August 17, 2024

Lauren Winfield-Hill set to sign long term contract with Yorkshire

Lauren Winfield-Hill is in advanced talks to sign a long-term contract with Yorkshire. However, she is considering a loan move for part or all of the 2025 season to play ‘Tier 1’ cricket.

The structure of women’s domestic cricket in England and Wales is changing at the end of this season, shifting from a regional setup to a county-based model. Yorkshire did not secure Tier 1 status and funding from the ECB and will compete in the second division next year. They are expected to be promoted to Tier 1 by 2026.

This situation has left several Northern Diamonds players, including Winfield-Hill, facing tough choices. Hollie Armitage and Danielle Hazell have signed three-year deals with Durham, a Tier 1 county. Despite this, Winfield-Hill is planning to commit her long-term future to Yorkshire but is still considering a loan move to a Tier 1 county for the 2025 season.

“My intention is to stick around and commit to Yorkshire,” Winfield-Hill said. “I haven’t officially signed a contract or anything, but that’s what I’m looking to do. What that looks like with loans or opportunities to play Tier 1 cricket is something that we’ll explore, but if that doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.

“I’m pretty loyal… I’ve always been really keen to finish where I started and [Yorkshire] is a place that’s really close to my heart. It’s where my friends and family get to come and watch me… those sorts of things are massively important to me.”

Winfield-Hill seriously considered a permanent move away but when the ECB confirmed that Yorkshire would only have to spend one year outside of the top tier, she decided to stay. “It made the decision a little bit easier. If it had been two years, it might’ve looked slightly different, but I’m not that old – I can hang on for a year or so.”

Player Considers Loan Deal to Ensure Top-Tier Cricket in 2025 Amid Domestic Restructuring

But she will investigate the possibility of a loan deal for some or all of the 2025 season, which would enable her to play in the top tier of domestic cricket. “We’re just working through it all now,” she said. “There’s lots of things that are quite unknown with what Tier 2 and Tier 1 looks like, what the crossover is and all the rest of it.

“I don’t really want a year of not playing top-flight cricket domestically in England but what that looks like, I’m unsure of now. That’s the truth. We’re trying to get the best of both worlds in terms of being around for Yorkshire stuff, developing that, and making sure that in 18 months or two years’ time, we’re ready to hit the ground running and compete in Tier 1.

“But equally, from an individual point of view, it’s important that I’m still playing to the highest standard I can. Whatever that mix looks like is what we’ll try and pursue.”

The final season of the regional structure will resume on August 26 after the conclusion of the Hundred, with Diamonds sitting second in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy’s table as the group stage nears its conclusion.

The Blaze, who sit fifth, have signed Ireland allrounder Orla Prendergast for the rest of the season after Nadine de Klerk was ruled out through injury. “Orla is a great player with a proven List A record and the ability to slot straight into our group for the run-in,” their coach, Chris Guest, said.

Deepti Sharma: London Spirit plans clear for Hundred eliminator

The London Spirit face the Oval Invincibles for the third time this season in the Women’s Hundred eliminator on Saturday, with a spot in the final against Welsh Fire at stake.

Deepti Sharma, the Spirit’s star allrounder, has been exceptional in previous matches against the Invincibles. She scored 44 and took 3 for 18 in a tied game at Lord’s, and followed up with an unbeaten 46 and another 3 for 18 in a close match at The Oval. Despite her strong performances, the Invincibles have had standout moments, such as Marizanne Kapp’s 47 and 4 for 11 in their last encounter.

With a final place on the line, Deepti and her team are aiming to secure a win over their London rivals and advance to the final.

“Because we are going to play a third game, I’m pretty sure what we have to do and what our plans are; very clear about that,” Deepti told iplwin365.online. “Just keep it simple, that’s what I always think. Just keep it simple, enjoying each and every game and express myself. That’s what I’ve followed from day one.”

Deepti Sharma has made a strong comeback to the Hundred, her first appearance since playing for Spirit in 2021. She has consistently performed well, scoring at least 30 runs in each of her five innings and taking seven wickets with an average of 19.57 and an economy rate of 7.14.

In the final game of the regular season, Deepti was named Player of the Match for her unbeaten 37 and 1 for 19, leading Spirit to a seven-wicket victory that eliminated the Northern Superchargers from the play-offs. She partnered with England and Spirit captain Heather Knight to add 77 runs for the fourth wicket.

Deepti’s experience extends beyond domestic leagues; she has also played with notable international players. She won the 2019 Kia Super League title with Knight and has now joined Spirit alongside former Australia captain Meg Lanning and England spinners Sarah Glenn and Charlie Dean, with whom she has had notable interactions, including a run-out in an ODI at Lord’s in 2022.

“I forgot everything because when you are playing in the same team, I am someone who always forgets in-the-past things,” Deepti said. “I always [try to] be in the present, watch the moment and watch the matches that are going on. They are good players and good team-mates as well, so we were just gelled up every day and we are enjoying every moment in the team room or outside the team room.

“Meg is here… I was so excited because I always play against her, so I told her that I’m really excited to play in the same team. She’s very, very cool. She always supports you whether she’s batting or outside the ground. I like her nature.

“It doesn’t matter if you are playing in the same team, same franchise, or you are playing for your country. It’s just about the mindset. Whether it’s the Hundred, WPL or the WBBL, it’s cricket. Cricket is cricket, so we love to play that.”

Spirit faced a nervous wait for their place in the eliminator to be confirmed, watching Invincibles clinch victory with six balls remaining against Trent Rockets in their last regular match.

“We were in the team room and we all were watching, so it was a little bit nervous,” Deepti said. “We were hoping for the best for us. We were not thinking about what will happen, just believing in ourselves that we would play the eliminator.”

The London Spirit need to maintain their strong form for at least one more game, and ideally two, to secure their first Hundred title. The Oval Invincibles, aiming for their third crown, had their two-year winning streak broken last year by Southern Brave, who finished at the bottom of the table this season.

The Invincibles will be without Chamari Athapaththu, who has joined the Sri Lankan team for their ODI series in Ireland. However, they will rely on the experienced Marizanne Kapp, who played a key role in their win over the Rockets with an unbeaten 26 and 3 for 8.

Kapp has been outstanding this season, scoring 181 runs at an average of 60.33 and a strike rate of 141.40, and taking 10 wickets at an average of 13.40 with an economy rate of 5.95. Her performances have been a big boost for Invincibles captain Lauren Winfield-Hill.

“We’ve seen how good she’s with the new ball and, when she’s out in the middle in a chase, the dressing room is calm because she’s been such a crucial finisher for us with the bat, and she fields in all the hot spots,” Winfield-Hill said. “She’s absolutely the first name on any teamsheet in any competition anywhere in the world, in my opinion, closely followed by Nat Sciver-Brunt.

“I just think it’s frightening. Sometimes you feel like she’s almost playing a PlayStation game, especially when she’s batting, where it’s like she’s just picking where the fifth gap is in the field and pressing X, and the shot comes off. She feels like she’s at the absolute peak of her powers and just getting better all the time.”