Australia v New Zealand match report: Beth Mooney fires Aussies in to last four

Australia will face either England or South Africa in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup after a four run victory over New Zealand. Though the win was soured by the sight of Ellyse Perry leaving the field with a serious looking hamstring injury.

• Perry injury rocks Australia: 'You can't replace her'
• Why Aussies may be knocked out without a ball bowled

Australia held their nerve to storm into the ICC T20 World Cup semi-finals, but the joy was tempered by the star allrounder Ellyse Perry leaving the field with an injury that looks set to rule her out of the last four contest.

The green and gold defeated New Zealand by four runs in front of a sold-out crowd at Melbourne’s Junction Oval.

Watch every match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup LIVE & Ad-Break Free with FOX CRICKET on KAYO. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

It keeps their dream of back-to-back World Cup trophies alive, but they may be without Perry for the remainder of the campaign after she was helped from the ground after injuring her hamstring while diving in the field.

The clash between the trans-Tasman rivals was like a game of “guess who” early on.

After sending the Aussies into bat, NZ kept them guessing about who would bowl next by having six different bowlers in the opening six overs.

Meg Lanning elected to lead from the top after the loss of Alyssa Healy.

And Australia kept the White Ferns guessing about who was going to come into the crease next, elevating captain Meg Lanning above Ashleigh Gardner in the batting order and sending her in at No. 3 when Alyssa Healy lost her wicket early.

Despite getting bogged down in the middle overs, the Aussies set the Kiwis 156 for victory thanks to the level-headed batting of Beth Mooney (60 from 50 balls) and late-dash flurries from Perry (21 off 15) and Rachael Haynes (unbeaten 19 off 8).

Beth Mooney's fifth half century in nine T20Is set the platform for Australia.

With the batters having done their job admirably, it was over to the bowlers.

Given NZ were bowled out by Bangladesh for 91 on this same ground only two days earlier, the target seemed well out of reach, coupled with the fact that this would have been the biggest winning run chase of the tournament.

Needing 20 runs off the final over, the Kiwis ended with 151, Megan Schutt and Georgia Wareham starring with the ball.

Georgia Wareham took three vital wickets, including key batter Sophie Devine.

Mooney’s magic

Playing in her 50th T20 international, Mooney was the star for the homeside with the bat.

She mixed up her shots beautifully, slogging hard for a six one ball and then using a deft touch to take a quick single the next.

After making an unbeaten 81 against Bangladesh in Canberra, she brought up her second half-century of the tournament in the 15th over.

Her innings was brought to an end by a magnificent boundary-hugging catch from NZ legend Suzie Bates at long on.

Mooney’s 60 from 50 balls was helped along by six shots that made it to the rope and another two that cleared it.

Perry heartbreak

The world’s No. 1 T20 allrounder has been fending off injury speculation all tournament; first her shoulder, then her hip.

She came into bat at No. 5 when Gardner had her stumps tumbled by Leigh Kasperek.

Playing a support role to Mooney early in her innings, she seemed untroubled by her hip, running quick singles and then proceeded to put her shoulder injury behind her sending the ball to the boundary.

Ellyse Perry's semi-final availability is in doubt after pulling a hamstring against the Kiwis.

She was stumped off the bowling of NZ spin sensation Amelia Kerr with the penultimate ball of the innings, before coming into the field and bowling two overs for figures of 0/15.

Then heartbreak struck when she dived in the field and was helped off by medical staff and played no further part in the game.

No Devine intervention

Devine is the world’s second-best ranked batter in the short format.

Her signature power-hitting earnt her the title as 2019’s WBBL Player of the Tournament in Adelaide Strikers colours.

She is always most troubling the longer she stays at the crease and when she was still there on 31 (35 balls) at the end of 13 overs, the Australians would have been nervous.

But the first ball of the very next over and Devine was gone, stumped by Healy off the bowling of Georgia Wareham.

Sophie Devine could not reproduce her WWBL form for New Zealand against Australia.

Back to bowling best

Wareham, who didn’t play in Australia’s first two games of the tournament was a standout.

Not only did she take the wicket of the dangerous Devine, but just as Maddy Green was looking settled having hit a pair of fours and sixes, she had her stumped for 28 (23).

Earlier, she’d trapped the world’s No. 1 ranked T20 batter in Bates, who was originally given not out, but was gone for 14 (15) after the Aussies appealed the decision. She finished with 3/17.

The only blight for Australia were a couple of errors in the field that kept the Kiwis in the game, including a dropped catch to Megan Schutt and Annabel Sutherland allowing a couple of balls to slip past her for the rope. Schutt made up for it afterwards finding herself on a hat-trick, finishing with 3/28.

Originally published as Australia v New Zealand match report: Beth Mooney fires Aussies in to last four