Ellyse  Perry produced one of her best innings of a long T20 World Cup career to lead Australia to a fourth victory from as many matches at this edition, with a massive 113-run win against Pakistan.

On a batting-friendly pitch on a glorious summer evening at Headingley, Perry struck 71 off 48 balls to lead her side to 199 for 7, sharing a century partnership for the second wicket with Georgia Voll,  after Pakistan had made an early breakthrough removing Beth Mooney first ball.

Mooney braved a twice dislocated finger during Australia’s fielding innings to continue keeping wicket as Pakistan lost a steady stream of wickets, including two to Perry in her first over to finish with 2 for 9.

Sophie Molineux and Annabel Sutherland also took two wickets each, Mooney and Sutherland combining for the last to fall, Sadia Iqbal caught behind for a first-ball duck as Pakistan were bowled out for just 86 with 6.2 overs to spare.

Having played in all 10 T20 World Cups, Perry was at her best, scoring a maiden half-century from any of her 51 appearances at the event. She exuded class as she manipulated the crease with sharp footwork, picked the gaps expertly and punished anything short. Her six over a leaping long-on off Rameen Shamim was a perfect blend of elegance, timing and power.

Before this innings, Perry’s best score at a T20 World Cup was 42 in a losing cause to New Zealand in Nagpur in 2016, although her 71 fell short of her career best in T20Is of 75 and 72 not out, both scored on Australia’s tour of India in 2022. It was her first fifty in the format since October 2023.

Introduced into the attack with Pakistan four wickets down in the 10th over, Perry struck first ball as Muneeba Ali sent a short one straight to midwicket and, with the last, she had Aliya Riaz caught behind.

Gull Feroza took a stunning one-handed catch diving to her right at slip to remove Mooney on the first ball of the match and give Pakistan a boost. Mooney had recovered from the back soreness which prompted her to retire hurt on 74 not out against Netherlands on Saturday, but her stay at the crease was brief this time when she prodded at a Sadia Iqbal delivery outside off and angling in, Feroza plucking the ball from the air and holding firmly as she landed

From there, however, Perry and Voll piled on the misery for their opponents. Fatima Sana conceded 17 runs in the second over and Diana Baig, the experienced seamer playing her first match of the tournament, went for 19 off her first, including five wides as wicketkeeper Muneeba failed to gather one down the leg side, and three boundaries as Perry hit her stride. By the end of the powerplay, Australia were 64 for 1, their best in that phase of the innings for this tournament.

Two wickets in three balls for Nashra Sandhu gave her side cause for celebration in the 10th over as Pakistan maintained their flawless start in the field. Voll looked to go down the ground but holed out to long-off and Ash Gardner fell to a second-ball duck chipping to cow corner. Pakistan continued to hold their catches as Georgia Wareham and Sutherland both fell to Shamim, the latter after a 44-run stand with Perry. The key catch came when Pakistan reviewed after Perry gloved a Sana bouncer behind and, as the ball died on her, Muneeba slid forward and managed to get her gloves under the ball.

Mooney’s retirement in the previous match was described by the Australian camp as precautionary but her courage in Leeds on Tuesday night was impressive, continuing to keep wicket after having a dislocated finger put back in place not once, but twice.

Mooney was initially struck on the fingertips of her right hand as she tried to stop a wide delivery from Kim Garth to Muneeba. With Mooney clearly in agony, team medical staff realigned her finger and, amid the relief that followed, she donned the gloves again. She then had to have the same finger taped up when she was struck again reaching in vain to collect an edge from Muneeba. But again she carried on and was involved in five dismissals thereafter.

Muneeba clubbed the next ball for six over deep midwicket but either side of that strike, she had been involved in two run outs. The first was on a Mooney fumble trying to gather down the leg side and Muneeba belatedly sent back opening partner Feroza as Voll fired the ball back to Garth and the bowler flicked off the bails. It was a similar story when Ayesha Zafar pushed a Lucy Hamilton delivery towards cover and set off for a run, only to be sent back by Muneeba as Molineux threw the ball back to Mooney with Ayesha out of her ground.

Pakistan managed to reach 50 for 3 in the powerplay but the wickets continued to fall, not least to yet another shocking run out, Shamim hitting Molineux to mid-on and getting more than halfway down the pitch before captain Sana sent her back, Voll’s throw to Mooney beating her by some distance.

SCORES:
Australia Women 199 for 7 in 20 overs  (Georgia Voll 39, Ellyse Perry 71, Annabell Sutherland 27, Nicola Carey 26*; Sadia Iqbal 2-31, Fatima Sana 1-45, Rameen Shamim 2-34, Nashra Sandhu 2-33) beat Pakistan Women 86 in 13.4 overs (Muneeba Ali 32, Iram Javed 14, Fatima Sana 17; Sophie Molineux 2-06, Georgia Wareham 1-02, Ellyse Perry 2-9, Annabel Sutherland 2-12) by 113 runs

[Cricinfo]