"Heather Knight and an Impossible Mission"

Thanks for watching and welcome to Part 12 from my self-published book in August 2023, "The Spirit of Cricket".

Please see the link below for the paperback version of this, my fourth self-published book, and three ways in which you could support me and poke the traditional publishers in the eye who refused to even read my manuscript!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CF4FRKSH

https://www.patreon.com/TheBlackfordBookClub
https://www.paypal.me/TheBlackfordBookClub
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/steveblackford

Here follows a snippet from the chapter being read here, and chapter number 29 of a total of 41 from a book I'm immensely proud of:

"I had to forgo today’s cricketing Ashes battle and the 5th game in a series of 7 between the ladies of England and Australia, as quite simply my son insisted upon us visiting our local cinema to aid Tom Cruise in his impossible mission of saving the world once more. To say we were both excitedly looking forward to this latest instalment in a franchise approaching its third decade is another of my monumental understatements and refraining from any hints, score updates or sporting spoilers, I bubbled myself away in a cocoon until late this evening and the hour long highlights from Bristol of today’s 50 over ODI (One Day International). After saving the world, with the added help of the Impossible Mission Force and Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, I settled in with a pizza to accompany the highlights hoping for an England victory that, like their male counterparts, would keep their Ashes dreams alive.

Remarkably, considering England lost the first match in the series and a brilliant Test Match to boot, as well as the first of three IT20 (International T20) matches and trailing 6 points to 0 as a consequence, the Ashes are as alive as England’s hopes following today’s close run 2 wicket triumph over the World Champion Australians.

The razor thin margin of victory is perfectly in keeping with the series as well as a mirror to the men’s series recommencing next week and the mirroring theme continues with an Australian team being incredibly difficult to beat and never giving up, and an England team on the rise, a little raw in places, and apt to drop a lot of catches.

A lot of catches.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Australia lost captain Alyssa Healy for just 8 before Ellyse Perry and 20 year old Phoebe Litchfield steadied the ship of their innings with a fine partnership that saw Perry granted a cricketing “life” when on just 6 and Litchfield finally dismissed for 34 runs from 36 balls received with unquestionably one of the greatest catches of this sporting Summer. On a day when England would spill 5 catches (with the combined extra cricketing lives costing a mammoth 141 additional runs), youngster Litchfield was brilliantly caught one-handed by a leaping Sophie Ecclestone at the “Mid-On” position. Ecclestone, a mixture of joy, relief and utter astonishment at her incredible grab, simply clasped a hand over her mouth before being mobbed by her jubilant teammates. It was a true highlight of this Ashes Summer, and any cricketing Summer come to that".

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