Andy Waller to take over as Zimbabwe coach in May

Andy Waller has confirmed that he will begin his new job as Zimbabwe’s head coach on May 1

Firdose Moonda04-Apr-2013Andy Waller has confirmed that he will begin his new job as Zimbabwe’s head coach on May 1. Waller has just returned to the UK from Sri Lanka, where he was on a tour with the Eastbourne College first team, which he currently coaches.In an email from the school, Waller told ESPNCricinfo that he will arrive in Zimbabwe on April 15 and will begin work the next month. Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) have yet to officially announce his appointment.Waller will not be involved in the two Tests against Bangladesh, but will take over for the ODIs and Twenty20s, which start on May 3. Stephen Mangongo will be in charge at the start of the tour and will continue in his role as assistant coach under Waller.Grant Flower, the batting coach, has been involved in preparations for the series but there is no word on the future of Heath Streak, the bowling coach, whose contract expired on March 31, along with that of former coach Alan Butcher. It is likely Streak will continue as a bowling consultant, because none of the three coaches currently involved have expertise in that discipline, but the decision is yet to be made.Streak and Flower were pushed to the fringes of Zimbabwe’s structures when they were left at home during the recent tour to West Indies because of a change in ZC’s touring policy. The decision irked captain Brendan Taylor, who said at the time, that the team needed the pair’s experience especially when away from home. Zimbabwe went on to lose all seven matches, across all formats, in the Caribbean.The team has not played at home since late 2011 when they made their Test comeback, and hosted Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand, and have endured a tough year in-between. Things do not appear to be getting any easier in the lead up to the busy home programme, which includes home series with Bangladesh, India (for three ODIs), Sri Lanka and Pakistan.As most of Zimbabwe’s inbound tours take place during the winter, those franchise cricketers who are not centrally contracted often look for opportunity to play club cricket in the UK in order to make some money. A group of those players approached ZC about their financial situation and asked for winter contracts as security, but a source close to the situation said their request had been denied. Instead, ZC has only made provision for a small daily allowance.As a result, many of those players have indicated they will continue to pursue money-making opportunities overseas and not stay at home through the winter. That will leave Zimbabwe with only the 15 centrally contracted players to choose from while most of their next best will be unavailable. Should injuries or poor form strike, Zimbabwe could be in a dire situation with a lack of cricketers to play matches.

DY Patil Stadium to host its first Ranji tie

Dr DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai will host its first Ranji Trophy tie this season, Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has confirmed

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2012The Dr DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai will host its first Ranji Trophy tie this season, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has confirmed. Owing to the unavailability of the Wankhede Stadium, the four-year old stadium in Navi Mumbai, on which only IPL matches have been played, is scheduled to host the Mumbai-Gujarat game from December 29 to January 1, 2013.”The Wankhede will host Indian universities’ biggest congress and hence the stadium won’t be available. The managing committee has decided to allocate the Mumbai-Gujarat tie to DY Patil Stadium. The rest of the matches will be held at the Wankhede Stadium,” MCA secretary Nitin Dalal told .Seventeen matches have been played at the stadium since its inauguration in 2008. It has been home to the Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers in 2010, and Pune Warriors in 2011. The last game played there was the Pune Warriors-Kolkata Knight Riders IPL fixture on May 19 last year.”It is a good opportunity for cricket lovers in the suburbs to watch quality cricket,” Vijay Patil, president of DY Patil Sports Academy and MCA vice-president, said.

Sri Lanka ponder the Kapugedera conundrum

Chamara Kapugedera’s inability to fully grab his many international opportunities is frustrating for the Sri Lankan hierarchy

Abhishek Purohit in Pallekele06-Aug-2012Sri Lanka cannot seem to make up their mind about Chamara Kapugedera. His 92 ODIs have been spread over six and a half years for a disappointing average of 22.04. He has batted all the way from No. 2 to No. 9. He has gone out of the squad many times, and has made his way back again. Mahela Jayawardene spoke for almost ten minutes on Kapugedera on Monday, but the debate still remained open.Jayawardene conceded Kapugedera had not made the most of his chances, but felt that the opportunities had not been consistent. He said Kapugedera was committed and focused during practice, but admitted he struggled to handle the pressure in a game. Jayawardene hinted that time could run out for Kapugedera eventually, but asked for some more patience given that he was still only 25.”It is frustrating,” Jayawardene said of Kapugedera’s struggles. “If you see the way he bats at nets, and the way Isuru Udana bowls at nets, it’s totally different, and we give them an opportunity. I don’t know whether it’s the occasion, whether they can’t handle pressure, [but] it does not come good for them. If they cannot handle the pressure then we have to move on and give that opportunity to someone else.”But what we see at the nets, the commitment and the attitude we feel that there is something that could spark these guys. We have had players like Marvan [Atapattu] who didn’t have a great start, but people gave him opportunities and he reacted to that. Obviously if they are not performing and others come and grab hold of their chances then they will get more opportunity than guys like Chamara.”Jayawardene said Kapugedera was not being able to carry his focus in the nets to the middle and said that was something for coaches to work on. “He is still young and if he can turn a corner it’d be good. In the last World Twenty20 he was awesome for us in the Caribbean batting at No. 6 [Kapugedera made 95 runs in six games at a strike-rate of 121.79]. The talent is there, but the execution is not there and we have to identify how we can trigger that. We have to be patient. If he is struggling [then] giving him a break, obviously see if there are any other players, but if he is good we have to try him.”Jayawardene said Sri Lanka had limited resources and were looking to give chances to young players. “If you see a player like Nuwan Pradeep wasn’t bowling well six months ago, but we kept him in the squad and today he is doing well.”We try to do justice to all players. We can’t throw out simply because players fail in few games. They are all young players and we need to be patient.”Jayawardene said it was the selectors’ call on whether or not to persist with Kapugedera but added that opportunities had to be capitalised on. “He has not made most of the opportunities, but the opportunities have been far and few. Not consistent. But obviously if someone is fighting for a spot, whatever the opportunity you have to grab it. It’s tough, it’s under pressure, it’s not easy, but we will see how it goes.”

Peter George on standby for Ryan Harris

Peter George, the young South Australia fast bowler, has been called into Australia’s Test squad in New Zealand as cover for Ryan Harris

Cricinfo staff17-Mar-2010Peter George, the young South Australia fast bowler, has been called into Australia’s Test squad in New Zealand as cover for Ryan Harris, who is battling a side injury. Harris is carrying the slight problem following the one-day series and was unable to train outside due to the rainy conditions in Wellington on Wednesday.Alex Kountouris, Australia’s physiotherapist, said it was not clear if Harris would be available for Friday’s opening Test at the Basin Reserve. “The plan is he will bowl again outdoors [on Thursday] and hopefully be passed fit to play,” he said.Harris, who has not appeared in a Test, has been outstanding in the one-day games this summer and has been jostling with Clint McKay for the final bowling spot in the XI. George, 23, had a strong season with South Australia, finishing second on the Sheffield Shield wicket list with 36 at 30.44.Andrew Hilditch, the national selection chairman, said George was an exciting fast bowler. “The panel believes that should the opportunity arise, Peter has the skills
to succeed at this level and will benefit greatly from being around the
Australian set-up,” he said.Queensland’s Ben Cutting seemed a more suitable candidate for some work experience but he is involved in the Sheffield Shield final against Victoria at the MCG. Australia are already without Peter Siddle (back) and Ben Hilfenhaus (knee), while Brett Lee has retired from Tests to extend his limited-overs career.

Butt century boosts Pakistan

Pakistan got off to a solid start to their tour of Australia, as Salman Butt’s 153 took them to 270 for 4 on the first day against Tasmania at Bellerive Oval.

Cricinfo staff19-Dec-2009
ScorecardPakistan got off to a solid start to their tour of Australia, as opening batsman Salman Butt’s knock of 153 took them to 270 for 4 at stumps on the first day against Tasmania at Bellerive Oval.Under overcast conditions, the hosts decided to put the visitors in and, much like in their recent tour of New Zealand, the openers struggled initially. Butt was dropped and reprieved again when Tim Paine missed a stumping opportunity before he could get his eye in. He went on to make the most of the lapses, dropping anchor and settling in for a long vigil at the crease. Building upon the confidence he picked in his final innings in New Zealand, he dug in and, along with Imran Farhat, added 69 runs for the opening wicket. Tim Macdonald then got Farhat’s scalp after which Faisal Iqbal fell cheaply.Butt carried on and found a willing partner in Misbah-ul-Haq, who is looking to resurrect his international career. Misbah struck two sixes in the partnership of 113 before Macdonald sent him back, seven short of a half-century. With stumps in sight, Butt was dismissed by the economical Brett Geeves, but not before he had crossed 150 with 23 fours, a knock that will give him confidence ahead of the Test series. Pakistan will hope Umar Akmal and the rest of the lower order can swell the total before they have a go at the home team on the second day.

Harleen Deol named concussion replacement for Sneh Rana

Rana collided with Vastrakar while fielding, but came on to bowl six more overs to finish her quota and was taken to hospital after complaining of headache

Srinidhi Ramanujam30-Dec-2023India allrounder Sneh Rana was taken for scans after “complaining of headache” post her collision with Pooja Vastrakar in the field during the second ODI against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium, the BCCI said. Former India captain Anjum Chopra, a commentator at the match, said Rana also complained of nausea.Rana will take no further part in the match. Harleen Deol has been named as her concussion replacement.”She [Rana] had a little bit of headache post the first innings,” India’s head coach Amol Muzumdar said after the match*. “We felt it was appropriate for her to do the scan. The reports have been fine and she is back in the dressing room. She is still having a little bit of a headache, but that’s normal. She is available for the third match.”Related

  • Sutherland, Litchfield seal series for Australia in tight finish

  • Ball-by-ball: The seven catches that India dropped

The incident happened in the 25th over of the first innings. Trying to stop a cut by left-hand batter Beth Mooney, Rana moved to her left from short third and Vastrakar to her right from backward point. In the process, Rana’s head banged into Vastrakar and both players fell onto the ground. Rana was taken off the field immediately, with the physio applying ice on her head, but returned after a couple of overs.Rana, who had bowled four overs at the time of the collision, went on to complete her quota of ten overs. She dismissed Ashleigh Gardner in the 37th over and finished with figures of 1 for 59.Rana was the Player of the Match for her seven wickets in the one-off Test played between the two teams last week. In the first ODI that India lost, she dismissed Australia opener Phoebe Litchfield.Deol, who bowls spin but is primarily a batter, was considered a like-for-like replacement for Rana, who is an offspinner primarily and a lower-order batter. Deol’s last ODI outing was against Bangladesh in Mirpur in July, when she scored 77 in a tied game and was named Player of the Match.

Rohit bemoans 'irresponsible shots' from batters, urges them to take 'more responsibility'

Meanwhile, centurion Rahul attributes batting depth at LSG to him playing “freely” and “taking more chances” this season

Sreshth Shah25-Apr-2022Many theories have linked Mumbai Indians’ disastrous start to the season to their mega auction strategy, specifically the one surrounding Jofra Archer. Consensus has been that “the Archer spend” may set Mumbai up for domination for 2023 and beyond, but for IPL 2022, the bowling has ended up becoming over-reliant on Jasprit Bumrah for penetration.However, on Sunday, the Mumbai bowlers held up their end of the bargain. Despite a KL Rahul century from one end, they conceded only 56 runs off the other 58 balls that the Lucknow Super Giants batters faced, and 169 was a gettable total. And yet, Mumbai were out of the game even before the final over of the chase was bowled.Related

  • Rahul 103*, Krunal three-for send Mumbai hurtling to eighth defeat

  • IPL mid-season report

  • 'Not the end of the world' – Rohit isn't giving up just yet

In a tournament where viewers have been regularly spoilt by the IPL’s habit of producing nail-biting finishes, Mumbai ended up in a situation where they needed 39 in six balls with five wickets in hand. They would eventually fall short by 36 runs following a painful 20th over where former Mumbai allrounder Krunal Pandya celebrated success with two wickets and a run-out, only delaying the inevitable.With Ishan Kishan struggling for fluency (he made eight in 20 balls), Kieron Pollard unable to attack balls that are not full (he scored 19 in 20), and Rohit Sharma himself getting out to a loose shot, the captain said after Mumbai’s eighth straight loss that the responsibility on the latest defeat lay on the batting group.”When you have a target like that, it is very crucial to string those partnerships,” Rohit told . “We didn’t do that, and then a few irresponsible shots including from myself. We couldn’t get the momentum when we needed.”You can say so (general lack of confidence among batters). We haven’t batted well enough in this tournament. The whole thing goes on the batting unit. Whoever plays in the middle needs to take that responsibility and make sure one of the batters bats long. We’ve failed to do that in the tournament. None of our batters have batted long innings, which other teams’ batters have done that. We need to make sure that no matter what the situation is, one man needs to bat longer.”Rohit’s point is backed by only six half-centurions in eight games for Mumbai this season. Kishan, who has scored two of those fifties, has a strike rate of under 100 in the other six innings. Jaydev Unadkat has a better batting average (19.66) than Rohit himself, and the experienced Pollard has batted every game but has a top score of only 25. Suryakumar Yadav, who was out for three on Sunday, and young Tilak Varma have been carrying the burden of Mumbai’s batting so far.While Mumbai’s latest defeat now keeps their playoff contention alive only in theory (they need to win their last six games and hope most of the other games get washed out), Super Giants moved back into the top four with their fifth win in eight games. For Rahul, the game was a battle against his own batting demons, with him being only one good ball away from being dismissed for a hat-trick of ducks at the Wankhede Stadium this season.1:45

Bichel: KL played the dimensions of the ground really well

Instead, he got off the mark with a single to third man, cruised along at a run-a-ball 27 after an early wicket, raced away to a 37-ball fifty and got to a hundred by his 61st delivery. With wickets falling at regular intervals, and batters at the other end struggling to find boundaries early on, Rahul took the onus to move from anchor to aggressor at the back end, hitting his second IPL century against the same opponent in the same season – the first man to do so since Virat Kohli (vs Gujarat Lions) in 2016.”[After two ducks] First thought while batting was to get bat on ball, feel good, get a single, get off the mark,” Rahul said after the game. “Despite being mentally strong, it always plays on your mind when you’re playing at a venue that’s not been too kind recently.”When asked by the host broadcaster if Rahul – second on the orange cap race with 368 runs from eight matches – is doing anything differently in Super Giants colours as a batter, he said that a long batting line-up in his new franchise has helped his game.”How I simplify my game is to try and assess the pitch and conditions and try and see how to bat. But we bat deep in this team – Jason Holder comes in late. When you have power and depth in your team, you can play freely and you can take a few more chances. That’s what is happening with me in this team.”As for the contribution of the bowlers to reduce Mumbai to 67 for 4 inside 12 overs in the chase, Rahul said that teams that have bowled well at the powerplay and the death have not only been champions before but are finding success this season too. While aiming for that formula, Rahul said the luxury of allrounders has helped, more so on Sunday since Super Giants were playing without the injured Avesh Khan.”I am very big on having a lot of allrounders in the team since that gives depth with bat and ball,” he said. “And we were lucky to get some of the finest allrounders. I have options in the middle and [it] makes life easier as a captain as well as a batter. Teams that defend well, bowl well in the powerplay and finish well in the death are teams that are sitting at the top and teams that have won tournaments.”Sunday was meant to be a special day for Mumbai Indians. It was after 1086 days that the IPL’s most decorated team was returning to its colosseum – the Wankhede – and the game provided a perfect opportunity to not only get back to winning ways, but also offer a birthday present to team mentor Sachin Tendulkar. Instead, it provided the latest chapter in a season to forget.

It's Pant vs Dhoni as Super Kings try to fight off ring rust

The Capitals, meanwhile, will be without their death-overs duo of Nortje and Rabada

Alagappan Muthu09-Apr-20217:30

How do Delhi Capitals fill the void of Rabada and Nortje?

Big picture

All that time watching and idolising MS Dhoni, now Rishabh Pant will have to find a way to knock him down and beat his team.After a rocky start, India’s next-gen wicketkeeper has done so well no one is talking about the legend from whom he took over. Outlandish Test-match-winning knocks in Australia and against England at home have established Pant as a serious player in Indian cricket and the Delhi Capitals’ decision to make him captain is a clear sign they want to ride the wave he’s on all the way to the final once again. And maybe go one better.Dhoni may have lost his Chepauk fortress and he may be leading a side that doesn’t really look all that different from the one that spent most of IPL 2020 at the bottom of the table, but his dedication to the Chennai Super Kings franchise and determination to get them back on top should not be underestimated.

In the news

The fast-bowling combination of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Norje was one of the Capitals’ biggest strengths last season. But with both arriving in India only on April 6, they will be stuck in quarantine while the rest of their team-mates will be out on the park in Mumbai.Lungi Ngidi is in the same situation for the Chennai Super Kings. All three South Africa players arrived late since they were playing Pakistan at home.The Capitals may also need to find cover for Axar Patel, who tested positive for Covid-19 last week. Unless he can return two negative tests by April 10, he will not be able to play this game.2:47

Gambhir: CSK won’t be able to make the playoffs

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Moeen Ali, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Suresh Raina 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 K Gowtham, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Deepak ChaharDelhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Ishant Sharma

Strategy punt

So long as he is part of a cricket team, he will be its finisher. Such is Dhoni’s aura. But last year – due to a lack of match practice, much the same as this year – his big-hitting ability was severely impaired. So it was Ravindra Jadeja who took over and got those crucial boundaries away in the death overs. And he performed the role so well he was keeping up with the likes of Kieron Pollard and AB de Villiers. The time might have come for a passing of the baton.The absence of Rabada and Nortje severely limits Capitals’ ability to pose a threat as a death-bowling unit. All three of the fast bowlers who might potentially make their XI on Saturday – Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma – are new-ball specialists. So perhaps they go all out up front and some of R Ashwin’s overs might be saved for the end. He’s experienced. He loves a challenge. And he would revel at the chance to go up against his old mate Dhoni and one up him.

Stats that matter

  • 105*, 227, 185*, 165. Those are Prithvi Shaw’s centuries from the Vijay Hazare 50-over games last month, when he led Mumbai to the title. His form is going to be crucial for the Capitals across this IPL season.
  • Barely any of the Super Kings’ batsmen have been active in the lead-up to this tournament. Moeen Ali, who was part of the series against India recently, didn’t play the T20Is. Faf du Plessis last hit a ball during the PSL. Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu’s last matches were in January. Dhoni is retired. And Jadeja’s been injured. All that rust is bound to show.

Tom Curran admits enforced break is a 'shock to the system' after non-stop winter

Time away from game offers England seamer – and brother Sam – chance to “refresh mentally”

Alan Gardner14-Apr-2020Tom Curran has admitted that an enforced break from cricket over the last few weeks has come as a “shock to the system”, but said he was trying to use the time off to refresh mentally, hopeful that the game will be able to resume later this summer in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak that has brought life to a standstill in much of the world.Curran had been expecting to be at the IPL with Rajasthan Royals right now – his new team’s opening fixture, originally scheduled for April 2, would have brought him into competition with younger brother Sam – but those plans have long been shelved. After a productive winter, in which he played in 10 out of 11 England white-ball internationals, as well as appearing in the Mzansi Super League and burnishing his allrounder credentials with Big Bash winners Sydney Sixers, he has found it odd to have time on his hands.”It is strange to be honest,” he said. “I think we play so much now, you’re just used to rolling on from one thing to the next. Sport is a big part of our lives but in the grand scheme of things it is not the end of the world for us compared to some of the other things going on around the world.ALSO READ: Giles positive as West Indies pin hopes on July“For the last four or five years, it has been cricket non-stop, all the year round. I think for everyone to be stuck indoors and not playing is a shock to the system, everyone is missing it. I’ve had to mute [England media manager Danny Reuben] on Instagram because he keeps posting how much he is missing it. It is a shock to all of us, players, people involved in the sport, fans and lovers of the sport. It is a shock to the system but what we’re going through is nothing in the grand scheme of things.”With Tom having recently moved out of the place he shared with his brothers, a Zoom call arranged by the ECB offered a chance to catch-up – Sam asking, with perhaps a touch of irony, to hear more about Tom’s new dog, which has been making recent appearances on Instagram. Becoming a pet owner, as well as playing games online and trying to practice his bowling action while out running – “pretty village stuff,” Tom said – has helped fill time away from the usual routine of training and playing.”I’m using it as a time to get refreshed mentally,” he said. “It is a terrible time of course, but we seldom get a break like this in what would be the middle of our summer. We’re trying to stay positive so that when we do come back we’re in a good position to kick on mentally and physically for the years to come.”Sam has put some of his energy into launching a fundraiser for the NHS, while both of the Surrey Currans – the third brother, Ben, plays for Northamptonshire – have been involved in a scheme to call the club’s older members and offer support and conversation over the phone.Tom Curran bowls in training•Getty Images

“It was a lovely little initiative that someone at Surrey organised and got the players and staff involved,” Tom said. “The capped players called about ten members each, the majority of them more elderly who have been associated with the club for a while. There was a small Surrey trivia quiz, where we asked them three questions about the club and if they got all three correct there was a little prize sent out.”It was just a lovely little thing. It was really refreshing to chat and see how life was going for them and just try to put a smile on some people’s faces who are involved in our community at Surrey in these troubling times.”Sam added: “It was quite a cool thing to do because we don’t usually speak to the members much and we focused on the older generation because the club felt they were the most vulnerable and it was really special. A lot of the older members had a lot of opinions on the games we were missing and what formats we should focus on and things like that. It was quite entertaining.”No prizes for guessing which of the formats might have been referred to less favourably (Surrey were one of the frontline rebels against the ECB launching a new competition) but whether the Hundred is played at all this year remains a point of debate. Tom and Sam were both drafted by the Oval Invincibles last year, yet the potential for games to forced behind closed doors or difficulties bringing in overseas signings could see the whole tournament delayed.”It just depends on when we start playing cricket,” Tom said. “It’s just such a hard one to forecast because let’s say we start playing mid-June and things in Australia carry on a lot longer and finish in October, which means the overseas players wouldn’t be able to come. I don’t know the right answer and until we start picking and choosing it’s so hard to predict.”

Kimmince, Perry inflict crushing England defeat

Australia captain Meg Lanning becomes the first Australian – male or female – to pass 2000 T20I runs during the course of a modest chase

Annesha Ghosh in Mumbai28-Mar-2018 ScorecardDelissa Kimmince’s career-best 3 for 20 helped Australia restrict England to their joint second-lowest T20I score, before their batsmen razed the 97-run target in just 11.3 overs. Both sides will face each other in the tri-series final on March 31.England’s rut started right at the top as they lost Danielle Wyatt, their centurion from the previous game, off the fourth ball after Australia opted to field. Kimmince sniped out Tammy Beaumont in the fourth over. Two overs later, Amy Jones and Nat Sciver were gone. Sciver’s dismissal was particularly breathtaking as Meg Lanning snaffled a one-handed airborne, back-arching blinder at mid-off before falling on her right shoulder, which is still under recovery from a surgery.England’s 40 for 4 became 40 for 5 six balls later as Heather Knight, the captain, was trapped plumb in front while attempting a premeditated sweep. This capped off a full-blown collapse they couldn’t recover from. A 27-run seventh-wicket stand, the highest of the innings, between Jenny Gunn and Davidson-Richards helped deny Australia for a while, but they didn’t threaten to take the game away from England. Kimmince’s return for her second spell triggered another collapse as England lost their last four wickets for just eight runs. Davidson-Richards top scored with 24 in the team’s 96 all out in 17.4 overs.Australia came out all guns blazing. Opening in Beth Mooney’s absence because of a mild abdominal strain, Perry peppered nine fours en route to an unbeaten 32-ball 47 to go with her 1 for 25. Keeping her company for the greater part of the chase was Lanning, who became the first Australian – male or female – to notch up 2000 runs in T20Is.That Lanning was out to bat in the fourth over was down to Natalie Sciver and Sophie Ecclestone removing Alyssa Healy and Elyse Villani for single-digit scores. The first five overs fetched Australia 21 runs, but the sixth alone earned them those many as Lanning carted five back-to-back fours off offspinner Danielle Hazell.Lanning began with an inside-out drive over point, followed by two firm hits through the covers. A change of angle from Hazell made no difference to Lanning’s approach as she then backed away to sweep the delivery fine. The fifth, another inside-out lofted drive, fell inches short of the cover boundary, with the sixth ball intercepted for a single at extra cover.Lanning’s 28-ball 41, her highest score on this tour, featured eight fours, including one off Ecclestone in the seventh over that earned her the milestone 2000th T20I run. Perry, on her part, smashed four fours off the tenth over, bringing the equation down to 20 off the last ten overs. It took Australia another nine balls to seal the chase, with Perry sweeping Hazell for a four past backward square leg.

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