Women’s T20 World Cup: Aussies look to big-match performers as they prepare to defend title
Question marks exist the form of some key contributors, and two recent shock defeats showed how fickle cricket can be, but Australia still remain a pronounced favourite to defend their World T20 title.
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Australia vice-captain Rachael Haynes was recently asked about the best part of being in this world-dominating team.
Her answer will be key to its continued success throughout the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup starting on Friday.
“It’s our team spirit and camaraderie,” she said.
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“The difficult thing about cricket, is that it’s not always your day or your moment, but if you can find some joy in what other people are able to do it makes the game pretty fun. It’s one-in, all-in with this team.”
One-in, all-in.
It’s a theme that will resonate, especially because there are a couple of question marks hovering over the form of the team’s star players, in particular opening batter/wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy.
In the recent five-game tri-series played against England and India this month, Healy failed to make any double-figure scores with the bat.
Her highest total was nine, on February 1 in the Aussies' opening game against England. After that she scored 1, 0, 1, 4. The same score she reached before losing her wicket in Australia’s final warm-up fixture, a win over South Africa in Adelaide.
It’s all very un-Healy-like, particularly considering she was named Player of the Tournament at the 2018 World T20 in the Caribbean and last year set a new record for the highest score in the short format when she belted 148 off 68 balls against Sri Lanka in September.
Regardless, Australia remains the clear favourite to hold up the trophy.
The bookmakers have the hosts at $1.30 to reach the final, England’s next at $2.25.
If you talk to any of the cricketers themselves about the tournament they all say one word: fickle.
T20 cricket is one fickle game and, on any given day, those rankings could mean absolutely nothing.
Lose two games in the World Cup group stages and you’d most likely miss finals.
Australia’s recent losses to both India and England are worrisome because those countries could well pose the greatest threat to the World Cup title.
In Australia’s pool are India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, which means they will face some of the women’s game’s most dangerous players, in particular Kiwi Sophie Devine and Indian pair Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana.
It will be Australia’s depth, however, that should it through.
Opener Beth Mooney has been consistent with the bat, Jess Jonassen’s remarkable five-wicket haul against India in the tri-series final was eye-popping (she took 5-12 from four overs), not to mention this side being led by two of the coolest heads in the business: Meg Lanning and Rachael Haynes.
* Australia v India, Friday, February 21, Sydney Showground, 7pm (EDT)