Home is where the heart is as Lamb slaughters Stars

It was all about home comforts for Emma Lamb at Blackpool as the opener’s 63 helped Thunder to a 16-win victory against the South East Stars.

She said: “I love playing at Blackpool, it’s only 20 minutes away from me!

“I’ve not played here since the Kia Super League, which was three, four years ago.”

Despite this, it didn’t take the opener long to acquaint herself with the surroundings. She smashed the first ball of the innings for four and didn’t look back.

“We knew it was going to be a good wicket, so we had to go from ball one.

“That is T20 nowadays. You don’t have time to get yourself in, so you must go from the first ball.

“It is all about intent on this ground.”

The tactics employed by the South East Stars made it imperative for Lamb to stay switched on.

The travelling side used five different bowlers in the powerplay, not that this unsettled the batter in any way – she ended the first six over with 36 runs from just 18 deliveries.

“It was hard to settle. They’ve got a slow bowling attack, which I personally find quite hard.

“It certainly wasn’t easy, so I had to really switch on today.”

Lamb’s batting performance today was enough for anyone to be proud of, with her half-century, which included a couple of sixes, helping Thunder reach a first-innings total of 165/5.

However, it is a testament to Lamb’s mentality that she wasn’t content with the total, and couldn’t remember that she cleared the rope.

“Did I? I can’t remember [hitting the sixes].

“I personally wanted a few more runs on the board. 180 was achievable, given how we started.

“I thought it was defendable with our attack.”

These thoughts from Lamb proved to be correct, with the Thunder’s bowling attack proving too much for the visitors.

The Stars were all out for 149, 16 short of their target. Lamb herself picked up two wickets, despite laughing at the suggestion she could be considered an all-rounder.

“I’m not a bowler! Whenever I get a chance to bowl I just try and do my best.

“It’s all about the wickets, so let’s not focus on my bad stuff too much.

“I think our spin attack all did well today, especially Olivia Bell. She changed the game.”

With the start of the Ashes series, a Test match at Trent Bridge, fast approaching, Lamb spent some time during the week at a red-ball training camp with the rest of the England squad.

The return of the longer format is something she is looking forward to, expressing the importance of being able to adjust to the different formats when she is required to.

“I enjoyed the red-ball prep last week, and we have got a bit more this week coming up.

“I want to be able to play all formats, so being versatile is something I’ve tried to work on, to ensure I can bat my own way, but also do the job.

“I love playing Test match cricket, so I’ve been loving the training.”