Sophie Devine is talking. She laments her side letting it slip with the ball, and ultimately letting the chase get away from them with the bat. But they get to go again tomorrow in the second T20. Meg Lanning’s turn. “I thought we fought really nicely with the bat; Ash Gardner was excellent.” She goes on to note that they had the luxury of knowing what would work with the ball having batted on it earlier.
And on that note, I’ll sign off for now. Thank for your company. I’ll be back with you at the same time tomorrow for the second T20 International from Brisbane. Bye!
For her 61 in 41 balls, the defining innings on a tacky pitch, doing the job after Australia were in a degree of trouble at 82/5. What a cricketer she is.
20th over: New Zealand 121-7 (Down 6, Perkins 0) Target 139. Schutt finishes with 4/23, the hosts easy victors in defence of 138. An outstanding job with the ball.
WICKET! Jensen c Gardner b Schutt 4 (New Zealand 116-7)
Make that four! Jensen holes out to Gardner, running in off the rope at midwicket. With two balls to go, Schutt has the chance to take a five-for in a two-over spell!
Schutt gets a third to start the final over. Kerr worked across her stumps to try and lift over short-fine - one of her most productive strokes - but picks out Carey on the edge of the circle. That’s actually three wickets in six balls for the seamer.
19th over: New Zealand 115-5 (Kerr 5, Jensen 4) Target 139. Kimmince to bowl the penultimate over, the White Ferns needing 33 from 12. Jensen manages to lift her over mid-off for four but that’s the only boundary; nine off the over. This leaves a most-unlikely 24 to win for New Zealand from the final six balls of the match.
18th over: New Zealand 106-5 (Kerr 1, Jensen 0) Target 139. Two wickets for two runs, removing the two set New Zealand batters. Megan Schutt, what a star. If you want to learn more about the Aussie swice ace, we spoke to her during lockdown.
Quite brilliant, modern bowling from Schutt. After earning one wicket with her slower ball she stuck with the same plan to Bates, who swung and missed twice before miscuing to Mooney at mid-off. This is the over that wins it for the hosts.
WICKET! Martin c Lanning b Schutt 21 (New Zealand 105-4)
So skilful from Schutt, banging her slower ball into the pitch, Martin unable to lift it over Lanning at cover point on the edge of the fielding circle.
17th over: New Zealand 104-3 (Bates 32, Martin 21) Target 139. Clever from Martin! On two occasions she jumps across her stumps to open up the legside over the top of short fine, twice placing it well enough to find the rope. How will Jonassen respond? With a delivery speered in at about fifth stump - smart stuff. One to come, Bates retaining the strike with a shovel out to midwicket. 11 off the over keeps New Zealand in it. They now need 35 from 18 balls. Schutt and Kimmince from here?
16th over: New Zealand 93-3 (Bates 30, Martin 12) Target 139. Molineux gets through her final over without conceding a boundary, seven taken to the sweepers as she made life as difficult as possible from wide of the crease to the right-handers trying to free their arms. We’re up at two runs a ball for the White Ferns now.
15th over: New Zealand 86-3 (Bates 26, Martin 11) Target 139. Martin’s turn to begin, her edge running away for four. They all count. But that doesn’t mean a big over, Kimmince such an expert at this stage of an innings, her yorker to finish a beauty. Five to go and Lanning has plenty of options having used seven bowlers. New Zealand still need to go at just under 11 runs an over to salute. It’s a big ask.
14th over: New Zealand 78-3 (Bates 24, Martin 5) Target 139. Bates keeps them in it, the required 11 an over achieved with a blistering pull shot to finish Wareham’s over. Earlier, Nic Carey had the chance to take a classic catch running back with the flight when Martin miscued, but it wasn’t to be. Bates has to keep pushing hard.
13th over: New Zealand 67-3 (Bates 19, Martin 1) Target 139. The ever-reliable Jess Jonassen. That’s three overs 1/3 for Australia’s principal tweaker, giving up just three singles after collecting the wicket of Satterthwaite. New Zealand have a lot of work to do from here and Bates is yet to get on top of the bowling.
WICKET! Satterthwaite c Healy b Jonassen 9 (New Zealand 65-3)
Brilliant from Healy! Satterthwaite was down to reverse sweep, edging from that posture, but the Australian superstar stump held her shape and, as a result, was able to hold onto the ball when it cannoned into her chest. What a star.
12th over: New Zealand 64-2 (Bates 17, Satterthewaite 9) Target 139. I neglected to mention that this is Amy Satterthwaite’s first game for New Zealand since March 2019, giving birth just before the T20 World Cup in January. Sophie Devine raises that point on telly, interviewed after her dismissal. She doesn’t say that she was unlucky to be given out but doesn’t enthusiastically support the decision, either. Well answered. Six runs from the over, no boundaries; a free hit that isn’t taken advantage of. Is this going to ther wire or are New Zealand going to fall well short?
11th over: New Zealand 58-2 (Bates 15, Satterthewaite 6) Target 139. Nice feet from Bates, dancing at Molineux before clipping her over midwicket for four. From there, three further singles. Nice work from around the wicket. New Zealand need exactly nine runs an over to win from here with seamer Nic Carey coming into the attack.
10th over: New Zealand 51-2 (Bates 9, Satterthewaite 5) Target 139. At halfway, Satterthwaite keeps New Zealand moving in the right direction with a well-struck swept four off Gardner’s off-spin. Time for them to try and take down a bowler?
9th over: New Zealand 43-2 (Bates 7, Satterthewaite 0) Target 139. Watching that back many times, how has he given that out? I appreciate benefit-of-the-doubt is dead, but surely the third umpire requires conclusive evidence to give a player out?
WICKET! Devine st Healy b Kimmince 29 (New Zealand 43-2)
She’s given by the third umpire! There was barely a frame in; I’m surprised he has given that out, but she’s gone. Healy, as ever, brilliant with the take, waiting until the foot dragged before taking the bails at just the right moment. A huge moment.
8th over: New Zealand 39-1 (Devine 28, Bates 4) Target 139. Wareham’s first over and the legspinner is giving the Kiwi duo very little to work with, just four singles. That’s what she does best, plenty over overspin angling in at the stumps.
7th over: New Zealand 35-1 (Devine 26, Bates 2) Target 139. As is the custom, the field goes out and the bowling team has a good over - just three singles off Molineux. Although, the way Devine hits, it seldom matters when the fielders are.
6th over: New Zealand 32-1 (Devine 25, Bates 0) Target 139. Jonassen is given the unenviable task of bowling to Devine during the final over of fielding restictions and is crunched through extra cover early in the set - what a game the New Zealand captain is having, picking up three wickets earlier. To the left-armer tweaker’s immense credit, she doesn’t give the powerhitter a sniff thereafter, finishing the power play with four dots. The White Ferns need about eight an over from here.
WICKET! Green c Schutt b Kimmince 5 (New Zealand 27-1)
How often does Delissa Kimmince come into the attack and take a wicket straight away? Once again here, winning a high leading edge from Green, taken by Schutt at midwicket. As Mel Jones says on telly, this tacky pitch will suit the clever seamer.
4th over: New Zealand 24-0 (Devine 19, Green 4) Target 139. Schutt oversteps, giving Devine a free-hit. Uh oh! And yes, she nails it, over long on for New Zealand’s first SIX of their chase. As the TV reminds me, she had the best WBBL season on record last year, clocking an astonishing 769 runs in the competition. Ten off it.
3rd over: New Zealand 14-0 (Devine 12, Green 2) Target 139. The plan for Molineux to follow Jonassen and squeeze out another over of spin in during the power play worked until giving Devine a ball to free her arms at, cutting a second four.
2nd over: New Zealand 7-0 (Devine 6, Green 1) Target 139. A most tidy start for Australia and Jess Jonassen, the left-arm spinner conceding just two singles.
1st over: New Zealand 5-0 (Devine 5, Green 0) Target 139. A very-Covid delay after a couple of balls, Sophie Devine having to take the earpiece she had fitted by their media manager when fielding because she could hear the TV commentary! Brilliant. Back to the action and doing what she’s always done best, finding the boundary, with a compact cut behind point. We say it so often, but if Devine fires, they win.
Australia got away from them at the end. When you consider that the hosts were 83/5 after 14 overs and 93/5 after 16, the White Ferns will be unhappy to have given up 45 runs in the final four. But that’s Ash Gardner for you - a true game-changer with the way she can so easily clear the rope with her combination of power and timing. Because of her 61 from 41, we reach halfway with this game nicely placed.
20th over: Australia 138-6 (Carey 7, Wareham 9) Runs coming from the first five balls off the savvy Devine - mixing up her length and pace - but no boundaries. Wareham ensures Australia do finish on a high note though, making room before slapping over mid-off to get 10 off the final over and setting New Zealand 139.
19th over: Australia 128-6 (Carey 5, Wareham 1) That bowling change really did the trick, Gardner gone from the second ball of the 19th over and just two singles coming from the final four deliveries of it. Devine, with 3/9, to bowl over 20.
WICKET! Gardner c Satterthwaite b Bates 61 (Australia 126-6)
Bates into the attack for her first over, and it works! Gardner smashed her away to cover first ball but popped the second offering, a slower ball, down the throat of Satterthwaite at deep midwicket, making no mistake. The end of a fantastic hand, Gardner smashing 61 from 41 balls; finding the rope six times and clearing it thrice.
18th over: Australia 122-5 (Gardner 57, Carey 4) What a shot from Gardner to move to 50, over cover inside-out and holding the pose. Delightful batting, bringing up the milestone in just 37 deliveries. And four more straight away, carving out behind point, just out of reach of the fielder stationed there. 13 off it, making 29 from the last 12 balls. This pair have put on 40 from 29, almost all via the Aussie No5.
