2nd T20I – Sophie Molineux help Australia seal series 2-0 against New Zealand in Brisbane

Australia and New Zealand have kick-started their national cricketing venture for female cricketers. While the Aussies got a satisfying victory over the White Ferns in the first encounter, there was no dearth of hunger and eagerness from the Australian side to seal the deal in the second match.

 

Sophie Molineux - Player Of The Match
Sophie Molineux – Player Of The Match. PC: AusWomenCricket/Twitter

 

The women from New Zealand were restricted to a small total of 128 and Aussies took no unexpected turns in chasing the total. They got the match in their bags by 8 wickets. It was only the middle order that showed some signs of resistance from White Ferns’ batting point of view.

Openers were on their way to the pavilion cheaply as they scored 9 and 7 with the same strike rates of 100. Bates and Satterthwaite got the ship to steady a bit but their experience could not make a big dent on the Aussie attack. Satterthwaite got five boundaries in her inning with 30 runs off 25 balls. Only two players after the pair could reach a double-digit figure. Kimmince and Wareham were top on their skills as they got three wickets each. Australia tried seven balling options and only 2 of them got smashed for more than 7 per over.

It won’t be difficult for readers to comprehend that Aussies allowed no easy runs to White Ferns as they stumbled in pressure. Healy took Australia to a magnificent start as she set the tone for the side. She faced 17 balls and scored nearly double. She got 33 with the help of 4 boundaries and one maximum. Her strike rate in the inning was 194. Mooney, on the other hand, was steady. She got her 24 off 21 deliveries which included 4 fours.

Also Read:  Warm-up Match 6: Ireland v Australia | Squads | Players to Watch | Fantasy Playing XI 

The openers, however, left the chase on new batters who had loads of experience backing them. Skipper Lanning read the game well and paced her game accordingly. She scored 26 off 32 balls to see her side winning the match comfortably. Haynes was the anchor of the chase from the Aussie middle-order. She got herself 40 in 31 balls. Her inning had 5 boundaries. Tahuhu and Green were the only successful bowlers and had a respectable economy of around 6. Bates got her six deliveries in exchange of 22 runs.

Aussies won the match and got the series too as they enjoy a two-match lead in the three-match series. Molineux was the player of the match but it was Healy who was buzzing all over as she overtook MS Dhoni to become the most successful wicketkeeper in the shortest format.

Scores Summary

New Zealand Women: 128 (19.2)

Australia Women: 129/2 (16.4)

Results: Australia Women won by 8 wkts

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Sophie Molineux

Shubham Kumar

A student who enjoys studying cricket more than anything else, keen to learn the insights of the women’s game.

Liked the story? Leave a comment here