Caroline Atkins Diary - We Played Better Cricket

Caroline Atkins is writing an exclusive diary for Cricket World from India where she is on tour with the England Women's cricket team. In her latest report, she describes the final ODI and looks ahead to the ICC World Twenty20.

We won our last ODI to finish the series 3-2. My performances couldn’t justify a role in this side so I carried the drinks. We bowled first and restricted India to 206 on a good track with a quick outfield.

There’s a fair bit of pollution in Mumbai and as I delivered boundary drinks I noticed all the fielders suffered the same chesty cough as a result.  Still, we stuck to the task well and at half way felt we had played the better cricket.

What changed the result from previous two matches was that we also played better cricket than India with the bat this time as well. Heather Knight top-scored on her debut, with 49 at the top of the order. Contributions came throughout our line-up with exciting knocks coming from Danni Hazell (25) and our other Danni (Wyatt) seeing us home on debut with an unbeaten 28.

The team runs onto the field in Mumbai after the victory. © ECB

Losing my place in the England team has been difficult to bear. However, I’ve been here before and my biggest concern is not to take four years to get back in this time. Four days would be far more favourable and would have meant playing in the first Twenty20 match on Thursday. It’s a three match series that could turn our tour around.

The Women’s World Twenty20 starts on 5th May and so both England and India will be keen to establish winning formulae. There have been some tight games in the one-day series, so if nothing else we can expect some exciting cricket encounters in the next week.

Meanwhile, we have had a rest day today and took the chance to go shopping in Mumbai. I didn’t find too much but it has broken up a day in the hotel. We train again tomorrow with our attention firmly switched on to Twenty20 cricket. They’ll be variation balls, big shots and high catches along with stock deliveries, pushing twos and ground fielding. It’s the same game just a shorter version which we’re all pumped up for.

Caroline Atkins

© Cricket World 2010

Caroline made her England debut in the Ashes series in June 2001 and has to date played in eight Tests, 58 One-Day Internationals and 15 Twenty20 Internationals. Her ODI top score of 145 came in 2008 against South Africa when she shared a record opening stand of 268 with Sarah Taylor at Lord's.

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