Spell of maidens during match (4)
I believe the answer is:
time
'spell' is the definition.
(spell can mean a period of time)
'maidens during match' is the wordplay.
'maidens' becomes 'm' (cricket abbreviation).
'during' indicates putting letters inside.
'match' becomes 'tie' (tie can mean a sporting fixture).
'm' placed inside 'tie' is 'TIME'.
'of' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for time that I've seen before include "Duration; tempo" , "Speech to close pub" , "Tempo; occasion" , "The father of Truth, presumably" , "Bird" .)