And here’s the match report:
Australia wins by eight wickets
A third win this tournament by eight wickets for the Aussies, and they are through to the semi-final stage. Where they will finish is another question, that depending on this weekend’s results and net run rate. England has beaten New Zealand, more or less, and South Africa has beaten Sri Lanka, in today’s other games.
Dominant stuff from Australia. As with the games against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and West Indies, the Aussies are happy to concede 200+ and then run it down. They would have done the same against England if not for a couple of strategic mishaps, and only fell short in the end by a boundary.
Meg Lanning is player of the match, which seems a bit stiff given Perry took 2-37 off 10 before making only 16 fewer runs. But there you go.
India played well but with limitations. Poonam Raut make an excellent century, catching up from a slow start, but Mithali Raj’s 69 was probably too slow and couldn’t catch up. No one else in the Indian line-up could contribute - there were six single-figure scores.
Australia’s bats in response were much more positive, using their feet more, drawing errors from the spinners or manufacturing them. It wasn’t always easy, but the runs came often enough through the more difficult earlier overs. Later, by the time Perry and Lanning were there, the pitch had had more time to air off and dry in the sun, and the bowlers began to wilt.
Mooney and Bolton were important, with another half-century opening stand, then Perry and Lanning put on another century stand. Perry now averages 51.39, Lanning 55.53.
Congratulations to Mithali Raj though, for becoming the first woman to score 6000 ODI runs, and for passing Charlotte Edwards’ 5992 as the previous all-time high.
Australia v South Africa is on the weekend, and India v New Zealand. Stay tuned. Geoff Lemon out, and Adam Collins by proxy. Till then.
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45.1 overs: Australia 227-2 (Lanning 76, Perry 60)
Perry finishes it with a four! Goswami back, Perry drives just to the on-side of straight, and the game is done in style.
45th over: Australia 223-2 (Lanning 76, Perry 56)
Nearly stumped! Perry comes down against Poonam, who throws it wide. Perry tries to get any part of bat on it, and misses. She already knows she’s in trouble. And so instead of trying to swing back the bat that’s in her front hand, she reaches back with her left hand and - by millimetres - gets the fingertips of her glove into the dirt behind the crease a fraction of a second before the stumps light up. Poonam’s lack of pace was what let Perry get back. All this comes after Perry has clattered another pull shot for four.
44th over: Australia 218-2 (Lanning 76, Perry 51)
Ekta Bisht darting them down. Perry flicks a couple, and there is her 22nd career 50. She’s made 21 of them in her last 34 innings. Absurd. This World Cup, she was not out twice for lowish scores, then has made four 50s in a row.
43rd over: Australia 213-2 (Lanning 74, Perry 48)
Although Poonam Yadav slows things up with just two singles, lots of flight, still making the batsmen unsure how to handle it.
42nd over: Australia 211-2 (Lanning 73, Perry 47)
They’re doing it with ever increasing ease as the target dwindles. Harmanpreet bowling, Lanning chips two over cover, Perry crashes four through point. Another fifty beckons.
41st over: Australia 203-2 (Lanning 70, Perry 42)
Cor. Cop that. Lanning gets one a touch short, goes right back on the stumps, opens up her leg side, and absolutely smashes it though deep midwicket for four. That was a glorious shot. But Deepti comes back well, no luck, turning one in towards Perry, takes the thick inside edge and not only misses the stumps, but some intense running nets the Australians three.
40th over: Australia 195-2 (Lanning 65, Perry 39)
Lanning hasn’t enough runs to get to 100, but she’s eough skill to keep middling them across the line. Harmanpreet swung around but the result the same. She’s never threatened the Australians with the ball today. Nine from it. Easy peasy.
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39th over: Australia 186-2 (Lanning 59, Perry 36)
Three more of the easiest runs you’ll see in international cricket. Predictably, helped by a misfield. Mandhana the culprit this time. Deepti’s been better than her figures of 0/36 from nine suggest.
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38th over: Australia 183-2 (Lanning 56, Perry 36)
NZ need eight an over to win with Katey Perkins still there. As Geoff notes on TMS: “If its one thing that a Perkins knows what to do it is win from lane eight.” That’s so niche, I had to share.
Bisht, meanwhile, concedes a boundary when Perry clips with grace behind square. No further runs, but it doesn’t matter now.
37th over: Australia 179-2 (Lanning 56, Perry 32)
Scenarios everywhere about Super Saturday. Including a bizarro world one where it’ll be potentially in Australia’s interest to lose their final fixture to get South Africa twice in a row, ala the 1999 World Cup for the blokes. Deary me. Harmanpreet’s first ball back into the attack. First ball... through Pandey’s legs. TV calculates 19 runs in misfields this innings. At least that.
Also on scenarios. NZ v India becomes a quasi quarter final the way we are heading. Albeit outside of that a marginally less Super Saturday than we expected a few hours ago.
36th over: Australia 172-2 (Lanning 55, Perry 26)
We’re into the power play, for what little that means. Oh, and it’s Adam here again. Hope you’re enjoying Meg Lanning as much as we are. Bisht, to her credit, does slip a maiden through here. Good cricket. They have a drink. Wanna song? I’m seeing the mighty Smith Street Band tonight. A band who sing about milk crates and despair better than most.
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Half century! Lanning 50 (55 balls)
35th over: Australia 172-2 (Lanning 55, Perry 26)
That makes 11 fifties to go with her 11 hundreds. Can she convert this one and keep the ratio in positive terms? She celebrates by gliding another boundary. Goswami the victim. Then bowls a wide, well outside off.
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34th over: Australia 162-2 (Lanning 49, Perry 23)
Three from Poonam’s leggies. Lanning is just about on a half-century. How did that happen? She’s barely seemed to be there. Ghost runs. They’re everywhere on these roads.
33rd over: Australia 158-2 (Lanning 47, Perry 21)
The spearhead is back, Jhulan Goswami. But it’s probably too late for her to make a real impact. The batting pair is just able to wait her out, open the face, glide a few singles to third man. No risks. Simple.
32nd over: Australia 155-2 (Lanning 46, Perry 19)
Perry again. First ball of the over this time, Bisht gets a touch short, and Perry picks the gap with her pull shot. Splits the sweepers on the on-side, hitting the gap at wide long on. Four more. And a sprinkling of singles to decorate the icing that was placed on the cake.
31st over: Australia 148-2 (Lanning 45, Perry 13)
Gorgeous. Too wide from Deepti, after most of a quiet over, and Perry has the timing to cut through cover, and the ability to do it with panache. She also has 20 half-centuries from her last 32 innings, which is utterly bonkers. Can play cricket.
30th over: Australia 140-2 (Lanning 43, Perry 7)
Bisht just lobbing it down, 40mph. So Lanning starts the set by dancing, smashing, inside out. Three overs in a row they have gone hard to start it off and set the tone. A wide comes before the spinner gets it right. Five more risk-free runs the result.
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29th over: Australia 132-2 (Lanning 37, Perry 7)
Lanning’s turn. Oh she’s so good. No room, but she finds it. Nimble in the crease, crunching the gap on the off-side. No need for anything expansive thereafter, seven taken from the set. Cruise control already. 4.4 an over needed, for those keeping an eye on that.
28th over: Australia 125-2 (Lanning 30, Perry 7)
Perry gets a half-tracker from Pandey and takes full advantage for her first boundary of the day, slapping to the cover rope. Pandey not quite as effective as she was earlier on. Raj has to keep throwing it around. Plenty of options.
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27th over: Australia 119-2 (Lanning 29, Perry 2)
Bisht with her orthos going again. She has been massive for this side through the comp. But needs to break this up. We know what happens if she doesn’t. Lanning and Perry win this by about over 43 without needing top gear even for fun. Down the ground then through midwicket the customary four easy runs from this over. To be fair, she is throwing it up. Or catapulting it up, as it looks from her height, which could only be 5’0 at most.
26th over: Australia 115-2 (Lanning 26, Perry 1)
Three times in a row to begin the Pandey over there are singles taken down to third man. Looks like they are enjoying pace back on the ball after a barrage of spin. To be fair, Pandey has skills that aren’t to be underrated.
25th over: Australia 112-2 (Lanning 24, Perry 0)
Bisht considerably better in this second spell. Lanning bunts out to midwicket early in the set. Then she hits Perry in front - or so it looks. Replay suggests that had they gone with DRS (they can’t, that was burned long ago) it probably would have stayed with the on-field call, which was not out. Perry yet to get off the mark after seven balls.
24th over: Australia 111-2 (Lanning 23, Perry 0)
Sorry, brief wifi blunder. We’re back. I’ll be brief: nice carve from Lanning behind point. Her special spot. You could put nine fielders there and it wouldn’t matter, she’ll find runs.
23rd over: Australia 108-2 (Lanning 20, Perry 0)
Lanning and Perry; Perry and Lanning. We know how this script goes. Lanning, as if spurred on by the statistical dominance of the new pairing, knocks a drive to the rope first ball after losing Mooney. Granted, it’s laughable fielding by Raut, but she did make a ton earlier.
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WICKET! Mooney run out 45 (Australia 103-1)
Urrrrrgh! After all that about Beth Mooney she falls. Run out the ball after Australia brought up their 100 with five wides. Deepti collected and threw from extra-cover, a direct hit at the danger end, she’s well short. Confirmed by TV umpire Chris Brown.
22nd over: Australia 96-1 (Mooney 44, Lanning 14)
Mooney needed a score today. Her spot in the side shouldn’t be in doubt, and look, maybe it isn’t. But what if they want to look at a third seamer? Plenty have argued for it in the last couple of days. A spot is needed for that, probably from the deep batting list. Anyway, she needed a score. And she’s well on the way now. Lovely cover drive off Poonam here. Four of the best. And six away from 50 for the Queenslander.
21st over: Australia 88-1 (Mooney 38, Lanning 12)
Pretty good over that from Bisht. Recovered well from being smashed in her first over. No long hops this time. That’ll help. And not for nothing beating Lanning’s edge, shoddy shoulder or otherwise.
Speaking of brilliant cricketers I can’t get enough of. Nat Sciver made a ton in 92 balls earlier. Of course she did. We should make a fanzine about her.
It took @natsciver just 92 balls to reach her second century of #WWC17
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) July 12, 2017
Watch the best bits of her innings: https://t.co/70mdrgEFeX#ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/5Cmu4x2hYh
NOT OUT! The foot is back. Of course it is. Probably levitated it back. Does what she wants, Lanning.
WICKET? Is Lanning stumped? We’ll find out shortly as we’re upstairs. Bisht may have the Aussie superstar skipper.We’ll know in a sec.
20th over: Australia 86-1 (Mooney 36, Lanning 12)
Poonam Yadav continues. “She doesn’t toss it that high, objectively” says Norcross, “but she tosses it high in relation to Poonam Yadav.” She is about four-foot-ten. Three singles from the over, they’re doing it quietly.
Adam will be with you in a second.
19th over: Australia 83-1 (Mooney 34, Lanning 11)
Deepti Sharma continuing well. Very accurate, nagging away on the of stump. Lanning can’t break away, even when she gets an accidental wider one that she cuts straight to the field. The next is far closer to the stumps, and she cuts again, dangerously. Only the Mooney run from the first ball of the over.
18th over: Australia 82-1 (Mooney 33, Lanning 11)
Well, if today for Australia was about fixing mistakes against England, Lanning is taking that very literally. She was out in that game advancing down the pitch and missing a lofted drive. This time she does the same, against Poonam Yadav, and with a three-quarter-strength shot, clears the straight rope for six. To get off the mark. Ok then. Goes again last ball of the over, for four. If she gets 66 more today, she’ll hit 3000 ODI runs in the equal-fastest manner ever, in terms of games played, to match Belinda Clark.
17th over: Australia 70-1 (Mooney 32, Lanning 0)
Glad she’s gone, mutters Mooney to herself, and proceeds to clout the next Deepti delivery over mid on. Daniel Norcross on TMS is beautiful: “Over the top of the tall Goswami, who puts a hand up more as if to wave it goodbye more than impede its passage to the boundary.”
Then there’s a review for caught behind as Mooney plays and misses, but she misses by a long, long way. Strange review. After which Mooney drives at Goswami again, along the ground this time, and Goswami puts in what Adam Collins calls “the ageing fast bowler dive”. So slow, like a jumping castle being deflated, and about as effective at stopping a cricket ball. Four.
16th over: Australia 62-1 (Mooney 24)
Lanning back to her usual spot at three, after Perry batted there last time out.
WICKET! Bolton c Verma b Poonam Yadav 36
All that back and forth with one spinner, then Bolton, maybe distracted, falls to the other! It’s full, it’s outside off, and for some reason Bolton tries to go across the line. Doesn’t get too close to it, but close enough for a little edge. Verman snaffles it.
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15th over: Australia 57-0 (Bolton 32, Mooney 23)
Turn! Serious turn for Deepti, as she drops a bit short. Bolton had opened up the off side by stepping across, then the spin took it so far away from her that her cut shot couldn’t reach the ball. But was that a slight edge that bounced out of the keeper’s gloves? Two similar deliveries up next, and one Bolton bails out of a pull shot, the other she gets a toe on it, straight to cover. It’s suddenly a maiden.
14th over: Australia 57-0 (Bolton 32, Mooney 23)
So it’s Poonam Yadav, the moon-ball queen. Turns the ball the same way as the left-arm ortho, but really floats her leg breaks up to the bat. Huge air, turn, can be really hard to time. Bolton tries to slam her over long-on, but mistimes it so hard that it lands short of the catcher in the deep. This is after driving two through cover. Six from the over in the end, with a few singles. But Poonam the kind of player who makes things happen.
13th over: Australia 51-0 (Bolton 28, Mooney 21)
Harmanpreet back. Bisht off after being whacked. Raj doesn’t want the left-armer bowling to these two left-handers, and you can understand why. A better over from the Indian wildcard, who concedes only three singles, one of them to a sloppy bit of fielding from Goswami.
12th over: Australia 48-0 (Bolton 27, Mooney 19)
Deepti Sharma on for her second spell. Eight runs from her first two overs. Really settles into a rhythm here against Mooney. Tight on the off stump. Only a single, cut, from the final ball.
11th over: Australia 47-0 (Bolton 27, Mooney 18)
Thanks Adam, Geoff back on the keys. Well, I said a few minutes ago on radio that it was a curious choice having the shortest player on your team at backward point. Ekta Bisht is genuinely tiny. And that potential catch in the last over went within a metre of her, and she wasn’t blessed enough in length of limb to reach it. Bisht comes on to bowl the 11th over, so someone else will have to field there. Nicole Bolton doesn’t mind though. Bisht? More like Biff. The bowler might have taken 5-18 against Pakistan, but Bolton takes three consecutive boundaries from her bowling, using the lofted on-drive to clear the field with a chip rather than a full-blooded bash, then sweeping twice.
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10th over: Australia 34-0 (Bolton 15, Mooney 17)
So close! Pandey wins an edge. Mooney could easily have been caught at gully. Not to be, the dive not enough. Maybe a foot away, no more. Pandey the bowler most likely here.
9th over: Australia 31-0 (Bolton 14, Mooney 16)
Six very easy runs here. First two balls: overpitched, drive. Long hop, pull. Mooney grateful. Two singles to finish it, including a lovely cover drive from Bolton that deserved four but there’s a sweeper. I like using Harmanpreet for some flare, but she’s off-set some good work from her colleagues there.
8th over: Australia 25-0 (Bolton 13, Mooney 10)
Pandey has a nice bit of movement away from these left handers, who rotate via a leg bye. The first run off the bat from her bowling does come from the penultimate delivery. Not that it means much at thi stage, but the required run rate is 4.80.
7th over: Australia 23-0 (Bolton 13, Mooney 10)
Harmanpreet given a jam roll during the power play. That’s bold. She combines her wicket-taking deliveries with some real trash. But they do need a relatively early one, so let’s do this. Bolton leans on a delivery wide enough to get down to third man for three. Keeps the strike with a nice cover drive.
Nat Sciver had another day out at Derby. Talk of the comp: what to call this shot. She’s a freak.
Come on then, what on earth are we calling this shot from #SurreyStars skipper @natsciver?
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) July 12, 2017
👀 here: https://t.co/tZUkiO2TAY pic.twitter.com/VNLFdvazhx
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6th over: Australia 18-0 (Bolton 9, Mooney 9)
Highly-rated seamer Pandey gets her first chance. And does it nicely, swinging the ball away from Mooney on a few occasions. Mooney has nicked off to worse bowling in this tournament, so she’s conservative in her approach here. Third maiden of the innings. Slow and steady and all that.
5th over: Australia 18-0 (Bolton 9, Mooney 9)
Goswami goes again. Maintaining her full length, asking plenty of questions. Bolton breaks it up with a full blooded drive to mid-off, a single collected from a deflection. When she gets the strike back to end the over she helps herself to a second boundary of her day when putting away a long-hop. Like many short batsman, she is perfectly competent off the back foot.
4th over: Australia 12-0 (Bolton 8, Mooney 4)
Bang, bang Beth. Carving past point after using her feet and lifting over cover. That’s the way to break up the early monotony via Deepti’s spin. Looking forward to seeing how they deal with Bisht, who is known for bowling as slow as 38mph. Won’t be long.
3rd over: Australia 4-0 (Bolton 4, Mooney 0)
It took 16 balls, but Australia are belatedly away. Via a pull past square leg by Bolton to the rope. Good early battle.
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2nd over: Australia 0-0 (Bolton 0, Mooney 0)
Deepti Sharma didn’t bat until number nine, entering in the last over, despite clocking 60 and 78 in India’s last two games. But she is opening the bowling now. And doing it well with her little offies, keeping Bolton bolted to the crease. Nothing about for the openers early on. But to be fair, they are rarely in a hurry. All about laying a base for Lanning and Perry. Sounds like a law firm.
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1st over: Australia 0-0 (Bolton 0, Mooney 0)
Not much to see here. Because Goswami immediately in her spot. Every time. Raj isn’t the only legend in this Indian side, Goswami into her own 161st ODI today. She nearly convinced Bolton to take a quick single last ball. Wisely, they turn back.
Because OBO superpal Vish DMd this to me earlier as a a potential karaoke band (there’s context, but not for here), I’ll start you off with a tune to get the blood pumping in this second innings.
The players are back. Bolton and Mooney. Got a nice ring to it. And they are nice accumulators too. Both not without some pressure at the top of the list with 227 to get to pop Australia into the final four of this competition. Indian leeeeeegend Jhulan Goswami has the ball in her hand. Go!
Australia will chase 227 to win
So ends a somewhat two-paced innings. India built solidly through the middle for a partnership of 157 for the second wicket, but weren’t really able to put the foot down convincingly as wickets fell towards the back end.
“The ball was not coming onto the bat, so we decided to spend more time. We wanted to bat 50 overs,” says Raut.
Will it be enough? Maybe, on a slightly sticky pitch, where shots seem hard to time. India with plenty of slow options could test the patience of the Australians. We’ll be back with you in about 20 minutes for the chase.
50th over: India 226-6 (Pandey 7, Deepti 5)
Deepti Sharma comes in at 9 after the sloggers were promoted. Strange. She jabs a single, gets the strike back, then finishes the match with a loft over mid off for four. Five from three balls. Might have been handy earlier?
WICKET! Verma b Schutt 6
Same again. Straight. Missed. Not a good combination for those with the bat in cricket.
49th over: India 218-6 (Verma 5, Pandey 5)
Perry’s last over brings the wicket first ball. Shikha Pandey comes in next. Gets a run. Then Verma goes long on the pull, almost a miracle catch at deep square leg! Bolton backpedalling, sees it going over her, leaps and taps back a possible six with one hand. Could have hung on but it would have been very unlikely. In the end went for saving the boundary with the fingertipper. In the meantime, India’s two runs become one, because Verma ran into Perry at the far end and couldn’t ground her bat. After several seconds trying to untangle herself, she looked up and saw Pandey halfway down, and so ran all the way back to the striker’s end without having grounded her bat. Just to avoid any chance of a runout. Last ball, Pandey compensates by carving over cover for four. Top shot.
WICKET! Goswami b Perry 2
Simple. Straight at the wicket. Goswami clears her front leg, clears her throat, clears her schedule, and bellows “Clearance! Everything must go!”
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48th over: India 211-5 (Verma 3, Goswami 2)
The wicketkeeper and the free-swinging fast bowler out there now. Didn’t Deepti Sharma hit 27 fours in an innings against Ireland? She’s being bumped down the order today.
WICKET! Harmanpreet st Healy b Schutt 23 (22 balls)
Unravelling further. The bright cameo comes to an end, Harmanpreet charging and looking to go leg side, missing as the ball was too full, and Schutt is one of those rare seamers who gets stumpings, Healy keeping up t the wicket to her most of the time and quick with the gloves. Schutt’s swing means she’s often missed.
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47th over: India 206-4 (Harmanpreet 22, Verma 1)
It’s unravelling a bit for India. Can’t drop the hammer, but they are shedding wickets.
WICKET! Krishnamurthy run out Schutt 0
It’s a diamond duck! The batsmen have crossed for the last catch. Harmanpreet flicks a run to midwicket, Krishnamurthy assumes they’ll go for two, Harmanpreet sends her back. Don’t know why, surely it’s time to hustle. Krishnamurthy has to turn around, it’s always slow doing that, and she’s short at the striker’s end as Healy receives the throw and clatters the woodwork.
WICKET! Raut c Bolton b Perry 106 (136 balls)
A top knock from Raut, lost her opening partner early, absorbed pressure, and caught up as she batted most of the way through. Gets a nice half volley on the pads, gets a good piece of it whipping aerially, but it just falls short. Bolton at deep backward nearly mucks it up, fingers pointing up but the ball dips late and she has to drop to her knees to get her upward-facing hands under it. Manages it though, and Raut’s century comes to an end.
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46th over: India 202-2 (Raut 106, Harmanpreet 19)
Got to swing now. Jonassen darts, Raut backs away to try to slog but can only jab a run. Harmanpreet? No such issues. Gets low and powers the next ball into the stand. Literally. The boundary ropes are in a bit at Bristol, but that went out of the oval completely. That helps gather nine from the over, the run rate up to 4.39 and the 200 up. Good, but they need more like this.
45th over: India 193-2 (Raut 105, Harmanpreet 11)
Buzzzzzers. Through everyone, lack of backing up, Perry has two taken off her when it should have been one. Five from the first three balls of her eighth over. Looks like she will bowl the death overs today, which is encouraging after she was benched for them on Sunday. Six from it after Perry fights back well, beating the bat with the final ball. Nice job there.
Punam Raut brings up her century!
44th over: India 187-2 (Raut 100, Harmanpreet 10)
Lanning really throwing it around here, Jonassen back from the Pavilion End now for her ninth. Sticking with her defensive over the wicket approach. Raut has been immense, and absolutely earned this second ODI ton. She got there in a hurry here, via a lovely steer behind point to begin the over, then a tuck through midwicket to end the set. Arms in the air all the way down the track as she brought up the 100th run, helmet off. Brilliant. Talk from Indian media she may not retain her spot for this game, but this hand has been an emphatic endorsement of her importance. 86 against England, a ton against Australia. Doesn’t get much better than that. Played.
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43rd over: India 180-2 (Raut 94, Harmanpreet 9)
Singles everywhere here, down the ground and square of the wicket on both the leg side and the posh. Six strike rotations in six balls. Everyone will be happy with that. Raut within one clobber of a century. It would be a well-deserved one, and the tenth of the Women’s World Cup 2017.
42nd over: India 174-2 (Raut 91, Harmanpreet 6)
Harmanpreet so classy. Just about my favourite player in the game, so bare with me as I carry on a bit. She’s down the track here and taking Gardner through midwicket with such timing. What a delight. The stand that just broke up was India’s highest ever second-wicket tryst, I’m told by the mighty Hypocaust on the twitter machine.
41th over: India 166-2 (Raut 89, Harmanpreet 0) The new player happy enough to watch the reminder of the Beams over. She has a tidy record against Australia, having won a T20 international against them in Adelaide last year. Also did nicely in the Women’s Big Bash League last summer. So she won’t be intimidated by these bowlers.
WICKET! Mithai Raj c&b Beams 69. India 166-2
At last, Australia get their second breakthrough when Raj is unable to beat Beams in her follow through, well taken by the leggie for her first of the day. A timely wicket too, as Raj looked primed for a big final ten. A day of history for the Indian captain, passing 6000 runs in the process, also becoming the highest scoring woman in all ODIs. But that’s all from her for now.
40th over: India 164-1 (Raut 88, Raj 68)
Schutt back on, maybe a bit earlier than Lanning would have liked. Villani misfields and India grab three from the first ball. A miss at mid-on. A couple more singles, a wide, but still not the boundaries that India needs to really lift this score.
39th over: India 157-1 (Raut 84, Raj 66)
Australia getting anxious? A couple of singles, then Raj comes across her stumps to Jonassen and is hit by the slider sweeping. Lanning burns Australia’s review, because this was pitching well outside leg stump. Nothing doing. Raj celebrates with another two to the leg side. Then more singles. Six from the over, the run rate ticking up towards 4 now, which means 200+ should be on the cards. Might not be an easy chase on a slightly dodgy deck with an army of slow spinners sending the balls down.
38th over: India 151-1 (Raut 82, Raj 62)
Must... resist... cliches about shackles breaking... They can’t find the boundary, even though the runs are now coming a bit more easily. Raut glides two, then clips one. Raj tries to bash Gardner over midwicket but mistimes for one. Raut drives one straight. Then, finally, shackles ahoy. Raj gets width, and produces her best shot of the day, a classical cover drive for four.
37th over: India 141-1 (Raut 78, Raj 56)
Jonassen has gone for 12 from 6 overs. Surreal. She starts as tidily again, a single that was nearly a wicket as Raj got a high leading edge that drops between midwicket dropping back and long on running up. Four singles from the over, the other three all swept square.
36th over: India 137-1 (Raut 76, Raj 54)
They’re happy to get the sweeps and slogs out against Gardner now. But still can’t find the fence. A couple of singles to leg, then Raut drives two over cover, and skews another in the air that lands safely and adds two more. Some intent at least, but the innings still not purring. There’s time if they’re good enough.
35th over: India 131-1 (Raut 71, Raj 53)
Jess Jonassen through the most Jess Jonassen over imaginable as far as her radar is concerned. Granted, Raut again shows a willingness to take on the bowlers, through midwicket for a couple. She’s over the wicket now to change the angle. Raut keeps the strike off the hip. Good contest between Raut and the spinners.
34th over: India 127-1 (Raut 68, Raj 52)
Couple of singles and a leg side wide from Ash Gardner, who has been economical again through her seven overs so far today. Doubly so for the fact she’s the only bowler with a wicket in the column. Impressive young cricketer. Future captain. There you go, I’ve called it.
33rd over: India 124-1 (Raut 67, Raj 51)
Raj to her 49th ODI half-century! It wasn’t much a shot to get there, hacking it into the off-side after misreading a slower ball. But it matters little, as she’s still there and these two have been riding shotgun for 30 overs now. Job far from done, but commendable work so far. Raut makes it a very good over - worth eight - when lapping the seamer to the rope. Second time she’s done that. Her tenth boundary. Tidy.
32nd over: India 116-1 (Raut 61, Raj 49)
Villani into the attack with her not-so-part-time-now dibbly-dobblies. Each of them bring a run, singles taken around the wagonwheel with a minimum of fuss. Five of those to Raj, who goes within a run of her half-century. Not sure why they need to turn to Villani here, come to think of it. Their five front-line bowlers all should get through ten.
31st over: India 108-1 (Raut 59, Raj 44)
Very special moment with Mithali Raj racing past Charlotte Edwards as top of the pops in women’s ODI cricket then an over later popping Beams over her head to go beyond 6000 runs as well. What a career. She doesn’t have a formal strike-rate because they didn’t keep balls faced back when she debuted in 1999. 1999! Millennium Bug was still a thing when she debuted! She captained her country to a World Cup final in 2005 - at age 22. And she’s still going now. Granted, with plenty of work yet to do here. It’s slow going. But both Raut and Raj look ready to launch here, having carefully accumulated against some excellent Australian bowling on a fairly claggy track.
Megan Schutt back into the act. And after a change in the field to bring up midwicket Raut has responded by going straight over the top to launch a boundary to that very spot. Excellent batting.
6000 ODI runs for Mithali Raj
30th over: India 103-1 (Raut 55, Raj 43)
Beams flighting the ball, a couple of singles, then a flatter ball and Raj comes down the wicket to drive a straight six! She raises the 6000 runs with that stroke, the first player ever to get there in women’s ODIs. What a day.
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29th over: India 94-1 (Raut 54, Raj 35)
It’s still Dot Ball City down here. (“Keep your eyes open for a bargain...”)
Defending, then even when Perry overpitches Raj hits straight to cover. But at least, finally, an innocuous single is scored, and Mithali Raj goes to 5993 career runs, the most prolific scorer in the history of women’s ODI cricket. 183 games, she debuted back in 1999, and she’s been an absolute ornament to the game.
Standing ovation from the Indian team, then Raut glides another run, Raj adds one more, and it’s three from the over.
28th over: India 91-1 (Raut 53, Raj 33)
Edged! But no slip. Beams giving it flight, Raj driving off the edge. Taps a run through the leg side. Raut follows suit, Raj then keeps the strike. She’s equalled Edwards...
27th over: India 86-1 (Raut 52, Raj 29)
Closing on the milestone, sure, but taking a lot of deliveries to do it. Her career has been going so long, Mithali Raj that we don’t know how many balls she’s faced since her debut. They didn’t used to record those figures. She blocks a couple from Perry, hits three straight to the field, and finally get a run from the last ball. 29 from 74 is just far too big a gap.
26th over: India 85-1 (Raut 52, Raj 28)
Thanks Adam. It’s all about Raj indeed, going four runs closer to catching Charlotte Edwards as Beams tosses one up above the eyeline, and India’s skipper drops low and cracks it back over the bowler’s head. Not the most elegant, coming across the line, but effective. Then drives a single to get off strike. Five from equalling Edwards.
25th over: India 79-1 (Raut 51, Raj 23)
A wonderful half-century from Raut brought up with a big launch to long-on by the opener. 74 balls to get there, eight fours. Perry has been much better to begin here, but still lacking a yard. The board ticking over far more easily over the last five overs, where they have moved at just on a run a ball. Good cricket. Next: a couple of Raj milestones.
24th over: India 73-1 (Raut 46, Raj 22)
Gardner has been good today, but has conceded three boundaries in a couple of overs. To be fair, it’s a very clever shot from Raut, premeditating the full ball and lapping it over the ‘keeper. Really good cricket. Raut has earned a half-century.
23rd over: India 68-1 (Raut 42, Raj 21)
“Four out for Punam Raut” Geoff relays on the radio. Yes, he was a poet in a former life, can’t you tell? It’s Perry back. She wasn’t great early on. But this is better. Oh, except for a full toss. Raj probably should have deposited it somewhere, instead she only got one to the sweeper at deep point. Should have been two. But Mithai Raj doesn’t scamper. Con Calma.
22nd over: India 67-1 (Raut 42, Raj 20)
Up and about is Raut in this over. They needed to break up the control the Aussie finger spinners have had on this contest so far, and via a couple of powerful and well-timed clobbers across the line the Indian opener has done just that. Eight from the over, making it 16 in three since they had a drink. That’s better. We saw what Raut can do over a long stay at the crease in the competition opener, and Raj’s record speaks for itself.
21st over: India 59-1 (Raut 34, Raj 20)
Jonassen continuing her frugal efforts from the Ashley Down Road End. I just love saying that Ashley Down Road End. I’ve grown to love Bristol. Caters for all my quirks. Only runs here from the final two deliveries, the left-arm tweaker slipping twice onto Raj’s pads. After missing a sweep earlier, she is more conservative with tucks on both occasions, both bringing two. That makes it eight overs off her in five overs. Positively hammered.
A note from Amod Paranjape about how we are managing our little tag team, appropriately timed as it’s Adam back with you now, “When you say handing the baton to and fro, do you really run and tap each other on the back?”
Chalk it up to precision with a rota that we spent a good couple of hours pulling together. But there’s still a little bit of “oi mate, you’re up!” about it too with our body language, I can’t deny.
20th over: India 55-1 (Raut 34, Raj 16)
Gardner is back. Bowling straight, shovelled to midwicket. You can sense India caught in two minds. You need to get the runs flowing, but if you hole out after such a slow start, you feel you’ve let the team down. Every dot ball only increases the responsibility for the player to make up ground later. In that situation, I can see how you can become paralysed. Finally, Raut gets something easy, as Gardner slips in a full toss outside off stump. Raut bunts it through cover with the toe of the bat for four.
19th over: India 51-1 (Raut 30, Raj 16)
Raut find the gap at cover point against Jonassen, as the ball spins a touch away. A single. But that’s about as good as the over gets for India, Jonassen just bowling so straight and the field so oppressively tight. A single from the over. And it’s drinks! After 19 overs. Australia burning through them, while giving nothing away.
18th over: India 50-1 (Raut 29, Raj 16)
Beams ploughs relentlessly on. Three singles from the first three balls, that displeases her, so she tightens up the line. With a wrong ‘un in there as well. A couple of dots played out, but then the last ball, Raj slips the leash. A bit too short, Raj backs away from the ball, is in position early, and cracks the cut through cover for four. Splits the field. The 50 comes up. A power of work yet to do, but this may be the start of it.
Review, Raj's dismissal overturned
17th over: India 43-1 (Raut 27, Raj 11)
Raj tries to sweep, misses the ball and Jonassen’s appeal is rewarded by the on-field umpire. There’s no edge, because she doesn’t go straight upstairs. But after chatting to Raut she does make the T signal. Raj is rewarded, the DRS reconstruction has the ball fractionally missing leg stump. Luck more than fine judgement, but important luck. A single from the over, but the captain survives.
16th over: India 42-1 (Raut 26, Raj 11)
Australia really turning the screws with Kristen Beams here. Alternating between one and two in the deep, a backward square leg for both and sometimes a deep cover for Raut. The pitch seems a bit sticky, the ball isn’t coming on, and some accurate bowling from Beams makes it even more difficult. Three singles from the over, Raut making use of that deep cover by hitting out to her. Plugging along at a strike rate of 50, Raj at 30. There’s only so long this can be sustained, surely?
15th over: India 39-1 (Raut 24, Raj 10)
Perry on the improve here. Albeit still lacking that penetration that made her the best in the business. She has Raj on the front foot more than the back here though, which is encouraging. And to be fair, she’s only conceded nine runs in three overs. Righto, that’s me for now. Back to Geoff.
14th over: India 37-1 (Raut 23, Raj 9)
Only a couple from the Beams over, Raut forced to defend as the leggie attacks the stumps with her range of toppies and googlies. Impressive control.
13th over: India 35-1 (Raut 21, Raj 9)
Perry again from the Ashley Down Road end. Or the apartment building end if you’re watching on telly. Australia’s fourth game here, so they know it well. Gee, this is no good from Perry. No nice way to say it. Punctuated by a half-tracker nowhere near top pace, that Raj leaps into and smacks through midwicket. Have that.
12th over: India 30-1 (Raut 20, Raj 5)
Beams into the act now. Having a wonderful tournament, equal most wickets across the board with nine. Has a knack of getting them in her first over of a stint too. We’ll see here. She’s right on the mark, but perhaps a bit straight, the strike rotated three times through the leg side by the Indian pair, who are looking quite settled.
11th over: India 27-1 (Raut 18, Raj 4)
Perry into the attack. This’ll be interesting. Bowled without any rhythm against England on Sunday to the extent that she had three overs left on the shelf at the end of Australia’s 50. Unheard of, really, in her decade as Australia’s attack leader. Radar not quite on to begin here either, a bouncer that’s well down the leg side. A ropey short ball comes next. Then some help-yourself stuff on leg stump that Raut should have done more with. The pattern continues: short without penetration, then a couple of leg stump. A single to fine leg the only run off the bat. Hmmm.
Around the grounds, to Derby, England batting first versus NZ and have lost a couple inside the power play (36-2). We’ll keep a close eye on that one. Huge in the context of the comp as well.
10th over: India 25-1 (Raut 17, Raj 4)
The quitissenial Jess Jonassen maiden. She got through six of them in her ten overs against Pakistan. Lands them in a shoe box, she does. Little wonder she took more wickets than any other during the ICC Championship over the last few years. That was the comp where this World Cup found its four automatic qualifier. Great addition to the programme, each side playing 21 games (three against each ‘major’ opponent). Raj happy enough watching. She’s always got time on her side. Can’t wait seeing her go through 6000 ODI runs in about an hour or so. And she will.
9th over: India 25-1 (Raut 17, Raj 4)
A long half-volley from Schutt to begin, Raut leaning in and making no mistake. Very tidy. But she’s right back on it. Oh, until the last ball where Raut repeats the dose. So, boundaries to bookend the over. By some way India’s best to date. Adam with here for the first time today, by the way. Morning. If you’re just joining the OBO, Geoff and I are handing the baton back and forth through the course of these 100 overs, in between sets on the ones and twos for BBC. Join the fun in multiple tabs, I say.
Updated
8th over: India 17-1 (Raut 9, Raj 4)
Gardner’s early work is done. Jonassen comes on with left-arm spin, and is equally parsimonious. Raj does try to score, but hits to the field each time. Finally breaches it through cover for two from the final ball.
7th over: India 15-1 (Raut 9, Raj 2)
And another quiet one. Schutt is flicked for two by Raut, but that’s all from the over. India happy to just bat through the first 10 and then think about things. I’m not sure if this is entirely the right approach.
Smylers, tongue partially in cheek, emails in: “Hi, Geoff. Glad to hear the Australia–England game had lots of listeners. Given how exciting the end of that match was, I thought it was really selfish of the men to conclude the England–SA test at the same time. They could’ve wrapped up their match at any time that afternoon or evening (or even kept going till Monday), enabling listeners to switch over and catch the end of the women’s ODI without missing much of the test. By contriving to finish simultaneously, they deprived women’s cricket of much-needed publicity — poor show.”
Here was the TMS boss Adam Mountford’s positive take.
Quarter of a million people followed our online coverage of #ENGvAUS #WWC17 yesterday
— Adam Mountford (@tmsproducer) July 10, 2017
That's despite it clashing with climax of Lord's Test pic.twitter.com/aGZeGDScaT
6th over: India 13-1 (Raut 7, Raj 2)
India can’t get anything going early. Gardner oppressive. Two singles from her over. Big day in the WWC, England playing New Zealand, South Africa playing Sri Lanka, all of those games with a bearing on who qualifies. Good to see people enjoying it. Lots of schoolkids at some of these games.
Having a great time! #WWC17 pic.twitter.com/Oi737oYofX
— Yew Class, Trull (@Yew_Trull) July 12, 2017
5th over: India 11-1 (Raut 6, Raj 1)
A drop! And former England opener Caroline Foster in the BBC box lets out a startled cry, thinking she’d just seen a great slips catch. Schutt bowled wide, Raut drove hard, thick edge fine of Blackwell at maybe a third slip. She leapt across, one hand out, and so nearly snared it just above the turf. Didn’t.
4th over: India 9-1 (Raut 5, Raj 0)
A change-up from India, Mithali Raj the captain in at No3 instead of Deepti. Plays out the over. It’s a wicket-maiden for Gardner. There doesn’t seem to be much in this pitch for the batting side, the ball isn’t coming on easily.
WICKET! Mandhana c Healy b Gardner 3
The bowling gamble works! Well bowled Gardner. She’s looped a couple up, bowling slow, and then she zips one through faster that spits off the pitch. Mandhana has gone back to cut on the length, but the ball is through her and takes the edge. Caught behind.
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3rd over: India 9-0 (Raut 5, Mandhana 3)
Lanning is going all-out attack against Mandhana. Schutt the bowler. Only one player in the deep, at backward square leg. Slip, short third man. Six on the off side. Only a midwicket and a mid on, in the circle on the leg side. And it nearly works! Mandhana takes on the short ball, top edges it high. It seems like this will be an easy catch, but she just, just, just gets enough bat, and the breeze drags the ball backwards from the bat. Alex Blackwell at slip running back can’t get closer than a metre from the drop of the ball. A life. Raut celebrates with a clip off the pads for four, full ball and nicely played.
2nd over: India 4-0 (Raut 1, Mandhana 2)
Well, here’s a surprise. Ashleigh Gardner to start with the ball. Off-breaks. She’s been a revelation with the ball in this tournament. Bowls in the WBBL, but only to fill in here or there. Not a main option. But she’s been being picked in a specialist bowler’s spot in this World Cup and has sent down hundreds of dot balls. Five more this over, a wide and a single the only scores.
1st over: India 2-0 (Raut 1, Mandhana 1)
Here we go. Megan Schutt to open. Targets the pads, looking for swing. A couple of balls defended before Poonam Raut taps a single to the on side. Mandhana immediately looks in touch, driving elegantly into the covers for a single. Raut, back on strike, tries to glide but can’t score. A quiet start.
Huge game for India today. They started so well, beat England in that early thriller, consolidated against some of the poorer performers in West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but then stumbled against South Africa last time out. They’ve got Australia and New Zealand to come. Must win at least one. Two big tasks. But Smriti Mandhana has been in gorgeous form, and Raut has played a couple of very solid knocks. Let’s go!
Stephen Cooper emails in: “Pleased to see that there’s a timely link to today’s OBO. We’re really lucky with all the sport on right now. It’s looking like another classic Wimbledon and the Tour de France is as gripping as ever. Really enjoyed England v Australia on Sunday - a great advert for the women’s game.”
Could not agree more. I had the rare joy of helping call those final overs on TMS, and it was outstanding cricket. Good crowd in, completely absorbed in the contest, and the listener and reader numbers were huge as well. What a day that was. Three runs the win to England, and perhaps Australia’s unchanged XI is about trying to correct someone of the things they did wrong that helped create that result.
That said, unchanged is madness at least for Australia. They were badly showed up for a lack of seam options against England, with Perry having a bad day and part-timer Villani forced to bowl the last over. The side was crying out for Sarah Aley at that point, who is so good in the death overs. And Villani choked with the bat in the run chase, when something else was needed in the middle order. Started the 36th-over Powerplay with two singles from nine balls, and her eventual 14 from 31 was the key factor in derailing a chase that was well and truly on. Gardner came in far too low, and could have won the game for Australia but wasn’t given enough deliveries in which to do it.
Those problems could all be solved by bringing Aley in at No8, pushing Gardner to No6, the accumulator Blackwell to 5, and leaving Villani out. But Australian management doesn’t like doing anything but sticking by its ‘established’ players, even when their achievements don’t stack up.
Right, that’s off my chest, and let’s brace for the Villani century and five-wicket haul. It will be a privilege to blog it.
Teams
Unchanged, unchanged, unchanged.
India
Poonam Raut
Smriti Mandhana
Deepti Sharma
Mithali Raj *
Harmanpreet Kaur
Veda Krishnamurthy
Shika Pandey
Sushma Verma +
Jhulan Goswami
Ekta Bisht
Poonam Yadav
Australia
Beth Mooney
Nicole Bolton
Meg Lanning
Ellyse Perry
Elyse Villani
Alex Blackwell
Alyssa Healy
Ash Gardner
Jess Jonassen
Megan Schutt
Kristen Beams
Updated
Australia wins the toss and will bowl
Interrrresting. Meg Lanning elects to chase. After nearly chasing England’s score the other day, is she confident? Is she worried about the chance of returning rain? Does she think the best tactic is to restrict India early? This approach nearly backfired against Sri Lanka for the Australians, but they’ll go again today.
A very important contest here, the winner is assured of a place in the finals, and the loser will effectively have to win their last group game this weekend. Both sides have four wins to date. It could be theoretically possible to qualify with four wins, but it would take a few other results to fall into place.
That said, this Women’s World Cup has been full of surprises, not least West Indies bouncing back to form thanks to Deandra Dottin’s sleeping-giant-awakes hundred against Pakistan. Absolutely smashing innings.
Good morning all. It’s an improving day here at Bristol - both in the sense of moral development and of meteorology. There was a lot of rain overnight - I know because I was flooded out of my accommodation by a roof that didn’t quite do what the architects intended. But the drizzle in Brizzle has begun to fizzle, and soon the sun will sizzle and I will cease to grizzle. We should get a full day’s play in, with the clouds starting to blow over and a strong breeze drying out the ground.
Geoff Lemon here, and Adam Collins will be alternating with me every once in a while, as we’re both also doing radio commentary for the BBC / ABC. Multitasking is the name of the game. So if you want to chat with us, best to email or tweet both of us at once, then someone is sure to see it.
Geoff will be here shortly. In the meantime you can read our report of Australia’s narrow defeat to England in the last round of group matches …
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