Australia have cruised previous Sri Lanka of their T20 World Cup conflict after a revitalised Beth Mooney and Alyssa Healy placed on an unbroken stand of 113 handy them a 10-wicket win.
Mooney completed unbeaten on 56 and Healy on 54 not out as they went previous Sri Lanka’s 8-112 with 25 balls remaining at St George’s Park on Thursday, successfully sealing the defending champions’ place within the semi-finals.
Earlier, Ellyse Perry’s spectacular dismissal of Chamari Athapaththu, Megan Schutt’s four-for on the dying, and the spin squeeze from Grace Harris, Georgia Wareham and Alana King had all been very important in pegging Sri Lanka again.
Harris took 2-7 in addition to an outstanding catch to do away with Athapaththu off Perry, taking part in an enormous half in Australia’s win after Sri Lanka had began strongly within the powerplay.
When Australia batted, there by no means appeared any doubt concerning the end result, with Healy reverse-slamming a brief ball from Athapaththu off a free hit to achieve her second fifty of the World Cup, off simply 38 balls.
Then Mooney introduced up her run-a-ball half-century with a single in direction of long-off quickly after – and no-one was extra delighted at seeing the left-hander return to kind than her opening associate.
“It was good for her to spend some time at the crease, probably more for her mental health than anything else,” participant of the match Healy mentioned of Mooney, whose earlier two scores at this World Cup had been nought and two.
“She’s been hitting the ball really well in the nets and just hasn’t quite been clicking on the field.
“She performed rather well in the present day. Hopefully, that provides her confidence perhaps.”
Undefeated in the tournament like their opponents in the Group 1 fixture, Sri Lanka had started strong, but offspinning allrounder Ashleigh Gardner didn’t, after Australia opted to bowl.
Carting a combined four boundaries in the first four overs, Sri Lanka’s left-hand openers Athapaththu and Harshita Madhavi made an early statement.
Their powerplay score could have been higher than 1-38 had an airborne Harris not snaffled a superb diving catch off Perry to get rid of captain Athapaththu at mid-off in the fifth over.
Australia kept chipping away at the opposition line-up, using seven bowlers, though they appeared slightly tentative on the field at times.
A missed stumping from Healy in Wareham’s second over reprieved top-scorer Madhavi when she was on 32.
Three balls later, though, the veteran wicketkeeper made amends by stumping her to hand Harris her second wicket.
“She’s been round our group for a very long time,” Healy said of Harris. “We play in opposition to her quite a bit in home cricket, so we all know what she will be able to do with the ball.
“To be able to call on her when we need to is awesome.
“There’s 15 gamers on this group that might step on the park and carry out.
“We’ve got a world-class spinner in Jess Jonassen sitting on the bench at the moment and our spin attack did a great job today. So, the depth in the squad is pretty impressive.”
The second missed alternative of the day featured Anushka Sanjeewavi being reprieved off King as Tahlia McGrath could not fairly swoop in on a miscued lofted drive at cowl within the sixteenth over.
Schutt was re-introduced on the dying, getting first-drop Vishmi Gunaratne caught by Perry for twenty-four within the 18th over and, discovering an ready ally in Healy, she then laughed her technique to choosing three low-cost wickets within the twentieth to complete with hanging figures of 4-24.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
