test series in Sri Lanka.”The coach [Chandika Hathurusingha] and I have informed Mushfiqur officially [that he will play only as a batsman],” Mahmud told the Bengali daily . “He is the best batsman in the team. He is in such form that we believe he will be able to give more to the team, which is why he will bat at No. 4 and will not be keeping wickets. Mushfiqur has taken the decision positively, which is the best part.”We gave him examples of Kumar Sangakkara and Brendan Taylor whose batting improved as soon as they gave up wicketkeeping in Tests. It is hard to play as wicketkeeper, captain and batsman.”Liton kept wickets in the three Tests he played in 2015, against India and South Africa. The last time Mushfiqur was told to play as a batsman was during the 2016 Asia Cup T20s when he shared the duty with Nurul Hasan during the tournament at home.With Mushfiqur now slated to bat at No. 4 and Liton being confirmed a place in the XI, the team management will now have to decide between Mahmudullah and Sabbir Rahman in the middle order. While Mahmudullah has just struck his first Test fifty after a long gap, Sabbir hasn’t got a big Test score despite a promising start to his career.

Sri Lanka were forced to train indoors at the Wanderers Stadium on Monday, after weekend rains had seeped through the covers and made the outdoor practice pitches unusable.Though there was no rain, overcast conditions did little to aid the drying of the surfaces on Monday, and there is a chance both teams’ training will be affected on Tuesday as well. The South Africa squad does not officially convene till Tuesday, and as such, have not trained yet in Johannesburg.”Our guys are working on it,” Greg Fredericks, CEO of the Lions, the franchise based at the Wanderers, told ESPNcricinfo. “We had a lot of rain from Friday and through the weekend but we are doing our best.”Groundstaff did provide a centre track for Sri Lanka’s bowlers to train on – no one batted there – and will also aim to provide one for South Africa on Tuesday. Additionally it is hoped one of the practice pitches will have dried sufficiently to conduct a nets session on.Sri Lanka were briefly dismayed at the prospect of training indoors on surfaces they felt may be slower than the outdoor practice pitches, and indeed the Test-match surface. But after talking to groundstaff they are hopeful facilities will improve in the approach to the game.

Australia captain Steven Smith has challenged his deputy David Warner to do a Karun Nair and go on to make the sort of monumental scores that will be essential if the tourists are to have any hope of besting India at home next month.In a frank interview with ESPNcricinfo, Smith also declared his side’s recent aggressive batting approach in Asian conditions to be “rubbish” and pinpointed the left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe as critical to Australia’s chances.Warner, who made his second century in as many matches on his SCG home turf on Sunday, also led Sunrisers Hyderabad to the 2016 IPL title, but has not reached three figures in an overseas Test for more than two years. Smith said that after both captain and deputy failed to post centuries before last year’s Sri Lanka series had been decided, the team’s senior batsmen had to set their sights on hundreds – big ones.”It’s pretty important that our senior players step up in those conditions,” Smith said. “It’s something we didn’t do overly well in Sri Lanka and we didn’t get the results that we wanted there. I’m going to do it differently to Davey, you don’t want to get rid of someone’s natural flair and the way they play. But if he gets to a hundred it might be about knuckling down again and going big, get 200 or 300, like Karun Nair did a few weeks ago.”Those are the big scores that set your team up, so we are just being hungry and willing to keep going and not let up. I think we’ve been guilty in the past of saying ‘a ball’s going to have your name on it, so get them before one gets you’. To be honest with you, it’s rubbish.”I think if your defence is good and you back that, then the one that’s got your name on it generally spins past the bat or does too much. So get that out of your mind, it’s not going to be said again – it’s going to be about backing your defence and making sure you can bat for long enough. Everyone in our team has got the shots, but get yourself in, things get easier, and then be willing to go big.”Victories overseas are seldom achieved in the barnstorming manner Australia are used to imposing in home conditions – as the victorious 2004 India tourists have often attested. To that end, Smith said he was eager to see his men fight matches out that they are unable to dominate from the start. Too often, he said, Australian batsmen are guilty of simply playing their “natural game” rather than the situation, particularly when trying to scratch out a draw.Steve O’Keefe – who skipped part of the BBL to prepare physically and technically for India – will be crucial to Australia’s hopes of a strong performance in India, says Steven Smith•Getty Images

“Obviously you want to win first and foremost, but a draw’s a much better result than a loss,” Smith said. “If the game’s dead and buried and we can’t win, you want to see the fight and the willingness to put your natural game away and do everything you can to stay out there and get the team a draw.”That’s something we haven’t done overly well in the past. When we’re a long way behind the game and chasing 500 or something in the last innings, guys have still just gone out and played, rather than do what Faf [du Plessis] did in Adelaide a few years ago and just block it until the game’s gone, and give yourself a chance to survive.”Smith also pinpointed O’Keefe as critical to Australia’s campaign, as a bowler of the sort whose consistently pitched, skidding or spinning deliveries are so often successful in Asia. O’Keefe’s spotty injury record was to the visitors’ great cost last year, when he looked highly dangerous in the first Test in Sri Lanka but was then lost to the match and the series with a hamstring strain.”He has had some issues with his body, and I think he has done the right thing taking the BBL off,” Smith said. “I think he’s going to be a big player for us in those conditions. He understands how to bowl in those conditions, he had a bit of success in the A tour in India.”He was a big loss for us in Sri Lanka, he looked like taking a wicket every ball, and he has worked with Sri [bowling consultant Sridharan Sriram] from India who understands how to bowl in those conditions as well, understands the different arm angles, seam positions and paces you have to bowl on those wickets. That’s a big plus. If we’re going to have success on this tour, he’s going to be a big part of it.”The full interview with Steven Smith is here

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIan Bell top scored with 45 as Perth Scorchers put up 177 on the board•Getty Images

Perth Scorchers moved to the top of the Big Bash League table with an emphatic win over Sydney Thunder at the WACA.This was the Scorchers well-worn blueprint down to a tee: bat first – they were invited to do so by Thunder – let the top order accumulate – Michael Klinger and Ian Bell this time – before the allrounders bash them to an intimidating total – Mitchell Marsh took care of that part – then the bowlers squeeze out a comfortable win – Andrew Tye and David Willey were front and centre in that regard.The outcome was a 50-run victory, which left champions Thunder rooted to the bottom of the table with four defeats from four games. Another against Melbourne Stars on Wednesday would end their title defence.

Morgan to be replaced by James Vince

Sydney Thunder batsman Eoin Morgan will be replaced by James Vince when he heads to India to captain England this week, ESPNcricinfo understands.
Morgan will depart after the Thunder’s game against Melbourne Stars on Wednesday, with Vince playing the final three fixtures of a tricky campaign for the BBL champions.
Vince was dropped by England after managing just 53 runs in three ODI innings in Bangladesh in October, while he failed to reach 50 in seven Tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan during the English summer.
He has a fine record as a top order batsman in T20, however, with almost 3,000 runs at a strike rate of 128.44, and 20 scores of more than 50.

Thunder’s fielding returns
One of the most memorable aspects of Thunder’s three-wicket defeat to Brisbane Heat last week was their horrific catching as the chase got tight. Jake Doran, Shane Watson and Andre Russell were all guilty, but from the first over in Perth, Thunder were much improved.Ben Rohrer took a wonderful diving catch at cover to set the tone, then Pat Cummins’ tumbling take at mid-on dismissed Michael Klinger and broke an 85-run partnership for the second wicket. The whole performance in the field was raised, with Chris Green notably impressive in the deep and debutant Jay Lenton tidy behind the stumps, even if he did miss a very sharp stumping. Adam Voges, the reprieved batsman, had to go back to the pavilion anyway, twinging his hamstring while attempting a big sweep shot.Thunder’s poor batting meant very little of that mattered on Sunday, but it was a small step in the right direction.Scorchers blazing towards final
Like their female counterparts, the Scorchers look the strongest side in the BBL. They have a settled combination, and their additions slot perfectly into their plans. Bell builds a platform at the top of the batting order while Mitchell Johnson is a wicket-taking threat in the middle overs. In the absence of Brad Hogg, their spin bowling reserves seem weak, but Ashton Turner continues to impress as a resourceful and intelligent cricketer. He added a handy 20 runs in the slog overs, took an important wicket – Eoin Morgan’s – and three good catches, too.…And are set to be unfazed by further absentees
Given they are missing bowlers of the quality of Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Joel Paris, the Scorchers’ depth and excellence is remarkable. They did not have Ashton Agar today and it will be interesting to see how they handle the absence of the injured Voges and the outstanding David Willey – who again picked up wickets by swinging the white ball in the Powerplay. He dismissed both Thunder openers, with Ryan Gibson, bowled, and Kurtis Patterson, caught behind. Willey will be replaced in the squad by Tim Bresnan.Thunder’s batting woes
Nothing sums up Thunder’s slide like the fact that their top scorer was Cummins, a bowler unlikely to describe himself as an allrounder. He has more runs than any of his team-mates this summer.They may have lost the experience of Michael Hussey and Jacques Kallis to retirement, and the excellence of Usman Khawaja to international duty, but the fact is their senior batsmen have not performed. Watson, Russell, and to a lesser extent Morgan are struggling for form – all three fell very softly in Perth – failing to shape games and leaving the lower order too much to do.The debutant Lenton, Chris Green and Cummins, until he was brilliantly run out by wicketkeeper Sam Whiteman with a direct hit from square leg, battled gamely, but it was too late. The same may be true of their season as a whole.The weakness of Thunder’s batting makes it even stranger that Watson, upon winning the toss, chose to bowl – although that is the current trend, with 11 of 13 captains opting to chase so far in the tournament. Scorchers, with their excellent record defending modest totals, must have been licking their lips.