Righto, that’s us done here. The match report of a comprehensive Australia win has landed hot off the wires:
Thanks to Megan for steering the first stint so well and to you for joining us for the ride. It was at times thrilling… and at others stodgy. A metaphor for life I suppose. Ahem. With that incredible and bleary eyed wisdom, goodbye!
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Australia Captain Tahlia McGrath speaks:
It was pretty nice to watch! The ‘Volly’ (Georgia Voll) hundred was obviously the highlight but everyone in the top four did their job and it was pretty nice just to sit back and watch everyone show up.
That’s what we want to be about, taking the game on and creating a platform. Our top four executed it perfectly today.”
Harmanpreet Kaur speaks:
We got some partnerships in (with the bat) but we were short by a few runs (erm understatement). We created a few opportunities with the ball but we couldn’t take them. They batted really well, credit to them. In bowling, we need to go back and think about plans. We expected some more movement but we didn’t get that here. We need to bat a bit longer and bat a full 50 overs moving forward. We had a few 40s but couldn’t convert it to fifty or hundred.”
Ellyse Perry scoops player of the match for her 105 off 75 balls.
It was a really different game of cricket to the other day. Also, I think really nice for us to have a platform that we’re then building on with some awesome contributions throughout the order. I thought we bowled really well too.”
Australia win by 122 runs!
Mishra tries to scoop Sutherland but gets an edge through to the keeper. That’s all she wrote. The Aussies take the series 2-0 with one game to play in Perth still to come.
44th over: India 239-8 (Mani 37, Mishra 5) Sophie Molineux would have finished the match had Australia still got a review in the bank, she pins Priya Mishra on the pad in front of the stumps but the umpire inexplicably says not out and the ball runs away past a flabbergasted Beth Mooney for four. Molineux then shunts one down the leg side for five wides. Not pretty.
43rd over: India 224-8 (Mani 32, Mishra 4)
Knock Knock.
Who’s there?
This game. Still. Just.
42nd over: India 220-8 (Mani 29, Mishra 3) Ash Gardner looks for the coup de grace but can’t find it.
41st over: India 217-8 (Mani 28, Mishra 1) Priya Mishra is the last batter. She joins Mani in the middle and inside edges into the leg side to get off the mark. The run rate? That’s up at over 17 runs an over.
WICKET! Renuka Singh b Sutherland 1 (India on the brink)
Sutherland cleans up Singh, knocking back the leg stump. Priya Punia will not bat and so Australia need one more wicket to knock this game humanely on the head and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three match series.
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40th over: India 215-7 (Mani 28, Singh 1) Mani flicks away for four past midwicket and drives into the cover for a couple. Renukah Singh is the new batter FYI. India need a lot off not many.
WICKET! Thakor c Gardner b Sutherland 7 (India 205-7)
Decent diving catch by Gardner at mid-off, she dives forward and scoops the ball up before it hits the turf. Australia three wickets away from wrapping this up.
38th over: India 204-6 (Mani 18, Thakor 7) Gardner catches the wide bug and gifts some more to India. The 200 comes up for India which I guess is something. Or rather, it’s not nothing.
37th over: India 198-6 (Mani 16, Thakor 5) Stop press. Eleven runs off the over. Molineux loses her line and gives away three wides before a Thakor glove runs away past Mooney for four.
36th over: India 187-6 (Mani 13, Thakor 0) Just three runs off Kim Garth. The run rate rises to a nosebleed inducing 13 runs per over. I’m not sure what India’s method is here? I’m not sure what mine is either. So, anyone seen any good films recently? Done your Christmas shopping? Hmmm.
Jemimah Rodrigues c McGrath b Molineux 43 (184-6)
Rodrigues’ sparky knock comes to an end as she slices Molineux to mid off. India spluttering in Brisbane as Saimi Thakor arrives in the middle.
35th over: India 184-6 (Mani 10)
‘He started it’ scenes in Adelaide with the Aussies levelling the series 1-1 a short while ago.
34th over: India 180-5 (Rodrigues 42, Mani 7) I wish I could tell you something other than that two runs were scored off Kim Garth’s over. Alas.
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33rd over: India 178-5 (Rodrigues 41, Mani 6) Molineux nearly picks up Rodrigues, the batter gloves down the leg side but this time Mooney can’t hold on. A tougher chance and goes begging. Four off the over.
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32nd over: India 174-5 (Rodrigues 39, Mani 4) Lovely bit of cat and mouse from Rodrigues and Schutt. The bowler spots the batter getting in position to reverse-hit and drops in a bouncer, Rodrigues adapts at the last and still manages to frying pan the ball over Mooney and away for four.
The commentators are discussing India’s lack of notching up ugly runs. Which makes me think of this.
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31st over: India 166-5 (Rodrigues 33, Mani 4) Minnu Mani is the new batter. Hello! She deposits her first ball from Ash Gardner back over the bowler’s head for four.
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WICKET! Sharma c Mooney b Gardner 10 (India 161-5)
Sharp work from Beth Mooney who clings onto a gloved chance down the leg side! She goes up straight away but the umpire isn’t sure… the Aussies review and there is the incriminating spike on the snicko. Sharma has to depart, all a bit flat out there for India at the moment.
30th over: India 159-4 (Rodrigues 32, Sharma 9) Sharma pulls Schutt for four and three singles follow, seven off the over is still three short of what is required by India. The commentators wonder what their approach is here, are they going to go for it? Lordy, I hope they do. There are 20 overs left.
29th over: India 152-4 (Rodrigues 31, Sharma 3) Ash Gardner keeps things tight and the run rate is headed to the clouds. Not that there are any in Brisbane by the looks of it.
28th over: India 149-4 (Rodrigues 30, Sharma 1) Deepti Sharma arrives in the middle with the run rate now over ten an over. Gulp. She clips Schutt for a single into the leg side to get off the mark.
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WICKET! Harmanpreet Kaur c Voll b Schutt 38 (India 148-4)
Gone! A poor shot from Harmanpreet who chips a full ball from Schutt straight to Voll at midwicket. She sort of stumbled over in the stroke and got a leading edge. Australia swarm, they’re into the guts of the India batting card now.
27th over: India 148-3 (Harmanpreet 38, Rodrigues 30) Five runs pocketed off Gardner as Megan ‘The Shooter’ Schutt is recalled to the attack.
26th over: India 143-3 (Harmanpreet 36, Rodrigues 27) Rodrigues showcases a velvet touch and runs King away to the boundary down at deep third.
25th over: India 135-3 (Harmanpreet 35, Rodrigues 20) Rodrigues has proved a real shot in the arm for India since she arrived in the middle. She picks up singles with sprightly running and then sweeps Gardner powerfully for four.
24th over: India 127-3 (Harmanpreet 33, Rodrigues 14) Shot! Rodrigues opens the face and runs King between point and cover for four more. King then thinks she has her with a full ball that evades the sweep and hits the pad. The Aussies send it upstairs but lose their review as the ball actually pitched outside the leg stump.
23rd over: India 119-3 (Harmanpreet 32, Rodrigues 7) Rodrigues shows off her touch with a glide for two off Sutherland and then unfurls a lovely cover drive for her first boundary.
WICKET! Ghosh b King 54 (India 111-3)
Ghosh doesn’t go on to make a biggie, she is bowled by King! The bowler didn’t realise she’d slid one through and onto the stumps and went down on her haunches to appeal for the LWB… the umpire then informed her that the bails were off and she needn’t waste her energies.
22nd over: India 111-3 (Harmanpreet 31, Rodrigues 0)
Ghosh falls for 54 off 73 balls. Jemimah Rodrigues joins Harmanpreet in the middle with plenty of work to do.
India require 261 from 28 overs.
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21st over: India 104-2 (Ghosh 53, Harmanpreet 25) Ghosh goes to fifty with a cut to the fence off McGrath. The opener has 53 from 68 balls, her fourth ODI half ton. She’s still there and ticking along but will have to go big to make this really count for her side.
20th over: India 99-2 (Ghosh 49, Harmanpreet 24) Lovely flight and guile from King who rips one past the edge with her first ball. Plenty of turn on offer for her by the looks of it. Kaur sweeps and gets a top edge that lands between three fielders. Just two off King’s first, India close in on 100 and the partnership between Ghosh and Kaur is above fifty. I’m saying nothing else, you know my thoughts.
19th over: India 97-2 (Ghosh 48, Harmanpreet 23) Bruce Willis and his mucky vest can wait a while longer… McGrath tries a short one and Kaur pulls away for a mighty SIX! That was dismissive by Harmanpreet. Nine runs off the over in total as India beat the rate for the first time in a long while.
Here comes the King (Alana).
18th over: India 88-2 (Ghosh 47, Harmanpreet 16) A well-timed flick off the toes brings Ghosh another boundary as she closes in on a half century. Garth joins the dots for the rest of the over though and I’m starting to crave something a bit more high octane. Might stick Die Hard on in the background. ‘Yippee-Ki-Yay…’
17th over: India 84-2 (Ghosh 43, Harmanpreet 16) Tahlia McGrath into the attack as Australia continue to shuffle their bowling pack. She gets her radar slightly off with a spear down the leg side that Mooney can’t stop. Two more to the total and five off the over.
Over in Adelaide, Australia’s men are about to polish off India and level up the series at 1-1.
16th over: India 79-2 (Ghosh 41, Harmanpreet 15) Ghosh finds the boundary off Kim Garth, driving in the air through mid on. That’s her seventh four but she has struggled with rotating the strike, picking up ones and twos to keep the scoreboard moving between the bigger strikes.
15th over: India 73-2 (Ghosh 36, Harmanpreet 14) Sutherland goes short and Ghosh is onto it in a flash, swivelling a pull away through the leg side to the boundary. Just one more Ghosh single off the over though as the required run rate starts to wink towards nine an over.
14th over: India 68-2 (Ghosh 31, Harmanpreet 14) Ghosh backs away to leg to give herself enough room to carve Molineux over the off side for a much needed boundary. Australia won’t relax, if at all, until they’ve seen the back of this pair, especially on such a batter friendly wicket.
13th over: India 61-2 (Ghosh 25, Harmanpreet 13) Sutherland begins after a slurp of electrolytes in Brisbane and a spoonful or two of Calpol in Bakewell. ‘Different drinks for different, needs’ as a wise man once said in a Slough paper merchants.
Tight over from Sutherland, just three eked off it, which ain’t enough for India who need an eye-watering 311 more runs.
12th over: India 58-2 (Ghosh 24, Harmanpreet 11) Sophie Molineux into the attack with her slow left-arm tweak. Three singles worked by Ghosh and Harmanpreet before the latter clips with excellent timing wide of mid on for her second boundary. Time for a drink, that’s my cue to make some strong coffee and check on a tickly coughing toddler.
WICKET! Deol c Molineux b Sutherland 11 (India 45-2)
Gone! Deol’s innings come to a rather tame end as she spoons a drive to Molineux at point. India did not need that and they do need runs.
Here comes the silver tuna (Marv…) Harmanpreet arrives at the crease with a regal air, duly clipping her first ball through mid on for four and punching for a couple into the cover to end the over.
11th over: India 51-2 (Ghosh 22, Harmanpreet 6)
10th over: India 45-1 (Ghosh 22, Deol 11) Double change for Australia as Ash Gardner comes into the attack. Deol is deep in her crease and nurdling for a single. Ghosh’s eyes light up at some width offered outside off stump and she launches a lofted drive over cover for four!
9th over: India 40-1 (Ghosh 18, Deol 10) Annabel Sutherland is summoned and she starts with a run rate swelling maiden. She has a shout for LBW to Ghosh but it was a smidge on the high side and the umpire demurred. Just a leg bye to keep India ticking.
8th over: India 39-1 (Ghosh 18, Deol 10) Garth goes short and a pull is top edged but comfortably short of the fielder by Ghosh. The bowler then goes full, targeting the stumps and front pad. Deol flicks for a single and Ghosh picks up two with a dab wide of point. Nice batting but India need a boundary an over, they might need to take a few more risks here.
7th over: India 35-1 (Ghosh 15, Deol 9) Bosh! Ghosh stands still and deposits Schutt back down the ground for a one bounce four. Schutt pulls her length back and a dabbed single is the only further action.
6th over: India 30-1 (Ghosh 10, Deol 9) Garth is on the button again, fourth stump line and landing it on a handkerchief. She floats one wider to tempt Deol into the drive, the batter duly accepts and a meaty edge flies wide of the cordon and away for four runs.
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5th over: India 24-1 (Ghosh 9, Deol 4) Ghosh punches off the back foot for a couple but that’s all off a smart Schutt over. The run rate creeping towards eights already.
4th over: India 22-1 (Ghosh 7, Deol 4) Harleen Deol is in at first drop for India and she doesn’t mess about, crunching her second ball backward of point for four runs. India can’t afford to let up, even if wickets fall.
WICKET! Mandhana b Garth 9 (India 16-1)
Chopped on! Mandhana doesn’t commit to the stroke outside off stump and pays the price as the ball rattles into the stumps off the inside edge! Australia have their first!
3rd over: India 15-0 (Ghosh 9, Mandhana 6) Beth Mooney is up to the stumps to Schutt. She has a box office seat to see Smriti Mandhana clobber consecutive fours! A whipcrack cut shot is followed by a pinging drive through the covers. This biscuit coloured wicket really is a belter. Lively start from the visitors.
2nd over: India 7-0 (Ghosh 6, Mandhana 1) Kim Garth bustles in from the other end. Ponytail swishing like a pendulum as a light breeze drifts across the Allan Border Field. Mandhana is off the mark with a single into the off and Ghosh rocks back to cut wide of point for a couple. Sun beating down and I’m not jealous at all. It’s 4 degrees and blowing a hoolie where I am. So there.
1st over: India 4-0 (Ghosh 4, Mandhana 0) If we were wondering about the approach then Richa Ghosh settles the debate, she trots down the wicket after two dots and smears Schutt over mid on, doesn’t get all of it but gets enough to get the ball over the the rope for four. Gauntlet being taken up. It’s a tidy start from Schutt though, back of a length and arrowing in.
Thanks Megan, what a stint! Runs glorious runs. Hello from an inky skied and storm bothered Peak District in England, UK, Earth. I’m just sidling into the OBO armchair, which knows no geographical, Meteorological, dimensional or metaphysical bounds.
Here come the players in Brisbane, India’s openers striding to the crease with purpose. They are going to have to go some, a few quiet overs and that run rate is going to rise like a frisky cobra.
Megan Schutt has the ball in hand, Mandhana and Ghosh to start for India. Let’s play!
Australia 371-8
A huge innings for Australia, after a strong start from the two young Sydney Thunder stars in Litchfield and Voll. An important century for Voll in just her second ever international match set the scene for a big innings and she will no doubt be making some of her more experienced teammates feel nervous knowing she is not in the squad for the New Zealand series, but that she will be very hard to drop after her first two performances. Litchfield played a brilliant support role and will rue losing her wicket, but her role in the partnership should not be underestimated.
Perry was as reliable as ever, with a very well-made 105 off just 75 balls, boosting the scoring rate to ensure the team were able to set an imposing total. Mooney was impressive with her 56 from 44 balls, supporting Perry well and keeping the score ticking over.
Australia will be disappointed to lose that flurry of wickets late in the game, but they put on huge total despite those wickets. Gardner will be particularly unhappy with her second ball duck, as she would have been looking to get her batting back on track with a few strong overs to finish the innings. Molineux too would have wanted to make her mark on this game, knowing bowling opportunities may be few and far between.
Despite only scoring eight runs, King played her role, being aggressive when it was needed, before McGrath and Garth steadied the ship and then finished off by blasting a few boundaries to take the total above 370.
It was a dominant innings from Australia and India will have to work hard and go very quickly to chase it down. Chasing a big total and knowing you have to go from ball one is always tricky and India will need a lot from their star batters in Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues. If those three fire, they are in with a shot, but with an intimidating Australian bowling line up, they will have their work cut out for them.
I’m handing over to my great colleague James Wallace now to take you through India’s innings. It’s been a delight, I hope you enjoy the rest of the match!
50th over: Australia 371-8 (McGrath 20, Garth 6) Thakur bowls the last over and Garth starts it with a four over the off side, which brings up Australia’s highest ODI total since 1997. The next ball is a wide, which is really not what India needs right now. Garth gets her captain back on strike with a single next ball. McGrath moves across to the off side to meet the delivery, but it evades her and slides under her bat to the keeper. She tries to hit a boundary down the ground, but it’s cut off by a diving Harmanpreet and they dash through for two. There’s a bit of a delay while the third umpire checks for a short run by the Australians, but they’ve managed to make the ground. McGrath makes the most of the break to catch her breath and then slaps the next ball down the ground for four, then plays one nicely across to the offside for another four to finish the innings.
49th over: Australia 355-8 (McGrath 10, Garth 1) Thakor takes the second last over of the innings and Australia are looking to go hard, but can’t get through the field. They manage two on a misfield to keep the runs ticking over, but King is out next ball, bringing Garth to the crease, who hasn’t batted much for Australia at all. She gets off the mark straight away and McGrath slashes one over the off side field for four to finish the over.
WICKET! King c Deol b Thakor 8 (Australia 350-8)
King wants to score quickly, but she can’t get the ball over the outfield and it’s a simple catch for Deol.
48th over: Australia 346-7 (McGrath 5, King 5) The fielding restrictions are now in place for India due to those aforementioned slow over rates. King starts by pulling one off her hip, but can’t quite find the boundary and has to settle for two. It’s Deepti’s final over for the match and she keeps the run rate down, bowling well to her field.
47th over: Australia 340-7 (McGrath 4, King 1) India are quite behind in their over rates and may have to cope with some fielding restrictions on top of the heat and Australia’s quick scoring. Mooney adds insult to injury with back-to-back boundaries, but Minnu fights back with a wicket, through some quick glovework from Richa. Molineux goes soon after for Minnu’s second ODI wicket and brings King to the crease for the last ball of the over.
WICKET! Molineux c Reddy b Minnu 0 (Australia 340-7)
Molineux gets a second ball duck, trying to go hard after starting with a dot ball, but she can’t get past the field.
WICKET! Mooney st Richa b Minnu (Australia 340-6)
After bringing up her 50 and following up with another boundary, Mooney goes for one too many and Minnu gets her first ODI wicket.
50 for Beth Mooney!
Yet another half century for Mooney, she brings it up with a beautiful sweep shot past deep backward square.
46th over: Australia 332-4 (McGrath 4, Mooney 48) Mooney rotates the strike immediately and gives Gardner a shot, but she’s out for a second ball duck to bring McGrath to the crease. Priya appeals for an LBW on McGrath, but the umpire is unmoved and next ball McGrath gets off the mark with a cut shot that splits the fielders and flies to the boundary for four.
WICKET! Gardner c Harmanpreet b Priya 0 (Australia 328-5)
Gardner just looked uncomfortable from the start and she loops up an easy catch for Harmanpreet, who appears to be a bit of a ball magnet today!
45th over: Australia 327-5 (Gardner 0, Mooney 47) Sutherland slashes at the first ball of Thakur’s over and gets over the field, but short of the boundary. Then she smacks one down the ground, but there’s a fielder there, so she can’t pick up a boundary from that one either. There’s an appeal for LBW on Mooney next ball, but not too much interest from anyone aside from the keeper. Sutherland plays another big shot, but this one is cut off on the boundary by Reddy. She’s out on the last ball of the over.
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WICKET! Sutherland c Harmanpreet b Thakur 6 (Australia 327-4)
Sutherland was trying to keep the run rate moving, but she couldn’t get past the field and this was a simple catch for Harmanpreet.
44th over: Australia 321-3 (Sutherland 1, Mooney 46) OK, weirdly there’s a review taking place now from the last ball of the previous over on Mooney. It’s very clearly not out and given so. Alex Blackwell in commentary thinks it might be more about giving the players a break and bringing a pause into the game than thinking it was a real chance. It doesn’t seem to bother Perry and Mooney though, they were probably happy for a little break as well and they continue to take the bowling on and racking up the score. Some good fielding forces Perry to hustle through to avoid a run out, but she makes her ground safely. She’s out a ball later and Annabel Sutherland comes to the crease and gets off the mark immediately.
WICKET! Perry b Deepti 105 (Australia 320-3)
Perry decides to bring out the reverse, but Deepti’s yorker gets under her and takes out middle stump. It’s been a fantastic innings from Perry.
43rd over: Australia 313-2 (Perry 100, Mooney 44) Thakur resumes to try to get this total under control for India. Mooney slices one through the field straight away with a determined cut shot to start the over with a boundary. She gets a leading edge a few balls later, but it falls short of the fielders. Perry brings up her century and it’s a superb innings for her and Australia.
100 for Ellyse Perry!
Surprisingly, this is just Perry’s third ODI century, she brings it up in 72 balls with an easy single.
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42nd over: Australia 306-2 (Perry 99, Mooney 39) Mooney starts the over with a chip over the top of the fielders on the offside – it would have been a chance for a catch if there had been any fielders in the vicinity. She then gets a streaky edge to the leg side for a single, which brings up the 300 for Australia, with more than eight overs remaining in their innings. Perry chips one over the fielder to find a similar gap that Mooney found a few balls earlier for another four.
41st over: Australia 295-2 (Perry 94, Mooney 33) A ninth over for Priya, she has done a lot of work today, but has been quite expensive so far. She catches the toe of Mooney’s bat, but it falls safely with three fielders in pursuit. Perry hits yet another six, this one over long on, to make this a very big over for Australia. She has hit five fours and six sixes so far this innings.
40th over: Australia 283-2 (Perry 85, Mooney 30) Deepti comes on to bowl her eighth over and Mooney starts the over with a scoop to pick up three runs as the ball trickles away towards the boundary. There doesn’t seem to be anything the Indian team can throw at the Australians at the moment, they’re looking tired and out of options. It can’t help that the Australian batting line up is so deep that any breakthroughs just feel like more of a punishment.
39th over: Australia 277-2 (Perry 83, Mooney 26) Ooh, this is interesting, Smriti Mandhana comes into the attack for her first over of the game. She nearly picks up a wicket with her second ball, but it flies just over the fielder. I would have thought Harmanpreet would bowl herself before going to Smriti (and Rachael Haynes and Alex Blackwell in commentary concur), but it is something different for the batters to think about. Perry and Mooney bring up the 50 partnership late in the over and they don’t seem to be bothered by the unusual bowling move it all. 12 runs off the over – so probably not a move that has paid off.
38th over: Australia 265-2 (Perry 81, Mooney 16) Perry starts with a four, but next ball Priya beats her bat and Perry only just manages to slide back into her crease to avoid being stumped. Perry and Mooney are looking strong together, rotating the strike well. Perry plays an uncontrolled shot down the ground and Deol gets her hands on it on the boundary, but can only manage to parry (or Perry) it over the rope for another six.
37th over: Australia 252-2 (Perry 69, Mooney 15) Perry opens up from the first ball of Minnu’s over with a MONSTER six down the ground and over the fence. It’s a sensational shot and impressive after a couple of slower scoring overs to be able to boost the run rate again. She equals Meg Lanning for the most sixes scored in women’s ODIs with that shot – now on 40 sixes from her career. Mooney finds the boundary for four soon after and they bring up the 250 for Australia.
36th over: Australia 239-2 (Perry 61, Mooney 10) Another over from Priya and India are starting to create a little bit of pressure, with boundaries drying up a little, forcing Perry and Mooney to run through for a risky single to keep the score ticking over, but they make it through.
35th over: Australia 236-2 (Perry 59, Mooney 9) Mooney starts the over after drinks with a nice cut shot to split the fielders for a single to give the strike back to Perry. Minnu is bowling her sixth over of the day and it’s been a decent debut for her so far – she certainly hasn’t leaked as many runs as some of her more experienced teammates.
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34th over: Australia 232-2 (Perry 57, Mooney 7) Priya comes back into the attack and Perry defends one before tucking one off her pads to deep backward square for a single to hand the strike to Mooney. Mooney steps up with a straight drive down the ground for four – a favourite boundary shot for the Australians today. Perry looks to push another one down to the boundary late in the over, but it’s cut off by a diving Deepti. Drinks are on the field.
33rd over: Australia 224-2 (Perry 54, Mooney 2) Thakor resumes and takes her second wicket, bringing Voll’s innings to an end, but it just brings Mooney to the crease, which doesn’t make things any easier for India. Mooney immediately gets off the mark after she’s served up a full toss and works it away for two, but Thakor pulls her length back for a couple of dots. She creates a chance on the last ball of the over, but the ball lands safely in front of the diving fielder – the sub fielder Reddy at mid-wicket.
WICKET! Voll c Richa b Thakor 101 (Australia 222-2)
A fantastic innings from Voll comes to an end with a little edge through to the keeper – it’s great keeping from Richa to react and hold on to it.
32nd over: Australia 222-1 (Perry 54, Voll 101) Voll on strike to Minnu on 99 and she takes the single to bring up her first century. Perry keeps her foot on the accelerator with an aggressive pull shot for four, then a lofted drive for yet another six and both players are looking very comfortable out there. Can India find any answers to slow this run rate?
50 for Ellyse Perry!
A sensational performance from Perry, bringing up her half century from 43 balls.
100 for Georgia Voll!
What a milestone for the young player, getting her first century in just her second international match. She brings it up with a lovely chip over the field for a single.
31st over: Australia 208-1 (Perry 43, Voll 99) Perry drives a full toss down the ground from the first ball of Thakor’s over and for once there is a fielder down there to cut off the boundary, where Australia have been scoring with ease today. Voll takes two runs to bring her to 98 and keep the strike. She cuts away, but it’s just a single as the crowd is riding every moment. Perry scores a boundary from the last ball of the over to become the fourth Australian woman to score 4000 ODI runs.
30th over: Australia 200-1 (Perry 38, Voll 96) Minnu returns to the attack and Perry works the first ball behind her for two as the ball trickles down to third. A nice ball from Minnu to follow forces Perry into a defensive shot, before she finds space for her cut shot, but she can’t get it past the field and it’s just a single to bring Voll on to strike. Some big deep breaths coming from Voll before each delivery she faces now. She whips one over the field for a single and looks a little frustrated that she can’t get it to the boundary. These two bring up the 200 for Australia on the last ball of the over.
29th over: Australia 195-1 (Perry 34, Voll 95) A lovely cut shot from Voll to start the Deepti over, it’s just a single, but next ball Perry lofts one up and over Minnu’s outstretched arms on the boundary for six. Perry gets Voll back on strike and she comes down the pitch and flicks a ball off her pads for a single – she’s looking a little more watchful as she approaches the magical three figures.
28th over: Australia 185-1 (Perry 26, Voll 93) Thakur resumes and Voll takes a single early, before Perry sees out a couple of dot balls. It’s a good over from Thakur, just three runs from it.
27th over: Australia 182-1 (Perry 25, Voll 91) Voll has taken a bit of a backseat since Perry started teeing off, but she plays a great pull shot off Deepti’s bowling to pick her scoring back up, getting into the 90s from the next ball.
26th over: Australia 177-1 (Perry 24, Voll 87) Perry starts Thakur’s next over with a beautiful lofted drive for six – the first six of her innings. She has quickly found herself very comfortable out in the middle. A good comeback ball from Thakur, bowling a very good length to force Perry into a defensive shot. Voll is very lucky not to be run out. She makes her ground easily, but doesn’t slide her bat – something U11s players have drilled into them – and just drops it on to the ground at the last split second before the ball hits the stumps.
25th over: Australia 169-1 (Perry 17, Voll 86) Deepti returns for her first shot at Perry. Perry edges the first two balls either side of the wicket keeper and picks up two runs for each of them. It’s not super controlled batting from her, but she doesn’t look overly worried. A little drop and run gets Voll back on strike and she finds a single straight away. Perry finishes the over with a lovely and well-timed pull shot, but it finds the fielder on the boundary.
24th over: Australia 162-1 (Perry 11, Voll 85) Thakor resumes after drinks and Voll starts with a single in her relentless pursuit of runs in her (very) short international career so far. Perry takes a single as well and then Voll picks up yet another boundary with a fantastic cover drive that easily beats the field.
23rd over: Australia 156-1 (Perry 10, Voll 80) Priya starts with a full toss and Voll isn’t about to miss out on that, pulling it over the boundary for four. Priya tries to adjust, but misses her line and it’s ruled a wide. She manages to cramp Perry up with a few dots later in the over, but Perry is eventually able to come down the wicket and drive it straight back over Priya’s head for a boundary. Drinks are on the field now.
22nd over: Australia 146-1 (Perry 6, Voll 75) Thakor resumes after her wicket, she’ll be hoping she can make another breakthrough. She gets a bit of extra bounce that evades Perry’s bat early in the over, which will be heartening for her. It’s a great over for Thakor, just the single from it.
21st over: Australia 145-1 (Perry 6, Voll 74) Voll starts the over by crunching one over the field for four, before tucking a nice little one away to the legside for a single to hand the strike to Perry. They turn the strike over and well throughout the over and Perry finishes the over with her first boundary.
20th over: Australia 134-1 (Perry 1, Voll 68) Thakor returns for her second spell and Litchfield shows great footwork to come down the pitch and smack the ball over the boundary, before attempting another little scoop shot past the keeper, which is ruled as wides. But Thakor finally makes the breakthrough and brings Perry to the crease – it must be a nightmare to play Australia and have more and more incredible players come out every time you get a wicket.
WICKET! Litchfield c Harmanpreet b Thakor 60 (Australia 130-1)
Litchfield looks like she’s mounting a huge innings, but she hits it hard to extra cover and finds the Indian captain and she has to go.
19th over: Australia 123-0 (Litchfield 56, Voll 65) Litchfield looks like she’s really flying now after passing 50 and starts the over with a four from Priya’s bowling. She quickly turns the strike over and Minnu catches the edge of Voll’s bat, but it falls short of a diving fielder and trickles over the boundary for four. Next ball she’s given out LBW, but Voll challenges and the ball is shown to be missing the wicket and she is able to continue. Litchfield finishes the over with another reverse sweep, which she is playing with ease now.
18th over: Australia 112-0 (Litchfield 50, Voll 60) Minnu beats the bat of Litchfield from the first ball of the over and she looks pretty pleased with herself as well she might! Litchfield gets bat on ball next ball, it goes straight to the fielder at cover, but it’s misfielded – fortunately for India there is a fielder at deep extra cover to cut it off, as it looked like being a costly mistake for a second there. Voll is opening up with some bigger and riskier shots now, but they’re falling safely and being fielded. Litchfield finishes with her half-century from the last ball of the over.
50 for Phoebe Litchfield!
Big hugs between the batters as Litchfield scores her fifth ODI half-century in a strong performance.
17th over: Australia 107-0 (Litchfield 47, Voll 58) Another over for Thakur and Litchfield starts it comfortably with a single to fine leg. Voll picks up another single from the second ball of the over to bring up the 100 run partnership. Litchfield goes up an over with a slightly risky shot, but it lands safely and then Voll drives another one for four to keep her innings motoring along.
16th over: Australia 98-0 (Litchfield 45, Voll 51) Minnu starts her over well, again just giving away a few singles with some dots in there as well. Only four from the over – it seems the batters are still getting a feel for the way she bowls and aren’t taking too many risks against her just yet.
50 for Georgia Voll!
Voll makes her first half century in just her second international match. A huge achievement for the 21-year-old.
15th over: Australia 94-0 (Litchfield 43, Voll 49) Thakur returns for her second spell and she starts well with a good line and length after a bit of a rest in these hot conditions. However Litchfield moves her feet to the ball midway through the over for a glorious shot for six over long off. Thakur makes a good recovery next ball, which Litchfield can only get away for a single.
14th over: Australia 85-0 (Litchfield 36, Voll 47) The debutant Minnu comes on to bowl her first over, she starts with a very big deep breath at the top of her mark. Litchfield cuts the first ball for a single to bring Voll on strike. Both batters are watchful as they get an idea of what Minnu can do, with six runs from the over as they turn the strike over.
13th over: Australia 79-0 (Litchfield 32, Voll 45) Deepti resumes after drinks – she has been the best of the Indian bowlers so far. Litchfield employs the scoop from the second ball, narrowly evading Richa’s outstretched hand for a single. These two seem to have found enough of a rhythm against Deepti to keep turning the strike over and removing the dot ball pressure that she was able to build earlier. Eventually Litchfield is able to use her reverse sweep again and gets it through the field for four.
12th over: Australia 71-0 (Litchfield 26, Voll 43) Priya returns for her second over – she gave away nine runs from her first over, so she will be looking to tighten up her line here. She starts well, with Litchfield not able to get the ball through the field from the first delivery and then Priya is able to beat the bat on the next two. However Priya then completely misses her length and offers up a full toss, that Litchfield happily pulls to deep mid-wicket, but luckily for Priya it’s only a single. Voll plays a lovely cut shot for another single, so Priya is bowling to her field well this over, but unfortunately for her, Litchfield pulls out her reverse sweep for four to end an otherwise good over. Drinks are on the field now.
11th over: Australia 65-0 (Litchfield 21, Voll 42) That’s the end of the power play now and it was a good one for Australia. Deepti continues her bowling without the fielding restrictions, so it will be interesting to see if and how the approaches of the batters and bowlers change here. Litchfield plays a lovely pull shot, but it finds the fielder out near the boundary and it’s just a single. Voll doesn’t have the same issue, charging down the pitch to the ball and getting it up over the field and over the boundary for four.
10th over: Australia 59-0 (Litchfield 20, Voll 37) Priya enters the attack for the first time today and there’s a run out attempt on the first ball after Voll attempts a run and is sent back, but she easily makes her ground. Voll takes some time to get a look at the leg spinner, but then manages to create a low full toss by moving her feet to the ball and sending the delivery past deep cover for four. At the end of the over, Litchfield also employs great footwork to get a cut shot through the field and over the boundary rope as well.
9th over: Australia 50-0 (Litchfield 16, Voll 32) Litchfield has got her gloves off and appears to be shaking them dry at the non-strikers’s end, if you’re wondering what the heat and humidity are like out there! The two bring up their 50 partnership from the first ball of this Deepti over through a single to Voll. It’s a great over from Deepti, just the one run from it.
8th over: Australia 49-0 (Litchfield 16, Voll 31) We get our first extra of the match to start this over, with Thakor bowling a wide. She tries to over correct and bowl full next ball, but she misses her length and gives Litchfield exactly what she’s looking for, moving her feet to the ball and getting it past long off for four, followed by a pull shot past deep backward square for another four next ball. Litchfield looks to have found her rhythm now and is a bit less panicked-looking than she was earlier in her innings. Thakor tries to finish her over, but she gives away another wide – I’d expect to see her out of the attack after this over, with heat and fatigue setting in.
7th over: Australia 37-0 (Litchfield 7, Voll 30) Deepti Sharma enters the attack now – she didn’t bowl at all in the last match, with not too many overs to hand out to the bowlers defending such a low total. Litchfield finds a single early in the over to give Voll her first look at Deepti. Voll starts cautiously, with two defensive shots in a row, before looking for a little drop and run, but she can’t push it wide of the fielder. She finds two runs behind her to finish the over.
6th over: Australia 34-0 (Litchfield 6, Voll 28) Thakor resumes to Litchfield, who is finding scoring a bit more difficult than Voll at the moment. She needs to not let her impatience overcome her, as it often does when she faces too many dot balls. Just as I say that, she gets away with one as she chips it to Punia at mid on, who dives forward, but can’t hold on to the ball. Litchfield manages to get off strike with a single next ball and then Voll drives it down to the boundary once again from a gentle half volley.
5th over: Australia 29-0 (Litchfield 5, Voll 24) Voll is looking incredibly comfortable out there, starting the over with a drive past deep cover for another boundary and following it up with yet another straight drive past the bowler for four. A reminder that Voll has only been selected for this series against India as a replacement for Healy, so she will be dropped back out of this team when they tour New Zealand later this month. She’s making that look like something the selectors very much need to reconsider at the moment. The batters take a very quick single that requires Voll to make a big dive, but she makes her ground and the relationship between these two batters means these singles are always on, which puts pressure on the fielders.
4th over: Australia 19-0 (Litchfield 4, Voll 15) Voll picks up where she left off, with another straight drive from the first ball of the over, straight back past Thakor to the boundary. Some quick fielding adjustments force her to play to deep backward square leg for just a single and gets Litchfield back on strike after spending a lot of time at the non-striker’s end. Litchfield comes down the pitch to attack the ball, but is beaten by a full delivery, which forces her to reassess and play further back in her crease for the rest of the over.
3rd over: Australia 14-0 (Litchfield 4, Voll 10) Thakur returns to bowl her second over, bowling to Voll for the first time this game. Voll finds some runs straight away, with a lovely cut shot to deep point to pick up two runs. Richa Ghosh in keeper appeals on the second ball of the over for LBW, but no one else is very interested in it and it appears Voll got a bit of bat on it. Thakur starts to build some dot ball pressure, but Voll is able to release it with a beautiful straight drive back past the bowler for four along this very quick outfield.
2nd over: Australia 7-0 (Litchfield 4, Voll 3) Voll gets her first chance to face a delivery and she starts with a little poke out to point, which is fielded easily, before a play and miss on a good ball from Thakor. She starts to look a little frustrated at her inability to pierce the field just yet, Litchfield comes down the pitch to offer a few words of support. Finally Thakor bowls a looser delivery down leg side, that Voll manages to flick off her pads nearly to the boundary, but it’s fielded well by Punia on the boundary, and she gets three runs from it.
1st over: Australia 4-0 (Litchfield 4, Voll 0) No surprises that Thakur opens the bowling for India and she starts with a great ball, that Litchfield defends. But next ball, Litchfield gets the scoring underway, driving nicely to beat the fielder at mid-off and opening the scoring with a boundary. However, it’s a great recovery from Thakur and there are no more runs scored from the over.
Updated
The openers are on the field for Australia and we’re ready to get underway!
Megan Schutt is speaking pre-match and is making a case for ODI being the best format of cricket, despite that being a relatively unpopular opinion these days.
“ODI, I absolutely love it. I think it’s the perfect format,” she says.
By all accounts, it’s a hot one in Brisbane today – it’s 29.6 degrees right now and not even 9:30am yet, heading for a high of 35 degrees. The humidity will also be a factor, currently hovering at around 60%. There is also a forecast for rain and thunderstorms later this afternoon and evening, so depending on if and when those hit, DLS may become a factor in the game. That may play into Australia’s thinking batting first, wanting to go at a decent rate to ensure a trickier chase for India if the match is shortened. Lots of fascinating factors in play here today!
Just one change for Australia today, with Sophie Molineux in for Georgia Wareham. For India, there is also one change with Minnu Mani on debut, replacing Titas Sadhu.
Australia win the toss and elect to bat
Final line ups for the game have been announced:
Australia: Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Voll, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney (wk), Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath (c), Sophie Molineux, Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Schutt
India: Smriti Mandhana, Priya Punia, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, Saima Thakor, Renuka Singh Thakur
Updated
While the result of the first game could suggest another easy match for the Australians, there is plenty of potential in India’s squad and they have every chance of taking the win if they play at their best. The two teams have had some very exciting contests in recent years. The 2021 series was a particularly memorable one – while the series looks one-sided in pure results (Australia won the ODIs 2-1, the T20s 2-0 and the only Test was drawn), there were some brilliant contests within those matches, including a last ball win to Australia in the second ODI in Mackay.
Meanwhile, in India late last year, the Indian team stamped their dominance in the Test arena, defeating Australia by eight wickets at Wankhede. The ability to win is there for India, let’s see if they can harness it today.
If you need a bit more of a refresher on last match, you can go back to the match report and re-live that glorious Voll innings, while we wait for today’s match to start.
Preamble
Good morning everyone and welcome to another glorious day of cricket-filled goodness! The stage is set at Allan Border Field for the second of the ODIs between Australia and India. While the first was perhaps a little anti-climactic, after India batted first and were bowled out for 100, there were glimpses of a contest with Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland and Ash Gardner all dismissed cheaply. If India can find some rhythm in their batting today, they have a chance to cause an upset.
The story of the first match was 21-year-old debutant Georgia Voll, who scored an unbeaten 46 from 42 deliveries, to bat through the innings and hold on while more experienced batters fell around her. Voll made the move from the Brisbane Heat to the Sydney Thunder for the WBBL season just completed to make a case for herself as an opening batter and to play with close friend Phoebe Litchfield. So when Australia needed an opening partner for Litchfield after an injury to captain Alyssa Healy, Voll’s big move paid off handsomely and starting her career with a performance like that will go a long way to cementing her position in the team.
However, it was Australia’s bowling that really set the match up and Megan Schutt’s 5-19 was certainly a match-winning performance. Schutt herself has said she didn’t feel that she bowled her best – a scary prospect for the Indian batters if she is able to find some improvement today!
From India’s perspective, there is a lot to take from the first match and plenty of improvement to be found. Jemimah Rodrigues was the best of their batters, but only managed to make 23 from 42 deliveries during her innings. More will be needed from their big hitters Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur if they are to be competitive in today’s game. Rodrigues should also be able to find more runs at a higher strike rate, having had a strong innings for the Brisbane Heat in the WBBL Challenger final at the same venue, although she did have the benefit of being dropped three times during that innings.
India’s bowling was a stronger feature of their game and Renuka Singh Thakur was the standout, with three big wickets of Litchfield, Perry and Mooney. Priya Mishra chipped in with two wickets from only two overs, so will be looking to bowl a few more overs today and make an even greater contribution.
Play gets underway at 9:45am Brisbane time (10:45am AEDT), so let’s get into it!
