Australia chase down record score to beat India in Women’s Cricket World Cup – as it happened
Australia go top of the table,India are in third, but they can’t afford to lose another one,Their remaining games are against New Zealand, England, and Bangladesh, and if they drop one there then New Zealand could jump them, especially if they lose to the Kiwis,That’s it from us,South Africa play Bangladesh tomorrow.
That’s an extraordinary effort from Australia.The biggest winning run chase ever in women’s ODIs, the second-biggest score ever made batting second, and Healy with the second-biggest individual score in a run chase.She was the difference, with her ability to produce not just the flying start that she often has at her best, but to carry on with it and build it into an innings of substance, taking Australia past 250 by the time she fell.Then it was down to Ellyse Perry, who retired hurt but came back to use her calm and experience and ice the chase.Gardner and Litchfield contributed important runs when called upon.
But a lot of the credit also has to go to Annabel Sutherland with the ball, because at 294 for 4 with seven overs to go, India might have been on for 380 rather than 330.Instead she removed both Ghosh and Rodrigues, then came back to wrap up the tail and deny India even batting through their 50th over.For India, Kranti Guad and Amanjot got belted early, but came back later creditably.Charani was excellent, and Deepti held her own.Rana was expensive today, and India’s lack of a sixth option hurt them, although that sixth option might just as well have been belted too.
It was a close one, but Perry finishes it.49th over: Australia 331-7 (Perry 47, Garth 14) So, Garth on strike.Rana to bowl spin.This is make or break.Garth can’t score first ball, walks at Rana and drives it back into the ground.
And then from nowhere, pulls out the reverse sweep! Not much width but just enough, very fine for four,Then jams a single off her pads,Perry walks down and smokes the ball straight, but only one run to long on,Garth takes another off her legs,Last ball of the over… Perry walks at the bowler and smokes the ball for six! Dead straight, middled.
Decides not to risk the chaos of a 50th over, and instead treat that last ball as a free hit.48th over: Australia 318-7 (Perry 40, Garth 8) First ball of the over, Garth pulls one run.Doing her job.Perry can’t score next ball, driving into the off side, then settles for a run down the ground.Three runs from the over, Amanjot is doing her job superbly.
It has tightened up to 13 needed from two overs.47th over: Australia 315-7 (Perry 39, Garth 7) Not sure how smart this is from Australia.Perry takes a single first ball of the over.But Garth allays any doubts, reaching for width and carving it behind point for four.Kranti Gaud the bowler.
Then should have been run out at the non-striker’s end, but Rodrigues misses the throw from midwicket.Australia get the rushed the single.Perry can’t score off the yorker.Last ball… full toss! Flicked into the midwicket gap, and as two fielders converge, Radha Yadav dives past the ball and can’t get it out of the rope.Two errors from India on the one ball, costly.
46th over: Australia 305-7 (Perry 34, Garth 1) Australia send out Kim Garth rather than Alana King, who batted so well the other night.Not sure why.Garth can bat a long time, but they need strike rotating from the get-go.It doesn’t happen here.Only two from the over.
26 runs need from 24 balls.Pinned in front! Molineux walks.Perry chases her and tells her to review.The angle from around the wicket was very sharp to the left-hander, but she was so far back on her stumps that it didn’t make a difference.Hits her in front of off stump after keeping low as she tries to pull.
45th over: Australia 303-6 (Molineux 18, Perry 33) We start the over with Australia needing 32 to win.Perry is back in the middle, moving fine.And her hamstring, if that is the problem, gets a test as she sweeps to short fine, Deepti stops the ball, and Molineux is already running from the non-striker’s end.Perry is ball-watching and hesitates.Then she really has to sprint for it, and the ball hits her as she runs.
Deepti appeals for obstructing the field, but the umpires brush that off,Perry wasn’t looking at the ball when it was thrown, and only shifted her line to get off the pitch,Another great bit of fielding at cover stops a shot, denying Molineux four, then a scrambling save at short third by Kranti Gaud saves three,28 needed from 30,44th over: Australia 299-6 (Molineux 16) So, Charani and Deepti are bowled out.
Kranti Gaud and Rana have two overs each.And there are potentially six overs to go after this one from Amanjot.It’s not working, though, for India.A hint of width, Molineux is a left-hander, so her cut flies fine, past the short third fielder in the circle, for four.But from the last ball of the over, she gets through Gardner! I think I heard an Indian player starting to appeal after that ball hit Gardner’s pad.
It was off the inside edge.But that doesn’t matter when the second ricochet then goes back onto the stumps.Just straight and length and missed, mostly, angled in at the batter.43rd over: Australia 292-5 (Gardner 44, Molineux 10) Gardner has been quiet for a while.She’s happy to coast through Deepti’s last over and look for the runs elsewhere.
Four singles.Perry is padded up on the bench and smiling.42nd over: Australia 288-5 (Gardner 42, Molineux 8) Amanjot has been expensive today, but India are short on options with eight overs to go.So Molineux joins the boundary party with a pull shot for four, just beating the chase, after cutting for two when Charani was able to stop it on the rope.41st over: Australia 280-5 (Gardner 41, Molineux 1) So.
That over started with a dropped catch from Gardner at point, Charani too slow to move towards a looping outside edge and dropping it as she slid,But it does produce the wicket of McGrath, after she belted her third boundary sweeping,Molineux comes to the middle, but Perry is warming up on the boundary line in case she needs to return,Another 51 runs required, it ain’t nothing,Great review from Deepti! She was convinced, and her captain took no convincing that it was time to roll the dice.
Umpire thinks this ball has hit outside the line, but it has turned enough to sneak just inside the line.And is going on to hit the leg stump, after a big stride forward from McGrath.Another twist.40th over: Australia 274-4 (Gardner 40, McGrath 8) Early attack from McGrath, walking at Kranti Gaud and baseballing her down the ground for four.Then bangs one over cover, and Amanjot looks to have it covered but it beats her dive in the end.
The perfect fast start for McGrath to make sure she doesn’t slow the innings down.39th over: Australia 265-4 (Gardner 39, McGrath 0) Interesting that after the TV producer said they only had two angles on that catch, they produce a replay from a third angle after the decision has been made.The view is partly obscured but it might have added to the story.Probably supporting the decision that was made.End of the over.
Tahlia McGrath with some ground to make up after getting belted with the ball earlier.India look like they’ve given this up.Very flat body language, Ahmedabad 2023 vibes.They still have six an over to defend, it’s not nothing.Shree Charani errs on the leg stump, and Gardner plays a swivel-sweep fine for four.
And then finally, finally, the moment comes.Healy plays a slashing square drive.Sneh Rana at point gets under it with her fingertips, and plucks it up.There’ll be some discussion about that call, I’m sure.“I’ve got ball on the ground there,” was the third ump’s first comment, as the ball looks to dip after hitting Rana’s hands.
Later the umpire says “I see fingers underneath it.”There is a sharp downward movement that makes it look like the ball hits the ground.Personally I reckon that Rana does have her fingertips under it, and then scoops it up from there.But it could easily be given the other way on another day.38th over: Australia 258-3 (Healy 141, Gardner 33) Slog sweep from Healy… just over Mandhana’s head! She’s there at deep backward square, she thinks she’s in the game, jumping, ponytail flying, but the ball sails over.
Sneh Rana goes wider outside off, but Healy is still able to pick up the next ball over midwicket, one bounce skimming off the grass into the gap there for four.Healy currently has the 15th highest score in a Women’s World Cup, going up the rankings quickly.37th over: Australia 245-3 (Healy 131, Gardner 31) Finally some runs come from Charani, into her ninth over.Healy hasn’t played a reverse yet, I don’t think.Litchfield did, to her detriment, and Perry did, with memorable uniqueness.
Healy now goes that way, and the ball bounces unexpectedly, but her eye is sufficiently adjusted that she’s still able to collar it from outside off stump through deep third for four,After that she lines up Radha Yadav, substituting at short cover, and nearly takes her out with a cut shot that bounces in front of the fielder,Five off the over,They need 6 and a half,Harmanpreet has her thundercloud face back on, the same as when Nadine de Klerk was going nuts the other night.
36th over: Australia 240-3 (Healy 127, Gardner 31) Healy just keeps finding that boundary! So often it’s one per over, and it’s the same again here: advancing at Rana, a lofted clip off the pads, straight of the deep midwicket, into that pocket again where it finds the sponge.This is the most controlled innings I’ve ever seen her play.35th over: Australia 233-3 (Healy 122, Gardner 30) Down leg from Deepti, and Gardner can tickle it fine.Then Gardner makes another bad ball hard for herself: charges at a full toss, which would have been juicy had she stayed still, but in the end it’s too high for her to hit with any power on the move.Down to long on for one
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