In a fierce match held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. australia They held their courage to secure a narrow victory by 9 points. India 18th match of the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. It was a close contest for both teams, but Australia came out on top in a very close match. Sophie Molyneux He was named player of the match for his outstanding bowling performance, taking two important wickets to stop India’s chase.
Australia set a competitive target with key contributions from Grace Harris and Ellyse Perry.
Australia won the toss and chose to bat first on a poor surface. While the innings got off to a shaky start, with opener Beth Mooney dropped early for just two runs, Grace Harris held the fort by anchoring the innings, scoring 40 runs off 41 balls. She had strong support from Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath, who each added 32 points. Perry’s rapid-fire knock came off just 23 balls, including two fours and a six, which helped Australia post a competitive 151/8 from 20 overs.
India’s bowlers, especially Renuka Singh Thakur and Deepti Sharma, stood out with their disciplined performances. Thakur claimed two wickets for 24 runs while Deepti conceded 28 runs and took two scalps. Shreyanka Patil, Pooja Vastrakar and Radha Yadav each took a wicket to prevent Australia from accelerating too quickly in the death overs.
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Despite Harmanpreet Kaur’s half-century, India’s chase falters.
Chasing 152, India Women got off to a good start but soon ran into trouble as they lost both their openers early. Shafali Verma scored a quick 20 off 13, including two fours and a six, but her dismissal triggered a mini-collapse as Smriti Mandhana (6) and Jemimah Rodrigues (16) fell cheaply. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur played the captain’s knock, hitting an unbeaten 54 off 47 balls with six boundaries to keep India in the hunt. She shared an important partnership with Deepti Sharma, who contributed 29 runs from 25 deliveries.
However, Australia’s bowlers struck back at regular intervals. Sophie Molineux played a key role in breaking the partnership and took 2 for 32 from her four overs. Megan Schutt, Ashleigh Gardner and Annabel Sutherland also took important wickets to halt India’s progress. Sutherland in particular was economical, taking two wickets while conceding just 22 runs in four overs.
Despite Harmanpreet’s efforts, India faltered in the death overs and lost wickets in quick succession. None of the lower-order batsmen could produce the finishing touch and India ultimately fell short. Managed 142/9 in 20 overs..
Harmanpreet Kaur remained unbeaten on 54 matches as India suffered a nine-run defeat against Australia.#Women’sCricket #INDvAUS #T20I #HarmanpreetKaur #CricketTwitter #Women’sCricket pic.twitter.com/1jKKJlJfu2
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This article was first published on WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.