Australia beat New Zealand by six wickets in women’s T20 clash
IT was a captains’ knock, plural, for Australia at North Sydney Oval on Saturday night.
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IT was a captains’ knock, plural, for Australia at North Sydney Oval on Saturday night.
Meg Lanning and Rachael Haynes rescued Australia’s batting innings to lead them to a six wicket victory over New Zealand and take first blood in the T20 series.
A touch over 3,000 people braved a cold Sydney night and they were rewarded for their commitment as Lanning and Haynes found the boundary with ease in a 119-run partnership that took them to the 163 target set for them with 14 balls to spare.
Nineteen fours and a six from the two kept Australia’s run rate above eight and on track after they lost four very early wickets and appeared cornered by the White Ferns who had finished the first innings with a head of steam.
Haynes finished with 69 off 40 and player of the match, Lanning a half-century herself with 56.
“It was good to get a partnership at that point in time,” Haynes said.
“Our batters showed some really good aggression, which was nice and something we talk about, we just need a bit of a steadier there and continue playing in the way we wanted as well.”
Kiwi pair Katey Martin (56 not out) and Bernadine Bezuidenhout (20 not out) posted 41 from the last three overs to put their side in a commanding position heading into the second innings and it couldn’t have started better for them once play resumed.
Beth Mooney (6), Alyssa Healy (14), Elyse Villani (4) and Ashleigh Gardner (7), all fell in the first five overs, Healy and Villani together in the third to Sophie Devine.
It was a tough position that needed a cool knock to right things. Cue the captains.
Haynes joined Lanning in the middle at 4/45 in the sixth over and by the start of the 12th they’d put on a 50-run partnership and had Australia close to ticking over the 100-mark. The 100-partnership came in the 15th over and they completed the victory with two overs to spare.
Australia had won the toss and sent New Zealand into bat, perhaps thinking they could hold them to a modest total for a comfortable chase, but the Kiwis had other ideas.
Meg Lanning at her best!
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) September 29, 2018
Cracking finish coming up at North Sydney Oval: https://t.co/YAi3OBypN6 #AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/7mBDvWcATV
Sophie Devine went to work first, putting on 43 off 33 before being controversially given out in the ninth after the third umpire decided Beth Mooney had cleanly caught her at cover when it appeared the ball hadn’t carried.
New Zealand coach Haidee Tiffen marked it as a turning point in the match and felt her opener should have remained at the crease.
“I think it did impact the match, I’m disappointed with the decision,” Tiffen said. “I will seek some clarification around that.”
Australia had a different view.
“I was two metres from it and there’s no doubt in my mind that it carried,” Haynes said. “I know that it didn’t look great front on, on TV, but I thought Beth definitely got her hand under it and it carried.”
New Zealand recovered despite the controversy. Martin came in at five and saw out the innings, her two fours and a six in the final over catapulting the Kiwis’ total past the 160 mark.
It took New Zealand from coasting to a modest total and shot them into control and forced Australia to come out hard from the start to be on track for victory.
“I was actually pleased that we got up to that, considering where we were sitting,” Tiffen said.
“We know we’ve got a deep batting order and I was pleased with the way that we finished.
“I do think we were about 15, 20 runs short and it would have been a bit more of a battle out there and we know this a great Australian side that has a huge amount of batting depth.”
That depth came to the fore as Australia finished the match with Ellyse Perry still to come to the crease and now head to Brisbane on Monday with the early advantage in the series.
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