Mooney guides Australia to win over Sri Lanka
Australia produced a strong showing as they defeated Sri Lanka by 6 wickets to get the defense of their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup crown off to the best possible start at Sharjah yesterday. Sri Lanka chose to bat first in Sharjah but struggled to 93 for seven, with Nilakshika Silva top scoring with an unbeaten 29.
Australia showed it was not easy going for either team but could rely on Beth Mooney, who battled through the energy-sapping sun to make 43 not out and see her team home with 5.4 overs to spare. Sri Lanka needed a positive start against the world number one side, who put the squeeze on from the outset – with 10 balls passing until the first run was scored and Vishmi Gunarathne departing for a duck.
Captain, Chamari Athapathtthu soon followed for just three as Australia successfully reviewed an lbw decision with Ashleigh Gardner claiming her first wicket. Sri Lanka’s first boundary came as Harshitha Samarawickrama took advantage of a free hit with a four after Australia’s third no ball of the innings.
Australia made some unwanted history with a record fifth no ball as Darcie Brown’s first over cost 12, taking Sri Lanka to 23 for two at the end of the powerplay. They regained control when Sophie Molineux picked up their third lbw wicket of the innings and Sri Lanka lost the second of their two reviews.
Samarawickrama helped push the score to 43 for three at the halfway stage and was reprieved on 20 as Brown put down a catch as she slid in from extra cover. The wicketkeeper made only three more runs however, as Molineux got her second wicket with a simple caught and bowled on an impressive return to the World Cup stage after injury trouble.
Silva provided some resistance without improving the scoring rate, finishing on 29 not out from 40 balls. Her 34-run partnership with Anushka Sanjeewani was ended by Megan Schutt, who took two wickets in two balls to tie Shabnim Ismail for the most T20 World Cup wickets with 43 as Sri Lanka posted 93 for seven.
Australia lost captain Alyssa Healy in the opening over of the reply as she was clean bowled by Udeshika Prabodhani. The gamble to promote Georgia Wareham up the order did not pay off as she was run out thanks to smart fielding from Kavisha Dilhari to leave Australia at 14 for two.
It was left to the uber-calm Mooney to steer the chase and she steered Australia to 62 for three at the halfway stage alongside Gardner. The partnership was eventually broken at 43 as Gardner skied a shot that Samarawickrama gladly gobbled up, but it only postponed the inevitable.
Mooney ended on 43 not out, as she picked up where she left off in World Cup cricket, having been named Player of the Final in 2023 for her 78 not out in their victory. Australia too continued their winning form at World Cups with a 12th victory in a row to triumph by six wickets.
Sri Lanka realistically need to win both of their remaining matches to stand any chance of reaching the knockout stages out of Group ‘A’. India are next up for Athapaththu’s side, with the match scheduled for Wednesday in Dubai, with an encounter with New Zealand rounding out their group schedule on October 12.
| SCORECARD | |
| Sri Lanka Vishmi Gunaratne lbw b Schutt 00 Chamari Athapaththu lbw b Gardner 03 Harshitha Samarawickrama c and b Molineux 23 Kavisha Dilhari lbw b Molineux 05 Nilakshi Silva not out 29 Hasini Perera c Gardner b Wareham 02 Anushka Sanjeewani c Wareham b Schutt 16 Sugandika Kumari c Mooney b Schutt 00 Inoshi Priyadarshani not out 02 Extras (b3, lb3, nb5, w2) 13 Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 93 Did not bat: Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoka Ranaweera Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Gunaratne, 2.6ov), 2-6 (Athapaththu, 3.2ov), 3-25 (Dilhari, 6.4ov), 4-56 (Samarawickrama, 12.6ov), 5-65 (Perera, 15.1ov), 6-89 (Sanjeewani, 19.1ov), 7-89 (Kumari, 19.2ov) Bowling: Megan Schutt 4-1-12-3, Ashleigh Gardner 4-1-14-1, Darcie Brown 1-0-12-0, Sophie Molineux 4-0-20-2, Georgia Wareham 4-0-21-1, Annabel Sutherland 3-1-8-0 Australia Beth Mooney not out 43 Alyssa Healy b Prabodhani 04 Georgia Wareham run out 03 Ellyse Perry b Kumari 17 Ashleigh Gardner c Samarawickrama b Ranaweera 12 Phoebe Litchfield not out 09 Extras (lb1, w5) 06 Total (4 wickets; 14.2 overs) 94 Did not bat: Tahlia McGrath, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Healy, 0.4ov), 2-14 (Wareham, 2.1ov), 3-35 (Perry, 5.3ov), 4-78 (Gardner, 12.1ov) Bowling: Udeshika Prabodhani 3-0-19-1, Inoshi Priyadharshani 2-0-13-0, Kavisha Dilhari 2-0-10-0, Inoka Ranaweera 3-0-20-1, Sugandika Kumari 2.2-0-16-1, Chamari Athapaththu 2-0-15-0 |