Beth Mooney hit one of the vital memorable centuries within the historical past of girls’s ODIs as defending champions Australia overcame a top-order collapse to thump Pakistan by 107 runs on the Ladies’s Cricket World Cup on Wednesday.
Mooney made a masterful 109 off 114 balls to deliver up her first World Cup hundred after Australia had tumbled to 7-76 towards the spin trio of Nashra Sandhu, Rameen Shamim, and Sadiq Iqbal.
No.10 batter Alana King considerably upped the scoring price within the demise overs with an unbeaten 51 off 49 balls. She and Mooney set a brand new highest-ever ninth-wicket partnership in girls’s ODIs, placing on 106 runs to assist Australia submit a difficult whole of 9-221.
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Australia’s Beth Mooney performs a shot as Pakistan wicketkeeper Sidra Nawaz waits behind the stumps on the Ladies’s Cricket World Cup.
Sameera Peiris through Getty Photographs
The quick bowling pair of Kim Garth (3-14) and Megan Schutt (2-25) snapped up 5 wickets contained in the powerplay earlier than Pakistan was bowled out for 114—their third consecutive loss.
Australia, who beat New Zealand earlier than their match towards Sri Lanka was washed out final Saturday in Colombo, now lead the factors desk with 5 factors from three video games.
“I am fairly exhausted after that innings,” Mooney mentioned.
“It was a reasonably difficult state of affairs. We needed to get a partnership going and actually needed to grind to achieve 221.
“Alana King was unimaginable tonight. We have seen her do it earlier than, and it was good to share that stand together with her.”
Earlier, Australia’s top-order capitulated towards the three Pakistan spinners, who took a mixed 6-98 off 30 overs after skipper Fatima Sana gained the toss and elected to area.
Left-arm spinner Iqbal discovered flip from the outset when Sana launched the spinners as early because the fifth over.
Australian captain Alyssa Healy (20) hit three boundaries however flicked Iqbal straight to mid-wicket within the spinner’s second over.
Sana then adopted up by taking a well-judged catch off Phoebe Litchfield’s (10) expansive shot from her personal bowling.
Sandhu struck together with her fifth supply, deceiving premier batter Ellyse Perry (5) to have her stumped.
A fast piece of glovework from Sidra Nawaz sees the dismissal of Australia’s Ellyse Perry on the World Cup. atthew Lewis/ICC through Getty Photographs
The spinner then slipped one previous Annabel Sutherland’s bat to hit the stumps, leaving Australia struggling at 4-59in the fifteenth over.
Off-spinner Shamim, who did not concede a boundary in her 10 overs, continued to squeeze Australia.
Ashleigh Gardner, who had scored a century towards New Zealand, chipped a simple catch to mid-wicket, and Diana Baig took a sensible diving catch to dismiss Tahila McGrath. Australia had been in all types of hassle at 6-75.
Australia had been 8-115 within the thirty fourth over and in peril of recording their lowest ODI whole towards Pakistan, however Mooney and King stood tall to lift a masterful century stand.
Mooney, who hit 11 fours, and King rotated the strike ceaselessly and waited patiently to see off the specter of the Pakistan spinners earlier than slicing unfastened towards the tempo of Sana and Baig.
Beth Mooney is congratulated by Alana King after mentioning her century throughout Australia’s ICC Ladies’s Cricket World Cup conflict with Pakistan.
Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC through Getty Photographs
The ultimate 4 overs of tempo yielded 53 runs for Australia.
Mooney efficiently overturned an LBW resolution towards her off Iqbal when she was on 85, earlier than finishing her well-composed century off 110 balls with a single off Sana. King introduced up her half-century with two successive sixes in Sana’s closing over, which value 21 runs.
Mooney lastly fell off Sana’s final ball of Australia’s innings, caught within the covers in a uncommon mis-hit by the left-hander.
“That is probably the greatest innings I’ve seen Mooney play, and I’ve seen her bat quite a bit. That is fingers down probably the greatest innings,” Healy mentioned.
“Due to her, we received ourselves on the board. We would have taken 150 and tried to defend that, so to rise up over 200 was an enormous effort from her at King on the again finish.”
Within the chase, Pakistan’s batting woes continued as their top-order struggled towards each tempo and spin.
Sidra Amin, who scored a half-century towards arch-rival India, top-scored with 35 off 52 balls, however Australia stored placing to bowl out Pakistan in 36.3 overs.
Amin was the one Pakistani batter among the many high six to achieve double figures.
Australia subsequent faces event hosts India on Sunday in Visakhapatnam.
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