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Mooney, Voll, bowlers dismantle New Zealand despite Gardner’s injury
Australia sent a statement to the current world champions New Zealand as to why they are still ranked No.1 with stunning twin half-centuries from Beth Mooney and Georgia Voll and a frugal bowling performance setting up a dominant eight-wicket win with 36 balls to spare in the opening T20I in Auckland.
The only dampener on the victory was a significant right index finger injury to star allrounder Ashleigh Gardner who was sent for scans after copping a blow trying to take a return catch while bowling.
She would not have batted in any case but she would not have been required if she was fit as Mooney and Voll mowed down New Zealand’s target of 138, which was underpinned by Amelia Kerr’s 51 not out off 46 and Sophie Devine’s 39 not out off 36.
But their unbeaten 90-run stand off 76 balls proved too slow as Australia’s opening pair set a slew of records with a staggering display of sustained boundary hitting with Mooney finishing with 75 not out from just 42 balls while Voll made 51 off 30.
They posted 77 in the powerplay, which was the most Australia’s women have ever produced in a T20I. They brought up their century stand in 8.2 overs and posted the highest opening partnership, 123, by an Australian female pair against New Zealand in a T20I.
Mooney celebrated her 200th international for Australia across all formats by racing to her 26th half-century in T20Is from 28 balls, to go with her two centuries. Voll cruised to her maiden T20I half-century in 30 balls but played second fiddle as Mooney accelerated past her by facing more of the strike.
Mooney was brutal going both off side and leg side with trademark lofted cover drives mixed with pick-ups over midwicket. Voll was savage on anything straight, mowing it repeatedly over the leg side with her powerful bottom hand until she finally picked out deep square off Lea Tahuhu with just 15 runs to win.
New Zealand’s total was always well under par after winning the toss and batting first. Australia’s attack, which did not feature Ashes star Alana King who was left out of the line-up, was frugal throughout. They could have restricted New Zealand even further had they not dropped two catches and missed three clear-cut run out chances.
Darcie Brown made the first breakthrough, claiming Suzie Bates caught behind for a run-a-ball 14, and bowled superbly to finish with 1 for 22 from four overs with 13 dot balls. Georgia Plimmer briefly threatened, accelerating to 27 off 23 but then picked out long-on trying to loft Tahlia McGrath down the ground.
Devine, playing her first game since January after taking a mental health break, showed clear signs of rust as she battled for fluency. She was 16 off 27 at one point as all of Australia’s bowlers tied her down. Annabel Sutherland was particularly tough to get away in the middle overs, conceding just 21 off her four.
Gardner’s dropped catch seemed to spark Devine. Gardner left in clear pain with blood flowing from a cut on her right index finger and was unable to complete her third over due to the power of Devine’s strike. She found the boundary four more times after that, having scored just one across her first 27 deliveries.
Kerr was more consistent across her innings but only found the rope five times in her fourth T20I half-century. New Zealand scored just 17 boundaries in total with Kerr and Devine striking five each. Mooney struck ten fours herself, plus a six, while Voll crunched nine boundaries.
Australia claim a 1-0 series lead, with matches to come at Mount Maunganui on Sunday and Wellington on Wednesday.
Brief scores:
Australia Women 138 for 2 in 13.3 overs (Beth Mooney 75*, Georgia Voll 50; LeaTahuhu 2-31) beat New Zealand Women 137 for 2 in 20 overs (Suzie Bates 14, Georia Plimmer 27, Amelia Kerr 51*, Sophie Devine 39*; Darcie Brown 1-22, Tahlia McGrath 1-23) by eight wickets
[Cricinfo]
Chinese President Xi Jinping has met Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur as part of a regional push to shore up Beijing’s trade relationships.
The diplomatic stop on Wednesday marks the second leg of Xi’s three-nation tour, which also includes Vietnam and Cambodia, and comes amid sharp tariffs imposed by the United States that are reshaping the global economic landscape.
Sultan Ibrahim welcomed Xi in a colourful ceremony at the golden-domed Istana Negara palace before his meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the administrative capital of Putrajaya.
Xi touted a “new golden era” of Chinese-Malaysian relations, following the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties last year. The king announced new cooperation between the countries in various fields, including artificial intelligence.
“This is a hugely significant visit,” said Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride, reporting from Putrajaya. “It takes place during this unprecedented trade war that is developing with the United States, with both Malaysia and China finding themselves in the middle.”
Khoo Ying Hooi, an associate professor in the department of international and strategic studies at Malaya University, said the visit offered a chance to “test the waters for regional solidarity” amid the US trade disruptions.
“It’s not just about friendship, it’s about realigning the regional centre of gravity towards Beijing,” she said.
Malaysia is the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc, whose members are among the hardest hit by new US tariffs.
ASEAN member Vietnam, a manufacturing powerhouse, was slapped with 46 percent tariffs, and Cambodia, a significant producer of low-cost clothing for big Western brands, was hit with a 49 percent duty.
Malaysia, Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy, was hit with a lower tariff of 24 percent. Though the measures have been paused for 90 days, President Donald Trump has warned that no country is “off the hook”.
[Aljazeera]
Police urge motorists who intend to use the Ella – Wellawaya Road to use alternative roads as there is a severe vehicle congestion due to inclement weather condition.
The UK Supreme Court has unanimously backed the biological definition of “woman” under the 2010 Equality Act.
It marks the culmination of a long-running legal battle which could have major implications for how sex-based rights apply across Scotland, England and Wales.
Judges sided with campaign group For Women Scotland, which brought a case against the Scottish government arguing that sex-based protections should only apply to people that are born female.
Judge Lord Hodge said the ruling should not be seen as a triumph of one side over the other, and stressed that the law still gives protection against discrimination to transgender people.
The Scottish government argued in court that transgender people with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) are entitled to the same sex-based protections as biological women.
The Supreme Court was asked to decide on the proper interpretation of the 2010 Equality Act, which applies across Britain.
Lord Hodge said the central question was how the words “woman” and “sex” are defined in the legislation.
He told the court: “The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.
“But we counsel against reading this judgement as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another, it is not.”
He added that the legislation gives transgender people “protection, not only against discrimination through the protected characteristic of gender reassignment, but also against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and harassment in substance in their acquired gender”.
Campaigners who brought the case against the Scottish government hugged each other and punched the air as they left the courtroom, with several of them in tears.
The Equality Act provides protection against discrimination on the basis of various characteristics, including “sex” and “gender reassignment”.
Judges at the Supreme Court in London were asked to rule on what that law means by “sex” – whether it means biological sex, or legal, “certificated” sex as defined by the 2004 Gender Recognition Act.
The Scottish government argued the 2004 legislation was clear that obtaining a GRC amounts to a change of sex “for all purposes”.
For Women Scotland argued for a “common sense” interpretation of the words man and woman, telling the court that sex is an “immutable biological state”.
Outside the Supreme Court, For Women Scotland co-founder Susan Smith said: “Today the judges have said what we always believed to be the case, that women are protected by their biological sex.
“Sex is real and women can now feel safe that services and spaces designated for women are for women and we are enormously grateful to the Supreme Court for this ruling.”
A UK government spokesman said: “This ruling brings clarity and confidence, for women and service providers such as hospitals, refuges, and sports clubs.
“Single-sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by this government.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described the ruling as a “victory for all of the women who faced personal abuse or lost their jobs for stating the obvious”.
But Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman, a prominent campaigner for trans-rights, said: “This is a deeply concerning ruling for human rights and a huge blow to some of the most marginalised people in our society.
“It could remove important protections and will leave many trans people and their loved ones deeply anxious and worried about how their lives will be affected and about what will come next.”
The Scottish government has not yet commented on the ruling.
[BBC]
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