Unbeaten century to Ellyse Perry and tight bowling gives Aussies edge over West Indies in another dominant performance in the Caribbean
The Australian men’s cricket team weren’t the only ones celebrating a victory overnight. The women were just as emphatic as they beat the West Indies in Antigua.
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AS the Australian Men’s Cricket Team was celebrating retaining the Ashes in England, the women’s team was also celebrating after a second emphatic victory over the West Indies in the Caribbean.
An unbeaten century to Ellyse Perry, who was named player of the match, and a quickfire 57 from 25 balls for Ash Gardner, formed the backbone of the 151-run win in the second one-day international of the tour.
She's proved it time and time again, but it's worth repeating: Ellyse Perry is all class 🙌 #WatchMe #WIvAUS pic.twitter.com/uityM0Usj6
— Australian Women's Cricket Team ðŸ (@AusWomenCricket) September 8, 2019
After setting the Windies a target of 308 (incredibly, the exact same total from Friday’s first ODI win — which was the highest score posted by any side against the West Indies in the Caribbean), the home side could manage only 157 from their 50 overs.
South Australian swing bowler, Megan Schutt, continued her tight bowling, finishing the game with 1/13 from six overs, for an economy of 2.17.
Speaking to The Advertiser ahead of the game, Schutt said the professionalism of the side was what kept it in such sizzling form.
“What we’re really good at is making sure we’re professional on and off the field and once we’re into game-mode, we’re all super focused,” she said.
“That’s probably what separates us from other teams is when it’s not essentially seen as a big, important game, like a World Cup final or something like that, we’re still great at pulling out good performances and that’s probably why we’re the No. 1 team in the world,” she said.
The second ODI was played on Antigua’s Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground overnight, which also hosted Australia’s World T20 win in November last year.
Schutt said it was enjoyable to head back to that pitch.
“It’s pretty cool (to be back) to be honest, we all have fond memories and landing back here they all came back,” she said.
The Australians play the third and final ODI against the West Indies on September 11, before the teams embark on a three-game T20 battle.
This tour of the Caribbean kicks off almost seven months of non-stop cricket for players like Schutt, who represent Australia and also play in the local one-day and T20 competitions.
The Women’s National Cricket League season gets underway in a fortnight followed by the six-week Women’s Big Bash from mid-October. Then comes the Women’s T20 World Cup being held in Australia, which ends in March 2020.
STOP IT MEG! First a ton, now this!? #WIvAUS #WatchMe pic.twitter.com/5suGK16g6s
— Australian Women's Cricket Team ðŸ (@AusWomenCricket) September 6, 2019
Schutt, who’s been dealing with a troublesome foot in her off-season, said that heavy cricket load was being managed well.
“We have a really good rehab plan in place and it’s just about me being actually quite sensible off the field, making sure I’m always in shoes and little things like that,” she said.
“But other than that, my body’s going quite well at the moment … it’s probably mentally and I think a part of that will be managing ourselves off the field and making sure we’re having some downtime (between games) and having time with our partners and families.”