Sports
Schutt takes 3 for 3 as Australia push closer to a semi-final spot
Australia put one foot in the semi-finals with a dominant 60-run victory over neighbours New Zealand in Sharjah, and in the process recorded their 13th straight win in T20I World Cups. The result means Australia have two wins from two with a healthy net run-rate of 2.524 – they are also the only unbeaten side in the group. For New Zealand, the margin of defeat has had a hefty impact on their net run-rate, now going below Pakistan’s as they fell to third place.
The win was a result of a supreme all-round effort from Australia, and a solid execution of plans. Their top order of Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney and Elyse Perry contributed heavily, and while Amelia Kerr – who ended with excellent figures of 4 for 26 – did her best to reel New Zealand back into the game, Australia’s total of 148 for 8 on a sluggish surface always felt like too tall a chase.
And so it proved as New Zealand’s batters struggled to get going. Suzie Bates hung around for a scratchy 20 off 27, while Kerr’s 29 off 31 was the only other innings of substance. While Megan Schutt , Sophie Molineux, and Annabel Sutherland shared eight wickets among them, it was Schutt’s outstanding spell of 3 for 3 that pinned New Zealand down. Schutt took home the Player-of-the-Match award for her efforts.
On a surface with a nice layering of grass, Australia might have suspected they had won a good toss when they elected to bat. After Healy’s 26 off 20, that decision was looking more sound than ever, as Australia struck 43 inside the powerplay.
It might not have been so though, had Healy not been convinced by partner Mooney to review an lbw call in the third over. That overturned decision seemed to bring clarity, as the very next delivery from Fran Jonas was smoked over mid-off. Two balls later, another one over extra cover. She’d repeat the trick in the next over as well, before carving one over point in the final over of the powerplay.
While Healy fell looking for a fifth loft over the offside, Australia had set the ideal platform for their innings.
Once the fielding restrictions were lifted, Perry in particular struggled to turn over the strike. The pressure that was built eventually told when she struck one straight to long-on, only for Maddy Green to spill the chance. New Zealand unsurprisingly came to the rue that missed opportunity as Perry and Mooney stitched together the match’s highest stand of 45 off 38.
What both batters did well from there on was not get bogged down. While boundaries were hard to come by, they were still eager to use their feet and keep ticking over singles. It meant the momentum set up by Healy’s early salvo was never lost. This was highlighted by Mooney’s 40 off 32, which included just the two boundaries.
Once Mooney fell, caught trying – and failing – to clear mid-off, Perry took over as aggressor carting Eden Carson for six over long-off, before pummeling her through square leg. Bookending those strikes was a pair of boundaries off two Kerr overs, as Perry threatened to take the game away from New Zealand.
But just as Australia were looking to truly unleash, Kerr struck in consecutive deliveries in the 14th over to take out Perry and Grace Harris, having already removed Mooney earlier. Kerr grabbed one more before signing off, making it three wickets in a five-ball period for the legspinner.
These wickets had the effect of snuffing out Australia’s momentum, though their propensity for picking up singles mixed in with the odd boundary meant they still managed 32 runs off the final five overs. Not as much as they would have liked, but enough to push them to a fairly imposing total.
Knowing that they had a good total on the board, Australia’s goal was to simply make life as difficult as possible for New Zealand’s batters – and that they did. Schutt set the tone with her impeccable lines and lengths, never allowing the batters to swing their arms, while she was ably supported by her team-mates.
This meant that while New Zealand lost just one wicket inside the powerplay, they were only able to muster 29 runs. By the 10th over, it was still one wicket down but the scoreboard had just about ticked over to 54.
The final 10 overs then brought about the conclusion they’d been planning for throughout as batter after batter got out trying to hit out. In the end, at no point in the chase we New Zealand ever in the game.
Brief scores:
Australia Women 148 for 8 in 20 overs (Alyssa Healy 26, Beth Mooney 40, Elyse Perry 30; Rosemary Mair 2-22, Amelia Kerr 4-26, Brooke Halliday 2-16) beat New Zealand Women 88 all out in 19.2 overs (Suzie Bates 20, Amelia Kerr 29; Megan Schutt 3-3, Anabell Sutherland 3-21, Sophie Molineux 2-15, Georgia Wareham1-21, Tahila McGrath 1-04) by 60 runs
(Cricinfo)
The ICC has decided to send officials to Dhaka this weekend to meet the BCB’s top brass in a bid to resolve the impasse over Bangladesh travelling to India for the T20 World Cup that starts in three weeks.
The ICC’s team is expected to provide the BCB with security details including an independent assessment as part of the discussions. The development comes days after the BCB reiterated its stance of not sending Bangladesh to play in co-hosts India’s venues owing to “security concerns.” So far meetings and discussions have taken place via video conference; this will be the first time the two parties will meet in person.
During the January 13 virtual meeting, the BCB asked the ICC to move Bangladesh, who are placed in Group C, outside India. However, the ICC said it would not tweak the original schedule, with the tournament start date – February 7 – less than a month away. Bangladesh are scheduled to play on that opening day, against West Indies, in Kolkata.
With relations between India and Bangladesh tense in recent times, the BCB sent a letter to ICC on January 4 stating it would not be safe for Bangladesh to travel to India for the World Cup where its four group matches are scheduled. That was in response to the BCCI “authorising” Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh left arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman. No specific reason was given for that decision.
A Risk Assessment report for the World Cup, compiled by an independent security agency, and accessed by ESPNcricinfo, says the threat to teams playing in India is in the moderate-high band but there is “no information to indicate a direct threat against participating teams.”
The ICC shared that security assessment report with the BCB in their last call, which indicated no specific or heightened threat to the Bangladesh cricket team in India. The assessment was shared with the BCB’s security team and concluded there was no overall threat to the side, but pointed to low to moderate risks in some venues and low to nil in others – standard ICC categorisations around the world that do not ordinarily constitute sufficient reason to move games.
[Cricinfo]
Steven Hogan’s century, which included a 186-run stand with Nitesh Samuel, helped Australia brush aside Ireland for an eight wicket win in Windhoek.
After being put in to bat, Ireland openers James West and Freddie Ogillby were off to a slow start, before John James struck to remove West for 11. Sebastian Dijkstra was the next one to go, with Charles Lachmund pinning him in front in the 18th over. That brought Rob O’Brien to the crease, who then slowly rebuilt the innings in Ogilby’s company to put up a 43-run stand.
Offspinner Will Malajczuk, however, denied Ogilby his half-century, having him caught behind for 49 in the 29th over. O’Brien continued to build steadily and found the boundaries occasionally, before departing for a 98-ball 79 in the 49th over, helping push Ireland’s total to 235.
Australia got off to a strong start in the chase, with Malajczuk hitting a four and six in the first over. After he fell in the third over, Samuel and Hogan continued to build towards the target, scoring their half-centuries off 62 balls and 50 balls respectively. Their 100-run stand came up in the 21st over, and Hogan continued to find boundaries, bringing up his ton off 97 balls in the 32nd over.
Medium-pacer Luke Murray provided the breakthrough in the 36th over, having Hogan caught behind for 115. In his 111-ball stay, Hogan hit 11 fours and a six. By then, Australia needed only another 20 runs to win. Ollie Peake then joined Samuel, who finished unbeaten on 77, and together they completed the chase with 62 balls remaining to get Australia off to a rollicking start.
Brief scores:
Australia Under 19s 237 for 2 in 37.2 overs (Steven Hogan 115, Nitesh Samuel 77*; Luke Murray 1-46) beat Ireland Under 19s 235 for 7 in 50 overs (Freddie Ogilby 49, Rob O’Brien 79; Charles Lachmund 3-41) by eight wickets
[Cricinfo]
England Under 19s 210 in 46.5 overs (Ben Dawkins 33, Caleb Falconer 66; Ali Raza 2-36, Ahmed Hussain 3-38, Abdul Subhan 2-24, Momin Qmar 2-45) beat Pakistan Under 19s 173 in 46.3 overs (Farhan Yousaf 65; Alex Green 2-21, James Minto 2-23, Ralphie Albert 2-23) by 37 runs
Pakistan captain Farhan Yousaf lacked support even as he fought back from 85 for 6 in their chase of 211 against England. Yousaf scored 65 off 86 deliveries, but the next highest score from Pakistan was Momin Qamar’s 18*. Eventually, they were bowled out for 173 as England started with a 37 run win after themselves being rescued by Caleb Falconer.
England’s No. 5 arrived at 67 for 3 in the 16th over, which soon became 90 for 4 after 19 on a slow pitch where the ball kept low. But Falconer then added 80 for the fifth wicket with Ralphie Albert, and dominated that partnership. He scored 50 of those runs, and on the way, brought up a run-a-ball half-century in the 29th over.
Four overs later, Ahmed Hussain broke that partnership by bowling Albert for 25, and finished with 3 for 38 off his ten overs. Falconer fell for 66 off 73 deliveries soon after, and England’s tail folded quickly.
In the chase, Alex Green and James Minto reduced Pakistan to 28 for 3 in the ninth over. There were only brief recoveries thereafter: Hussain and Yousaf added 26, while Yousaf and Huzaifa Ahsan had a stand of 23. Batting with the tail, Yousaf kept Pakistan’s faint hopes alive. But once he was caught off Minto, Pakistan needed another 67 to win with two wickets remaining. That turned out to be too much for their tailenders.
Brief scores:
England Under 19s 210 in 46.5 overs (Ben Dawkins 33, Caleb Falconer 66; Ali Raza 2-36, Ahmed Hussain 3-38, Abdul Subhan 2-24, Momin Qmar 2-45) beat Pakistan Under 19s 173 in 46.3 overs (Farhan Yousaf 65; Alex Green 2-21, James Minto 2-23, Ralphie Albert 2-23) by 37 runs
[Cricinfo]
Trump names Tony Blair, Jared Kushner to Gaza ‘Board of Peace’
The Government is taking steps to regulate early childhood education to ensure quality education while enhancing the professionalism of preschool teachers. — PM
ICC officials to meet BCB in Bangladesh to solve T20 World Cup impasse
U – 19 World Cup: Hogan’s ton helps Australia brush aside Ireland
U-19 World Cup: England overcome Pakistan by 37 runs
U-19 World Cup: Afghanistan stun South Africa
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Business2 days agoKoaloo.Fi and Stredge forge strategic partnership to offer businesses sustainable supply chain solutions
-
Business6 days agoDialog and UnionPay International Join Forces to Elevate Sri Lanka’s Digital Payment Landscape
-
News6 days agoSajith: Ashoka Chakra replaces Dharmachakra in Buddhism textbook
-
Editorial1 day agoThe Chakka Clash
-
Features6 days agoThe Paradox of Trump Power: Contested Authoritarian at Home, Uncontested Bully Abroad
-
Features6 days agoSubject:Whatever happened to (my) three million dollars?
-
Business2 days agoSLT MOBITEL and Fintelex empower farmers with the launch of Yaya Agro App
-
Features1 day agoOnline work compatibility of education tablets