ICC Women’s World Cup 2017, Australia vs New Zealand: 5 Talking Points

The Australian women kept their clean slate intact after a convincing five-wicket victory over New Zealand. It was the Suzie Bates led side who had won the toss and had elected to bat first. They even got off to a good start, but once the spinners came on it was a different ball game altogether.

A late fifty from Katie Perkins saved some blushes as they reached a respectable total of 219 for 9 wickets in their stipulated 50 overs. But it was never going to be enough. The Australians had chased down a 250-score in the last game and they never looked in trouble today either.

A couple of quick wickets by Amelia Kerr had given the White Ferns some hope but a calm and composed Ellyse Perry took the game away from them.

Here are the five biggest talking points from the match.

---

#5 Wickets at regular intervals hurt New Zealand

Katie Perkins in action

Batting first after winning the toss did not seem like a bad option at the outset. The White Ferns did just that and Suzie Bates, playing in her 100^th ODI was determined to get a big score. As she and Rachel Priest played out the opening ten overs.

However, as soon as the spinners came on, wickets began to fall at regular intervals. The highest partnership for the White Ferns was 50 which came for the 2^nd wicket. The second highest was 49, which came for the 7^th wicket.

Other than that, there were no substantial partnerships in the entire innings. It was Katie Perkins, who gave New Zealand something to play for with an excellent half-century but 219 was never going to be enough.

#4 The Australian spinners did a great job

Jess Jonassen celebrating a wicket

The Australian spinners, especially Jess Jonassen, were at the top of their game in today’s match. Not only did they pick up important wickets but also ran through the overs quickly, thus giving New Zealand no time to recover.

After the pacers failed to provide the breakthrough, it was leggie Amanda Wellington who got the first wicket for Australia. Wellington was very impressive, throwing the ball up above the eyeline of the batswomen and getting it to rip past the edge on a couple of occasions.

Jonassen, the slow left-arm spinner, dried up the runs completely. She conceded just 33 runs off her 10 overs while picking up 3 wickets. The over in which she dismissed both Amy Satterthwaite and Katey Martin proved to be a turning point as New Zealand never really got back in the game.

#3 Poor ground fielding cost New Zealand the game

Amelia Kerr gave the White Fern some hope but poor fielding let them down

New Zealand may not have been able to dominate the game at any stage but they did give themselves a chance of clinching a narrow victory. First, it was Katie Perkins who gave them some hope with a late onslaught and then just when it seemed that they would lose, Amelia Kerr brought them back with two quick wickets.

There was a time when it felt like they could win it. Alas, if only they had fielded better. 220 was always going to be too small a target, but in such low scoring matches, you need your fielders on their toes. They should be restricting those tight singles and put pressure on the batswomen.

New Zealand are known for being clinical in the outfield. Today, however, they slipped off their set standards, being uncharacteristically sloppy. Not once or twice but multiple times they faltered and hesitated, thus allowing the Aussies easy runs.

#2 Cool and calm heads of Perry and Blackwell ensure victory for the Aussies

Ellyse Perry played a calm and composed innings

The Australians had done well to restrict New Zealand to 219 and they started off well. However, captain Meg Lanning and Elyse Villani’s dismissals off successive deliveries put them in pressure as the game approached the final stages.

At that stage, the Aussies still needed 77-odd runs to win the game in 16 overs. As the game hung in balance, the onus was on Ellyse Perry and Alex Blackwell to take Australia over the line. Perry, at that time, was batting on 30 off 47 balls while Blackwell had just come to the crease.

The duo kept calm and stitched together a crucial partnership. They abstained from taking any risks whatsoever and patiently waited to put away the bad deliveries. By the time the partnership was finally broken, Perry had scored 71 and Australia needed just one run to win the game.

#1 Australia are the team to beat

Team Australia celebrate a dismissal

Coming into the big tournament, it was difficult to separate the top three sides – Australia, England and New Zealand. However, only two, the Aussies and the White Ferns had lived up to that billing so far into the tournament, while England were found wanting.

The Australians had notched up two big wins from two matches, both of eight wickets. New Zealand had won one by nine wickets while their other match was washed out. With today’s win, however, the Aussies have gone far ahead in the race. As of now, they are firm favourites.

They have a very strong batting order, especially the top order, and excellent spinners who can win any match. Their ground fielding as well has been on point, apart from the Sri Lanka match. All of this makes them the team to beat in the tournament.