Defending champions Australia have taken control of Group A in the Women’s T20 World Cup after a big 60-run win over New Zealand in Sharjah.
The six-time winners and tournament favourites followed up their opening six-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Saturday with a dominant performance against New Zealand, who had stunned India in their own group opener for a famous Kiwis win.
But Australia proved too strong in what proved their 13th win in a row in the tournament they have won on six of the last seven occasions.
Having chosen to bat first after winning the toss, Australia finished their innings on 148-8 and then bowled New Zealand all out for 88 in the final over.
Australia’s star with the ball was medium pacer Megan Schutt, the player of the match, who claimed a remarkable 3-3 and became the highest wicket-taker in the history of the competition, with 44 wickets in 26 matches.
“We could have been smarter with the bat at the end, but we came out really well with the ball and I’m really happy with that,” said Australia captain Alyssa Healy.
“Megan Schutt has been wonderful but I thought the whole attack tonight was unbelievable.”
Australia’s players celebrate the wicket of New Zealand’s Brooke Halliday
An aggressive batting effort from Australia set the tone early with captain Healy giving the defending champions a solid start by hitting 26 off 20 balls, with Beth Mooney adding 40 and Ellyse Perry 30.
In their attempt to restrict Australia’s scoring at the crease, New Zealand leg-spinner Amelia Kerr impressed with the ball and produced 4-26, a run which included back-to-back dismissals of Ellyse Perry and Grace Harris.
Kerr then scored an innings-best 29 with the bat before caught by Annabel Sutherland from Schutt’s delivery.
After a promising start, New Zealand’s White Ferns slumped to a 60-run loss in reply, losing eight wickets from 7.1 overs for just 27 runs.
What’s next for each side at Women’s T20 World Cup?
Moving on to four points at the top of Group A with one foot now in yet another semi-final, Australia next face Pakistan in Dubai on Friday as they bid to maintain the 100 per cent start start to their title defence.
New Zealand, meanwhile, – who have dropped to third in the table behind Pakistan on run rate – will now face a critical match against Sri Lanka in Sharjah on Saturday to get their tournament back on track.
In Wednesday’s group matches, Scotland will bid to make it third time lucky on their tournament debut against South Africa in Group B from 11am in Dubai, before India will hope to propel their bid for the semi-finals against Group A rivals Sri Lanka in the second match at 3pm – with both matches live on Sky Sports Cricket.
Watch every match from the Women’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports, up to and including the final on Sunday October 20.
