In summary
An emphatic start to Australia’s title defence at Taunton, hunting down the West Indies’ 204 with precision then power. Nicole Bolton’s unbeaten century, her third in ODIs, was chanceless. She started the grind then smashed the West Indies completely out of the contest. The 171-run opening stand Bolton shared with Beth Mooney (70) is an imposing reminder of why this Australian team win trophies for laughs.
The West Indies, aside from a decent shift with the new ball, were dreadful in defence of their earlier mediocre tally. The bowling was ropey; the ground fielding messy at best. But Bolton and Mooney were so efficient in the early exchanges that they were always well behind and in desperate need of wickets that never came, save for a couple of consolation scalps to skipper Stafanie Taylor when the result was assured.
And that is that. Australia move on to Bristol where they play Sri Lanka on Thursday. Not a bad time to get the competition’s least accomplished side, a chance to skip out to a 2-0 record early in the group stage. The West Indies also play on Thursday, against India, who come off a magnificent victory over India. If they the World T20 championsof 2016 won’t immediately bounce back, semi-finals will start to look a long way off.
Righto. I think that’s me done as well. Thanks for your company. We’ll be back on the Women’s World Cup OBO tomorrow when England host Pakistan at Leicester. Vish will be on the ones and twos for that from 10am. Until then. Be well.
AUSTRALIA WIN BY EIGHT WICKETS! (71 balls in hand)
With a nudge into the legside, that is that! The most clinical of victories for the defending champions. I’ll gather my thoughts and wrap up the day that was from Taunton in a tic.
Australia 205-2 (Bolton 107, Perry 5).
37th over: Australia 204-2 (Bolton 107, Perry 4). It’s a real limp to the line, Dottin and Perry both dragging this out. One ball to come though with level scores, Bolton to face. She can’t beat the circle. So it’ll be Perry to face and finish it off. And an early trip home for all.
37th over: Australia 201-2 (Bolton 106, Perry 3). 200 up! Down the ground from Bolton. So, that leaves five runs in three balls to go top of the table. For what little that is worth in such a taxing group stage. Staf Taylor tweaks the field before Perry faces up to her next ball. Bland end to it though, so it’ll be New Zealand up top to end the first of seven pool game rounds.
36th over: Australia 198-2 (Bolton 105, Perry 2). Dottin is back. Another ropey loosener, but Bolton doesn’t take full advantage of the full toss due to another nimble bit of fielding from Matthews, this time at point. I asked her last year if she wanted to be the best player in the world. She does, and believes she can. Will more than likely be an Olympian at some stage too, a javelin thrower of some reputation in Barbados. Has already won a World T20 for the West Indies as a just-turned 18 year old. Mad skills. Back to the here: Bolton’s 14th boundary comes with an easy clip off her pads. Gets away with another full toss to end the over. Not great bowling at all. Nearly done now.
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Nicole Bolton raises her third ODI century!
35th over: Australia 192-2 (Bolton 100, Perry 1). From 108 balls, 13 fours along the way. Chanceless and picture perfect. Defended well early when the bowler was considerable, pulled hard when the chance came. Accumulated when spin was introduced to drain the blood from the game. After reaching 50, took on every bowler down the ground, displaying her punishing top gear. Perfect way to start any series, let alone a World Cup. Masterfully done.
WICKET! Lanning c Matthews b Taylor 12 (Australia 189-2)
Park what I said about that red inker, then! Lanning goes deep and straight but doesn’t get enough of it. The real story here is the catch of Matthews running back to the flight. That’s a most fine catch from the Bajan teenage senation. After a dreadful fielding display from the side. That’s the standard they have to find next start.
34th over: Australia 189-1 (Bolton 98, Lanning 12). Lanning way too good. Connell full on the fourth stump, the Australian captain places it as much as anything, past point and to the rope. Sweepers no chance. They tweak the field, but she’ll just hit it somewhere else. Am I going on a bit? Those who watch her bat a lot find themselves falling into this pattern, I’ve found. Bolton takes a single from the penultimate ball, taking her to 98. But Lanning retains the strike with a single to third man last ball of the over.
33rd over: Australia 182-1 (Bolton 97, Lanning 6). Some belated good fielding forces a quick single. But the throw from Mohammed doesn’t hit. Taylor, over the wicket now, draws a sweep out of Bolton. Not the most convincing shot, but no one at the 45, so a couple added taking her to within three of a ton. That’ll do for now, in defence thereafter. More drinks on the field. Sure, why not.
In the championship real quick, batsmen struggling. Not Ben Duckett. The little bloke has a ton before tea. Cue jokes about Northants and food.
Ben Duckett becomes the first batsman to score a pink-ball hundred before lunch/tea/dinner/snack/whatever
— Lawrence Booth (@the_topspin) June 26, 2017
32nd over: Australia 178-1 (Bolton 94, Lanning 5). Just three easy singles. No way that Lanning isn’t walking off with a red inker. And Bolton has a ton to polish off. Con calma.
31st over: Australia 175-1 (Bolton 92, Lanning 4). We’ve been stitched up by the brilliant opening partnership that we’re only going to get to watch Meg Lanning bat for a half hour at best. She gets off the mark with the most Lanning of shots, down the track, to the pitch, then pushing with absurd timing to the cover rope. No backswing required. Yeah Meg, we get it, you’re the best.
@collinsadam Lanning's 64.43 average in ODI chases is only beaten by Mithali Raj's 67.17 (min 20 innings). #WWC17 pic.twitter.com/TFfDdJTopW
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) June 26, 2017
WICKET! Mooney b Taylor 70 (85). Australia 171-1
Slow and loopy, Taylor encourages Mooney to dance at the first ball of her new spell. But the batsman missed the bowler hit. The base of the stumps, that is. Doesn’t at all take away from what was a delightful innings from the Queensland and Brisbane Heat opener. The first to 50 from the opening pair, took it up to the West Indies bowlers early. Nice foundation laid for the tournament ahead for her.
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30th over: Australia 171-0 (Mooney 70, Bolton 92). Some village fielding at midwicket from Walters, literally through her legs. The West Indies side have been truly shocking in the field today. Just not up to the standard required if they are going to be any chance in this comp. And they should on the basis of their top end power with bat and ball. Signs of fragility above the shoulders, with the inexplicable collapse earlier. Crushing pull shot from Bolton to finish the over and take her into the 90s. She played a couple of those earlier when the game was there to be win in the power play. Out of her skin at the moment.
29th over: Australia 163-0 (Mooney 69, Bolton 85). On this is a clinic now from Bolton. Down the track to Fletcher to go long and straight for the third time in as many overs since passing 50. None of which have required a full swing of the bat, such is her control and timing. Later in the over: a full-blooded pull to the deep, out to Peters the subfielder who can’t stop the force of the ball. Australia have rattled off 60 runs in the last six over and still have the five over power play. No better time to use it; may not have any further runs to get. 12 from this over. Fletcher getting mauled. Tough gig.
Seems a bit harsh on Fletcher to bring her into the attack with Mooney & Bolton well set - legspinner to lefthanders - ouch
— Women's Cricket Blog (@WomensCricBlog) June 26, 2017
28th over: Australia 151-0 (Mooney 68, Bolton 74). You cannot bowl half-trackers to Bolton. Daley punished twice. She was good earlier, but bowling again here after her injury issue earlier, it’s no concern for these two. The 150 is up with a couple through midwicket as well. On track for their highest ten wicket victory in ODI history if these two are there at the end. And they really should be now. Ten from this over, with Bolton in the box seat to be the one who finishes with a century now.
27th over: Australia 141-0 (Mooney 67, Bolton 68). Bolton goes straight down the ground over the bowler again. Brilliant strokeplay. The new spinner Fletcher given no chance to settle. Bolton now in front for those ton watch.
26th over: Australia 133-0 (Mooney 64, Bolton 63). Bolton into this now having progressed beyond 50, going right after Matthews with a pair of lavish boundaries. To be fair, it comes after a fat outside edge to the first delivery that would have landed in the hands of first slip had one been stationed. But we’re well beyond that point. The pull shot was to the rope in a heartbeat, and the dancing off-drive her most punishing of the day. 14 from the over and only a couple behind Mooney. Given there have been five sundries in the innings getting both to 100 would take the perfect finish. So, it could be a match race. And that would be fun.
25th over: Australia 119-0 (Mooney 64, Bolton 50). Nicole Bolton’s turn: to a maiden World Cup half-century she moves when pushing Mohammed to cover. Earlier in the over she swept the offie with ease to the rope as well. This is very impressive.
24th over: Australia 114-0 (Mooney 64, Bolton 45). Long chat between overs. Matthews has the ball. Not sure what they were talking about, but pretty confident it wasn’t for the bowler to give Mooney a waist-high full bunger first up. The Queenslander doesn’t need much encouragement, slapping with force over the long-on rope for the first six of the innings. If they can get the win inside 37 overs, Ebony Rainford-Brent tells me through the TV, the Australians will immediately leap to the top of the table.
Nasty: Selman has been hit at short leg. On the head too, ducking. Onto her feet, but straight off the ground. Awful place to field at the best of times, doubly so when your spinner is bowling full tosses and half-trackers. Bolton the batsman was immediately over to make sure she was alright, and she was. The Aussie opener has used the delay in play to ditch the helmet herself, into the canary yellow cap. Strong uniform they are sporting in these ICC tournaments, I must say. Right, end of the long over. Eight from it.
Fair point from Dan here about the knock... not often you see a fast bowler at short leg. Indeed, not sure if I can ever remember it? Someone?
Ouch, nasty one for Selman. Also, bowler at short leg? #WWC17
— Daniel Brettig (@danbrettig) June 26, 2017
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23rd over: Australia 106-0 (Mooney 57, Bolton 44). Gorgeous batting. Early in the over, the 100 stand is up; the first time these two have reached three figures together at the top of the list since Villani dropped down to the number five slot last summer. Soon as that was dealt with, Mooney was down the wicket for a bit of inside-out over cover. Once bounce over the rope, outdoing her earlier cover drive as the shot of the afternoon, for mine. The time of a chase where you get greedy. Tons on the shelf for both, in theory. A ten-wicket win. All on the table. And a perfect start for the defending champions. None of that for nothing.
22nd over: Australia 99-0 (Mooney 50, Bolton 44). Yesssss, the OBO calls, Taylor delivers: Matthews into the attack. Dainty-cum-bouncy approach, through the umpire and around the wicket to the left-handers with her off-breaks. But.... uh oh. Injury? Yes, an injury. Daley looks to have been hit on the foot. Yep, that’s it. Out comes the physio. And we want. She ends up staying on the field. After the restart, both players take runs down the ground, the final ball of the over driven that way by Beth Mooney which brings up her half century! 67 balls, collecting six boundaries along the way. Very nicely played.
21st over: Australia 95-0 (Mooney 48, Bolton 42). Dottin again. Come on, Staf, chuck it to Hayley Matthews already. The pattern continues for now, five from it with Bolton busy early in the over behind square, then again later in the over using the pace of the pace of the ball nicely. Mooney also able to score in that region. Drifting.
20th over: Australia 90-0 (Mooney 47, Bolton 38). Staf Taylor has herself back on. Makes sense - she did lead all comers for wickets in last summer’s inaugural KSL, so knows how to take wickets in English conditions and all that. Wonder if we’ll see Hayley Matthews soon too? Took a five-for in the WBBL in the Australian summer just gone. Anyway, back to ~present time~ as my therapist always urges, a couple of singles to the off-side, then more along the carpet from the non-posh regions. Nice save in the deep from the aforementioned Matthews. Still: five from it, no risks required.
19th over: Australia 85-0 (Mooney 44, Bolton 36). Dottin again. Hard not to reflect on her injury from January watching her run into bowl with the protective mask on her eyes and cheeks. It was a truly brutal collision with a teammate, predictably enough with the West Indian only having eyes for the ball. Gutsy as they come. Only two singles from the first over after the drink. Better.
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18th over: Australia 83-0 (Mooney 43, Bolton 35). Desperation from the Windies evidenced by a passionate shout for leg before, Anisa certainly hitting Bolton on the pads, but pitching the better part of six inches outside the leg stump. The leg bye combines with singles to cover, point and, well, pretty much wherever these two see fit at this stage. Six from it. Time for a glass of raspberry cordial. Australia need 122 from 32 overs with all ten wickets in hand; Lanning and Perry the next two in. Grim for the World T20 champs.
Having a great day!!! 🏏🏏 @SomersetCCC Watching @SouthernStars vs @westindies @ICC #WWC2017 pic.twitter.com/eft9qHwcl8
— Rob Graham (@ytfc321) June 26, 2017
17th over: Australia 77-0 (Mooney 39, Bolton 34). Dottin on, which I always like. Nippy, and as a rule gets it to hoooooop into right handers. So that’ll serve her well in trying to find an edge from these southpaws. Probably not if she gives Mooney the chance to pull though, as she does with her third ball. That’s raced away. She’s in tremendous nick today. Very pleased for her, a player Geoff and I have watched closely over the last couple of years. Talented and punchy. She picks up another couple out to point with a controlled steer. So, maybe the Dottin thing isn’t going to work, nine taken from her first.
16th over: Australia 68-0 (Mooney 32, Bolton 33). Anisa Mohammed gets through a set in 60 seconds that only gives away the two singles; one down the ground, the other behindpoint. Maybe this is the start of some belated pressure being applied?
15th over: Australia 66-0 (Mooney 31, Bolton 32). Daley to continue. To be fair, she’s done nothing wrong here. Well, she has now: drops short with her second ball and Bolton’s eyes light up, getting inside the line to clobber over the short fine leg. Easy pickings. She’s back on the stumps thereafter, only one further single. But run preservation of secondary concern to Taylor and co now. They need a breakthrough - a few of them - urgently.
Durham 18-5 on afternoon one of the opening day-night Championship session. Uh oh. Pink pills be hoopin’. Second tab to follow that here.
14th over: Australia 61-0 (Mooney 31, Bolton 27). Anisa Mohammed the new spinner, Taylor taking herself off. But we’ve reached the danger zone for the fielding side, a misfield helping them along to another four singles, down the ground the primary focus of their attention. Needn’t do any more than that.
13th over: Australia 57-0 (Mooney 29, Bolton 25). Four more singles, all through the onside. Not ideal for the West Indies as these two are doing as they please now.
Did I just hear some of the mighty Maccabees from the Cricket Ground DJ? Back to London for their last shows ever this week. Cricket link, of course. Felix White from the band is a cricket writer as well. Check out some of his brilliant interviews with past players when you’ve a spare hour.
12th over: Australia 53-0 (Mooney 27, Bolton 23). First ball of Staf Taylor’s third over is met by a pouncing Mooney, down the track to strike the shot of the innings through cover. Four other singles with ease around the field to make it eight from the over. This game as good as done if these two bat for another, say, half hour. Clinical so far, these two. Total control.
11th over: Australia 45-0 (Mooney 21, Bolton 21). Daley’s second over showing less control than the first, but could have been worse if not for an enthusiastic diving stop from Dottin from the square leg rope. With the field now spread, six runs found to the sweepers.
10th over: Australia 39-0 (Mooney 19, Bolton 17). Mooney uses her feet for the first time of the afternoon, but drives straight to cover. Prompts Taylor to throw one up next time around, then york her with a dart after that. An attempted pull into midwicket isn’t timed. But Taylor lets herself down with the last ball, dropping short and giving the Queenslander the chance to get deep in the crease and crunch a cut shot to the cover rope. A chanceless power play comes to an end. Australia perfectly placed. Easy peasy, really.
9th over: Australia 35-0 (Mooney 15, Bolton 17). Spin from both ends for the back portion of the power play, left-arm ortho Shanel Daley immediately finding her range with a well-directed set to Bolton. Frustration to the last ball, earning Mooney’s edge from the one that goes straight on, but safe to ground and two runs added. Not a bad way to start your first ODI in the better part of three years.
8th over: Australia 33-0 (Mooney 15, Bolton 15). Stafanie Taylor gets herself on with some off-breaks around the wicket. She takes plenty of wickets and the Windies need one here. Tidy one to start here, churning through five dots to go with a Bolton single out to cover for the only run. “Come on, let’s make something happy, ladies!” urges Aguilleira through the stump-mic as the over ends. Not wrong. They need something immediately.
7th over: Australia 32-0 (Mooney 15, Bolton 14). Selman the better of the two openers today, but if anything getting a fraction straight in an effort to hit the stumps. Bolton does get her chance though, lifting over midwicket for crisply timed boundary. A wide follows, then two more to fine leg when the radar is off again. Might be time for a spell. Nine off it. Australia away.
6th over: Australia 23-0 (Mooney 13, Bolton 9). Second smashing pull shot of the innings, this time Mooney getting the hip swivel spot on. Second time too that Connell has been punished for going upstairs. But then a half chance to the penultimate delivery. Mooney again, flashed past point. Dottin, wearing a protective mask after an awful face injury acquired during the WBBL in January, isn’t able to get a hand on it. It’s another boundary. At the end of the over the Cricket Ground DJ does enough to get me out of my chair briefly. Hounds of Love, of course. Said it before and will again: when I grow up I want to be the Cricket Ground DJ. And some way to making that a reality with Surrey later in the season. Watch this space.
5th over: Australia 15-0 (Mooney 5, Bolton 9). Bolton clips a single to fine leg, but there isn’t much else on offer from Selman (let’s go with that rather than Shakera) who keeps giving the ball a chance to swing.
Some highlights of the first innings if you’re following from Australia. And in the UK, there is a (free) stream at skysports.com for today’s game.
If you missed the bowling performance earlier today, catch up on the highlights here: https://t.co/0NDvS5Hqd4 #WWC17 #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/aU7VYP5QTm
— Australia Women 🏏 (@SouthernStars) June 26, 2017
4th over: Australia 13-0 (Mooney 5, Bolton 8). Nothing wrong with that Connell set of dots to Mooney. Bit of swing, bit of bounce.
Quick plug for the county blog on the other side. Will Mac and Ali Martin on the tools there for the inaugural day-night pink ball round.
3rd over: Australia 13-0 (Mooney 5, Bolton 8). As Andrew Donnison informs me on the tweet, it’s Shakera bowling, Aguilleria keeping. Thank you linos, thank you ballkids. Highlight of the over is a punishing pull from Bolton from the grill of her helmet. That’s coaching manual stuff from the opener. But the bowler not doing much wrong, her opening two overs full and straight for the most part, coming back towards the lefty pair.
Shakera bowling, Aguilleira keeping. Best
— Andrew Donnison (@Donno79) June 26, 2017
2nd over: Australia 9-0 (Mooney 5, Bolton 4). Pacy Shamila Connell has the new one from the other end. Her last delivery the most encouraging, beating Mooney with a beauty that Aguilleira took high in the gloves. Earlier in the set, Mooney secured her first boundary with a lovely push past cover point. Mooney is a WBBL run machine, and usually at a decent clip. Have to take their chances with her if/when they come.
1st over: Australia 5-0 (Mooney 1, Bolton 4). Nice bit of movement back to the left-hander Mooney, beating the bat onto the pad with the third ball, encouraging a half-appeal. She’s off the mark pushing confidently to the next Selman delivery, out to cover. “Let’s work ladies, let’s work ladies!” comes the call from ‘keeper Merissa Aguilleira before the final ball. But that doesn’t work too well, Dottin letting a ball pass through her legs at point, Bolton off the mark with a boundary. Good work undone. Can’t afford much of that in this defence.
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Thank you, Geoff.
You said it best: a perculiar innings. Wickets at crucial times, as they say in the clichés. Especially the Perry off-cutter that took Dottin’s off-stump out the ground just when she looked ready to roll alongside the skipper Taylor. Those two bat together for 45-60 minutes and Australia could be chasing 100 more. Instead, it should be a conventional chase for this experienced batting line up. This deeeeeep batting list too, I should add, with Ash Gardner coming in at nine according to the teamsheet. She made a truckload of rapid runs in the WBBL over the summer.
Righto, they’re on the field. Bolton and Mooney to start Australia’s reply. Shakera Selman has the ball in her hand. Let’s play.
Australia will chase 205 to win
So ends what can only be described as a very peculiar innings from West Indies. On what looks a reasonably decent pitch, with Meg Lanning saying that Australia’s only tactic was to “bowl into this wicket” and hope for the best, West Indies never got going. Hayley Matthews looked good at times at the start, but her opening partner Felicia Walters played a painful knock, then first drop Chedean Nation tried to outdo it. Things briefly got going when Taylor and Dottin joined forces in the middle overs, but brevity has been all too much a feature of Dottin’s international efforts the past couple of years. Once that stand was broken, the rest fell away.
I can’t really say it was brilliant Australian bowling, but it was more than capable, Lanning singling out Perry for praise. Schutt went at 2.49 per over across 8.5 of them, while Beams spun her way to 2-30 from 10. Jonassen and Gardner also did their part with spin.
It will take a prodigious bowling effort from West Indies to hold Australia to less than their own total, but seeing things like that is why we play the game. Geoff Lemon done, I’ll leave you with Adam Collins for the Green & Gold™ reply.
WICKET! Connell run out 1
47.5 overs: West Indies 204-8 (Selman 2)
They’ve had some luck, and some generosity from Kathy Cross. There should have been another run out from the first ball, Shamilia Connell’s bat was in the air as she crossed the line. But from the fifth of the over, nothing can spare that run out, Selman well short as they try to pinch another single.
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WICKET! Fletcher b Perry 1
47th over: West Indies 202-9 (Selman 2)
Afy Fletcher, we barely knew thee. Simple for fast bowlers in these situations - full, straight. Fletcher heaves across the line and misses it. You know the script. That’s the last ball of the over, after a couple of singles and a wide bouncer from Perry helped the score past 200.
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46th over: West Indies 197-8 (Fletcher 1, Selman 0)
We finish the over in a very different state to how we started it. Two new occupants at the crease, and a total well below par looming for West Indies.
WICKET! Taylor c Villani b Jonassen 45
And all that sacrifice for nought. You throw yourself on a live grenade to save your commander, then your commander decides to stick his head inside an artillery barrel to see if it’s working properly. Taylor goes next ball for a big shot downtown, and this time can’t clear Villani.
WICKET! Mohammed run out 9
Almost a non-event wicket, Mohammed sacrificing herself to make sure Taylor wasn’t in danger. It was tip-and-run to mid-off, and there was never a run there, but they had already started so it was too dangerous to send Taylor back. Simple to lob the ball to Jonassen standing over the stumps. This came after a sumptuous straight drive from Taylor that cleared Jonassen and blew through the field. Mohammed wanted to see more of the same, but didn’t think it through.
45th over: West Indies 191-6 (Taylor 40, Mohammed 9)
That’s more like it! Beams the bowler, with some flight. Mohammed knows all about flight. She skips down like one of the schoolkids that flocked in early this morning, meets the ball at its pitch, and lofts it to within a couple of yards of the boundary. Four runs. She misses her cut shot utterly next ball, but eventually gets off strike, and Taylor keeps it with a powerful cut to deep point. At least they should get to 200 now, and be able to apply some sort of pressure to Australia’s batting.
44th over: West Indies 184-6 (Taylor 38, Mohammed 4)
Off spin. Long-on. There’s a historical connection. Gardner bowls, Mohammed tries to loft a drive. “Out,” mutters someone next to me, but she hasn’t got enough connection to carry to Villani on the rope in front of us. Taylor does, however, all of that and more. The ball she hits follows the same arc from our perspective, but then you realise it is still coming, and still coming. It clears Villani completely. Six.
43rd over: West Indies 176-6 (Taylor 31, Mohammed 3)
Can’t do too much with that strike though - another lovely shot as Taylor skips back onto her stumps against Beams, makes a short ball out of nowhere and caresses the cut. But cover has a sweeper, so the profit is only a single. You can see what the Australians think of Mohammed’s batting, as they only have two in the deep for a leg-spinner in the 43rd over. Midwicket and backwards square leg are the hoick spots. Mohammed finds a gap behind square for one, then Taylor charmingly glances a couple more fine.
42nd over: West Indies 172-6 (Taylor 28, Mohammed 2)
Stafanie doesn’t have it, and Mohammed is tied down by Gardner to the tune of five deliveries. Taylor gets strike for the last, and nails a straight drive, but it’s saved at mid off. At least she has the strike for the next over.
41st over: West Indies 170-6 (Taylor 27, Mohammed 1)
Beams almost has another, as she raps Anisa Mohammed on the pad. Wasn’t much wrong with that shout - not high, not wide, but not given. Mohammed is not bothered, as she tucks the next ball off her hip and darts a single. Someone give Stafanie the strike.
WICKET! Daley c Blackwell b Beams
A simple late-overs lower-order dismissal. Big heave across the line against a leg-spinner, what was almost a leading edge carrying down to long-on, and Blackwell coming in makes an excellent take.
40th over: West Indies 168-5 (Taylor 26, Daley 6)
Ash Gardner to finish off the Powerplay with the ball, having switched ends from her earlier stint. Daley survives a big lbw shout for one turning across her, then glances a straighter one off her pads for four. Fine leg is up. Easy done.
39th over: West Indies 163-5 (Taylor 26, Daley 1)
The left-handed Shanel Daley to join her captain now. Pressure all on Taylor, though it’s certainly not for the first time.
WICKET! Aguillera c Lanning b Schutt 1
Short and not terribly sweet. Merissa looks to go over cover, pops it up from high on the blade, and the diving catch is made to look simple at mid-off.
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38th over: West Indies 161-4 (Taylor 25, Aguilleira 1)
Jonassen returns from our end, as the Windies keeper and former captain Merissa Aguielleira joins the current skipper Taylor. There’s another very dicey single, but again the call goes with the batting side. As I suppose it should in these camera-less circumstances. Four from the over.
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WICKET! Dottin b Perry 29
37th over: West Indies 157-3 (Taylor 22)
Well, what an over. Dottin edged one to fine leg, Taylor back-cut beautifully for another, then Dottin took charge. A hook shot through midwicket for four, with a gorgeous flourish of the blade as she took it from eyebrow height with a wave of the wrists. Then on the front foot to whip another four through midwicket. But the last ball Perry has her number, tailing in at the stumps, Dottin looking to go once too often over cover, and her off stump spins backwards out of the ground.
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36th over: West Indies 146-3 (Taylor 20, Dottin 20)
The Powerplay comes compulsorily into effect given we’ve had 35 overs, and Jonassen will begin it for Australia. Dottin celebrates by slamming Jonassen straight back over her head for four. Then clips another couple. Seven from it with Taylor’s early single.
35th over: West Indies 139-3 (Taylor 19, Dottin 14)
Dottin facing Perry now, and wants to dominate. Gratefully receives the first-up full toss. Drives it straight for a classy boundary. Less classy thereafter, as she slams a ball straight at mid-off, then tries a hook shot while walking outside her off stump and misses it while falling over. Degree of difficulty: self-imposed and extreme.
34th over: West Indies 135-3 (Taylor 19, Dottin 10)
Villani to the Windies big guns, and suddenly the Slow March becomes Action Stations. Taylor tries to loft one, and it hangs before dropping in front of long-on. Then it’s Dottin time, as she drops into a crouch and forehand slams the ball down the ground for four. Not too far from a catch either but she doesn’t mind. Villani bowls fuller and Dottin edges past her stumps for four! Then creams a cover drive but Perry flies away to her right and pulls off a brilliant stop.
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33rd over: West Indies 125-3 (Taylor 18, Dottin 1)
Just two runs from the over, and the wicket. Though one of those situations where Australia would much rather have got the other player.
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WICKET! Nation c Blackwell b Beams 39
Like finishing Proust - it’s been tortuous, it’s taken forever, but at last it’s over. Nation’s strangely paced innings comes to end thanks to a Beams long hop, pulled straight to midwicket. It wasn’t hit with any conviction, there was that nasty “clonk” kind of sound the bat makes when a shot is not remotely timed even though every sinew of muscle has been put into hitting it. The experiment, you’d have to say, has failed - a score of 39 is helpful but off 73 balls it has sucked a lot of momentum out of the innings. Perhaps it’s just mental, and Nation needs the backing to go out and hit more freely, but either way something has to change.
32nd over: West Indies 123-2 (Nation 39, Taylor 17)
Now two from Schutt’s over. The run rate struggling and sputtering. I really don’t understand this.
@GeoffLemonSport "The Chedean Nation" sounds Biblical to me. Perhaps that's why she had the old-fashioned scoring rate? #StillNotGavaskar
— (((Ravi Nair))) (@palfreyman1414) June 26, 2017
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31st over: West Indies 121-2 (Nation 38, Taylor 16)
Sand back in the gears though, only three from Beams’ over. There’s a big lbw shout but it doesn’t get anywhere.
We’ve had clarification from the ICC re the cameras - the run out wasn’t referred because there are no cameras on the crease. The shot that seemed to show Nation short of her crease was from a midwicket camera, thus it can’t be used for the third umpire.
That said, I don’t know why any camera isn’t good enough as long as it contains the information required, and I don’t know why the ICC stream broadcasters wouldn’t set up crease cameras in the first place.
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30th over: West Indies 118-2 (Nation 37, Taylor 14)
Schutter McGavin is back from the Ondaatje end, that distinctive squat as she readies herself for each delivery. Five singles from the over, a little better, though there’s another somewhat dicey run, and Nation still isn’t nailing her timing.
29th over: West Indies 113-2 (Nation 35, Taylor 11)
Well, they work four singles from Beams, but Taylor is nearly bowled from the last one. By her own bat. Or parts of it. It disintegrates on impact as she nails a pull, and parts of debris imperil her wicket. But she survives.
This is Stafanie Taylor's home ground (for Western Storm) & she bats well here - but she needs a new bat now as she smashes her current one
— Women's Cricket Blog (@WomensCricBlog) June 26, 2017
Ooooh boy. The bat's not just been splintered, it has been demolished #WWC17
— Davis Harrigan (@DeadlineDavis) June 26, 2017
28th over: West Indies 109-2 (Nation 33, Taylor 9)
A Nation will rise! There she goes, as Perry bowls on the pads, and Chedean Nation lifts it over deep backward square for six. Great shot. My inside word from the West Indies squad is that she’s a powerful hitter, and that they’re trying her at three because they need someone for that position and think she should get a chance. She bats five domestically. Thus, I would conclude, that this strange and slow innings has been a product of nerves and trying to play herself in. Understandable, even if it’s not exactly helpful for her side. Still time to make up some ground if she’s good enough, but she wouldn’t want to waste this start. The over also contains a smattering of wides, leg byes, singles - Nation is running well from the non-striker’s end, I’ll give her that. Responding quickly to Taylor’s calls with the tip-and-run style of game. A dozen off the over, and the 100 is belatedly up.
27th over: West Indies 97-2 (Nation 26, Taylor 7)
West Indies relying on Australia to donate them runs now. Taylor pushes to cover, Nation is backing up, so Perry underarms at the stumps and misses. Gives up an overthrow out to deep midwicket. Nation gets one more single, 26 from 60 balls at a very un-ODI strike rate of 43.
26th over: West Indies 95-2 (Nation 25, Taylor 6)
Perry back, and it’s enough to make Taylor circumspect. She pinches a single to cover, Nation flicks one off the pads, Taylor works another, but that’s all. past the halfway mark and they’re still sneaking up on the hundred. It’s a very strange performance today from one of the more powerful batting sides in the competition.
25th over: West Indies 92-2 (Nation 24, Taylor 4)
Nation has moved past her previous best score of 21, so that’s something. Taylor gets moving immediately, a sliced drive that nearly goes for four but instead for two, then a swept single. Gardner ends up going for six from the over.
“Is it ridiculous that I’m getting a strange linguistic thrill from the only test playing nation that is not a nation having a player called Nation playing for them? Only me?” Notionally, Peter Salmon.
WICKET! Matthews b Jonassen 46
24th over: West Indies 86-2 (Nation 22)
Oh, dear. Matthews starts the over so well, gliding a boundary through third man. But she ends it having a mighty heave aimed over cover, and misses a ball that hits leg stump. Here comes Taylor.
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23rd over: West Indies 80-1 (Matthews 40, Nation 20)
And keeping the strike may not have been advised. It takes Nation five Gardner deliveries just to find her next run. I don’t want to harp on about it, but that just isn’t good enough when you have Taylor and Dottin waiting in the sheds, and you’re soaking up deliveries that they could use. Matthews takes her own single from the last ball to keep control for the next over.
22nd over: West Indies 78-1 (Matthews 40, Nation 20)
The motor ticking a little more nicely here. Three singles to start Villani’s over, with Matthews scoring two of them to put her partner back on strike. Chedean Nation then gets a cut shot away for four, not perfectly struck but enough there with the width. Then another run to keep the strike.
21st over: West Indies 70-1 (Matthews 38, Nation 14)
There is both the potential and the limitation of Nation’s innings so far. Gardner flights one, and Nation comes down the wicket and drives beautifully through the covers. That’s the second ball of the over. The other five, she’s pinned to the spot. Finds the field. West Indies going at 3.3 per over.
20th over: West Indies 66-1 (Matthews 38, Nation 10)
Here we are, Australia’s odds-and-sods bowling is present in its full glory. If Elyse Villani’s seamers were automobiles, they would putter in on three wheels. She was an opening bat for a long time, and only recently has started to roll the arm over, but with some bursts of success. She trots in off eight paces and delivers wobbling seam-up on the spot. At least for the first two balls, then she gives too much width and Matthews cracks the cut shot for four. A couple of singles follow.
19th over: West Indies 60-1 (Matthews 33, Nation 9)
Ash Gardner now with her off-breaks, as the spin approach continues. Not so reliably though, as Gardner is a bit more part-time, even if she is listed in a specialist bowling spot today. So she drops one short, and Matthews breathes a sigh of relief, clattering it into the midwicket fence. Gardner overcorrects and bowls wide outside the off stump. Matthews nails another short ball on the cut, but it’s saved in the deep. Nation gets one delivery, and glides it nicely, but straight to the field again. Better ball from Gardner to end the over, some turn, but the turn takes it past Healy once more and they run a couple of byes. Eight from the over with the extras. That’s the drinks break.
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18th over: West Indies 52-1 (Matthews 28, Nation 9)
Better start from Nation, from a Beams short ball crashed away. Gets a couple. But Beams regains the upper hand thereafter. One scoring shot from six balls, and Nation has 9 from 32. All fine if she can make up that ground later, but it can’t be too much later.
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17th over: West Indies 50-1 (Matthews 28, Nation 7)
Dropped! First ball of the Jonassen over, and Matthews mows it back at the bowler. Jonassen is perhaps expecting it to fly past her for four, and can’t quite get her hands in position quickly enough. Understandable at that pace, but the bowler is still furious at wasting the chance, however tough. They get a run from the spill, then it takes Nation another four balls to get one of her own. She has 6 from 25 balls so far. Another wide that Healy can’t stop, and that adds two extras to the score, before Nation finishes the over with another dicey single. The pressure is telling. She cut the ball and just ran, perhaps rejoicing at having found half a gap. Only half of one though, and if Perry’s throw had hit at the non-striker’s end, we would have had a very easy decision for the umpire to make.
16th over: West Indies 45-1 (Matthews 27, Nation 5)
The Aussie spinners giving West Indies a working over here. It takes Matthews three balls to get off strike against Beams, then again Nation can only soak up three dot balls. She needs to get something moving here if she doesn’t want another international drought to begin.
15th over: West Indies 44-1 (Matthews 26, Nation 5)
I wonder if that lucky escape is on Nation’s mind. She can’t get anything going as Jonassen comes back to the crease. Only a Matthews single from the over.
14th over: West Indies 43-1 (Matthews 25, Nation 5)
Beams continues, pulled away by Nation. They dash back for the second run as the throw comes in from midwicket. There’s an appeal from Healy for the run-out, but Kathy Cross at square leg says not out. This is interesting. Izzy Westbury on TMS calls it out live, then backtracks. But as the replays come up, they suggest that Westbury was right from the comm box and Cross was wrong from square leg. Apparently there are no third umpire reviews today, even though there are replays available on the ICC feed. That will be a talking point for sure. A couple of singles follow.
13th over: West Indies 39-1 (Matthews 24, Nation 2)
There’s a good sign from Nation. Perry goes for the bouncer again and Nation is quickly into position, feet twinkling, and strikes the pull shot with lovely timing. Long leg is quickly around, and it will only yield one run, but the sound of that shot on the bat tells you that the player has hit it well. Matthews plays tip and run with a drive to mid on, and makes it. Nation drives through cover for another. There was a leg bye earlier in the over, and that’s all they get.
12th over: West Indies 35-1 (Matthews 23, Nation 0)
Beams, the leggie, on for her first run. Matthews gets a single from a fully that should have gone for four or six times that number. Nation plays out three balls respectfully.
11th over: West Indies 34-1 (Matthews 22, Nation 0)
A wicket maiden helps Australia pin down that run rate, and Perry her own economy rate. You might think that Taylor or Dottin would be the antidote to that, but West Indies will stick with their established order and send Chedean Nation in next, perhaps intended to be a pinch-hitter? She’s very much an unproven player with the bat - a first drop who has batted 11 times for a high score of 21. But she played most of those games back in 2008 and 2009, before getting a single match against India late last year along with three T20s where she was listed down the order and didn’t get a hit in any of them. This is her next ODI after that single 2016 game. Lots of pressure on her then.
WICKET! Walters c Villani b Perry 7
Well, she was struggling against Perry, and struggling to get going in general. Gets a short ball, tries to pull but Walters’ back was arched, she was falling away from the ball trying to get some sort of power on it and slam it around the corner. That sort of positioning is never going to leave you well placed to hit the ball, and Walters can only bunt it, flat but without much power, to Villani at square leg.
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10th over: West Indies 34-0 (Matthews 22, Walters 7)
Schutt. Short. Shot. Lovely strike from Matthews on the pull, but nails it straight into the midriff of square leg on the bounce. Enraged (according to me), Matthews gets down one bended knee and thrashes the next ball, full and wide, through point for four. They’ve stacked that part of the field for her now - pretty well a cover point, a point and a gully for Matthews versus seam. Matthews finds that field a couple more times, and in the end the boundary is the only damage from the over.
9th over: West Indies 30-0 (Matthews 18, Walters 7)
Charlotte Edwards singing Schutt’s praises on TMS, after having captained her at the Adelaide Strikers in last season’s Women’s Big Bash League in Australia. Perry continues after her eventful first over. Walters can’t time her, or even mistime here, as successfully as Matthews. There’s some nice pace out of this pitch, and Walters top-edges a pull that lands short of Villani at midwicket. Walters wants to find some pace on a drive after that, but again can only drag it to mid-on. Good comeback over from Perry.
8th over: West Indies 29-0 (Matthews 17, Walters 7)
“Runs? I hate runs,” snarls Schutt, nailing another ball into the pad that Walters can only jam out. Then wider to invite the shot, but Walters can time her tricky and changeable pace, before another straight one is edged into the ankle. Swing here. Another one crashes into the pad, an appeal but it was probably well outside the line. Schutt hates runs so much that she even refuses to make them when she’s batting. Another maiden.
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7th over: West Indies 29-0 (Matthews 17, Walters 7)
Decent pace from Perry with her first ball, ponytail flying as she delivers. Matthews watches it go by. Marquee player to marquee player here, Matthews the star of last year’s World T20 win, and Perry the star of Australia’s 2013 World Cup. The one where she bowled through the final with a broken foot, y’know. As you do. She offers a bit too much width from the second ball, and Matthews sedately opens the face for a single to third man. Walters follows suit, then when Perry targets the pads she gets a bit full, and Matthews leans across the line of the ball to ease it through mid-on for four. Lovely fluent stroke. Unlike the next one, when she drops to one knee and tries to flay through the off-side, but is nowhere near it. Nor so much the last ball of the over, where she top-edges a pull shot, but Perry’s pace carries it over Healy and down through fine leg for four. Good over for the Windies, 10 from it.
6th over: West Indies 19-0 (Matthews 8, Walters 6)
A sedate start for West Indies then, though Schutt eventually slips up and offers a low full toss for Matthews to clip square for a run. The sweeper there is well placed. We’ll have a change now, with Perry to bowl her first over from the clock tower end of the ground.
5th over: West Indies 15-0 (Matthews 6, Walters 4)
This move to open with Jonassen is going well in terms of scoring rate. Walters tucks a single, but the only real damage from the over is self-inflicted, when the bowler sends a wide down leg and Healy can’t clean up. The West Indies run two off the extra.
4th over: West Indies 11-0 (Matthews 6, Walters 3)
Schutt: more hoop than Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. She just targets the pads, making batsmen sweat on the line, and dries up the scoring. Nice shape, and Matthews plays out a maiden.
3rd over: West Indies 11-0 (Matthews 6, Walters 3)
A tidy one from Jonassen, though Walters should have done a lot more with the full toss from the last ball that she clubs awkwardly straight at midwicket.
2nd over: West Indies 9-0 (Matthews 5, Walters 2)
I suppose, on reflection, Australia has to open with spin because that’s just about all they’ve got. I should know, I just wrote out the teams. Megan Schutt opens from the Ondaatje end, and she’s their only specialist seamer. Perry is the all-rounder of course, and Villani has starting bowling some seam-up of late, but it’s definitely a new-look Australian team without the likes of Rene Farrell, Sarah Coyte or Holly Ferling.
Walters gets off the strike with a glide after a couple of leg byes, then Matthews shows her balance and poise with a strike off the pads. Just a single, but I’ve seen her clip that sort of shot straight into the grandstand at Bellerive Oval.
1st over: West Indies 4-0 (Matthews 4, Walters 0)
Interesting move. Australia opening the bowling with left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen, which is not out of the Antipodean playbook. Maybe they think she can turn it away from the right-handed Matthews. Jonassen is largely on the money, but the one ball that she delivers too wide, Matthews is waiting on the back foot and carves it gorgeously past point for four.
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Get in touch
As always, you can email me - geoff.lemon@theguardian.com - or get me on Twitter via @GeoffLemonSport. And by all means do so, it makes the day far more fun. Look at us, frolicking through this meadow.
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Teams
The Aussies going for a conservative team selection, which has been their way for a very long time. The only new-ish names from a couple of years ago are Beth Mooney, the wicketkeeper who doesn’t keep in this side and instead opens the batting, and Ashleigh Gardner, the extremely talent Sixers and NSW bat who is for some reason listed to bat at eight. She’s a useful spinner but still.
No Amanda Wellington, the oft-times brilliant leg-spinner who gives it far more of a rip than the nonetheless dangerous Kristen Beams. No Sarah Aley, who has done everything asked of her as a lead seamer at every point of asking. No Belinda Vakarewa, who is quick.
Australia
Mooney
Bolton
Lanning
Perry
Villani
Blackwell
Healy
Jonassen
Gardner
Schutt
Beams
Similar for West Indies - the batting muscle that saw them triumph in India, except Felicia Walters opens in this format while Taylor drops down to four. Deandra Dottin lurks after Taylor. I think that Chedean Nation, another gloveless wicketkeeper, is listed first drop, though I might have missed that off the PA. Will confirm. Otherwise, former skipper Aguilleira comes in down the order, with the pacy Shamilia Connell and the excellent spinner Anisa Mohammed the main bowling threats.
West Indies
Matthews
Walters
Nation
Taylor
Dottin
Aguilleira
Daley
Fletcher
Mohammed
Selman
Connell
West Indies win the toss and will also bat
This is an interesting one. Apparently Taylor said “we’ll bowl... bat.” Whether it was a verbal slip or a lightning-fast change of mind I cannot say, but all earlier pondering about preferring to chase is out the window. The commentator at the toss hear “bowl” and proceeded accordingly, but Taylor has now clarified she said “bat”. Either way, West Indies will get first use.
Reader Ruth Purdue is right on this already. “Are you allowed to change your mind at the the toss like that? Shouldn’t the first call stand?” I’ve never come across it before, but I suppose that if you’ve won the toss, you get to choose. Even if that involves choosing twice to see how the first one sounds. Maybe Taylor just enjoys the word “bowl”. It does have a nice round mouth-feel, as the gourmands might say.
West Indies win the toss and will bowl
Which Lanning’s side will - she has her wish, thanks to West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor. Whether she likes the look of the bowling conditions or whether her players are more comfortable chasing - as they did so well in the World T20 final against Australia last year - I do not know.
Good morning all from Taunton - it’s a pleasant and gentle morning down here in Somerset, with some fluffy cloud around but not so dense as to stop it being bright. The temperature is pleasant, there’s some humidity to the air, and all of that may make the ball respond just a little. All up, excellent conditions for cricket, and with the fast outfield here Australia’s captain Meg Lanning yesterday expressed a wish to target 300 if her side got to bat first.
Geoff will be here soon.
