In the Trans-Tasman battle that was fought between Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday in Sharjah, Australia emerged victorious as they thrashed the White Ferns by 60 runs after piling up a competitive 8/148 in 20 overs. The defending champions have been unbeaten in this tournament so far winning two in two, while New Zealand have had one win in two matches. After the match, Amelia Kerr from New Zealand and Beth Mooney from Australia addressed the post-match press conference.
“It was disappointing tonight. Not the kind of performance we were looking at, especially after a good start (against India). We will review it (match against Australia). We will take learnings and move on to the next game. We have a big one coming up against Sri Lanka. We believe that if we play our best we can beat any team,” said New Zealand’s all-rounder Amelia Kerr.
She also added, “In this World Cup, the team that plays well in the powerplay (both with bat and ball) has a better chance of winning.”
Kerr (29 runs from 31 balls), who top-scored for her team against Australia said, “The pitch was better than what I thought. But it was difficult to get a boundary. The boundaries were big, and the outfield was slow.”
Reflecting on her bowling, in which she scalped four wickets, “I tried to bowl as straight as possible. I wanted to make the batters play their shots. Also, we have a great spin group. (And) our spin coach has been helpful in trainings.”
Like what Kerr did for New Zealand, it was the left-handed opening batter Mooney (40 runs from 32 balls) for the defending champions, who was the leading run-scorer for her side against New Zealand. She said, “We know it is going to be tough out there. The key is to be composed at the crease. Make good decisions. Be clear on what options you have and which bowlers to target.” Mooney has had scores of 40+ in both her innings.
In the bowling department for Australia, it was their veteran Megan Schutt, who sparkled with figures of 3/3 in 3.2 overs, including 18 dot balls. In the process, she also became the highest wicket-taker in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cups. Mooney was all praises for Schutt, “Megan Schutt has been outstanding throughout her career. She seems to be enjoying herself at the moment. We all know what difference she can make.”
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