Ganguly strikes form in tied match

The Leicester innings was a one-man effort as acting skipper Ben Smith made a superb 90, and must have thought the match was won when he departed 6th man out with the score on 152.

Leicester, however, seem to relish close finishes, and this went down to the final over bowled by Peter Martin. A six from Dakin seemed to have settled things, but as in Leicester’s match last week, a scrambled bye from the final ball tied the match.

Smithies dumped from England women’s squad

England’s 1993 World Cup-winning captain Karen Smithies was dropped from the squad for the first three matches of a five-ODI series against South Africa to be played in June and July.

Smithies, who stepped down from the position suddenly in the middle of England’s tour of Australia and New Zealand last February, had been under criticism for her captaincy and slow batting.

The first match between England and South Africa will be played on June 22 at Chelmsford, the series being the final workout for both sides before the Women’s World Cup.

The squad: Clare Connor, (captain, Sussex), Melissa Reynard (vice-capt, Yorks), Jane Cassar, (East Midlands), Barbara Daniels (West Midlands), Charlotte Edwards, (East Anglia) Laura Harper (Cornwall), Dawn Holden (West Midlands), Kathryn Leng (Yorks) Laura Newton, (Cheshire), Lucy Pearson (East Anglia), Nicki Shaw (East Midlands), Claire Taylor (Thames Valley), Clare Taylor (Yorks), Aaran Thompson (Lancs).