#womens-cricket

#womens-cricket

Growing up in rural India, Shafali Verma always knew she had a hunger to play cricket. But in her small town of Rohtak, in the north Indian state of Haryana, cricket was not a game for girls. Aged nine, desperate to play, she cut her hair short, entered a tournament disguised as her brother, and went on to win man of the match.

It is her home and also her prison. She doesn't leave it much these days. But she does have a bat, and a ball, and spends her days training with her four sisters in the small garden and the courtyard of her house. Sometimes, when the Taliban are in the street outside, they train in the basement, so no one can hear the sound of young women having fun.

India secured a 13-run win at Chester-le-Street against England, concluding their tour successfully with a 2-1 ODI series victory despite England's valiant effort at chasing down 319 runs.

Charlotte Edwards is facing a monumental challenge as head coach of England's women’s cricket team, struggling against a formidable Indian side in recent matches.

Surrey secured their place in the Women's T20 Blast Finals Day by defeating Bears by 25 runs, with Kira Chathli scoring 65 runs off just 31 balls.

Glamorgan struggled in their first Blast match, collapsing to just 77 runs, with Niamh Holland's 40 being the only significant score as they failed to bat out their overs.