Grace Harris’s game-changing 2-7 followed by Megan Schutt’s four-fer and unbroken century opening stand helped Australia post a statement 10-wicket win, ending Sri Lanka’s unbeaten run in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2023, in Gqeberha on Thursday (February 16).
Despite a promising start from their openers, Sri Lanka were tied down to a lowly 112/8 after Harris’s twin strikes in the 14th over that led to a late collapse. Australian openers made a cautious start, in response, and accelerated at the right time to script the team’s record 14th successive T20I win while chasing, overhauling the target in under 16 overs.
Snubbed at the WPL auctions, Sri Lanka’s explosive captain made quite the start – driving the overpitched deliveries from Darcie Brown to the fence a couple of times in the second over and depositing Ash Gardner over midwicket in her run-a-ball cameo of 16. Together with fellow opener Harshitha Madavi’s watchful start, Sri Lanka were off to a good start of 38/1 in the powerplay in the conditions. Madavi and Vishmi Gunaratne dispatched Perry to the fence once each in the seventh, bringing up the team’s fifty in quick time.
On cue, Australia took pace off. In the next ten overs – all of spin – Sri Lanka struggled to get the runs flowing again. Harris, who got ample turn, bowled two on the trot for just six before eventually inducing the breakthrough in her third to break the 39-run second-wicket stand. Madavi, stumped after a 40-ball 34, saw Oshadi Ranasinghe, the batter replacing her in the middle, also return to the dugout soon after, without troubling the scorers. Despite 19 scored in 16th and 17th put together, Sri Lanka had only just bout crossed the 90-run mark.
Schutt picked all of her four in the final two overs, making up for the runs Alana King leaked in her death-overs spell. It was Nilakshi de Silva’s 7-ball cameo of 15 that pushed Sri Lanka’s eventual total to triple figures.
A target of 113 was never going to be enough to challenge Australia’s batting might, and a freebie upfront helped Healy get the chase going with a flick to midwicket while Mooney got one on pads and swept Sugandhika Kumari to the square leg fence. However, the opener respected the conditions well and seemed in no hurry. Healy survived a stumping chance as early as in the second over and even endured a maiden from Kumari, but Mooney put them back on track with a hat-trick of fours off Ranasinghe to take Australia to 37 without loss from their powerplay.
Healy raised Australia’s fifty in the eighth over, reverse sweeping Inoka Ranaweera to backward point before dancing down the track to Achini Kulasuriya and depositing one straight into the sightscreen to get Australia going again. Healy raised Australia’s 100 and her fifty – her 14th in T20Is – in 39 deliveries, while Mooney scored her 16th at run-a-ball.
The comprehensive defeat meant Sri Lanka’s NRR took a significant hit while Australia now top the table with 6 points.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka Women 112/8 in 20 overs (Harshitha Madavi 34; Megan Schutt 4-24, Grace Harris 2-7) lost to Australia Women 113/0 in 15.5 overs (Beth Mooney 56*, Alyssa Healy 54*) by 10 wickets
