Northern Districts’ women whack 596 – the biggest total in an Australian 50-over match – against Port Adelaide
IT’S a score that quite simply has to be seen to be believed — an Adelaide women’s cricket team is, we believe, the proud owner of the biggest score ever in an Australian 50-over match.
AN ADELAIDE women’s cricket team has blasted the highest ever score in an Australian 50-over match – 3/596.
Northern Districts had four players make centuries as it whacked 64 fours and three sixes against Port Adelaide at Salisbury Oval on Sunday.
Jets captain and long-time state star Tegan McPharlin topscored with 136 off 80 balls, fellow SA player Sam Betts added 124 off 71, while another Scorpion, Tabatha Saville (120 off 56), and 15-year-old Darcie Brown (117 off 84) compiled their first hundreds.
In terms of 50-over matches, it is the largest ever total in Australia but ranks third globally for women’s teams and is fifth overall anywhere in the world.
The record 50-over total is Mpumalanga’s 1/690 against Kei in a girls under-19s match in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010/11
The highest score in a 50-over international match is 4/490, by New Zealand’s women versus Ireland in Dublin in June.
McPharlin said Port, which fielded just 10 players and was without Australian leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington because of international duties in India, was clearly understrength but her team played a near-perfect innings.
“It was unreal to make a score like that,” said McPharlin, a wicketkeeper.
“It’s a little bit ridiculous to do that in a one-day game.”
Port bowled 88 extras, including 75 wides.
McPharlin said she did not get too excited about her hundred because of the quality of the weakened opposition but she was thrilled for Saville and Brown making their maiden centuries.
Jets women’s cricket director Jeanette Beazleigh said “90 per cent” of the innings featured good strokeplay, rather than slogging.
“A few of us were wondering if it was a world record or whatever – it’s definitely a club record and we’re pretty sure it’s a SACA (SA Cricket Association) record,” Beazleigh said.
“The club is excited.
“It was good to watch.
“You can have poor bowling but if you don’t play disciplined cricket, you’re still not going to get the runs.”
In reply, Port Adelaide was all out for 25 in 10.5 overs – after only eight players batted.
One retired hurt and its top scorer, Pratibha Kapoor, made nine.
Last weekend Southern District made a club record 9/415 in a 50-over match against Port.
“If that’s what we’re going to come up against, we’re still going to put in our best performance,” McPharlin said.
“That was our best performance.”
Port Adelaide cricket director Dean Sayers said the Magpies’ side that took to the field on Sunday was very inexperienced and “probably a B-grade outfit, not an A-grade outfit”.
Sayers said about 15 women’s players had left the club for various reasons over the past two seasons and a few recruits were yet to arrive from India, leaving the Magpies battling, particularly without Wellington and Irish international Mary Waldron, who was also overseas.
The lack of numbers has also led to Port forfeiting its opening two B-grade games.
“We’re clearly understrength,” Sayers said.
“We’re playing some youngsters who aren’t up to A-grade level.
“But we’re still pretty positive and trying to recruit.”
Sayers said the club was establishing the Rolton/Freeman academy to try to find the next generation of girls and boys’ cricketers in the area.
The academy is named after Port’s former Australian stars Karen Rolton and Eric Freeman.
“It’s very, very frustrating at the minute but a lot of people behind the scenes that people don’t see are doing a lot of work to try to rectify what’s happening,” Sayers said.
BIGGEST SCORES IN ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL CRICKET
New Zealand women vs Ireland (2018) — 4/490
England men vs Australia (2018) — 6/481
New Zealand women vs Pakiston (1997) — 5/455
England men vs Pakistan (2016) — 3/444
Sri Lanka men vs Netherlands (2006) — 9/443