Australia 68 for 1 (Lanning 36*) beat Barbados 64 (King 4-8, McGrath 3-13) by 9 wickets
Tahlia McGrath and Ashleigh Gardner added three and two wickets respectively as Barbados’ skilled high order crumbled and Australia saved them to a complete that was at all times going to be nigh on unimaginable to defend in opposition to such formidable opposition.
Gold-medal favourites Australia are high of Group A with two wins from as many matches they usually face winless Pakistan of their ultimate group recreation on Wednesday when India and Barbados, with one win every to date, face off for the opposite semi-ultimate berth.
Not this time, captain
Having scored a half-century and shared a 107-run partnership with Kycia Knight of their opening victory over Pakistan, Barbados captain Hayley Matthews cashed in as Darcie Brown struggled together with her line and size to start with. Matthews reduce Brown’s first ball via backward level for 4 like a rocket and unfurled a cracking cowl drive to seek out the boundary once more three balls later. She steered the primary ball of Brown’s subsequent over via the covers then swung her over the leg facet for consecutive boundaries, however Brown responded when she had Matthews out making an attempt to swat her over the leg facet once more solely to sky the ball to a ready Grace Harris at mid-on. Matthews was livid with herself, falling for a 13-ball 18, which she wasn’t to know would make her the highest-scorer of a dismal Barbados innings.
Dottin becalmed
When Matthews’ opening associate, Deandra Dottin clubbed Brown over additional cowl for 4 it was her first shot in anger after dealing with a maiden from Jess Jonassen in simply the third over and she or he ended the powerplay with simply six runs from 20 balls confronted.
King entered the assault within the eighth over and struck together with her second ball, brushing the surface of Dottin’s entrance pad as she knelt all the way down to tuck the ball all the way down to wonderful leg proper according to center stump and umpire Sue Redfern’s lbw resolution was upheld when Dottin reviewed, the ball clearly hitting center stump a 3rd of the best way up. Dottin completed with simply eight runs from 22 balls with a meagre strike charge of 36.36.
King guidelines
McGrath struck second ball when she had Kycia Knight, Barbados’ high-scorer within the first match with an unbeaten 62, simply caught by Megan Schutt at deep backward sq.. Kyshona Knight then chipped Gardner to Harris at midwicket as Barbados slid deeper into bother at 49 for 4 and into their inexperienced batters. Gardner was glorious bowling her off-breaks, sending down 17 dot balls in her 4 overs and ending with 2 for six after she eliminated 18-yr-previous Trishnan Holder for nought to seal a double-wicket maiden.
McGrath completed with 3 for 13 as she ate into the tail however it was King who dominated on a sluggish pitch that has now staged six matches on this event. King accounted for Aaliyah Alleyne, taking a wild swing throughout the road of 1 that ripped out leg stump after which pinned Shamilia Connell on the again leg subsequent ball. King ought to have had her third instantly however 33-yr-previous worldwide debutant Keila Elliott’s edge popped straight out of Lanning’s fingers at slip. Usually so dependable within the subject, Lanning lay face down on the turf for a while afterwards as King held her fingers to her head, a courageous smile painted on her face.
Lanning makes amends
Lanning all however made up for her blunder when she led Australia previous the goal, letting unfastened after a sedate begin. Healy was uncharacteristically quiet early – she confronted 14 balls for her first 4 runs after Australia misplaced Beth Mooney, stumped by Kycia Knight off the bowling of Shanika Bruce within the second over of their reply.
But Lanning punished some unfastened balls from Dottin within the sixth over, which went for 25 runs to shut out the powerplay with Australia needing simply 23 runs extra. Back-to-again sixes swung powerfully over the leg facet – the second off a excessive full toss that was referred to as as a no-ball – in Dottin’s first over set Australia correctly on their method. A vast preceded an unconventional 4 as Lanning stepped again and caught her bat out as she toppled forwards alongside her crease and managed to steer the ball to the boundary via third.
Healy then started to seek out the rope with again-to-again fours off Matthews and Elliott within the subsequent two overs earlier than Lanning swatted Shakera Selman to the sq.-leg boundary to deliver up the profitable runs and a powerful victory.
Valkerie Baynes is a normal editor at ESPNcricinfo