Australian pacer runs through hosts’s top-order as Harmanpreet & Co fall short of target by 36 runs
As the Australian women battled it out against India here in the T20 tri-series on Monday, a smart alec spectator had a rather interesting take on the ball tampering controversy going on.
He said that the onus of salvaging the reputation of Australian cricket now rested on the women’s team from Down Under here after the Steve Smith-led side brought it under disrepute through their ‘shameful’ act of ball tampering in South Africa.
As the third league match ended here at the Brabourne Stadium on Monday, the Aussie women had earned double respect. First, for their convincing 36-run victory against India and the second for not being affected by the happenings in South Africa that has hit Australian cricket like a Tsunami.
The hosts India led by Harmanpreet Kaur are now out of reckoning for a berth in the final of the tri-series. Come Thursday, and they will be playing their last league — an inconsequential game — against England at the picturesque Cricket Club of India.
It was another bad day in the office for the Indians as they failed to chase down Australia’s total of 186, which was powered by half centuries from Beth Mooney (71, 46, 8x4) and Elyse Villani (61, 42b, 10x4) and included a 114-run partnership for the third wicket.
The home team were restricted to 150 for five in stipulated overs, thanks to Sydney-born seamer Megan Schutt’s hat-trick that triggered a top-order collapse. If not for an sensible knock of 41-ball 50 (8x4) from 17-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues, the story would have been worse.
Sent as an opener for the first time, Rodrigues held fort at one end even as India suffered first two jolts in the second over of the innings. Schutt got in-form opener Smriti Mandhana off a full toss which she missed and was castled. Veteran batswoman Mithali Raj played a bad shot away from the body which saw her get out played on in the next delivery.
Schutt completed her hat-trick in the fifth over by getting the wicket of Deepti Sharma.
Three wickets down for 26, teenager Rodrigues had a tough task of anchoring the innings. And she did it well and went on to score her first fifty. However, she soon went for a big shot, which landed in hands of long off fielder Schutt off Delissa Kimmince.
Earlier, having won the toss for the first time in the series, Kaur chose to field first after being put into bat in the first two games.
Raut dropped
Opener Punam Raut was on Monday dropped from the 15-member Indian women’s team for the upcoming 4-match ODI series against England Women to be played in Nagpur.
India Women’s ODI squad: Mithali Raj (Captain), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Dayalan Hemalatha, Veda Krishnamurthy, Devika Vaidya, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav, Sushma Verma (wicket-keeper), Rajeshwari Gayakwad
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Megan Schutt")
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}