Lynn McConnell
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18th Match: Australia Women v England Women at Lincoln, 10 Dec 2000 Lynn McConnell |
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Australia Women innings:
England Women innings: Pre-game: |
Australia won the game by 54 runs when England was out in the 48th over for 137.
Australia, batting first as just about everyone does who wins the toss at this tournament, scored 190/7 in its 50 overs.
Three times Australia was on the verge of disaster, and three times it recovered. That's why it has been the favourite for this year's World Cup and that is what its rivals for the title have to overcome.
Then when batting, England got the worst possible start when Charlotte Edwards was bowled from the second ball of the innings.
A third wicket 52-run partnership between Barbara Daniels and Claire Taylor offered some hope. But just when England needed to stamp itself as a genuine hope, it lost Daniels for 28.
Taylor went on to score 45, but along the way lost Jane Cassar for a duck.
Clare Connor struck out for 22 but in attempting to get the run rate going was caught at just the wrong time for her side.
Avril Fahey was introduced into the attack and her six overs kept the pressure on the tail and she took 3-23.
Fitzpatrick came back at the end to finish with 3-22 from nine overs while Mason's 8.3 overs gave 3-20.
Cathryn Fitzpatrick made the first inroads by picking up two wickets in her first seven overs. She had Charlotte Edwards bowled in the first over for a duck while she provided the perfect answer to Kathryn Leng's attack by bowling her for 12 when the score was 13.
A minor recovery between Barbara Daniels and Claire Taylor added 52 runs and was starting to look likely, especially as Daniels began to pull the ball successfully to the boundary.
But just at the stage she should have been looking to ensure she batted through the innings, Daniels was bowled by Charmaine Mason for 28.
Then, on 77, Jane Cassar was caught at the wicket for a duck.
Taylor was left to try and build a partnership of substance with captain Clare Connor. Taylor was not afraid to put the ball in the air and after 31 overs was 43 not out with England 84/4.
By the end of the first 15 overs, England was attempting to recover its momentum in the chase for 191 to win. It was 40/2 with Barbara Daniels 19 not out and Claire Taylor nine not out.
England made the worst possible start when Charlotte Edwards was out to the second ball of the innings when playing a ball from Cathryn Fitzpatrick onto her stumps.
Kathryn Leng played some bold strokes but when on 12 she completely misjudged the line of a ball from Fitzpatrick. Opting to lift her bat out of the line of the ball, she didn't appreciate the length of the ball and was bowled off stump.
Barbara Daniels offered some hope for England and moved to 14 with a lovely pull shot behind square leg for four from Therese McGregor's bowling.
Fitzpatrick finished her first spell of seven overs with 2-22.
With Clare Taylor knocking the top off the Australian innings to have the defending champions 35/3, Australia found itself under more sustained pressure than ever before in the tournament.
Yet the fighting qualilities of the Australians were revealed again. Their lower order relished the chance to bat with purpose to finish their 50 overs on 190/7.
Zoe Goss and Olivia Magno provided guidance out of a minefield for their side with a 67-run fifth wicket partnership. Goss, back in her biggest game since her return to international cricket, was finally out, adjudged leg before wicket to Melissa Reynard when on 49.
One run, and two balls, later Magno lofted a ball in the air towards cover just long enough for Barbara Daniels to get her fingers underneath the ball to claim a lovely catch.
Australia was 134-6 in the 42nd over.
England captain Clare Connor, who had earlier bowled the hamstrung Lisa Broadbent, returned to the crease and broke a 25-run seventh wicket partnership between Julia Price and Therese McGregor. She trapped Price leg before wicket for 15 runs.
But the depth of Australia's batting was borne out again as McGregor and Cathryn Fitzpatrick took to the bowling in the last three overs.
Fitzpatrick cut Lucy Pearson to third man for four in the 48th, then McGregor cover drove Connor for four and three balls later Fitzpatrick pulled a ball to mid-wicket for another boundary.
They added 32 runs from 21 balls with McGregor ending on 21 and Fitzpatrick on 18.
Taylor bowled 10 overs to take 3-30 while Sarah Collyer kept the pressure on with her 10 over spell conceding only 20 runs.
While Reynard took two wickets in one over, her first five overs cost 24 runs.
Their CricInfo Women's World Cup game started sensationally when three of Australia's best batsmen were back in the pavilion with the score at 35/3.
The side was not helped when Lisa Broadbent pulled up with hamstring injury. While continuing to bat on with a runner, it was clear Broadbent was in pain and it was no surprise when she was bowled by England slow-bowler Clare Connor for 10.
At the 30-over stage, Goss was 26 not out while Olivia Magno was seven not out.
The bowling of Clare Taylor was inspirational for England with her nine overs resulting in 3-25.
Lucy Pearson backed her up well with her left-arm medium-pace swing bowling. She had 0-15 from seven overs, the same figures as for Sarah Collyer who had bowled one extra over.
Almost down and out in the competition, the English hit the Green running and drew first blood in the third over Clare Taylor dismissed Belinda Clark for two when she edged the ball to Dawn Holden at gully where the catch was gratefully accepted.
Lisa Keightley looked to be building towards another of the big innings that have marked her tournament but on 10 she played all around a ball and was bowled. That left Australia 26/2
Karen Rolton made her least satisfactory start of the tournament. She managed two typically attacking boundaries but then tried to swing Taylor behind square and was caught at close fine leg for 17 to leave Australia 40/3.
Further disaster struck for Australia when Lisa Broadbent looked to pull a hamstring when on six with the team score on 49/3.
Taylor was outstanding. She bowled nine overs into a headwind and had 3-25 before she was relieved.
England had played itself into a position of real advantage and Australians were looking to Zoe Goss, who was on five at the time of the injury, to resurrect the innings.
The game is central to England's hopes of keeping its semi-final prospects alive while the Australians will be keen to maintain the momentum they have been developing throughout the tournament.
Australia won the toss and immediately decided to bat while England surprised in leaving out one of its better players of the tournament Arran Thompson.
The teams are:
Australia - Belinda Clark, Lisa Keightley, Karen Rolton, Joanne Broadbent, Olivia Magno, Avril Fahey, Charmaine Mason, Therese McGregor, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Julia Price, Zoe Goss, Julie Hayes (12th).
England - Charlotte Edwards, Kathryn Leng, Clare Taylor, Barbara Daniels, Sarah Collyer, Clare Connor, Dawn Holden, Lucy Pearson, Claire Taylor, Melissa Reynard, Jane Cassar, Arran Thompson (12th).
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 10 Dec2000 - 10:28