Lynn McConnell
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17th Match: India Women v New Zealand Women at Lincoln, 9 Dec 2000 Lynn McConnell |
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India Women innings:
New Zealand Women innings: Pre-game: |
Chasing 225 to beat New Zealand, India seemed to lack the confidence to mount a challenge after losing three wickets for 37 runs.
The intensity of New Zealand all-rounder Haidee Tiffen's assault over the last 12 overs of the Kiwi innings seemed to knock the Indian players.
A brief recovery by Chanderkanta Kaul and Smitha Harikrishna saw 53 runs added for the fourth wicket, but once Kathryn Ramel superbly caught a hard-hit return catch from Harikrishna to break the stand.
At that point India became bogged down and at one stage 14 overs resulted in four wickets falling for only 21 runs.
Kaul had started out in such an attacking frame of mind but she was forced into a much more defensive role as the wickets started to fall. Her 50, raised in the 48th over, took 107 balls.
Rupanjali Shastri came in at No 9 but looked more comfortable and accomplished than several of the batsmen who preceded her.
India decided early on that it wasn't going to be able to contest the match and re-arranged its batting order for no apparent reason.
Kaul was 59 not out and Shastri on 22 not out.
After losing three key wickets, Anjum Chopra (0), Anju Jain (15) and Purmina Rau (14) with the score only on 37, India was in real trouble.
Chandrakanta Kaul and Smitha Harikrishna began to turn the innings around with a potentially troubling partnership of 51 off 81 balls. They were starting to strike the boundaries regularly with some deft strokeplay.
But just as it seemed they were going to cash in, Kathryn Ramel, who had been bowling tightly, bowled a rank full toss which Harikrishna belted hard and fast back at the bowler.
Unfortunately, for Harikrishna, Ramel's instinct for self-preservation was greater than her ability to get out of the way of the ball. She threw her hands up and saw the ball stick fast to result in Harikrishna's dismissal for 14 and India on 90/4.
Holding the innings in her hands was Kaul on 38 but with 20 overs remaining, India's required run rate was 6.55.
After her rollicking 50 not out in New Zealand's innings off 224/5, she claimed the wicket of India's Purmina Rau in her first over.
Rau had struck the previous ball of the over through the covers for four and in attempting to repeat the shot found the ball a little closer to her and it went through her defences to bowl her for 14.
With Anjum Chopra run out in the fourth over for a duck and Anju Jain out to a superb diving catch by wicket-keeper Rebecca Rolls, India were in a deep hole.
After 15 overs, in their chase for 225 runs, India were 42/3.
After a blistering assault launched by Haidee Tiffen, who was 50 not out, New Zealand scored 224/5 after dismembering the Indian attack.
Anna O'Leary produced the best innings of her international career. Slow to start with she played a central role as New Zealand was rocked when losing Rebecca Rolls and Emily Drumm were back in the pavilion with only 34 runs on the board.
It took a 92-run partnership between O'Leary and Debbie Hockley to get the innings back on the right level.
Hockley produced her best innings of the tournament at just the right time. She scored 53 before being caught at the wicket after 80 balls.
When she produced a classic cover drive for four to post her 50, she also became the first women in international cricket to score 4000 One Day International runs.
But if there were moments to savour in their partnership, Haidee Tiffen had more stored up.
From the moment she arrived at the crease, it was as if she was on a personal mission to demonstrate it is possible to attack by running quick singles.
She was dropped before she scored, but started calling O'Leary through. Tiffen unleashed a beautiful cover drive that fairly rifled through to the boundary to open her scoring.
What opened up was a superb display of cricket, worthy of the highest levels of the game. Tiffen, running hard and hitting hard, took complete control in the middle. The fielders faltered under the assault and any risk was eliminated for the runners as fumble followed fumble.
The injection Tiffen gave to the scoring also served to electrify O'Leary. She found power and placement that had been earlier missing in her play.
Tiffen posted her highest ODI score when reaching 43 and then registered her maiden ODI half century off 36 balls with five fours.
O'Leary was out for 89 with one ball of the game left, stumped from David's bowling. The partnership was worth 98 runs of 72 balls.
New batsman Nicky Payne was run out as a quick single was attempted off the last ball, leaving Tiffen 50 not out.
Opener Anna O'Leary and Debbie Hockley were required to graft against some tight Indian slow bowling to rebuild the innings after the side was struggling at 34/2.
The early loss of Rebecca Rolls for nine, and Emily Drumm for 16, required a slow rebuilding effort.
At the 30-over mark, New Zealand was better placed at 84/2 having just seen the pair add 50 runs for the third wicket. O'Leary was 33 not out and Hockley 22 not out.
Deepa Kulkarni was especially effective with her left-arm slows bowled around the wicket with her five overs having cost 13 runs while Purmina Rau was costly in her sixth over which went for nine runs, she was using the strong breeze to good effect before that.
Neetu David was even more miserly with only run conceded from her first four overs.
David was bowling only her second over when a full toss was missed by Drumm and took her middle stump.
After 15 overs, New Zealand was stuck at 35-2 with only one run having been scored from 26 balls.
New Zealand had started in attacking frame of mind after winning the toss. Pinch hitter Rebecca Rolls unleashed a superb cover drive in the first over she faced from Renu Margrate and nine runs in total came from the over.
But in the next over she lofted an off drive to mid-off where Smitha Harikrishna held the catch from Sunita Kanoja to dismiss her for nine.
Drumm immediately got her game under way and one off-drive to the boundary hinted a greater bounty ahead.
But David had other ideas and her effort left New Zealand at 34/2 in the 12th over.
Anna O'Leary battled to get going, playing some well-timed shots but too often finding the fielders rather than the gaps.
It's been a rare achievement for captain Emily Drumm in the tournament, but after calling correctly she chose to bat first at the BIL Oval.
The Indians are missing Mithali Raj who is still not fit to play after suffering tonsilitis.
Conditions at the start of play are overcast, with a cool easterly breeze, although the weather is expected to improve during the afternoon.
The crowd for the game was bolstered by finalists in the national secondary schoolgirls Yoplait tournament which starts tomorrow. They have been brought to the game by New Zealand Cricket as part of its promotional package for women's cricket in New Zealand.
The teams are:
India - Anju Jain (captain), Anjun Chopra, Chandrakanta Kaul, Neetu David, Deepa Kulkarni, Purnima Rau, Sunita Kanojia, Rapanjah Shastri, Hemlata Kala, Renu Margrate, Smitha Harikrishna.
New Zealand - Emily Drumm (captain), Debbie Hockley, Rebecca Rolls, Anna O'Leary, Haidee Tiffen, Kathryn Ramel, Nicky Payne, Clare Nicholson, Katrina Keenan, Rachel Pullar, Catherine Campbell.
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 09 Dec2000 - 10:27