AUSSIES MARCH AHEAD WITH AN EASY WIN OVER NETHERLANDS

ICC 10th WOMEN's WORLD CUP - Match 14 – Australia v Netherlands at Southampton on 20 June 2016

Result – Australia beat Netherlands by 98 runs
Points – Australia 2(6), Netherlands 0(0)
Toss – Netherlands
Umpires – Anna Harris, Kim Cotton, Jacqueline Williams (TV)
Player of the Match – Beth Mooney
Match Centre Link - You can view the scorecard, watch highlights and engage more at Match Centre of ICC. The match can be accessed here. 

AUSTRALIA INNINGS

PRISTINE SHOTS & PRIZED WICKETS
The 14^th match of the 10th Womens T20 World Cup featured the mighty Aussies and debutants Netherlands. The expected result was a third Aussie win on a trot while Netherlands were expected to embrace another defeat. As I was ready for the hat trick of wins and losses, I was also eager for some hats off moments from both the sides.  Netherlands won the toss and invited Australia to bat. Beth Mooney and Georgia Voll were ready for the Dutch challenge as Iris Zwilling opened the bowling. Iris’s first over saw a couple of boundaries, a pull by Beth and a drive by Georgia Voll. Heather Siegers came in from the other end was conceded just one boundary as Beth showcased a drive this time. Isabel van der Woning came first change and her over was split between 3 dots and 3 boundaries. Beth slided the 2^nd ball through backward point, drove the 3^rd ball through the covers and flipped the 4^th ball fine of short leg. Beth didn’t look convincing in the first 2 matches and was beginning to strike form. Myrthe Vaan Den Raad came for the 4^th over and conceded 3 boundaries as well. Georgia powered two pulls while Beth effortlessly worked one on the pads. AUS had already scored 43 in 4 when Iris came back to bowl the 5^th over. Iris stuck in 4.4, Vollie pulled a wide one for another boundary and Australia 50. Vollie edged one square to the off side and Phebe Molkenboer held on to the catch. Ellyse Perry walked in and it was another landmark 50. Ellyse became the first cricketer male or female to feature in 50 T20I World Cup matches. However Ellyse failed to make a mark with the bat as she steered the first ball of the 6^th over bowled by Heath straight to Sterre Kallis. Ashleigh Gardner came in at Number 04 and dampened NET spirits by back to back boundaries in the last 2 balls of powerplay. Despite the prized wickets of Vollie and Perry, NET had conceded 61/2. Beth Mooney & Ash Gardner have already indicated some pristine touch. NET needed more wickets to stop the Aussie juggernaut.

THE ASH-BETH SHOW
Silver Siegers followed her sister and conceded no boundaries & extras in the 7^th over that went for 8 runs. NET’s best bowler Caroline De Lange came twirling in for the 8^th over anc conceded 9 runs which included a classy inside out boundary by Ash Gardner. Frederique Overdijk was the 7^th bowler used by NET and it was only the 9^th over. Ash welcomed her with a  sixer over long off. The next ball, Ash cut her and grassed Phebe at backward point who couldn’t hold on to this catch. Frederique and Caroline both conceded 12 runs in the 9^th & 10^th overs. Beth got a couple of boundaries in Caroline’s over and her 2^nd boundary brought her a 30 ball half century. Aussies also completed their hundred in the over. At the half way mark, AUS were 102/2 and a double hundred looked immiment given the form of Beth and Ash. Silver came back for the 11^th over and went for 8 runs. Myrthe was entrusted the 12^th and Ash pulled the 3^rd ball and scooped the 5^th ball for boundaries to score 12 runs of 12^th over. Heather’s 13^th over made no difference as Ash struck another boundary and Aus struck 9 runs of it. Iris was brought back for the 14^th and Ash lofted her over mid off to bring her 28 ball half century. She hit another boundary in the 2^nd ball and passed strike to Beth. Beth attempted a scoop but found the ball widish and instantaneously flicked it over short third for a four of the fourth ball. She pulled the 5^th ball over the ropes for a sixer. The 21 run over by Iris showed that Aussies were firmly in command of the match. However Beth Mooney seemed to have hurt herself and walked away and after some confusion she was deemed retired hurt not retired out. She wasn’t expected to bat again as Georgia Wareham joined Ash Gardner. Caroline De Lange forced Ash to err a pull and Sterre at mid wicket took her second catch of the match. Nicola Carey joined Georgia and the duo an hard for the next 10 balls even as Georgia Wareham confidently struck a boundary in both Caroline’s over & that of Silver which followed. At end of 16 overs, AUS were 167/3 with two relatively new comers to the crease.

WRITING NEW RECORDS
Georgia Wareham welcomed Isabel Van der Woning with a hat-trick of boundaries with two lucky edges and a pull. The 17^th over added 18 runs to AUS tally. Caroline struck in the first ball of 17^th over when Nicola couldn’t clear mid off and found Robine Rijke who took a catch in her 100^th T20I. But Georgia Wareham seemed unperturbed and stuck a couple of boundaries and AUS were 197 with 2 overs to go. Aussies were getting ready for their first WC double hundred and 219 by ENG looked in danger. Georgia began the 19^th over bowled by Iris with a boundary as well as she brought out a gorgeous drive. She got an edge again but this was taken at square leg by Silver. Skipper Sophie walked in and leashed a splendid square drive boundary first ball. She ran hard to take 3 in the next ball. Annabel Sutherland hit one straight to short third where Frederique dropped a sitter. However Iris had the last laugh when Sophie missed her pull to lose her stumps. AUS equalled India’s record of 209 and had one over to go to go past ENG’s record of 219. Heather coming in to bowl the last over just conceded 2 runs in the first 3 balls. Annabel hit a four on the fourth and she ran twos in the next two balls with Alana. AUS finished at 219/6 equalling ENG’s score in the first match against Scotland and now had the joint highest score in a T20I World Cup match. In 9 World Cups, we just had one 200+ team total and we already had 3 in this World Cup. Beth Mooney, Ash Gardner and Georgia Wareham were the three stars for the Aussie batting line up.

NETHERLANDS INNINGS

AUSSIES ON SONG
NET opened their batting with Phebe and Heather as usual while Lucy Hamilton (on WC debut) was entrusted to open the Aussie attack. Georgia Voll took over the keeping gloves for AUS with Beth being injured in this match and the replacement keeper Phoebe already injured. Lucy nearly bowled a maiden over but in the third ball she erringly clipped the bails in the non striker end while delivering the ball and it was declared a no ball. Heather got hit on the helmet trying to scoop the free hit ball and earned a single. Kim Garth came in from the other end and induced an edge of Phebe in the 2^nd ball and Vollie took her first catch as a keeper. Skipper Babette De Leede playing her 100^th T20I walked in at Number 3. Sophie came in as first change and nearly had Heather in the first ball. Her LBW appeal was turned down and DRS stuck with umpire’s call on hitting the stumps. Heather brought the first boundary for NET in 3.4 as she creamed Kim straight over mid off. Kim struck back claiming Heather leg before wicket and the DRS couldn’t rescue her this time. Lucy bowled one more quick economic over. Kim Garth bowling third on the trot did well except bowling one full to Babette who drove through the covers with authority to get her first boundary. NET were 28/2 at the end of the power play.  They weren’t going for the chase as AUS bowlers were on song.

GOING STEADY AND NOT FOR THE GLORY
Georgia Wareham came to bowl the 7^th over and Babette found a lucky edge and boundary in the first ball. Sophie Molineux operated from the other end for the 8^th over and Babette closed the over with a lovely drive for boundary. Sterre Kallis was having a quiet time at other end and she joined the party when she hammered Alana over long off for a sixer in the 9^th over. Ashleigh Gardner bowled the 10^th over as the spin quartet took over. Sterre played 2 lovely square cuts in the 4^th & 5^th balls for successive boundaries. NET were 63/2 after 10 overs. It was evident that they were not going for the impossible chase and trying to bat out the innings. Annabel Sutherland came in for the 11^th over and Sterre was lucky to get a boundary on a fuller delivery which just brushed past a diving Alana King at mid on. Sterre continued her boundary streak when she went on back foot and bisected the gap between short third and point. Nicola Carey was finally introduced as the 8^th bowler in the 13^h over. AUS had fully employed a quartet of spinners and pacers. Nicola just conceded 4 singles in her first over. Sterre square cut Ash again in the 14^th over for her boundary per over quota. Babette swept Sophie with power to fetch a boundary for her after a long time. The partnership kept going steady piling up 85 runs in 12 overs so far and NET also brought their team hundred. NET were 102/2 after 16 overs and didn’t show any signs of implosion even as the death overs were due.

POETIC ENDING
Lucy quickly closed the 17^th over with 5 runs and missed the wicket of Sterre as Annabel couldn’t complete a running catch. Kim bowled the 18^th one even quicker giving away just 2 runs. In the first ball of her over, Babette brought her half century in 47 balls, a nice landmark in her landmark 100^th T20I. Lucy kept things tight just conceding just 4 runs in the penultimate over. Annabel came to bowl the last over and all eyes where on Sterre’s 50 & 100 run partnership. However Annabel played spoilsport in the first ball when Sterre misread a slower ball and pulled in air only to find her stumps shattered. The 96 run stand was finally broken. It was however a poetic ending if not a logical conclusion as Robine Rojike and Babette De Leede, both playing their 100^th T20I were at the crease as NET closed at 121/3 in 20 overs. AUS won by a huge margin of 98 runs.

Images Courtesy ESPN Cricinfo