Beth Mooney, recent from her World Cup-winning heroics, has been introduced rudely right down to earth, struggling harm throughout a calamitous 143-run defeat for her Gujarat Giants facet within the opening match of India’s new Women’s Premier League.
The Australian opener, in her first main captaincy function, reckoned she had been wanting ahead to the problem of launching the profitable new, doubtlessly game-changing league in Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium on Saturday.
But all of it went incorrect for the batting champion, participant of the match in final Sunday’s T20 World Cup closing, and her expensively-assembled staff, as Mooney requested Mumbai Indians to bat and watched them rattle up an enormous whole of 5-207.
Leading the large chase, the champion left-hander then confronted simply 4 balls earlier than she needed to retire harm with out scoring, having seemingly injured her left knee as she turned whereas operating.
It proved solely the beginning of a disastrous innings for the Giants as they capitulated for 64 off simply 15.1 overs.
There’s now an enormous query mark over whether or not Mooney shall be match to play in Sunday’s second match towards a UP Warriorz staff captained by her Australian opening accomplice Alyssa Healy.
The Giants have invested closely in Australian energy, taking up Rachael Haynes because the coach, Mooney snapped up for $350,000 as captain and star batter and allrounder Ash Gardner because the joint-most costly abroad recruit for $558,000.
Georgia Wareham, who like Mooney and Gardner had performed in Australia’s successful staff in final weekend’s T20 World Cup closing win over South Africa in Cape Town, and Annabel Sutherland made up the Giants’ highly effective Aussie quartet.
But the three bowlers all received carted round, conceding 100 runs off 10 overs between them, with Gardner taking 1-38 off 4, Wareham 1-30 off three and Sutherland 0-32 off three.
Big-hitting Gardner, hopefully not weighed down by her enormous price ticket, additionally failed with the bat, caught at slip for a golden duck.
But, fittingly, after all of the Bollywood glitz that preceded the launch of the ladies’s sport’s richest league, it was house hero, Mumbai captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who did most to get the match off to a rip-roaring begin in entrance of an enthusiastic crowd, cracking 65 off 30 balls.
“It was a brilliant start, it feels like a dream come true,” stated Harmanpreet, who has predicted the league shall be a “game-changer” for ladies’s cricket.
“We kept things simple and clear. Told players to play natural. Obviously it’s a big day for women’s cricket – but it was all about backing yourself.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
