- India 132-4; Australia 115 (19.5 overs) | India win by 17 runs
- Player of the match Poonam Yadav stuns hosts with 4-19
That’s all from the Sydney Showgrounds. What a thrilling start to this Women’s T20 World Cup with India triumphant. Thanks for your company. Bye for now!
Related: Australia bamboozled by Poonam Yadav as India cause upset in T20 World Cup opener
Harmanpreet Kaur speaks. She says they wanted 140 on a slow track and were short of that but were not too worried with 132 if their bowlers delivered, which thye did. A lot of praise for Poonam, who has returned from injury to be a matchwinner tonight. The skipper believes they can win the Cup. What a victory!
Meg Lanning speaks. She credits her bowlers for bringing it back after India got off to a flyer. The plan with the bat was to play straight as there wasn’t much bounce but it didn’t work, aside from Healy and Gardner. “A lack of partnerships,” the main issue. “India bowled extremely well and deserve their win.” Well said. She knows they have to get back on the horse straight away - indeed they do.
Yes it’s just one game and it’s opening night, but that is a big loss for Australia. Probably have to win remaining 3 group games to make semis. Walking the tightrope now. #AUSvIND#T20WorldCup
Gotta love players who defy conventional wisdom. Poonam Yadav is too slow and too short - so we’re told. But time and again, she’s too skilful and too good. Her four wickets turned the tide across two outstanding overs after coming into the attack, sorting Australia’s middle order out with wrong’un after wrong’un, the best of those skittling Ellyse Perry first ball. She is player of the match! Talking via a translator at the presentation, she thanks the medical staff and her family.
WHAT A VICTORY! India bowl Australia out one ball short of facing out their overs. A quite magnificent fightback. The hosts are left stunned.
Caught and bowled! Gardner gets a full toss but completely miscues it into the air, Pandey making no mistake in her follow through. India have all-but done it!
HAS STRANO EDGED PANDEY? It’s the first ball of the final over - she takes a massive swing. No, she hasn’t... it’s landed just short of Bhatia. That puts Gardner on strike as they came through for the run. “Australia are alive,” declares Mel Jones on TV, because the biggest hitter in the land is where she needs to be, up the business end. 20 off five balls, though. By ay measure, it’s a lot. Can she do it?
19th over: Australia 112-8 (Gardner 34, Strano 0) Target 133 Gardner leans back and pulls Deepti with authority into the gap at backward square for four from the penultimate delivery. Can she find the boundary again or keep the strike with a single from the final ball? No she can’t, missing everything. Deepti Sharma, wonderfully done! Her four overs went for 17 after making 49 not out with the bat, coming in when India were reeling at the end of the power play. Australia need 21 from the final over with Strano on strike. How do they do this? Pandey to bowl it.
Coming back for a desperate second run, an excellent throw from Rodrigues is good enough to run Kimmince out at the non-strikers’ end. Australia are surely now asking too much of Gardner here. They need 25 from eight balls.
18th over: Australia 106-7 (Gardner 29, Kimmince 3) Target 133 Right, so, after all that, they have seen off Poonam’s final over without further loss, adding just four runs. What a fascinating spell it was and a fascinating passage of play. Poonam Yadav finishes with 4/15 and proves once again that our game has room for the unconventional. Australia need 27 runs in two overs. India’s to lose.
NO BALL! It has bounced twice before arriving at the crease so it is not a legal delivery. Instead of walking off she gets herself a free hit! Blimey!
CONTROVERSY! Poonam has bowled Gardner but... has it bounced twice? This is going to take some sorting out. It will be the defining moment of this game.
17th over: Australia 102-7 (Gardner 28, Kimmince 1) Target 133 What an over for India! The wicket of Sutherland and just two runs. Shikha Pandey take a bow. She has one further over to send down and will do so full of confidence. Kimmince got Australia over the line in an ODI against England in July but this is different gravy.
Bhatia brilliant again! Sutherland walked down at the medium pace of Pandey, missing well outside the off-stump - she might have seen her coming. But the wicket was the wicketkeepers’. She held her pose once again to take the ball before making an athletic dive; the bails taken in a flash. Joyous cricket!
16th over: Australia 100-6 (Gardner 27, Sutherland 2) Target 133 Big call from Harmanpreet holding Yadav back in order to get Gayakwad’s final over bowled and it doesn’t quite work, Gardner coming down the track and lofting her waaaay back over the rope for SIX and into the crowd as well. What a striker of the ball she is. But to the spinners’ credit, she only went for nine all up - no disaster at this stage. 33 from 24 is the equation from here. Poonam still has one over to bowl.
“Tell you what,” begins Abhijato Sensarma, “this Indian cricket team knows how to stay in the contest. More than being clinical in their abilities, staying cool and holding one’s nerves under pressure will help teams to win in this World Cup (as well as sports in general).” They sure do. Super impressive fightback.
15th over: Australia 91-6 (Gardner 19, Sutherland 1) Target 133 Reddy starts her final over with a ball on Gardner’s pads and is duly put away into the gap - calm batting from the player of the final back in 2018. Sutherland - off the mark to long-off - is also a very useful chaser, as seen during the triseries fixture against England last week, hammering 22 in 11 balls to take that game into a Super Over. With Gardner back on strike they run hard for two, the senior player of the pair making her ground by about a foot when the TV umpire checks it out. The hosts are now left with 42 runs to get from 30 deliveries. But can they get through Poonam? Indeed, when will the legspinner be called upon to bowl her fourth over?
14th over: Australia 82-6 (Gardner 11, Sutherland 0) Target 133 Goodness me! Another wrong’un to finish, at Sutherland, who did not pick it! It goes within a couple of inches from crashing into her off-stump. Poonam has 4/15 with one over still up her sleeve. All the pressure now on Australia. 51 needed in six overs.
POONAM HAS FOUR! Bhatia put down Jonassen earlier but makes no mistake this time around, the left-hander’s underedge clipped and taken nice and low by the stumper. That’s a lovely taken given the big swing at the wrong’un, staying nice and still. Australia are in serious strife at the Sydney Showgrounds!
13th over: Australia 81-5 (Gardner 10, Jonassen 2) Target 133 I’m being kind to Bhatia in my previous post... she should have taken that hat-trick chance. “Snatched at it,” the assessment of Adam Gilchrist on the telly. Another consolidation over after the wickets, worth five to the home side off Reddy. They now require 7.6 an over (or 52 from 42) with two Poonam Yadav overs to come.
12th over: Australia 76-5 (Gardner 7, Jonassen 0) Target 133 DROPPED HER! The hat-trick ball found Jonassen’s edge - another wrong’un - but Bhatia has put the tough chance down! Three perfect googlies on the trot. A game-changing spell. Find a telly, this has suddenly morphed into a sensational World Cup scrap.
She’s bowled her first ball! ANOTHER picture-perfect wrong’un, through the gate and hitting Perry’s leg-stump. My oh my, it’s ALL happening at the Sydney Showgrounds. Poonam Yadav is ON A HAT-TRICK!
Poonam Yadav! You cannot underestimate this skilful spinner. She has done Haynes a beauty with her wrong’un, beating the dancing left-hander, the bails taken nicely by Bhatia to leave the veteran metres short of her ground. Game on? Well, maybe not quite with Perry walking out. But if they can get her early.
11th over: Australia 71-3 (Haynes 6, Gardner 2) Target 133 A slower over for the chasing team, as is so often the case after a wicket. Just four singles off Reddy.
“With India being such a cricket tragic country it is not surprising to see the skill of this team,” writes Don Easter. “But wow what a form improvement in 2020. Culturally for India this is a 21st century time for the womens team.”
How often do we see it from the pint-sized leggie? One ball after being lifted over the rope for six by Healy - the opener bringing up her half-century in 34 balls with the blow - she is taken caught and bowled after misreading the flight and slow turn. A leading edge ends her night. An excellent innings but Poonam has found a way through, as she so often does. Coming up, a test of Australia’s depth.
10th over: Australia 67-3 (Haynes 4, Gardner 0) Target 133
9th over: Australia 58-2 (Healy 44, Haynes 2) Target 133 That was a very good catch watching the replay back, Bhatia so happy with it that she elected not to take the bails with Lanning well short of her ground when taking the ball. Very tidy. Haynes, with so much experience on this ground in the Big Bash with the Thunder, is busy from the get-go with singles from her first two deliveries.
Lovely finger spinners’ wicket! Gayakwad wins Lanning’s edge with plenty of flight, dip and spin, the thin edge then gloved safely by Bhatia moving to her right.
8th over: Australia 52-1 (Healy 40, Lanning 5) Target 133 And just when India earned themselves a bit of an opening, Healy slams it shut. Fantastic batting from the opener, dispatching Reddy’s first ball - a poor halftracker - then capitalising on that advantage with a steer behind point for four more before lifting a rank full toss over midwicket for a third boundary in the over. She already has 40 from 29.
7th over: Australia 37-1 (Healy 26, Lanning 4) Target 133 Much better second over from Gayakwad, Lanning playing herself in watchfully. There was a chance to run Healy out when taking a quick single, but the throw needed to be a direct hit.
6th over: Australia 33-1 (Healy 25, Lanning 1) Target 133 Lanning off the mark with a single, making 33-1 for the power play - the same as India. A lot gets made of this but comparative scores really mean nothing because Australia know where India ended up and can tailor their innings accordingly. More wickets needed.
And India have the breakthrough! That got a big on Mooney with some extra bounce, picking out backward point after making a bit of room for herself.
5th over: Australia 30-0 (Healy 24, Mooney 5) Target 133 Nothing expansive at all about Australia’s power play approach, systematically working Deepti around the field for five singles this time around. All signs point to them cruising this. India need urgent wickets - quite a few of them - to transfer some presser back.
4th over: Australia 25-0 (Healy 22, Mooney 2) Target 133 Seam from India for the first time via Pandey and after taking a look to begin, Healy sets herself to launch straight back over the bowlers’ head for four. Cop that. After making 25 runs in five innings during the recent tri-series, she has 22 from 17 balls to begin this tournament. Of course, Healy smashed 225 runs at 56 in Australia’s 2018 triumph.
3rd over: Australia 19-0 (Healy 15, Mooney 2) Target 133 Lovely over this from Deepti, giving the ball a chance to spin and forcing Healy to play her respectfully as a result. Just two off the set but India did burn their review along the way.
IS MOONEY LBW TO DEEPTI? Harmanpreet wants to review and I have no idea why, it has pitched a mile outside leg. DRS confirms this. Terrible referral.
2nd over: Australia 17-0 (Healy 15, Mooney 2) Gayakwad makes it spin from both ends to start, left-arm orthodox in her case. And sure enough, Healy - badly out of form before this tournament - is after her straight away with a deft sweep for four. She goes the other way for the same result two balls later, dancing down the pitch before launching her with a checked-drive down to the long-off rope. She’s away.
1st over: Australia 5-0 (Healy 4, Mooney 1) Quite brilliant fielding from Mandhana, diving full-stretch to drag in a Healy stroke that looked destined to reach the rope, winning the race by centimetres. But she’s in trouble... holding her shoulder. Oh no, this could be terrible news for India. After clutching at the shoulder initially she was back on her feet but at the end of the over she leaves the field with the medical staff. Five from the set but the story is the superstar, Mandhana.
The players are back on the field! Spin to begin: the experienced Deepti Sharma has the ball in her hand with Alyssa Healy taking the first delivery. She’s there with the ever-reliable Beth Mooney. PLAY!
That wasn’t a good finish. Remember, India were 0/40 after four overs. Yes, they lost 3/9 in a hurry and were in strife; they had to rebuild. But they waited too long to pull the trigger and couldn’t get resourceful enough at the end. Australia held their nerve after the early assault, stuck to a basic plan in the middle overs and bowled accurately in the final stanza. It’s occasionally an easy game.
20th over: India 132-4 (Deepti 49, Krishnamurthy 9) Kimmince is truted with the final over and nails it with her range of cutters, neither Indian player able to get her away to the rope. It’s a limp finish, just 17 runs coming from the final 18 balls. Australia require 133 to win, which should be straightforward with their line up.
19th over: India 125-4 (Deepti 45, Krishnamurthy 6) Excellent from Jess Jonassen, finishing her four overs with a set that goes for just four singles. Absolutely superb. She finishes with 2/24, getting Australia going after the sloppy start.
They’re going a good job inside the ground with the atmosphere, ZOMIE NATION getting a run between overs. If that can’t get you on your feet, nothing will.
Definitely more than that now. I would be hopeful of 10 000 comparing to BBL crowds. Upstairs a little more sparse but kids are heading down to the fences to be closer to the action. Great atmosphere, particularly with the Indian fans.
PS Congratulations on the new bub!
18th over: India 121-4 (Deepti 43, Krishnamurthy 4) Schutt knows the drill here, stump to stump with enough movement through the air to preclude a big swish. Six singles all told, which is a win for the hosts at this stage of the innings.
“Morning Adam.” Hello, Tom Hopkins. “Just wanted to say I love the sweater and am pleased to see you’ve gone cream rather than iced white. Both on style grounds and because it probably hides the baby sick better. More seriously, she’s absolutely gorgeous and so lucky to have parents like you. Hope everything is going great and mum is well (giving birth sounds challenging).”
17th over: India 115-4 (Deepti 39, Krishnamurthy 2) A lot happened this over but nothing more interesting to me than the no-ball called by the third umpire! Of course, that is the responsibility of the TV official now with the playing conditions changed for this tournament - and not before time. Krishnamurthy clips away the free hit to retain the strike. Earlier in the over, Deepti got busy. With her partnership with Rodrigues now over, the left-hander took some ownership with a sweep off Jonassen for four - their first bioundary in six overs. She made it two with another sweep two deliveries later. Can she now go on to stick the landing?
Oh, that’s very out! The DRS projection has the ball hitting middle halfway up. Lovely bowling from Kimmince, rewarded for her steady hand through the middle overs. The end of an important partnership with 24 balls remaining.
16th over: India 100-4 (Deepti 27)
IS RODRIGUES LBW? Kimmince thinks so and the umpire agrees. But the Indian No3 is sending it upstairs, she thinks it has done too much. Stand by.
15th over: India 95-3 (Rodrigues 24, Deepti 24) Credit to India, this has been dedicated, effective and risk-free accumulation. This pair have now put on 48 in 53 balls - very good cricket; they needed this. But with five overs to go, they have to put the foot down to reach 150-plus. And that requires taking a few risks.
14th over: India 89-3 (Rodrigues 21, Deepti 21) Missed stumping! Down the legside off the seam of Schutt, but they are the type Healy so often executes so she’s frustrated not to have taken Deepti’s bails. Much as it has been over the last half an hour for India, there are singles from every ball in addition to the legside wide.
13th over: India 82-3 (Rodrigues 18, Deepti 18) Credit to India for going at just over a run a ball over the last five overs - it is what they needed to do after losing three wickets in a hurry. They’re advanced the game to the stage where they have a base to crack on from in the final stretch. Who will they really take on, though?
12th over: India 76-3 (Rodrigues 15, Deepti 15) Kimmince is from the old school of women’s cricket, forcing the batters to make the pace. I was momentarily distracted at the end of the over as my baby girl - a week old today - was brought downstairs to me for a cuddle. Winnie is her name. Check out her cricket jumper.
Adam's baby is here! And Adam still recorded The Final Word four days later. Can't stop, won't stop. This week: BABY. Also our T20 World Cup preview with Lisa Sthalekar (@sthalekar93), and other nonsense besides.
Listen at: https://t.co/fq4sNkfjwLpic.twitter.com/bmU8UoMduH
11th over: India 70-3 (Rodrigues 13, Deepti 12) Ash Gardner, who dominated that aforementioned 2018 final, is on as Australia’s sixth bowling option now. Deepti Sharma doesn’t mind that though, getting down low to sweep hard and sweep well to the role - India’s first boundary for nearly seven overs. They’ve put on 23.
10th over: India 63-3 (Rodrigues 11, Deepti 7) Australia have a variety of options with their fifth bowler and Kimmince gets the first opportunity. She was quite outstanding during their victory against England in the 2018 Final - indeed, throughout that tournament and ever since. A great story too, giving the game away after initially playing international cricket, working in a London pub for a time as she got away from it all. Six risk-free runs are added in her first over as India rebuild their base through these middle overs. Rodrigues has another gear to click into at some stage; I wonder who she will decide to take on? Strano, perhaps?
9th over: India 57-3 (Rodrigues 7, Deepti 5) Clever captaincy from Lanning to bring Schutt back now with the pressure back on India. The South Australian was taken apart from Verma during the power play, hammered for four boundaries in five balls. This time around, she’s very happy to concede six singles. In fairness, that’s good batting from India too - they need to get their mojo back and fast.
This is classic India batting first. No composure, no plan, headless chook stuff without a target to chase. #T20WorldCup
8th over: India 51-3 (Rodrigues 4, Deepti 2) The squeeze is on now. India have moved from 40-0 after four overs to 49-3 after four more. Perry gives them nothing this time around, conceding just a couple of singles behind square.
7th over: India 49-3 (Rodrigues 3, Deepti 1) Deepti is off the mark with a single to finish the successful Jonassen over. I wonder if they would have considered shifting Veda Krisnamurthy - one of my favourite players - up to No5 given how much experience she brings. Alas, we’ll see her later as the finisher, I’m sure.
The skipper is gone! A dance, a swing, a miss! Healy is very fortunate, the ball deflecting from her pads into the stumps after missing it with her gloves. But this doesn’t dampen her celebration: they know how big that is in a major tournament - it was Harmanpreet who destroyed them in the 2017 World Cup semi-final.
6th over: India 46-2 (Rodrigues 2, Harmanpreet 2) Wonderfully dragged back by experienced campaigners Jonassen then Perry, conceding just six runs from the final two overs of the power play and removing both openers in the process.
The one they wanted! Perry had an lbw overturned earlier in the over but that matters little now as the danger woman Verma is back in the shed. She miscued her pull shot, directing it straight into the hands of Sutherland at mid-on. The end of a dazzling power play cameo from the youngster. That’s a big moment.
REVIEW! NOT OUT! Rodrigues is given out lbw to Perry but sends it straight upstairs. She was right to do so, DRS showing that the ball was missing leg.
5th over: India 42-1 (Verma 29, Rodrigues 1) Another shout for leg before, the Australians up when the No3 Rodrigues misses her sweep, but it was sliding down leg on this occasion. Super stuff from Jonassen after the flurry of boundaries in the previous couple of overs, a wicket and just two runs coming from her first set.
Manadana tried to immediately put the foot down against the left-arm spin of Jonassen but missed her sweep, going straight onto middle stump. No review required there. It’s early days, but Australia needed that to steady themselves.
4th over: India 40-0 (Verma 29, Mandhana 10) Bang, bang, bang! Verma goes again, this time at Schutt, hammering her for three boundaries in four balls! What a magnificent start this is for the Indian openers. And it isn’t just the power either, this is class. Over mid-off with a checked drive, cut away past point then a square drive to die for with supreme timing. She barely swung her bat! And a fourthfour to finish the over too, ticking a loose delivery away to the rope. 16 off it! Blimey.
3rd over: India 24-0 (Verma 13, Mandhana 10) Verma gets down the track to Strano and lashes her inside-out through cover for four. Shooot. Ohhh and she does it again three balls later, all the way for SIX! Have that! The young gun is away!
2nd over: India 11-0 (Verma 1, Mandhana 9) DROPPED! Mandhana dropped by Strano at midwicket from Perry’s second ball. Oh, how costly that might turn out to be. Should have taken it. Dropping catches has been a weakness for Strano in her brief appearances at the top level. Later in the over, the left-hander starts to make the most of her chance, picking up Perry and middling her over midwicket for four. It prompts a change to around the wicket for the final delivery of the over and she misses well wide off the off-stump, called accordingly. Mandhana capitalises on the re-bowled ball, smashing it over long-off for four more!
1st over: India 2-0 (Verma 1, Mandhana 1) As Mel Jones confirms on telly, Strano has picked up Verma five times in seven attempts, the two having squared off against each other on an ‘A’ tour last year. It’s a fantastic start from the off-spinner, too. Verma is of the mark with a push but Mandhana can’t beat the field, her outside edge located and clipping Healy’s glove on the way through to short third. You wouldn’t call that a dropped catch but it is a little victory for the hosts. Just two from the over - outstanding.
Strano is also one of the most entertaining players on the circuit. As Vish hints at here, we were both part of her elaborate recreation of Shane Warne’s ball of the century with Mike Gatting at a Canterbury pub during the 2015 Women’s Ashes.
Molly Strano has done many impressive things to get to this moment where she's starting in a T20 World Cup at home.
Somewhere on that list is getting Mike Gatting to recreate the Ball of the Century™ in the foyer of a Canterbury hotel back in 2015 #T20WorldCup
Strano to Verma it is! What a story for the Victorian spinner.PLAY!!
The players are on the field for the national anthems. Australia are huddled up, ready to get into their work. Molly Strano has an impressive record against the wunderkind Verma, so expect to see her bowling the first over. Here we go!
“Hello Sydney, welcome to the Big Dance.” Get used to this gibberish branding over the next couple of weeks. For those who aren’t from Australia, it relates to cricket inferiority complex with football. A long, weird, unnecessary story.
Thrilled to see Annabel Sutherland given the nod tonight, a true product of the system that Australia have been building with the WBBL and the WNCL. She’s a legitimate all-rounder, able to finish off innings with both the bat and the ball.
The pitch, so says Michael Clarke on the broadcast, is a belter. He declares that Sydney is the best city on earth. Each to their own, Pup. Each to their own.
We’re now getting a bit of the opening ceremony on the coverage, which was surely filmed earlier as there are a lot of empty seats as they pan around. Right?
Australia: Alyssa Healy (wk), Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner, Meg Lanning (c), Ellyse Perry, Rachael Haynes, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Molly Strano, Megan Schutt.
India: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Deepti Sharma, Veda Krishnamurthy, Shikha Pandey, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad.
“We’re going to bowl first and see what happens,” Meg Lanning says in her usual, casual matter-of-fact fashion. There’s a bit of rain about in Sydney, she notes.
Molly Strano is straight into the XI! She wasn’t in the squad two days ago, coming in for the injured Tayla Vlaeminck, and she’s immediately wins her chance. Wow.
This is the tough group. Make no mistake, qualification out of Group A is a lot more challenging than it is over in Group B, which begins tomorrow when the West Indies play Thailand. The loser tonight will have to overcome New Zealand later in the pool stage to guarantee progress, which is never straightforward.
For India, they are relying on the strength of their top four to pile on the pressure. Since the last time a major tournament was played in 2018, that includes 16-year-old prodigy Shafila Verma at the top of the list. Last year, at age 15, she became the youngest Indian to ever clock an international half-century. She’ll join Smriti Mandhana, on her day the most effective player in the world. They are followed by the skipper Harmanpreet, who knows all about breaking Australian hearts, then the busy Jemimah Rodrigues, who is going to strength to strength.
Related: Opportunities abound for women's cricket as T20 World Cup arrives | Geoff Lemon
This tournament, now into its seventh iteration, has been a long time in the making. Australia have won it four times but never played host, which changes tonight when they take the field against India in the first of 20 group games. The prize for the locals is more than the trophy alone on this occasion: to advance to the final would be to turn out in front of 91,000 spectators when the final is played on the evening of International Women’s Day, the 8th of March.
But there might be the smallest exposure for the world’s best team, so utterly dominant in this format since they won the title back in 2018 when it was last played for - expectations, as Mel Farrell wrote in her preview, can do funny things.
Related: Pressure of Women’s T20 World Cup favouritism looms as Australia's fiercest foe | Melinda Farrell
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