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India beat Australia by 17 runs: Women's T20 World Cup opener – as it happened

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Fri 21 Feb 2020 06.27 ESTFirst published on Fri 21 Feb 2020 02.21 EST
India players celebrate another Australian wicket.
India players celebrate another Australian wicket. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
India players celebrate another Australian wicket. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

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Harmanpreet Kaur speaks. She says they wanted 140 on a slow track and were short of that but were not too worried with 132 if their bowlers delivered, which thye did. A lot of praise for Poonam, who has returned from injury to be a matchwinner tonight. The skipper believes they can win the Cup. What a victory!

Meg Lanning speaks. She credits her bowlers for bringing it back after India got off to a flyer. The plan with the bat was to play straight as there wasn’t much bounce but it didn’t work, aside from Healy and Gardner. “A lack of partnerships,” the main issue. “India bowled extremely well and deserve their win.” Well said. She knows they have to get back on the horse straight away - indeed they do.

Yes it’s just one game and it’s opening night, but that is a big loss for Australia. Probably have to win remaining 3 group games to make semis. Walking the tightrope now. #AUSvIND #T20WorldCup

— Andrew Wu (@wutube) February 21, 2020

Gotta love players who defy conventional wisdom. Poonam Yadav is too slow and too short - so we’re told. But time and again, she’s too skilful and too good. Her four wickets turned the tide across two outstanding overs after coming into the attack, sorting Australia’s middle order out with wrong’un after wrong’un, the best of those skittling Ellyse Perry first ball. She is player of the match! Talking via a translator at the presentation, she thanks the medical staff and her family.

INDIA WIN BY 17 RUNS! AUSTRALIA 115 ALL-OUT! (WICKET! Schutt run out [Rodrigues] 1)

WHAT A VICTORY! India bowl Australia out one ball short of facing out their overs. A quite magnificent fightback. The hosts are left stunned.

WICKET! Gardner c & b Pandey 34 (Australia 113-9)

Caught and bowled! Gardner gets a full toss but completely miscues it into the air, Pandey making no mistake in her follow through. India have all-but done it!

HAS STRANO EDGED PANDEY? It’s the first ball of the final over - she takes a massive swing. No, she hasn’t... it’s landed just short of Bhatia. That puts Gardner on strike as they came through for the run. “Australia are alive,” declares Mel Jones on TV, because the biggest hitter in the land is where she needs to be, up the business end. 20 off five balls, though. By ay measure, it’s a lot. Can she do it?

19th over: Australia 112-8 (Gardner 34, Strano 0) Target 133 Gardner leans back and pulls Deepti with authority into the gap at backward square for four from the penultimate delivery. Can she find the boundary again or keep the strike with a single from the final ball? No she can’t, missing everything. Deepti Sharma, wonderfully done! Her four overs went for 17 after making 49 not out with the bat, coming in when India were reeling at the end of the power play. Australia need 21 from the final over with Strano on strike. How do they do this? Pandey to bowl it.

WICKET! Kimmince run out [Rodrigues] 4 (Australia 108-8)

Coming back for a desperate second run, an excellent throw from Rodrigues is good enough to run Kimmince out at the non-strikers’ end. Australia are surely now asking too much of Gardner here. They need 25 from eight balls.

18th over: Australia 106-7 (Gardner 29, Kimmince 3) Target 133 Right, so, after all that, they have seen off Poonam’s final over without further loss, adding just four runs. What a fascinating spell it was and a fascinating passage of play. Poonam Yadav finishes with 4/15 and proves once again that our game has room for the unconventional. Australia need 27 runs in two overs. India’s to lose.

NO BALL! It has bounced twice before arriving at the crease so it is not a legal delivery. Instead of walking off she gets herself a free hit! Blimey!

CONTROVERSY! Poonam has bowled Gardner but... has it bounced twice? This is going to take some sorting out. It will be the defining moment of this game.

17th over: Australia 102-7 (Gardner 28, Kimmince 1) Target 133 What an over for India! The wicket of Sutherland and just two runs. Shikha Pandey take a bow. She has one further over to send down and will do so full of confidence. Kimmince got Australia over the line in an ODI against England in July but this is different gravy.

WICKET! Sutherland st Bhatia b Pandey 2 (Australia 101-7)

Bhatia brilliant again! Sutherland walked down at the medium pace of Pandey, missing well outside the off-stump - she might have seen her coming. But the wicket was the wicketkeepers’. She held her pose once again to take the ball before making an athletic dive; the bails taken in a flash. Joyous cricket!

16th over: Australia 100-6 (Gardner 27, Sutherland 2) Target 133 Big call from Harmanpreet holding Yadav back in order to get Gayakwad’s final over bowled and it doesn’t quite work, Gardner coming down the track and lofting her waaaay back over the rope for SIX and into the crowd as well. What a striker of the ball she is. But to the spinners’ credit, she only went for nine all up - no disaster at this stage. 33 from 24 is the equation from here. Poonam still has one over to bowl.

“Tell you what,” begins Abhijato Sensarma, “this Indian cricket team knows how to stay in the contest. More than being clinical in their abilities, staying cool and holding one’s nerves under pressure will help teams to win in this World Cup (as well as sports in general).” They sure do. Super impressive fightback.

15th over: Australia 91-6 (Gardner 19, Sutherland 1) Target 133 Reddy starts her final over with a ball on Gardner’s pads and is duly put away into the gap - calm batting from the player of the final back in 2018. Sutherland - off the mark to long-off - is also a very useful chaser, as seen during the triseries fixture against England last week, hammering 22 in 11 balls to take that game into a Super Over. With Gardner back on strike they run hard for two, the senior player of the pair making her ground by about a foot when the TV umpire checks it out. The hosts are now left with 42 runs to get from 30 deliveries. But can they get through Poonam? Indeed, when will the legspinner be called upon to bowl her fourth over?

14th over: Australia 82-6 (Gardner 11, Sutherland 0) Target 133 Goodness me! Another wrong’un to finish, at Sutherland, who did not pick it! It goes within a couple of inches from crashing into her off-stump. Poonam has 4/15 with one over still up her sleeve. All the pressure now on Australia. 51 needed in six overs.

WICKET! Jonassen c Bhatia b Poonam Yadav 2 (Australia 82-6)

POONAM HAS FOUR! Bhatia put down Jonassen earlier but makes no mistake this time around, the left-hander’s underedge clipped and taken nice and low by the stumper. That’s a lovely taken given the big swing at the wrong’un, staying nice and still. Australia are in serious strife at the Sydney Showgrounds!

13th over: Australia 81-5 (Gardner 10, Jonassen 2) Target 133 I’m being kind to Bhatia in my previous post... she should have taken that hat-trick chance. “Snatched at it,” the assessment of Adam Gilchrist on the telly. Another consolidation over after the wickets, worth five to the home side off Reddy. They now require 7.6 an over (or 52 from 42) with two Poonam Yadav overs to come.

12th over: Australia 76-5 (Gardner 7, Jonassen 0) Target 133 DROPPED HER! The hat-trick ball found Jonassen’s edge - another wrong’un - but Bhatia has put the tough chance down! Three perfect googlies on the trot. A game-changing spell. Find a telly, this has suddenly morphed into a sensational World Cup scrap.

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WICKET! Perry b Poonam Yadav 0 (Australia 76-5)

She’s bowled her first ball! ANOTHER picture-perfect wrong’un, through the gate and hitting Perry’s leg-stump. My oh my, it’s ALL happening at the Sydney Showgrounds. Poonam Yadav is ON A HAT-TRICK!

WICKET! Haynes st Bhatia b Poonam Yadav 6 (Australia 76-4)

Poonam Yadav! You cannot underestimate this skilful spinner. She has done Haynes a beauty with her wrong’un, beating the dancing left-hander, the bails taken nicely by Bhatia to leave the veteran metres short of her ground. Game on? Well, maybe not quite with Perry walking out. But if they can get her early.

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11th over: Australia 71-3 (Haynes 6, Gardner 2) Target 133 A slower over for the chasing team, as is so often the case after a wicket. Just four singles off Reddy.

“With India being such a cricket tragic country it is not surprising to see the skill of this team,” writes Don Easter. “But wow what a form improvement in 2020. Culturally for India this is a 21st century time for the womens team.”

It’s easy to disregard how dominant they looked in the 2018 tournament until the semi-final stage, when England found a way to get past them in Antigua. Not only were they undefeated in their group, they beat Australia in that early stage.

WICKET! Healy c & b Poonam Yadav 51 (Australia 67-3)

How often do we see it from the pint-sized leggie? One ball after being lifted over the rope for six by Healy - the opener bringing up her half-century in 34 balls with the blow - she is taken caught and bowled after misreading the flight and slow turn. A leading edge ends her night. An excellent innings but Poonam has found a way through, as she so often does. Coming up, a test of Australia’s depth.

10th over: Australia 67-3 (Haynes 4, Gardner 0) Target 133

9th over: Australia 58-2 (Healy 44, Haynes 2) Target 133 That was a very good catch watching the replay back, Bhatia so happy with it that she elected not to take the bails with Lanning well short of her ground when taking the ball. Very tidy. Haynes, with so much experience on this ground in the Big Bash with the Thunder, is busy from the get-go with singles from her first two deliveries.

WICKET! Lanning c Bhatia b Gayakwad 5 (Australia 55-2)

Lovely finger spinners’ wicket! Gayakwad wins Lanning’s edge with plenty of flight, dip and spin, the thin edge then gloved safely by Bhatia moving to her right.

8th over: Australia 52-1 (Healy 40, Lanning 5) Target 133 And just when India earned themselves a bit of an opening, Healy slams it shut. Fantastic batting from the opener, dispatching Reddy’s first ball - a poor halftracker - then capitalising on that advantage with a steer behind point for four more before lifting a rank full toss over midwicket for a third boundary in the over. She already has 40 from 29.

7th over: Australia 37-1 (Healy 26, Lanning 4) Target 133 Much better second over from Gayakwad, Lanning playing herself in watchfully. There was a chance to run Healy out when taking a quick single, but the throw needed to be a direct hit.

6th over: Australia 33-1 (Healy 25, Lanning 1) Target 133 Lanning off the mark with a single, making 33-1 for the power play - the same as India. A lot gets made of this but comparative scores really mean nothing because Australia know where India ended up and can tailor their innings accordingly. More wickets needed.

WICKET! Mooney c Gayakwad b Pandey 6 (Australia 32-1)

And India have the breakthrough! That got a big on Mooney with some extra bounce, picking out backward point after making a bit of room for herself.

5th over: Australia 30-0 (Healy 24, Mooney 5) Target 133 Nothing expansive at all about Australia’s power play approach, systematically working Deepti around the field for five singles this time around. All signs point to them cruising this. India need urgent wickets - quite a few of them - to transfer some presser back.

4th over: Australia 25-0 (Healy 22, Mooney 2) Target 133 Seam from India for the first time via Pandey and after taking a look to begin, Healy sets herself to launch straight back over the bowlers’ head for four. Cop that. After making 25 runs in five innings during the recent tri-series, she has 22 from 17 balls to begin this tournament. Of course, Healy smashed 225 runs at 56 in Australia’s 2018 triumph.

3rd over: Australia 19-0 (Healy 15, Mooney 2) Target 133 Lovely over this from Deepti, giving the ball a chance to spin and forcing Healy to play her respectfully as a result. Just two off the set but India did burn their review along the way.

IS MOONEY LBW TO DEEPTI? Harmanpreet wants to review and I have no idea why, it has pitched a mile outside leg. DRS confirms this. Terrible referral.

2nd over: Australia 17-0 (Healy 15, Mooney 2) Gayakwad makes it spin from both ends to start, left-arm orthodox in her case. And sure enough, Healy - badly out of form before this tournament - is after her straight away with a deft sweep for four. She goes the other way for the same result two balls later, dancing down the pitch before launching her with a checked-drive down to the long-off rope. She’s away.

1st over: Australia 5-0 (Healy 4, Mooney 1) Quite brilliant fielding from Mandhana, diving full-stretch to drag in a Healy stroke that looked destined to reach the rope, winning the race by centimetres. But she’s in trouble... holding her shoulder. Oh no, this could be terrible news for India. After clutching at the shoulder initially she was back on her feet but at the end of the over she leaves the field with the medical staff. Five from the set but the story is the superstar, Mandhana.

The players are back on the field! Spin to begin: the experienced Deepti Sharma has the ball in her hand with Alyssa Healy taking the first delivery. She’s there with the ever-reliable Beth Mooney. PLAY!

That wasn’t a good finish. Remember, India were 0/40 after four overs. Yes, they lost 3/9 in a hurry and were in strife; they had to rebuild. But they waited too long to pull the trigger and couldn’t get resourceful enough at the end. Australia held their nerve after the early assault, stuck to a basic plan in the middle overs and bowled accurately in the final stanza. It’s occasionally an easy game.

INDIA FINISH ON 132-4

20th over: India 132-4 (Deepti 49, Krishnamurthy 9) Kimmince is truted with the final over and nails it with her range of cutters, neither Indian player able to get her away to the rope. It’s a limp finish, just 17 runs coming from the final 18 balls. Australia require 133 to win, which should be straightforward with their line up.

19th over: India 125-4 (Deepti 45, Krishnamurthy 6) Excellent from Jess Jonassen, finishing her four overs with a set that goes for just four singles. Absolutely superb. She finishes with 2/24, getting Australia going after the sloppy start.

They’re going a good job inside the ground with the atmosphere, ZOMIE NATION getting a run between overs. If that can’t get you on your feet, nothing will.

Definitely more than that now. I would be hopeful of 10 000 comparing to BBL crowds. Upstairs a little more sparse but kids are heading down to the fences to be closer to the action. Great atmosphere, particularly with the Indian fans. 🏏

PS Congratulations on the new bub! 👶

— Abbey Sim (@AbbeySim17) February 21, 2020



18th over: India 121-4 (Deepti 43, Krishnamurthy 4) Schutt knows the drill here, stump to stump with enough movement through the air to preclude a big swish. Six singles all told, which is a win for the hosts at this stage of the innings.

“Morning Adam.” Hello, Tom Hopkins. “Just wanted to say I love the sweater and am pleased to see you’ve gone cream rather than iced white. Both on style grounds and because it probably hides the baby sick better. More seriously, she’s absolutely gorgeous and so lucky to have parents like you. Hope everything is going great and mum is well (giving birth sounds challenging).”

Thank you, that’s very kind. Winnie had the jumper gifted to her; initials on there and everything. Quite the present! Can’t wait to get her to the cricket in April. And yes - we are all happy as can be: home, healthy and relaxed. Best week of my life.

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