Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
Sport
Steve Jancetic

Depth fuelling T20 freedom for Aussies

Ashleigh Gardner is part of an Australian women's T20 batting line-up featuring great depth. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Next one up.

It's the mantra empowering Australia's women's T20 batting line-up to go down swinging in pursuit of Commonwealth Games gold.

Australia completed the preliminary stage of their Birmingham Games campaign with a 44-run over Pakistan on Wednesday, the Aussies topping their group to set up a semi-final showdown with either England or New Zealand.

Once again Australia did not have it all their own way with the bat, but once again they found a couple of saviours.

And once again it was a different pair.

In the Games opener it was Ashleigh Gardner and Grace Harris who rescued Australia from a precarious 5-49 to get them home against India.

In the second game against Barbados, mainstays Alyssa Healy and Meg Lanning made light work of a small total.

And against Pakistan, with the Aussies stumbling their way to 2-19 in the sixth over, Tahlia McGrath and Beth Mooney combined for an unbroken 141-run stand to put together a total that was never going to be chased down.

"We've shown throughout this tournament especially that we've got the players that can take the game on in different circumstances," Mooney said.

"And we've got the belief in our dressing room we can win from anywhere."

But not only is the batting depth fuelling belief, it is also creating an environment where players feel comfortable playing their shots.

Following Lanning's dismissal in the sixth over, bowled when she played down the wrong line to Sadia Iqbal, the Australians did anything but shut up shop.

The next five overs yielded 44 runs, and crushed whatever thoughts Pakistan may have had of running through the Australian line-up.

"Just get to go out there, bit of freedom, play my shots and know that if it does not come off I've got that many explosive batters coming in behind," McGrath said of the freedom she played with in compiling 78 off 51 balls.

"It makes it so much easier, when you saw the type of innings that Grace and Ash played against India, even when I went out there today at 2-fa and we were struggling, I could still play with a bit of freedom knowing that I've got such work class batters coming in behind me."

The tests get tougher now with the Aussies to play the loser of Thursday night's final preliminary game between England and New Zealand in Saturday's semi.

"Semi-finals are in their own league as games," Mooney said.

"I think they're sometimes harder than finals, you have to be on your game in those and England and New Zealand both pose different threats.

"There's a lot more riding on it - you want that spot in that gold medal match.

"We know on our best day we can beat anyone but we also know New Zealand and England are both great sides."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.