Women’s Cricket World Cup: Australia v New Zealand – live | Australia women’s cricket team
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Key events
21st over: New Zealand 83-3 (Devine 35, Halliday 7) Gardner is miserly, just three runs off her over including a mix up off the final ball that sees Halliday half way down the track and sent back by her senior partner, she dives for her ground and just makes it.
20th over: New Zealand 80-3 (Devine 34, Halliday 5) Brooke Halliday is the new batter, she starts by planting her front foot down the wicket and bunting King over mid on for four!
WICKET! Amelia Kerr c Litchfield b King 33 (New Zealand 75-3)
Big wicket! King’s pressure tells, she flights one above the eyes and Kerr is suckered into the drive without being anywhere near the pitch of the ball. Her drive is plinked in the air and straight to extra cover.
19th over: New Zealand 75-2 (Kerr 33, Devine 34) Ash Gardner is given the nod by Healy so it is spin from both ends for the time being. Gardner is on the button and gets some grip and turn off the Indore surface. A single to each batter, just two off the over.
18th over: New Zealand 73-2 (Kerr 32, Devine 33) King’s first loose delivery is carved away by Devine past point for four. Too short and given the treatment. King tightens up and builds the pressure once again with a drip drip drip of dots.
17th over: New Zealand 68-2 (Kerr 32, Devine 28) Sutherland starts up after the players have slurped their electrolytes. She strays on to Kerr’s pads and a glance off the thigh brings four leg byes.
Your eyes are burning holes through me. I’m Charlie Dean. I’m Sophie Devine.
(sort of scans)
16th over: New Zealand 62-2 (Kerr 31, Devine 27) Alana King rips one past the edge of Kerr’s blade. Heads in hands all round. That was close, the perfect leg-spinner in all but knick. A single off the last ball blots King’s copybook, she nearly had two maidens in a row. Time for a quick drink.
15th over: New Zealand 61-2 (Kerr 30, Devine 27) Devine clatters Sutherland past point for four. She forces too hard off the next and is lucky not to chop on from outside off. New Zealand need 266 from 35 overs with Kerr and Devine rebuilding admirably after a nightmare start.
14th over: New Zealand 54-2 (Kerr 29, Devine 22) Alana King comes into the attack early with her dangerous leg spin. She gives it a rip and some air, Kerr is watchful to begin with, just two leg-byes off the over. A maiden to the bowler.
13th over: New Zealand 52-2 (Kerr 29, Devine 22) Sutherland is driven for four by Devine but then applies the breaks with five dots. Sophie Devine won’t care right at this moment with a match on the line against the old enemy but that boundary saw her notch up 4000 runs in women’s ODIs. She is now one of three women’s players to do the double of 4000 runs and 100 wickets… a massive OBO prize* to the first emailer with the other two names on that list.
*I’m contractually obliged to inform you that no physical prizes are offered by The Guardian and so something spurious along the lines of ‘respect’ and ‘kudos’ will have to do.
12th over: New Zealand 48-2 (Kerr 29, Devine 18) Amelia Kerr looks in excellent touch, she pings Brown through extra cover on the front foot and then Devine does the same but off the back a couple of balls later. This surface is still a belter for batting on, New Zealand rebuilding, they need a hefty partnership to take a chunk out of this target.
11th over: New Zealand 38-2 (Kerr 24, Devine 13) Double bowling change by Australia as Annabel Sutherland replaces Garth. Devine clips for two off the first ball but then shows increasing signs of frustration as she plays out five dot ball. Kerr champing at the bit down the other end.
10th over: New Zealand 36-2 (Kerr 24, Devine 11) Darcie Brown replaces Sophie Molineux, the opening bowler has figures of 1-13 from her four overs with the new ball. Can Brown keep on the pressure? She’s rapid but is too short and wide, Kerr’s eyes light up and she times her cut to perfection for four past point. Brown responds with a decent yorker that Kerr is equal to. Bish and Bosh! Kerr unfurls a pull shot for four and then leans into a delightful cover drive for four more. Hold the pose for good measure. New Zealand’s best over by some distance – twelve runs off it.
9th over: New Zealand 21-2 (Kerr 9, Devine 11) Alyssa Healy comes up to the stumps and Devine can’t find a release shot. She can’t rotate strike either as Kerr managed to do earlier in the over for a couple through midwickets and then a single past point.
8th over: New Zealand 21-2 (Kerr 9, Devine 11) The pressure cooker hisses as New Zealand’s dot count rises. I make it 36 already in the innings. That’ll help! Kerr flicks away wristily through midwicket to pick up four.
7th over: New Zealand 16-2 (Kerr 4, Devine 16) Kim Garth is landing it on a hankie on and around off stump and Devine and Kerr are doing all they can to hang in there.
If you are tuning in please do drop me a line at the email link at the left of the page, we might be here for a good time and not a long time at this rate.
6th over: New Zealand 14-2 (Kerr 3, Devine 10) Kerr and Devine are tied down by Molineux. The run rate rises above seven an over already. Australia are not letting up and the batters can’t break the shackles at the moment.
James Wallace
5th over: New Zealand 12-2 (Kerr 1, Devine 9) Garth is on the money once again, probing away on a good length. Just two off the over – a leg bye and a driven single to Kerr.
Jim here by the way, taking over the reins from Megan. I was slightly late back through the front door after watching my daughter sing in a harvest festival concert here in the UK, so late, yes, but for a cute reason so forgive me. A nice quiet start to ease me in to the OBO hot seat too…
4th over: New Zealand 10-2 (Kerr 1, Devine 9) Devine looks to counterpunch, in doing so she nearly hacks Molineux on to her own stumps but an inside edge squirts past, just. Shot! Molineux drops short and is dispatched on the cut to the fence behind point by Devine. Quite a staccato sentence that.
3rd over: New Zealand 4-2 (Kerr 1, Devine 3) Garth continues and the pressure is on. Three dots to Amelia Kerr before the Kiwis get off the mark with a poke into the off side and a single that is, this time, safely completed. Devine then flays wide of point, in the air but safe and they come back for a couple. Runs outweighing wickets for the first time which is always a good way to do a run chase.
2nd over: New Zealand 0-2 (Kerr 0, Devine 0)
Sophie Devine is the new batter, she arrives in the middle blinking amongst the carnage.
Close! Devine is nearly scudded out LBW first ball to Molineux but a scratch of an inside edge saves her and New Zealand. The Aussies are rampant. Two wicket maidens to start, New Zealand need to dig deep here.
WICKET! Suzie Bates b Molineux 0 (New Zealand 0-2)
Oh my days! This is not what the Kiwi doctor ordered! Bates plays away from her body and chops a full ball from Molineux on to her stumps! New Zealand are two down for spit.
WICKET! Georgia Plimmer run out (Sutherland/†Healy) (New Zealand 0-1)
Kim Garth opens the bowling for Australia with no Megan Schutt. Disaster! Georgia Plimmer is run out by a combination of Sutherland and Healy, Bates called her through for a dicey single and I think Plimmer was guilty of ball-watching. Early strike for Australia!
1st over: New Zealand 0-1 (Bates 0, Kerr 0)
New Zealand’s innings is about to begin, Bates and Plimmer are making their way to the middle now.
Some milestones that were brought up during that innings to note. Amelia Kerr took her 100th ODI wicket, Phoebe Litchfield scored her 1000th ODI run and Tahlia McGrath played her 50th ODI. It’s always nice to hit a milestone like that, especially in a World Cup, but no doubt all three will be much more focused on today’s result and trying to close out the win.
A very classy century from Gardner and she brought it up in style.
Australia set New Zealand 327 for victory
That was an innings that swung wildly. Australia took the early ascendancy, Healy and Litchfield scoring with ease early. But after the wicket of Litchfield, Australia struggled to get into a good rhythm and Devine’s bowling changes were masterful.
Gardner didn’t look fluent early in her innings, but she continued to turn the strike over and kept her head, knowing that her wicket was key to Australia’s chances. Once she found her stride, she looked almost unstoppable, with sensational striking to all corners of the ground.
New Zealand will rue not turning the screws as hard as they could when they took a few quick wickets, but overall it was a good bowling performance from them against a very good batting side. Amelia Kerr and Lea Tahuhu were very strong in partnership and all the bowlers created chances and took them when they were on offer. This is a team with the ability to score big runs if they are on song, so this total won’t scare them.
Australia are probably the favourites from here, but not by miles – it’s still anyone’s game at this point and New Zealand will back themselves to chase this total down.
WICKET! Garth c Plimmer b J Kerr 38 (Australia 326)
Jess Kerr takes the final wicket as Garth looks to hit big, but mistimes it.
WICKET! King c Bates b J Kerr 4 (Australia 325-9)
King knows she needs to keep hitting, but unfortunately she doesn’t get enough on this one and Bates takes her fourth catch for the game.
49th over: Australia 325-8 (King 4, Garth 38)
What did I just say about boosting the scoring? Garth kicks off the over with a straight drive to the boundary for four, followed by a couple of singles – they will be trying to limit the dot balls in these final overs. Garth muscles another one over the field to find the boundary again – she’s proving to be a good finisher for the Australians here.
48th over: Australia 313-8 (King 2, Garth 28)
Jess Kerr starts the over with probably her best ball of the day – very unlucky to miss the stumps with that one. An LBW appeal on the second ball, but not a very enthusiastic one. King immediately shows intent against Kerr, but she can’t connect with the ball. A few singles keep the strike turning over, but they will want to boost their scoring in the final two overs.
47th over: Australia 310-8 (King 1, Garth 27)
Illing is back and Garth decides to start the over with a scoop for four – this is incredibly confident batting from this pair now. It was a front foot no ball as well, so Garth gets a free hit, but she can’t quite take advantage of it, getting a top edge. But Gardner keeps the score moving with another boundary before Illing fights back with the big wicket, bringing King to the crease.
