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October 10, 2024
Australia secured their second consecutive victory in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, decisively defeating New Zealand by 60 runs. This win marks their 13th straight victory in T20 World Cup history, showcasing their dominance in the format.
Australia began their innings strongly but faced a significant collapse, losing six wickets for just 29 runs in the later stages. Spinner Amelia Kerr was the standout bowler, finishing with remarkable figures of 4 wickets for 26 runs. The Sharjah pitch favored spinners, and Kerr took full advantage, dismissing the in-form Ellyse Perry for 30 with a clever googly, and quickly followed up by getting Grace Harris out on the next delivery.
Brooke Halliday supported Kerr effectively with her off-pace deliveries, causing further trouble for the Australian batters. She dismissed a well-set Phoebe Litchfield and Annabelle Sutherland in the final over, limiting Australia’s scoring opportunities. Despite the late collapse, Australia managed to approach a total of 150 thanks to some timely boundaries.
Initially, Australia had a strong start after winning the toss and choosing to bat. Beth Mooney and Alyssa Healy provided an explosive beginning during the powerplay, with Healy aggressively targeting the spinners and finding early boundaries. However, her momentum was halted when she fell to a slower delivery from Rosemary Mair just as she was settling into her innings.
Mooney struck a couple of boundaries during her 45-run partnership with Perry before her innings ended with a mistimed lofted shot that gave Kerr her first wicket. Perry then took charge, aggressively attacking the New Zealand bowlers. She launched Eden Carson for a six and followed it up with a pulled boundary, adding frustration for New Zealand, especially after the umpires ruled that a low catch off Litchfield had been dropped. Litchfield and Perry both found the boundary against Kerr before she made a crucial comeback that shifted the momentum.
Despite this, Australia’s total of 148 became more than sufficient for victory. This score was only the second instance of a team batting first scoring over 125 in the tournament. Megan Schutt gave Australia an excellent start by bowling Georgia Plimmer in her second over, making her the leading wicket-taker in Women’s T20 World Cup history. Although Suzie Bates and Amelia Kerr formed a solid partnership, adding 47 runs for the second wicket, they struggled to hit boundaries, which increased the pressure on the batting side. The turning point came when Sophie Molineux dismissed Bates, triggering a downward spiral for New Zealand’s innings.
Schutt returned to the attack and quickly had Kerr caught in the next over, while Georgia Wareham dismissed Halliday, who fell to a reverse sweep in the following over. Annabelle Sutherland then dealt a double blow by taking out Maddy Green and Isabella Gaze with consecutive deliveries. This led to New Zealand losing five wickets for just six runs, all while skipper Sophie Devine watched helplessly from the other end. Devine eventually became the ninth wicket to fall after swinging wildly at a delivery from Molineux.
Schutt capped off the innings just as she had begun, solidifying Australia’s commanding position at the top of Group A.
Brief Scores:
Australia: 148/8 in 20 overs (Beth Mooney 40, Ellyse Perry 30; Amelia Kerr 4-26, Brooke Halliday 2-16)
New Zealand: 88 all out in 19.2 overs (Amelia Kerr 29, Suzie Bates 20; Megan Schutt 3-3, Annabelle Sutherland 3-21)
Result: Australia won by 60 runs.
Read More: Bangladesh bowlers look to stall India in Delhi’s batting paradise
Chamari Athapaththu is unfazed by the criticism surrounding India’s top-order batting, which struggled to chase a target of 160 against New Zealand and narrowly defeated Pakistan in the penultimate over. She acknowledges that Sri Lanka’s top-order hasn’t met expectations either and is just as vulnerable to India’s strong bowling attack.
With two losses in Sharjah, Sri Lanka faces a tough road to the T20 World Cup 2024 semifinals in the second half of the group stage. However, Athapaththu maintains a positive outlook, noting that “the sun comes up regardless every morning.” As they prepare for their Group A clash against India on Wednesday (October 9) in Dubai, Sri Lanka will embrace their underdog status, which served them well in the Asia Cup final in July when they achieved a historic chase.
India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, is eager for revenge after their defeat in Dambulla, making this a must-win game for them. As they aim for a top-two finish, India needs to secure all available points and boost their net run rate to fend off threats from Pakistan and New Zealand. Unlike Sri Lanka, who will be making their World Cup debut at the venue, India’s prior experience in Dubai will be a significant advantage.
India has received a significant boost with the full recovery of their captain from a neck sprain just in time for their crucial clash against Sri Lanka. This means they will have their entire squad of 15 players available, provided Pooja Vastrakar passes her fitness test after training and bowling on the eve of the match. India is determined to leave no stone unturned following their unexpected setback against New Zealand, which has already impacted their net run rate.
Historically, India holds a 19-5 (with 1 no-result) advantage in their 25 T20I encounters against Sri Lanka. However, Sri Lanka’s last victory against India has added context to what was once considered a one-sided rivalry. Athapaththu and her team will be eager to replicate that success as they aim to live up to their status as reigning Asian Cup champions, or at least create some chaos in the group before what seems like an inevitable exit after two early defeats.
Match Details:
When: October 9 at 6 PM Local | 7:30 PM IST
Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
What to Expect: New Zealand is the only team to have won a match in Dubai after batting first, while South Africa is the only team that opted to field first.
Team News:
On Monday, a select group of Indian batters practiced, although it was generally a rest day. While Smriti Mandhana noted that Harmanpreet had recovered well, the captain did not participate in the match-eve nets. Vastrakar, who missed the game against Pakistan due to a minor injury, was back in training and will be assessed by the medical team on the morning of the match for a final decision on her fitness.
Read More: Agha Salman’s Century Propels Pakistan as England Responds Strongly
Sri Lanka had back-to-back afternoon training sessions at the ICC Academy ahead of their first game in Dubai, and a full-strength squad attended both. For the match against Australia, they replaced their young left-arm spinner with experienced Inoka Ranaweera, who is likely to be retained for the game against India as well.
What they said:
“I know that my failure has a huge effect on the team. So, I think as the most senior player and the captain, I want to give that [solid platform] to my team and for the country. I think there are a lot of people in Sri Lanka who want me [to] play in my best form. I like that pressure and that challenge. I think I can do something big for my team and my country [at the top of the order], and my fellow team members will also help me there. We have nothing to lose, we have to get things done. There is pressure [but] we have to be able to handle it.” – Sri Lanka’s superstar captain Chamari Athapaththu knows the value of her wicket
“Except the New Zealand match, we haven’t seen any team go over 140 in the tournament. [About] 135-140 – be it a day game or a night game. That says a lot about the conditions.” – India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana on if the conditions have differed in a day game versus night
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