Lynn McConnell
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Final: Australia Women v New Zealand Women at Lincoln, 23 Dec 2000 Lynn McConnell |
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Australia Women innings:
New Zealand Women innings: Pre-game: |
Has there ever been a more exciting final in the history of the Women's World Cup? The win gave New Zealand Cricket the perfect Christmas present after it has staged the most outstanding tournament in the superb environment provided by the university complex at Lincoln, near Christchurch.
New Zealand looked down and out when dismissed for 184 runs but a super-charged bowling effort allowed it back into the game.
The tension in the last 15 overs was amazing as the game ebbed and flowed. It was an outstanding cricket occasion.
Clare Nicholson, who had been expensive in her earlier overs provided the key trick in the game by bowling Australian captain Belinda Clark and then having the dangerous Charmaine Mason caught at the wicket by wicket-keeper Rebecca Rolls for 11. The third umpire was over-worked in the dying stages, required to adjudicate on run outs and the most amazing of all, the dismissal of Cathryn Fitzpatrick by a ball which slipped the leg bail off without anyone noticing.
The dramatics of the situation were only exacerbated by the crowd's desire in seeing red lights flashing from the third umpire's tent.
Fitzpatrick's dismissal left 10 runs required from 11 balls and one wicket left. The crowd which lined the boundary was willing the New Zealanders every inch of the way.
New Zealand gained the vital wicket of Belinda Clark with the first ball of the 42nd over.
It was the end of 148 runs worth of angling by the New Zealanders from the time they removed the two other key members of the Australian batting triumvirate, Lisa Keightley and Karen Rolton with only two runs on the board.
Clark faced 102 balls for her 91 runs, including eight fours, in what was an outstanding demonstration of single-handed defiance. That fact was appreciated by the crowd of 3000 who, while delighted at her departure, were prepared to acknowledge the quality of her innings.
Another vital blow was struck when Therese McGregor was run out by a direct hit from Helen Watson, who had earlier thrown out Karen Rolton. Her 19 runs were valuable in support of Clark and there was no doubting her value in the minds of the Kiwi players who were jubilant with her dismissal.
Standing dominant among the ruins of the Australian innings, which after 31 overs was 105/5, was Belinda Clark on 72 not out, off 82 balls - a phenomenal performance in what is clearly the finest innings she has played in this World Cup.
However, the New Zealanders have denied her much of the strike in recent overs and she has faced only 14 of the last 50 balls.
All of the New Zealand bowlers have played their part from the fourth ball of the innings bowled by Katrina Keenan which removed high scoring Lisa Keightley.
Some smart fielding by Helen Watson then accounted for the most dangerous Australian of them all, Karen Rolton. A direct hit by Watson had Rolton well short of her ground.
Cherie Bambury helped Clark hadd 83 runs for the third wicket before Debbie Hockley held the catch from Rachel Pullar's bowling which made the breakthrough.
Then Catherine Campbell bowled Zoe Goss for one while the re-introduction of Keenan saw Olivia Magno bowled for four.
Chasing the seemingly paltry total of 185, the Australians were rocked when Katrina Keenan induced a false shot from the consistent opener Lisa Keightley. The ball flew low to wicket-keeper Rebecca Rolls and she held the ball.
Then in the third over, Karen Rolton, the only player to have scored more runs than Keightley in the tournament took on Helen Watson's throwing arm and paid the price when a direct hit had her short of her ground.
Australia was 2/2 and the game which had seemed well out of New Zealand's reach was alive again.
It was left to Belinda Clark to hold the innings together. She demonstrated her intention to lead from the front with an immaculate cover drive in Kathryn Ramel's first over.
She repeated that effort in the next over bowled by Haidee Tiffen and copied perfectly from the next ball of the 14th over.
Australia was effecting a fine recovery with Cherie Bambury playing her best shot of the innings to straight drive a ball from Ramel for four.
After 15 overs Australia was 49/2 with Clark on 30 and Bambury 10.
Instead it had to settle for 184, sadly a score that was not the significant improvement over matches played regularly between the sides.
Cathryn Fitzpatrick took 3-52, costly but effective and it will take the performance of the tournament to deny Australia victory later this afternoon.
Having decided to bat first, New Zealand was looking to post a good score and then apply pressure to the Australian middle-order.
But it was the world champion Australians who revealed their character of reacting best when under the greatest stress, something of a national attribute.
The fielding that had been ragged in the last few games lifted in quality, the bowling tightened and the New Zealand batsmen did not react in the manner their earlier tournament form suggested they might be capable of.
Anna O'Leary didn't get started when out attempting to cut a ball to close to her body.
Emily Drumm, after striking some superb boundaries was caught at the wicket.
Two balls later Rebecca Rolls failed to appreciate a change in the field resulting from an earlier blow of hers that landed inches inside the square leg boundary. When she attempted to repeat the shot she was predictably caught.
Haidee Tiffen, having taken the time and effort to build a solid base hit a boundary off the first ball of an over and then, in classic speed wobble scenario, she went for the big shot, a classic off-drive which found Cherie Bambury at wide mid-on.
Debbie Hockley, playing probably her last game for New Zealand, swung across the line of a ball from off-spinner Avril Fahey and was out leg before wicket.
Kathryn Ramel played the innings New Zealand had been seeking from its top order when hitting out, in sensible style, for 41, her highest score in One-Day Internationals.
She was out, caught at point by Belinda Clark when attempting to force the pace in the 47th over.
New Zealand batted first but got into strife when losing the key wickets of captain Emily Drumm and Rebecca Rolls within three balls of each other.
Leading the road to recovery was New Zealand batting stalwart Debbie Hockley, playing probably her last game for her country and on 15 after 30 overs.
Therese McGregor maintained the impressive control she has shown during the tournament. Bowling her 10 overs unchanged, with a brief rain break, she bowled Anna O'Leary and had New Zealand captain Emily Drumm caught at the wicket for a cost of 26 runs.
It was a fine display while bowling into a gusting north-easterly wind which several times caused her to halt after being knocked off her delivery stride.
Having the advantage of a good base in the run rate, Debbie Hockley and Haidee Tiffen took their time to play themselves back into the game.
At one stage the pair went 24 balls before Tiffen scored the next run.
She had done the hard work and was starting to play her shots when she got herself out by elevating a drive from Zoe Goss's bowling only to find the sure hands of Cherie Bambury at wide mid-on.
Her 14 runs were far fewer than what New Zealand required from her. While an attacking player by nature she needed to be looking at playing within herself until at least the 35-over mark so that New Zealand had wickets in the bank for one of the lower order assaults that had served it so well in the earlier rounds of the competition.
Having lost Anna O'Leary when the score was 17, New Zealand survived three appalling running mix-ups, and a rain break, and recovered to 60 runs in the 14th over before captain Emily Drumm, who had been playing some superb shots was caught at the wicket.
She was out for 21, with five boundaries having been struck with well-timed cuts and lofted off-drives.
And Rebecca Rolls, who had been guilty of a lack of response to Drumm's calls for runs, was hitting out hard.
She struck one ball from Charmaine Mason just short of the square leg boundary for four runs. The Australians immediately moved the fine leg fielder around to backward square leg and at the start of Mason's next over, Rolls fell into the trap to be caught by Therese McGregor for 34 runs.
New Zealand was 60/3 after 15 overs.
New Zealand was 38/1, with Australia claiming the wicket of one of the best performers in the home team Anna O'Leary, bowled by Therese McGregor for one.
New Zealand could have been much worse off however.
Horrendous calling, or rather the lack of response from Rebecca Rolls to captain Emily Drumm's calling, three times almost saw Drumm run out as she was turned back by Rolls.
Each of the runs was in prospect with hits behind square but Rolls refused to answer Drumm's calls. On each occasion it was only a lack of rapid response in the Australian field that saw New Zealand go unpunished.
When a light shower forced the players from the field after 9.5 overs New Zealand was 38/1.
Rolls, almost as if working the frustration of the run out mix-ups, twice belted Australian fast bowler Cathryn Fitzpatrick back over head. On the first occasion the ball was stopped just inside the boundary but she and Drumm ran four.
Then, next ball she hit the ball more forcibly and there was only a pick-up job for the fielder.
Drumm was all elegance in striking two cover drives, and one exquisitely-timed cut, all to the boundary. She was 12 not out at the break and Rolls was 25 not out.
On each occasion New Zealand has won it has decided to bat first.
Both Australia, the defending champion, and New Zealand named unchanged sides from those they fielded in their respective semi-final wins over South Africa and India.
Conditions are again fine with a cool north-easterly wind expected to switch to the north-west later in the day and lift the temperature into the high 20s.
The teams are::
Australia - Belinda Clark (captain), Lisa Keightley, Karen Rolton, Cherie Bambury, Avril Fahey, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Zoe Goss, Charmaine Mason, Therese McGregor, Olivia Magno, Julia Price.
New Zealand - Emily Drumm (captain), Anna O'Leary, Rebecca Rolls, Debbie Hockley, Katrina Keenan, Clare Nicholson, Rachel Pullar, Kathryn Ramel, Haidee Tiffen, Catherine Campbell, Helen Watson.
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 23 Dec2000 - 18:24