T20 World Cup 2023: Australia defeats Bangladesh by 8 wickets

Australia’s women have celebrated their big paydays in the WPL auction by cruising to a comfortable victory over Bangladesh, as their T20 World Cup defence remains on track.

Eyebrows were raised when Australian leg-spinner Georgia Wareham earnt a six-figure payday at the Women’s Premier League auction on Monday while first-choice leggie Alana King went unsold.

Wareham hadn’t played international cricket since October 2021 after suffering an ACL injury, and a few state games for Victoria was her only output for teams to gauge.

But the 23-year-old showed why the Gujarat Giants forked out $131,000 for her as Wareham bowled the Aussies to victory over Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup in a cruisy victory that kept their quest for a three-peat of titles on track.

Playing her first official game for Australia in 485 days, having played two warm-up games, Wareham snared 3-20 as Australia limited the battling Bangladeshis to just 7-107 off their 20 overs in Port Elizabeth.

Georgia Wareham took three wickets for just twenty runs. Picture: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Then skipper Meg Lanning, who was sold for $193,000 herself in the WPL auction, steered the defending champs home, with Ash Gardner, the half-a-million-dollar star, hitting the winning runs in the eight-wicket win, achieved with 10 balls to spare.

Lanning finished on 48 not out after Alyssa Healy made 37, but Wareham was crowned player of the match and thanked the selectors for backing her to go to South Africa despite her lack of lead-in cricket.

“It’s pretty special to play for your country but to do that in a World Cup and get some wickets was pretty cool,” Warehman said.

“It’s really cool for the selectors to back me in to come to this World Cup without having played much cricket.”

Ashleigh Gardner continued her good form in the tournament after her big payday in the WPL auction. (Photo by Marco Longari / AFP)

Lanning said Wareham was a “game changer” and showed why she was picked for the squad.

“She’s had a long road back from a pretty serious injury and to have her back in the side was really great to see,” she said.

“She’s able to impact the game in all three facets, and that’s certainly very handy to have. We are pumped to have her back.”

While Warehman starred, teen fast bowler Darcie Brown took her wicket tally at the World Cup to six in just two matches, snaring the opening two Bangladesh wickets and she looms as a key weapon in Australia’s title defence.

“It was nice to get the win, but we feel like we can keep getting better,” Lanning said.

BETH’S BATTLES

It was another comprehensive win for the Aussies but a concerning run of outs for superstar opener Beth Mooney continued.

Mooney, who was the second-highest priced Australian to be bought in Monday’s action after the Giants shelled out $350,000 for her, was out for just two.

It followed a duck in the opening match against New Zealand, having also been bowled on the very first ball in Australia’s warm-up match loss to Ireland.

Australia's Beth Mooney (L) flopped again. Picture: Marco Longari / AFP

ASH GETS IT DONE

On Monday night all-rounder Gardner stunned the cricket world when she was picked up for $558,000 in the WPL auction.

Australian coach Shelley Nitschke said she was confident all the players would be able to refocus for the clash.

Gardner did just that, snaring 1-17 with the ball before making an unbeaten 19, including hitting the winning runs.

AUSSIES ROUT KIWIS IN OPENER MARRED BY CONTROVERSIAL ‘CATCH’

It wasn’t quite as controversial as the underarm saga of more than 40 years ago, but trans-Tasman relations could take a bit of a hit after a contentious catch and a stunning spell helped Australia smash New Zealand in their T20 World Cup opener.

The two-time defending champs were always on track for a big victory after Megan Schutt removed both openers for golden ducks in the first over in response to Australia’s 9/173.

But the underdogs had got the innings back on track with a handy little partnership when controversy struck to leave them reeling at 3-26.

Bernadine Bezuidenhout had already struck three boundaries when she mistimed an Ellyse Perry delivery towards Darcie Brown at mid-off.

The speedster went forward and appeared to collect the ball just after it bounced, with none of the fielders overly confident as they politely appealed to the umpires who sent it upstairs with a soft signal of not out.

It was close but replays suggested the ball had just bounced before Brown got her fingers under it, however the third umpire saw it very differently and flashed the red light within seconds.

Darcie Brown’s reaction to her catch, combined with replay seemed to suggest the ball had bounced. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

“My eyesight has definitely gone now that I’ve retired, but it just looked like it was on the half-volley,” former New Zealand wicketkeeper Katey Martin said.

New Zealand crumbled with the bat after that to be all out for 76 with Ashleigh Gardner the chief destroyer taking career-best figures of 5-12.

“We started the exact way we wanted to, and I was lucky enough to take those wickets at the end,” the off-spinner said after she was named player of the match.

THREE-PEAT ON THE CARDS

It was a dramatic start in South Africa when 2020 player of the tournament Beth Mooney was sent packing for a duck in the first over of the match, but there was no need to panic as the big guns piled on the runs to get Australia’s title defence off to the perfect start.

The rest of the world is improving at a rapid rate but there is still a huge gulf in class when the Aussies can call upon Alyssa Healy (55), Meg Lanning (41) and Ellyse Perry (40) to bludgeon the bowling without breaking a sweat.

And it’s why all three women can expect a huge payday at the Women’s Premier League auction on Monday night, with the star trio sure to attract huge bids after sending the Indian franchises a timely reminder of their skill with the bat.

Healy’s rapid knock is a warning shot to the other nations with the veteran opener only just returning from a calf injury that kept her sidelined for seven weeks, while Lanning’s form since she came back from a six-month break is simply astounding.

“I was a bit disappointed to get out,” the skipper said.

“I was just starting to get going, and it wasn’t a great shot in these conditions. I’m just happy to contribute.”

But Perry’s story is equally incredible with the superstar all-rounder left out of the Australian T20 side for long stretches of 2022 because of her strike-rate, prompting her to swiftly change her approach which has seen her score at a rapid rate ever since.

Alyssa Healy was in vintage form for the Aussies. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

GOTTA REVIEW THAT

Perry’s brutal 40 off just 22 deliveries fired Australia to its highest ever total against New Zealand, but she should have been back in the pavilion much earlier when she was trapped in front by Amelia Kerr for 11.

The umpire didn’t give it out, but the Kiwis should have reviewed it immediately given how important Perry’s wicket is.

They didn’t, however, and replays confirmed the worst with the ball pitching in line and cannoning into the stumps.

It was somewhat ironic that Kerr eventually dismissed Perry LBW, with the usually elegant right-hander ending up flat on her face after she overbalanced.

“We were really poor in all facets of the game,” New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine said after her side’s worst ever T20 loss.

Perry survived an early LBW shout before going on to make 40. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

T20 WORLD CUP PREDICTIONS: ARE AUSSIES STILL UNBEATABLE?

Callum Dick

A shock pre-tournament defeat to Ireland has thrown open the gates of expectation that, just maybe, Australia is not the unbeatable T20 World Cup juggernaut we all thought.

The Aussies remain near-unbackable favourites to lift their sixth T20 World Cup trophy in South Africa later this month but the fighting Irish have at least made things interesting for the neutral.

Winners of five of the past six World Cups and finalists in all but the very first tournament, the reigning champions again profile as the clear team to beat.

Australia boasts five players in the ICC T20I Batting Rankings top 10 – including three in the top five – with Tahlia McGrath and Beth Mooney clearly ahead at one and two respectively.

But as Ireland displayed in Stellenbosch on Wednesday the short format favours upsets, and the depth of talent at this year’s tournament ranks among the best-ever.

So who can challenge Australia for the title? Well, we need not look too far across the sea – or down the ICC Rankings – to find the answer.

NEW ZEALAND

The Kiwis went 11 games unbeaten in the short format before the pre-tournament warm-up defeat to England on February 8 and despite the loss, are one of the form sides in South Africa.

Theirs is a tough pool to play out from given Australia features as the top seed, but New Zealand will welcome the first-up challenge of facing their trans-Tasman rivals.

Sunday morning’s clash in Paarl looms as a major banana peel in Australia’s title defence and the Kiwis will see this as a free hit, knowing they will likely have to meet again later in the tournament, should the two teams progress to the knockout stages as expected.

Sophie Devine is a key player for New Zealand.

Key bats Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates are once again the headline acts for the No. 3 seeded Kiwis and the experienced duo know what it takes to win World Cup matches against the best.

Bates is the competition’s all-time leading run scorer and just 71 runs shy of becoming the first player to eclipse the 1000-run mark.

Veteran seamer Lea Tahuhu does her best work against Australia and will lead the pace attack for the Kiwis.

The stage is set for 22-year-old all-rounder Amelia Kerr to stamp her mark after a middling showing at last year’s 50-over World Cup.

INDIA

The 2020 runners-up were easily handled by Australia in their warm-up game on Monday but responded against Bangladesh to take some strong scoring form into the World Cup proper.

Harmanpreet Kaur sat out the Bangladesh bout but India still surged to 5-183 off the back of an impressive 91 not-out from 19-year-old Richa Ghosh, who could be one of the most exciting young talents on show in South Africa this month.

India plays the most T20Is of any nation and its obsession with the short format has seen the cricket powerhouse emerge as a genuine challenger in the shorter format.

If young Ghosh can rise to the challenge alongside standout bats Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, India’s batting depth will trouble most sides.

No. 3 ranked ICC bowler Deepti Sharma showed her class with an economical outing against Bangladesh and the key wicket of opener Murshida Khatun.

Richa Ghosh helped develop her game with the Hobart Hurricanes in the WBBL.

ENGLAND

The Poms flexed their pre-tournament muscle with an impressive victory over New Zealand in the final warm-up game this week, having piled on 246 runs in a slogfest against hosts South Africa two days earlier.

Without skipper Heather Knight, England cruised to a five-wicket win against the in-form Kiwis.

Sophia Dunkley smashed 60* off 38 and No. 1 T20I bowler Sophie Ecclestone starred with three wickets and 15 dot balls and both will have to be front and centre if England is to go all the way in South Africa.

Leggie Sarah Glenn and seamer Katherine Sciver-Brunt join Ecclestone to form one of the most dangerous bowling attacks in the women’s game.

The inaugural T20 World Cup winners are three-time runners-up to Australia, most recently in 2018. But England has stayed true with the squad that thumped the West Indies 5-0 in their recent series, and looks ripe to make a deep run once again at the World Cup.

Sophie Ecclestone is one of the world’s best T20 players.

FEARLESS PREDICTIONS

Lachlan McKirdy (Code Sports)

1. Who wins T20 World Cup:

Australia. The depth of the team means that they’re ready to face whatever challenge meets them and a relatively easy group will be the perfect build-up for the knockout matches.

2. Player of the tournament:

Deepti Sharma. The Indian all-rounder has become one of the best off-spinners in the world but has added hitting ability to become one of the game’s most damaging players with bat and ball.

3. Australia’s biggest threat is:

England. While many may think India, I think England will be out for revenge after a disappointing Ashes and losing last year’s World Cup final to the Aussies. They’ve got a great mix of youth and experience.

4. The player you haven’t heard much about who will be a star:

Alice Capsey (England). One of the brightest stars in world cricket, the 18-year-old is set to dominate in the years to come. We got a glimpse during the WBBL, but her form in international cricket and The Hundred shows she’s only just getting started.

5. My wild women’s IPL auction prediction:

A number of high-profile Australians are set to miss out with only a handful of international spots available. The biggest name Aussie who I think may miss out is Jess Jonassen (only because there aren’t enough teams!). I think Laura Harris will be the one that really gets the auction paddles going.

England's Alice Capsey is one to watch at the World Cup.

Emma Greenwood (National Sport Newsroom)

1. Who wins T20 World Cup:

Australia. There are no givens in this format but the Aussies have found a way to win in almost any situation over the past few years and their incredible depth means they have the players and the belief to get them out of trouble.

2. Player of the tournament:

Ellyse Perry – out of the Aussie T20 side just a year ago, it seemed as if Perry’s career in the short game may be on the wane. But with the introduction of the WIPL imminent, she reinvented herself and her influence with both bat and ball in South Africa cannot be discounted.

3. Australia’s biggest threat is:

India. The looming WIPL is just one factor in India’s ever-growing influence in the sport. England and New Zealand will be threats as always and South Africa will be primed to perform at home but India’s depth will soon be on par with Australia as the team becomes a juggernaut of the women’s game.

4. The player you haven’t heard much about who will be a star:

Renuka Singh – the Indian pace star won her first international call-up just over a year ago but is already proving a star. Can help India push deep into the tournament if she is a consistent wicket-taker alongside the likes of Deepti Sharma.

5. My wild women’s IPL auction prediction:

Laura Harris hasn’t played a match for Australia but a savvy franchise would do well to pick the Heat finisher up as one of the 30 internationals for the inaugural tournament. The sister of Aussie player Grace, Harris is a game-changing big hitter, who can turn a match on its head in the space of a couple of overs. The type of player that has become a fixture in the top professional men’s T20 leagues, Harris could be a smoky to go for a big price at auction.

Brisbane Heat’s Laura Harris is tipped to be a big mover in the WIPL auction on Monday.

Originally published as T20 World Cup 2023: Australia defeats Bangladesh by 8 wickets