Alyssa Healy hit her second half-century of the ICC Women’ World Twenty20 in the Caribbean to take Australia through to the semi-finals with a 33-run win against trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand on Tuesday.
The fixture was a must-win for New Zealand if they wanted to qualify for the semi-finals without being dependent on other results. But despite a fighting 48 from Suzie Bates, the Kiwis slid to their seventh consecutive T20I loss, with their campaign now tottering.
Australia had beaten New Zealand in all of their last three meetings, chasing on all three occasions, but Meg Lanning won the toss and chose to bat. The Australian openers then put on their fourth consecutive fifty-partnership, with Healy once again the aggressor, after being dropped on 11 in the third over.
Healy went on to bring up her fifty off 33 balls, her sixth half-century in the last eight innings. She and Beth Mooney (26, 24b, 4x4) put on 71 runs in 51 balls, before the latter was dismissed by Leigh Kasperek.
Healy (53, 38b, 8x4) was eventually dismissed in the 13th over, with Australia placed on 99/3, set for a scheduled acceleration. But New Zealand pegged them back, taking four wickets; the next best partnership for Australia was 19.
Australia’s eventual total of 153/7 was under-par given their start, but might have been lower had New Zealand not dropped two more catches.
New Zealand got off to the worst possible start in pursuit of a record chase, scoring only two boundaries and losing three wickets in the Powerplay. Among those wickets was that of Sophie Devine for a duck, bowled through the gate by Ellyse Perry. Another wicket followed, and again it was down to Suzie Bates and Katie Martin, the pair who had top-scored against India.
Bates and Martin bided their time during their 66-run partnership, choosing to launch in the ninth over when the pace of Perry returned. They took 16 runs off that over, leaving 87 required off the remaining 60 balls. Martin was out for 24 (20b, 3x4) nine balls later though, and New Zealand lost three more wickets for 20 runs, including that of Bates (48, 42b, 4x4, 1x6).
The Australia bowlers duly polished off the tail, Megan Schutt ending with 3/12, to see Australia cement their favourites tag. They now play India in their final group game on Saturday, while New Zealand have two more games left.
Pakistan ease past Ireland
In the second match of the day, Pakistan captain Javeria Khan guided her team to a 38-run win over Ireland at the Guyana National Stadium. Javeria contributed in three substantial partnerships, scoring an unbeaten 74, as Pakistan improved on the 137 they posted against India to register 139/6. This was their highest score in ICC Women’s World T20s.
As the evening and the floodlights took effect, Ireland started industriously in their reply. Clare Shillington compensated for the loss of two wickets to help Ireland to 37/2 in the Powerplay. The 37-year old, playing her last tournament for Ireland, looked set to launch a serious, if single-handed, challenge before she was bowled for 27 (25b, 5x4) by Nashra Sandhu.
Isobel Joyce (30, 31b, 4x4) continued to resist, showing urgency but not finding fluency, and by the halfway mark the required run-rate was touching 10-an-over. Ireland eventually managed only 101/9, giving Pakistan their biggest win in the tournament by runs. Four bowlers took two wickets each for Pakistan, but Sandhu, returning to the XI, stood out. Her 2/8 were the most economical figures for Pakistan in the tournament history.
Doing so, Pakistan gave themselves the best chance to directly qualify for the next edition of the tournament. But if Ireland lose their last match against India on Thursday, they will have to go through the qualification process.
