Women’s T20 World Cup: Australia go top of Group A with xx-run win over New Zealand

Defending champions Australia continued their winning march as they beat New Zealand by 60 runs at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah on October 8, Tuesday.

In the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 clash of the table-toppers of Group A, it was the Australians who emerged victorious over the White Ferns. Australia who are aiming to win their fourth straight Women’s T20 World Cup title have strengthened their position at the top and are making a strong case for themselves to reach the knock-outs yet again.

India women’s team find themselves in a much precarious situation with Australia’s win. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side had a shaky start to their campaign with a 58-run loss against New Zealand. However, they made a comeback with a six-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the next match. India will aim to boost their net run rate in the clash against Sri Lanka, followed by a must-win clash against Australia on October 13.

New Zealand were chasing 149 runs and Megan Schutt draw the first blood to become the highest wicket-taker in the history of Women’s T20 World Cup. She dismissed Georgia Plimmer for just four runs. Amelia Kerr and Suzie Bates shared a 47-run stand and led the recovery but New Zealand soon found themselves from 54/1 to 60/6. With the pitch slowing down further, the Sophie Devine-led side couldn’t recover from it as they were restricted at 88 runs.

Australia posted a challenging 148/6 against New Zealand in the enthralling clash, which was the highest score at this venue so far. At 109/2 in the 14th over, the Australians looked poised to reach 160-plus, but New Zealand’s bowlers, especially their spinners, pegged them back. Amelia Kerr was the standout performer, bamboozling the top-order batters with her well-disguised wrong ‘uns. She bagged key wickets to finish with impressive figures of 4/26.

Rosemary Mair bowled with discipline, while Brook Halliday, despite her unorthodox approach, surprised everyone with a valuable spell of 2/16 from two overs. Her mix of full-tosses and slower deliveries disrupted Australia’s momentum during the death overs. A sluggish pitch meant that run-scoring wasn’t easy, and Australia’s total of 148 proved to be a stiff challenge for the White Ferns. s for milestones, Australia’s Alyssa Healy became the eighth batter to cross 3,000 T20I runs, boasting a strike rate bettered by only a few. The Australian captain scored 26 runs and Beth Mooney top-scoring with 32-ball 40. Ellyse Perry also scored 30 runs from 24 balls with three fours and a six as she shared a 45-run stand with Mo