Phoebe Litchfield’s career-best 64* powers Australia to a comprehensive victory against the White Ferns in the 1st T20I.
The Australian women’s team led by skipper Alyssa Healy is hosting New Zealand led by skipper Sophie Devine for a three-match T20I series. The series commenced on 19th September and will conclude on 24th September 2024. The series will be a good opportunity for both sides to finalise their best playing combination before they head to the United Arab Emirates for the upcoming 9th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.
The regular skipper of the White Ferns, Sophie Devine missed the 1st T20I, and Suzie Bates was named as the stand-in skipper in her absence. The White Ferns stand-in skipper Suzie Bates won the toss and opted to bat first in the 1st T20I at the Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay. The New Zealand openers Georgia Plimmer and skipper Suzie Bates got their side off to a decent start with an 18-run opening partnership. Tayla Vlaeminck picked up the wicket of Georgia Plimmer to provide the first breakthrough for Australia.
Amelia Kerr soon followed her back to the pavilion to provide the 2nd breakthrough for Australia. Brooke Halliday joined skipper Suzie Bates at the crease and the duo stitched a much-needed 19-run partnership for the 3rd wicket to take their side close to the 50-run mark. Georgia Wareham picked up the wicket of Brooke Halliday to provide the 3rd breakthrough for her side.
Maddy Green joined skipper Suzie Bates at the crease and the duo stitched a 26-run partnership for the 4th wicket. Annabel Sutherland picked up the wicket of the opposition skipper to provide the 4th breakthrough for Australia. Wicket-keeper batter Isabella Gaze joined Maddy Green at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 26-run partnership for the 5th wicket to take their side close to the 100-run mark.
Heather Graham picked up the wicket of the wicket-keeper batter Isabella Gaze to provide the 5th breakthrough for her side. Leigh Kasperek joined Maddy Green at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 26-run partnership for the 6th wicket to take their side past the 120-run mark. Megan Schutt picked up the wicket of Maddy Green to provide the 6th breakthrough for Australia.
New Zealand eventually ended up with a total of 143/7 in their quota of overs. Maddy Green (35 off 33 balls), skipper Suzie Bates (33 off 27 balls), Leigh Kasperek (14 off 16 balls), wicket-keeper batter Isabella Gaze (11 off 9 balls), and Georgia Plimmer (11 off 11 balls) were the top performers with the bat for New Zealand. Sophie Molineux (4-0-19-1), Megan Schutt (4-0-23-1), Annabel Sutherland (3-0-18-1), Georgia Wareham (3-0-22-1), and Heather Graham (2-0-13-1) were the top performers with the ball for Australia.
Chasing a target of 144, the Australian openers Beth Mooney and skipper Alyssa Healy got their side off to a decent start with a 19-run opening partnership. Molly Penfold picked up the wicket of Beth Mooney to provide the first breakthrough for New Zealand. Ellyse Perry joined skipper Alyssa Healy at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 25-run partnership for the 2nd wicket to take their side close to the 50-run mark.
Leigh Kasperek picked up the big wicket of the opposition skipper Alyssa Healy to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side. Ellyse Perry soon followed her back to the pavilion to provide the 3rd breakthrough for New Zealand. Phoebe Litchfield joined Tahlia McGrath at the crease and the duo stitched a much-needed 41-run partnership for the 4th wicket to take their side close to the 100-run mark.
Molly Penfold returned and cleaned up Tahlia McGrath to provide the 4th breakthrough for her side. Georgia Wareham joined Phoebe Litchfield at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 50-run partnership for the 5th wicket to take their side on the cusp of victory. Brooke Halliday picked up the wicket of Georgia Wareham to provide the 5th breakthrough for New Zealand.
Australia eventually got over the line with five wickets in hand and eight balls to spare. Phoebe Litchfield (64* off 43 balls), Georgia Wareham (26 off 20 balls), skipper Alyssa Healy (17 off 18 balls), and Beth Mooney (13 off 10 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Australia. Molly Penfold (4-0-24-2), Amelia Kerr (4-0-27-0), Leigh Kasperek (3.4-0-32-1), Lea Tahuhu (2-0-16-1), and Brooke Halliday (1-0-7-1) were the top performers with the ball for New Zealand.
Phoebe Litchfield was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant match-winning, unbeaten half-century (64* off 43 balls) with the bat. It is also her career-best score in the T20I format. She played a crucial role in helping her side take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.