ENGLAND PREVAILS IN THRILLER WITH AUSTRALIA AS SEMI-FINAL RACE HOTS UP
9 July 2017
Hosts England completed its fourth successive ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 victory to throw qualification for the semi-finals wide open with a thrilling three-run win over Australia in Bristol.
Chasing 260 for semi-final qualification, Australia struggled to keep up with the rate despite Ellyse Perry’s third successive half-century, making 70 from 86 balls.
Alex Hartley (two for 31) bowled wonderfully, including dismissing captain Meg Lanning with her variation, as England’s 259 for eight proved enough to get the win and send it top of the table – with the top five in the standings within one point of each other.
“What a win, I’ve not got many words, it’s just absolutely fantastic and I just wish it was the final and not a group game,” said Hartley as England reached eight points, with Australia and India also on eight points, but behind on net run-rate.
“I bowled well in the other group games, for me it’s about bowling on the stumps and keeping it simple and I did that today, it was the nice to get the reward.
“We’ve got to take each game as it comes, we’re onto New Zealand now and it’s a game we’re really looking forward to.
“This win puts us in a great position, hopefully moving on to the semi-finals and now we can take it as it comes.”
England lost Lauren Winfield early batting first, but Tamsin Beaumont and Sarah Taylor steadied the ship as the latter stroked six glorious fours in her 35 from 33 balls.
But when she was bowled for the first of Kristen Beams’ two wickets, England needed to keep rebuilding as Natalie Sciver and Danielle Wyatt made starts before being dismissed.
Tight Australian bowling made that difficult, though it seemed Beaumont would make 50 only to misjudge a full toss to gift Ashleigh Gardner a return catch on 49.
After Jess Jonassen bowled Wyatt, England was on 174 for six, but late hitting from Jenny Gunn (39) and player-of-the-match Katherine Brunt (a career-best 45 not out) helped the score to 259 for eight, putting on 85 from 73 balls for the seventh wicket.
[caption id="attachment_19156" align="alignnone" width="600"]
England v Australia ICC WWC 2017
From Bristol
9/7/17
Pic by Martin Bennett[/caption]
Australia started well until an excellent Winfield catch saw the end of Beth Mooney, while Nicole Bolton was caught behind off Gunn to bring Lanning and Perry together.
Lanning was bowled for 40, but that didn’t stop Perry motoring on to her 21st ODI fifty, as 91 were needed from the last 10 overs.
Dropped in the deep on 67, Perry tried to make England pay but succumbed soon after as Sciver atoned for her error from Brunt’s bowling.
That was a wicket too far for Australia, as England held its nerve through Gunn when it mattered most, as she just defended 16 from the final over, to secure a vital victory in its bid for the knockouts.
“It was a good game of cricket, but in hindsight there were too many extras bowled, 32 is a whole different story at the end of the game and we did well to keep in there at the end,” said Perry.
“We gave ourselves too much to do through the middle of our batting and bowling.
“We thought 280 was par but we bowled pretty well, it was definitely gettable. We never really got going in that first 30 overs, didn’t get that momentum up and lost a few too many wickets.
“We gave a good fight of it and did well to drag it back.”
England beat Australia by three runs at Bristol County Ground, Bristol
England 259-8 in 50 overs (Tamsin Beaumont 49, Katherine Brunt 45 not out, Jenny Gunn 39, Sarah Taylor 35; Elyse Villani 3-42, Kristen Beams 2-44, Ashleigh Gardner 1-41, Megan Schutt 1-41)
Australia 256-8 in 50 overs (Ellyse Perry 70, Meg Lanning 40, Beth Mooney 31, Nicole Bolton 26; Alex Hartley 2-31, Katherine Brunt 2-42, Jenny Gunn 2-54)
Player of the match – Katherine Brunt (England)
Next matches – England v New Zealand, County Ground, Derby, 12 July; Australia v India, Bristol County Ground, Bristol, 12 July.
