Australia and England have played two matches in the T20 Tri-Series at the Brabourne Stadium, Cricket Club of India and the outcomes of it have been starkly one-sided. In the first league match England beat Australia by eight wickets and on Wednesday Australia paid back in its own coin by scoring an eight wicket win and with 51 balls to spare. Meg Lanning’s team put up such a skilful and efficient display on the field in the first half that it embarrassed Heather Knight’s England by knocking it over for the second lowest score of 96 in 30 internationals.
Australia lost two quick wickets, but thereafter Ellyse Perry and Meg cut loose, hit 17 boundary shots and raised 85 runs for the unbeaten second wicket to canter home in 11.3 overs. The two teams will meet in the final on Saturday. India will be take in England in the last league match on Thursday.
Choosing to field, Australia’s seam and spin combination sent back England’s top five batsmen to the pavilion by in the seventh over with only 40 runs on the board. The next five added 56 with Alice Davidson Richards contributing 24 in the first opportunity she got to bat in three matches.
England celebrated taking the wickets of opener Alyssa Healy and Elyse Villani, but Meg who had taken a spectacular catch at mid-off to cut short the innings of Natasha Sciver in the first session, played a brilliant knock of an unbeaten 41, hitting five boundary shots in a single over off, off-spinner, Danielle Hazell, England’s highest wicket taker (76) in the Twenty20 format. Australia raced to a win with Ellyse hammering seamer Jenny Gunn for four fours in the 10th over.
Meg also became the first Australian to cross the 2000 run mark in 73 matches. “It’s nice to be able to contribute today. I played a little bit of a different role in this tournament which I have really enjoyed,’’ said Meg.
The scores : England 96 in 17.4 (Delissa Kimmince three for 20, Jess Jonassen two for 21, Megan Schutt two for 13) lost to Australia 97 for two in 11.3 overs (Ellyse Perry 47 n.o., Meg Lanning 41 n.o.).
