Beth Mooney rescued Australia from troubled waters and took Australia to 221/9 after being 76/7 at one stage. Beth Mooney looked like a determined individual out there and controlled the innings from a precarious position. She scored a masterful 5th ODI ton and was ably supported by Alana King at the end who made an unbeaten 51 off 49 balls.
For Pakistan, Nashra Sandhu was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/37 in 10 overs. Rameen Shamim finished with 2/29 in 10 overs. Fatima Sana finished with 2/49 in 10 overs. Sadia Iqbal bowled well for her 1/32 in 10 overs. Diana Baig picked up a wicket but was expensive in her spell. Australia have gotten to 221/9 in 50 overs. Pakistan now need 222 runs to win the contest.
Pakistan strike twice to peg Australia back in the powerplay
Put into bat first, captain Alyssa Healy and Phoebe Litchfield came out to bat for Australia while Diana Baig had ball in hand for Pakistan. Litchfield made her intentions clear by coming down the ground and drilling it between covers and mid-off for a boundary. Captain Fatima Sana shared the new ball from the other end. She bowled a decent over. Baig continued as Healy put her away by flicking it to the left of deep fine leg for a boundary.
Sana continued and bowls a miserly over. Sadia Iqbal was introduced into the attack as spin was introduced now. Healy got a lucky boundary away by getting the outside edge past first slip for a boundary. Sana then continued and bowled a maiden over. Healy hit the low full toss off Iqbal by taking the aerial route and lofted it over cover point for a boundary. But Sadia hit back and got rid of Healy for 20 off 23 balls with 3 fours to her name.
Sadia bowled a fuller length on the leg stump. Healy cleared her front leg and looked to flick it away but failed to keep it down. She hit it straight to short midwicket. Diana Baig took the catch inside the circle. Ellyse Perry came out to bat next. Sana continued and got rid of Litchfield for 10 off 22 balls with a boundary to her name. Sana bowled a length delivery on the leg stump angling across. Litchfield cleared her front leg and looked to go straight down the ground. She tried to play the no-look shot and didn’t get anywhere close to the pitch of the ball. She got a top edge that went straight up in the air. Fatima backtracked a little and took the catch. Beth Mooney came out to bat next.
Mooney then hit Sana by clipping it fine to deep backward square leg for a boundary. Sadia continued and bowled a decent over. Rameen Shamim came into the attack to bowl the last over of first powerplay. Shamim bowled a decent first over as Australia reached 40/2 at the end of 10 overs and the powerplay ended as well.
Pakistan run through Australia to leave them reeling at 83/7 in 25 overs.
Sadia continued after the powerplay and bowled a decent over. Shamim too continued and kept things tight for Pakistan. Nashra Sandhu was introduced into the attack next. Mooney welcomed her by driving it between cover and point for a boundary. The 50 came up for Australia in 12.1 overs. Sandhu then struck for Pakistan as she removed Perry for 5 off 11 balls.
Sandhu from around the wicket bowled a length ball tossed up nicely slower through the air pitching just outside off-stump turning away from the surface. Perry stepped down the track and looked to push at that and got beaten on the outside edge. She tried to get back but Nawaz was up to the task and whipped off the bails in a flash. Perry was in trouble. TV umpire was called in and replays showed her to be short of her ground. Annabel Sutherland came out to bat next. Shamim continued and bowled a decent over. Sandhu struck again getting rid of Sutherland for 1 off 5 balls.
Sandhu from around the wicket bowled an arm ball full around off-stump drifting in with the angle and went through the gap between bat and bat of Sutherland who looked to defend on the front foot. The ball cannoned into the middle and off-stump. Drinks was taken at this stage and then Ashleigh Gardner came out to bat next. She got off the mark soon. Shamim struck next as she removed Gardner for 1 off 5 balls.
Shamim bowled full on the stumps. Gardner flicked it but failed to keep it down. The ball went straight into the hands of short midwicket where Fatima Sana completed the catch. Tahlia McGrath came out to bat next. Sandhu continued as Mooney broke the shackles by backing away and cutting it past cover point for a boundary. Shamim bowled another decent over. Sandhu too kept things under check giving nothing away. Shamim bowled another decent over as Australia struggled their way to 74/5 in 20 overs.
Sandhu continued and got another as she dismissed McGrath for 5 off 20 balls. She bowled a good length delivery tossed up on the off-stump. McGrath played an uppish drive in front of the cover fielder. Baig put in a well timed dive to grab the ball with both hands. Georgia Wareham came out to bat next. Shamim got another as Wareham was dismissed for a 4-ball duck.
Shamim bowled a length delivery on the stumps, Wareham could only manage a chip back to the right of Shamim who moved across swiftly to take a one-handed catch off her own bowling. Kim Garth came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Sandhu continued and thought she had gotten rid of Garth as the finger went up. Garth sent it upstairs and there was a clear inside edge which saved her and Australia. Sadia came back into the attack and bowled a maiden over.
Sandhu continued and bowled another decent over as Australia at the halfway stage of the innings were struggling and reeling at 83/7 in 25 overs.
Beth Mooney leads Australia’s fightback to take the Southern Stars to 140/8 in 40 overs.
Sadia Iqbal continued and bowled a maiden over. Mooney then broke the shackles by hitting Sandhu through square leg as she played with the turn and got a boundary to get her 300th four in ODIs. Fatima Sana came back into the attack. Mooney survived a run out scare as well. Sadia continued and bowled a miserly over. Sana too kept things under check. After 30 overs, Australia were 94/7.
Shamim continued and bowled another decent over. Diana Baig came back into the attack. The 100 came up for Australia in 31.5 overs. Drinks was taken after 32 overs with the score reading 100/7 for the Aussies. Shamim continued after the Drinks Break and bowled a decent over.
Beth Mooney brought up a hard fought and important half century off 63 balls as she held the Australian innings together. This was her 20th and most important ODI fifty. Mooney then hit Baig for a crisp cover drive in the gap between cover and mid-off for a boundary. Baig got the breakthrough for Pakistan getting rid of Garth for 11 off 47 balls.
Baig bowled a fuller length down the leg side. Garth missed the flick on the inside edge and lost her balance. Nawaz was alert to the situation and whipped the bails off. Garth seemed to be out of her crease. TV umpire was called in and Garth was out of her crease when bails were dislodged as Australia lost their 8th wicket. Alana King came out to bat next as wides were dished out by Baig.
Shamim continued and bowled a decent over. She completed her impressive spell as well. Diana continued and kept things under check. Nashra Sandhu came back into the attack for her final spell. She bowled a decent over. Fatima Sana had ball in hand next and she too bowled a decent over. Sandhu continued as King finally broke the shackles by cutting the length ball outside off-stump to the left of backward point. Shamim gave the chase but the ball won the race. Sandhu completed her impressive spell as well.
Fatima Sana continued and bowled the 40th over of the innings. It was a miserly over as Australia reached 140/8 in 40 overs. Big 10 overs were ahead of us and could Australia now bat out the overs, that was the big question lurking ahead.
Beth Mooney’s superlative ton & Alana King’s maiden ODI fifty helps Australia recover and get to 221/9 in 50 overs.
Diana King came back into the attack as Mooney welcomed her by leaning into the drive down the ground for a boundary. Sadia Iqbal came back into the attack and bowled a maiden over. Diana continued as Mooney pierced the gap through extra cover for a boundary. Sadia continued and kept things tight as well. Diana continued and bowled another good over as Australia reached 162/8 in 45 overs.
Sadia continued and thought she had gotten rid of Mooney but Mooney reviewed it via the DRS and got the decision back in her favour. King then played a cracking shot through extra cover for a boundary by leaning into the drive. Mooney took the attack to Baig by swivelling and helped it around to deep backward square leg for a boundary. Mooney was not done yet as she hit another boundary through the gully region for another boundary. She got a triple as well in that over.
Fatima Sana came back into the attack as Mooney reached her 5th ODI ton off 110 balls and rescued Australia from a precarious position. Australia reached 187/8 in 48 overs. Diana came to bowl the 49th over and King cut loose by pulling Baig over deep midwicket for the maximum and then hit another boundary through square leg for a boundary. The 200 came up for Australia in 49 overs.
Fatima Sana took the onus of bowling the final over. King took her on and smashed Sana for back-to-back maximums over midwicket region and over deep square leg region as she reached her maiden ODI fifty off 48 balls. Mooney then joined in the fun as she hit the short ball over midwicket region for a boundary as the 100-run stand came up between the two players. Mooney hit another boundary as she backed away through the point region into the gap for a boundary.
Sana finally got a wicket as she removed Mooney off the final ball of the innings for 109 off 114 balls with 11 fours to her name. Sana bowled short of the wicket outside the off-stump. Mooney miscued her cut shot to the point fielder where Shamas took the catch. 21 runs off the final over as Australia finished with 221/9 in 50 overs. King remained unbeaten on 51 off 49 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes to her name. 8 extras given by the fielding side.
Nashra Sandhu was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan with figures of 3/37 in 10 overs. Rameen Shamim supported her with figures of 2/29 in 10 overs. Fatima Sana finished with 2/49 in 10 overs. Sadia Iqbal bowled well for her 1/32 in 10 overs. Diana Baig was expensive with her 1/74 in 10 overs. Pakistan now will need 222 to win and upstage Australia.
What Lies Ahead for Australia and Pakistan.
Australia were reeling at 76/7 at one stage but through magnificent Beth Mooney they recovered and got to 221/9 in 50 overs. The pitch is slow and aiding the spinners. Pakistan’s batting is brittle. The game can go either way, but Australia now back in the game and will feel they can defend this score with the bowling line-up they have.
Let’s see how the chase unfolds from here on a tough wicket.
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