Women’s World Cup: Meg Lanning stars as Australia beat India to enter knockouts

Though the match went all the way down to the final over, Australia was all the time answerable for the chase. Indian bowlers did not exert sustained strain towards this sturdy batting line-up and Australia broke their very own report to chase down the best whole within the Women’s World Cup.

The earlier report was set by the Australians (258) towards Sri Lanka in 2017. It was additionally the seventeenth profitable chase in a row for Australia within the ODIs, the joint-longest successful streak, together with the Indian males’s crew led by Rahul Dravid in 2005-06.

Australia defeat India by 6 wickets and win their fifth #CWC22 match on trot pic.twitter.com/nurjWuWH9N

— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) March 19, 2022

The Eden Park in Auckland is a comparatively small floor and on the break a complete of 277 would not have fearful the Australians an excessive amount of.

India had been at the very least 30 runs brief on this batting wicket and the quick outfields gave the batters actual worth for his or her pictures.

Put into the bat, India began poorly because the openers Smriti Mandhana (10) and Shafali Verma (12) had been dismissed inside six overs. However, a report 130-run third-wicket stand between Yastika Bhatia (59 off 83 balls; 6×4) and Mithali Raj (68 off 96 balls; 4×4, 1×6) set the platform for a giant whole.

The reintroduction of right-arm pacer Darcy Brown, who eliminated each the Indian openers, to the assault within the thirty second over noticed Yastika Bhatia caught by Ellyse Perry within the deep, ending a 130-run partnership.
Mithali Raj departed similarly to leg-spinner Alana King. Richa Ghosh (8) and Rana (0) adopted in fast succession and India was set for an additional batting collapse. But Harmanpreet Kaur (57 not out off 47 balls; 6×4) and all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar (34 off 28 balls; 1×4. 2×6) added 64 runs off simply 47 balls to revive the innings.

Three half-centuries for India as they submit 277 at Eden Park!

Innings highlights #CWC22https://t.co/9xwLAkuoMK

— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) March 19, 2022

The 29 extras additionally helped India, as Australia had been sloppy within the discipline with loads of wides and a few poor efforts within the deep. A horror 12-ball first over from Perry eased the strain on India, with the veteran all-rounder struggling to seek out her line towards the left and proper pair of Yastika and Mithali.

She conceded 16 runs of which 10 had been wides.

Beth Mooney, who took a blinder to take away Shafali Verma, put down a dolly off Harmanpreet Kaur when the Indian vice-captain was batting on 33. Brown (3/30) was a decide of the Australian bowlers. In the final ten overs, India plundered 77 runs.

A near-perfect chase

Australian openers Alyssa Healy and Rachel Haynes had been off to a flying begin. They had been 120 for 0 in 19 overs. Healy made 72 from 65 and added 121 for the opening wicket with Rachel Haynes (43 off 55 balls).
India’s assault led by Jhulan Goswami, taking part in her two hundredth ODI, lacked chunk. Healy and Haynes took the assault to Goswami and Meghna Singh, placing on 50 runs within the first 6.2 overs. Spin was launched into the seventh over, however Healy and Haynes continued to toy with the Indian assault. The ball wasn’t gripping sufficient for the Indian spinners to bother the Australians as they did towards West Indies.

India taking part in a bowler much less within the absence of Deepti Sharma additionally didn’t assist their trigger. The Australian batters performed with a optimistic mindset, hitting gaps and getting the boundaries ceaselessly. They by no means allowed the bowlers to bowl a plan till the very finish, the place India managed to bowl tight and push the sport into the ultimate over.

Meg Lanning falls three runs in need of 100!

Australia want 8 in 6 balls.#CWC22 pic.twitter.com/hbm4TbtwgZ

— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) March 19, 2022

In the primary powerplay, the Australian openers had already struck 9 boundaries compared to India’s three. In ten overs, India had been 39 for two, whereas Australia had been cruising to 67 with out shedding any wickets.

Desperate to discover a wicket, India burned each their opinions within the area of two overs, with first Haynes then Healy surviving after being struck on the pads. Sneh Rana lastly offered the breakthrough for India within the twentieth over and it got here out of nowhere. Healey reverse-swept Rana straight to Raj on the brief third.

Pooja Vastrakar eliminated Haynes with a fast bouncer and Australia went from 122 for 1 to 123 for two. However, Australian captain Meg Lanning maintained the wholesome run charge and accomplished her half-century in simply 55 balls. Lanning and Ellyse Perry (28 off 51 balls; 1×4) placed on a 103-run third-wicket partnership. It was the ninth-century stand between the duo.

Rain break

The rain break with Australia effectively answerable for the chase proved to be a breather for India Women. They even bought the wicket of Perry within the first over after the break. Perry by no means appeared comfy on the crease and was caught off a Vastrakar full toss.

India did make a spirited comeback and took the sport to the final over as Meg Lanning fell three runs in need of what would have been her third World Cup century. With eight wanted within the remaining over, Beth Mooney (30 not out off 20 balls; 4×4) hit a boundary, ran a fast two, then hit the Jhulan Goswami again down the bottom to seal a complete six-wicket win.

Australia will now play undefeated South Africa in Wellington on Tuesday, whereas India head to Hamilton to play Bangladesh on the identical day.

Brief Scores
India: 277 for 7 in 50 overs (Mithali Raj 68, Yastika Bhatia 59, Harmanpreet Kaur 57 not out; Darcie Brown 3/30) misplaced to Australia: 280 for 4 in 49.3 overs (Meg Lanning 97; Pooja Vastrakar 2/43)