Women’s T20 World Cup, Sharjah
Sri Lanka 93-7 (20 overs): De Silva 29* (40); Schutt 3-12
Australia 94-4 (14.2 overs): Mooney 43* (38), Perry 17 (15)
Australia won by 6 wickets
scorecard
Australia began their T20 World Cup title defense with a comfortable six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Sharjah.
The six-time champions wobbled slightly, trailing just 94 points and falling to 35-3, but opening pitcher Beth Mooney’s undefeated 43 pitches got them over the line with 34 pitches left.
While Australia got off to a predictably merciless start, Sri Lanka were thoroughly defeated by their pitiful batting, climbing to 93-7 from 20 overs.
And although Sri Lanka fought valiantly with three early wickets on a slower pitch, the bounce was somewhat uneven, but in the end the strength of Australia’s depth once again prevailed and such few paid a total price.
The sluggish pitch prevented Australia from playing their usual free style, with captain Alyssa Healy having four falls, Georgia Wareham clumsily running out and having three falls, and star all-rounder Ellyse Perry falling 17 times. .
However, Mooney, who was defeated on the 22nd, remained determined despite suffering in the intense heat.
There were some uncharacteristic mistakes on the field, including five no-balls thrown on the front foot and D’Arcy Brown dropping an easy catch, but Healy’s side bounced back admirably with their relentless play to stifle Sri Lanka’s attacks. Ta.
Nilakshi de Silva and Harshita Samarawickrama scored 29 and 23 respectively, but their efforts came from 35 and 40 balls as captain Chamari Atapattu’s early exit again proved costly. Ta.
Sri Lanka are currently facing a disappointing group stage exit after losing their opening two games and need a big win against India on Wednesday and other results.
Australia face New Zealand on Monday, which will be an interesting match after the White Ferns’ big win against India in the opening match.
Awesome Moony saves Australia
The opening games of this World Cup have seen some low scores, especially in Sharjah, as teams learn to adapt to slow pitches and outfields, and this time Australia were no different.
In the first innings, the Sri Lankan batsmen had no answer to Megan Schutt’s accuracy in the opening powerplay, with the seamers finishing with 3 for 12 and Ash Gardner scoring the vital scalp of Attapattu, leading to a rift between the sides. It was a complete mismatch in class.
Brown had a difficult day, struggling with his run-up. Against a stronger team, Australia could have been punished. Of Sri Lanka’s disastrous 23-2 power play, 14 of the goals came from extra time or free strikes.
But while it was the bowlers who set up the victory, batting looked particularly difficult, even with a world-class batting line-up that included low-eighth all-rounder Annabelle Sutherland.
Healy must have been tired after 20 overs and missed a fastball from Udeshika Prabodhani, Wareham fell just short due to good pitching from Kavisha Dilhari, and Perry was on track with 17 off 15 balls, but he made an unusual decision. I made a mistake and fell back. To the spinner when the ball is kept low.
Mooney then added 43 for the fourth wicket with Gardner, but in the end Gardner needed only 15 more runs, falling to 12, and she showed the perfect blend of composure and confidence required. provided.
During a drink break, her shirt drenched in sweat and an ice pack balanced on her head, she was visibly exhausted, but even when it was hard to reach the boundaries, she realized that one, It was a testament to her determination and stamina that she kept pressing 2.
Sharjah in particular looks like a ground dictated by the pitch and its long boundaries, and if the world’s best and fittest team find it tough, other teams will be wary.
“It’s not perfect, but it’s ok” – Reaction
Player of the Match Megan Schutt: โWe could have been a little cleaner. We were pretty slow in the outfield so we had to make some adjustments and we had a little bit to work on.
“It was tough in the heat, but I’ve never played here before, so I feel like I’m finally getting used to it.”
Australia captain Alyssa Healy: “We weren’t perfect, but we were decent. We adapted to the situation and just worked hard and scored at the end of the innings.”
“We’re blessed with so much depth that we just don’t know what to do with it. We have hitters that can move up or down the order.”
Sri Lanka captain Chamali Atapattu: “We have been playing good cricket for the past two months but struggled on a track with low bounce and slow pace. We can’t complain. ‘We have to play in these conditions and try to play positive cricket’ all the time. โ