Any cricketing fan who has seen cricket come out of the late 20th century knows what it feels to play against Aussies.
The Australian team has carried its sporting spirits in the most ruthless manner. Their record speaks for themselves. They have laid precedence for others to follow. Any cricket expert will confirm that after Windies, any team has dominated the world with their game has been the mighty Aussies. Every department of the team had a legend taking guard. Nonetheless, things have changed. Men cricket has grown more competitive over the years, but it is the women that make us remember the great Aussie authority.
As we go through the calendar, it strikes that in 2014 Australian women repeated their men by clinching the world title for a third consecutive time. This feat of third-in-line victory came in Dhaka against the arch-rivals England. The women in yellow defeated the English side with nearly five overs remaining. Interestingly, they were chasing a below-par score of 106. These totals can often cause unease in the chasing camp as seen in many knockouts. The start was not ideal. Opener Jess Jonassen went back to the dugout in the third over with 12 on the scoreboard.
Elyse was joined by skipper Meg Lanning. Both showed a fight and got 27-run for their second-wicket stand. Elyse was sent back when she was on 15. Meg was joined by Ellyse Perry. They had to build a solid partnership to get their team home and not let the middle order and lower order get exposed to an English attack. The match, further, took an expected course where mature and sensible batsmanship from skipper and Perry got their team the title. They both got a 60-run stand.
The captain led from the front with a match-winning knock of 60 from 44 balls. She remained unbeaten alongside an impressive Perry who was 31 not out with three fours and a maximum to her name. It was the call of the Australian side to chase in a world cup final. Recent matches show that not a lot of sides will have the courage to go behind a total in the most important match of the year. It was, however, not only the bold call by the skipper but the way her bowling side responded to it.
English was restricted to a mere total of 105. They lost eight wickets while struggling throughout their quota of 20 overs. Only a single batter from the English side could get into the 20s and three others entered the double-digit. This may seem extravagant and outstanding performance but for Australia, world cups have been a favourite stage to showcase their might. Recently, they conquered ICC title again in their backyards by defeating the impressive Indian side. Aussies have shown that passion with a ruthless approach towards their game can create sides that dominate all departments in all the conditions.
A student who enjoys studying cricket more than anything else, keen to learn the insights of the women’s game.
