Ever had one of those nightmares where you study your socks off for an exam but when you show up to sit it, the paper in front of you isn't the one you revised for? If so, you'll have some sympathy with England's predicament before the Women's T20 World Cup which starts today: not in Bangladesh, as originally intended, but in the UAE.
Twelve months ago, the England and Wales Cricket Board hired a head of cricket intelligence, Liam Sanders, and tasked him with helping to achieve something England have not managed since 2009: winning a Women's T20 World Cup. Sanders and his team gamed every possible scenario, including having the captain, Heather Knight, miss a match against New Zealand in July with just an hour's notice, mimicking what might happen if illness struck.
But in August, with civil unrest in Bangladesh, the ICC announced the tournament was upping sticks. For Sanders and his team, 12 months of work went down the drain. It was back to the drawing board, with a mere six weeks to rejig the plan.
Denne historien er fra October 03, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Denne historien er fra October 03, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Durán catches Bayern cold as lightning strikes twice
As returns to the biggest club stage go, Aston Villa's went rather swimmingly, the substitute Jhon Durán nonchalantly putting Bayern Munich to bed with a stunning, off-the-cuff left-foot lob.
Mac Allister and Salah apply Liverpool's finishing touches
There will be tougher tests to come, as Arne Slot frequently likes to remind Liverpool, but there is no disputing the confidence, quality and momentum that is surging through this team under the guidance of its new head coach.
"The reaction was: what's going on here? It is an amazing David v Goliath'
The New Saints, Cymru Premier champions, break new ground for Wales when they visit Fiorentina tonight
England lose data edge but maintain aggressive intent
Late change of hosts to UAE sent a year's planning down the drain, so Heather Knight's team step into the unknown
The county awards Final word on a 2024 season of wild highs, absurd lows and one illegally oversized bat
The County Championship season dribbled to an end on Sunday afternoon, handshakes taken as early as was polite, while the autumn roared in.
Sweden's green hope Battery manufacturer's future in balance after huge losses
Just three years ago, Sweden's then prime minister, Stefan Löfven, visited Northvolt's base near the Arctic Circle in Skellefteå to see Europe's first homegrown battery gigafactory and declared the city \"the future\" in the fight against global heating. Its work had huge significance for Sweden and the world, the Social Democrat said.
Game on: shrine to all things Nintendo opens in Kyoto
Traditionally, visitors to Kyoto in October come for momijigari, the turning of the autumn leaves in the city's picturesque parks. This autumn, however, there is a new draw: a Nintendo museum.
'We are killing ourselves' Vast fires rage across South America
'Blue, our sky is for ever blue!\" effuses the official anthem of Rondônia, a UK-sized chunk of the Amazon in the western reaches of Brazil. But the \"pure crystalline\" heavens celebrated by those lyrics have vanished in recent months.
'Everything will be Russia': eastern city of Vuhledar falls as Ukrainian forces withdraw
Ukraine has said its forces have withdrawn from the eastern city of Vuhledar, a defensive bastion that had resisted repeated Russian attacks since Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of 2022.
'He came to do a job': pioneer of Windrush generation dies at 98
Alford Gardner, one of the last remaining Windrush passengers who once said he \"didn't expect to be a part of history\", has died. He was 98.
