Diary

Nerve-wracking endings

The one-day series was lost but England take heart from the fact that they bowled and fielded really well and are well prepared for the World Twenty20

Nicky Shaw
08-Mar-2010
Nicky Shaw celebrates a wicket, England v Australia, 3rd women's ODI, Stratford, July 3, 2009

No time to relax. Back to coaching and then on to West Indies  •  Getty Images

We lost the one-day series in Visakhapatnam and were obviously very disappointed. We maintained a high standard of fielding and bowling throughout the series but made it difficult for ourselves by not achieving higher targets to defend.
The pitch in Visakhapatnam was noticeably lush and green compared to the one in Bangalore, some of the girls compared it to Lord's! The wicket carried a lot more bounce and the outfield was slower than in Bangalore. At the end of the fourth game, we picked ourselves up by focusing on how well we bowled and fielded. We were not going to give up the last game.
We arrived in Mumbai on the evening of February 27. The Bandra Kurla Complex is a good ground, very different from the large stadium in Vizag. The wicket we played on for the fifth ODI was slower and lower than in Visakhapatnam. As with everywhere we have been, everyone at the ground was really welcoming.
Like the rest of the series, the fifth ODI was a close game. I think India have played well. We haven't batted as well as we can, and we have certainly missed several key players - Sarah Taylor, Claire Taylor and Holly Colvin. That game was a bit nerve-wracking. It was great to see Danielle Wyatt hold her nerve on her debut to secure the win for us.
Speaking of nerve-wracking, how close was the first Twenty20? We needed two runs off the last ball. Katherine Brunt and I were batting and we knew it would go into an eliminator over if we just got one, so we discussed that if it went outfield we would go for two. In the end we had a bit of luck with Sultana missing the stumps and managed to get the winning run. We were pleased with the win, but we were all pretty tired so after dinner in the hotel I just watched a bit of TV then went to bed.
Some of us went out to meet girls from the community of Bombay Port Trust on Wednesday with a project run by Magic Bus India. It was great to join the girls for a game of "leg cricket" and hear how Magic Bus has helped them and their community. Some of the girls went on a shopping trip the other day, but I stayed with a few others around the pool, as it was one of our only days to relax on the tour.
Whatever the result of the final Twenty20, I think our squad is suited to the shorter format. It's great to have these games under our belts, and of course we will be back to our full-strength squad when we go to the West Indies.
But before that, once I get back to the UK I go straight back to work, as a Chance to Shine coach.
The final squad for the World Cup will be named on March 19 so sometime after that the squad will meet up to train before heading out to defend our title.