作者： admin

SOUTHAMPTON, England — The Australian women’s national cricket team extended its perfect run at the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup on Saturday, securing a dominant third consecutive victory with a 98-run defeat of first-time qualifier the Netherlands at the Rose Bowl.

In a historic batting performance, Australia crossed the 200-run mark for the first time in tournament history, posting an equal tournament-record total of 219 runs for the loss of six wickets. The Dutch side was only able to muster 121 runs for the loss of three wickets in response, never coming close to challenging the massive target set by the defending favorites.

Australia’s run chase got off to a promising start, but delivered an early scare when star opening batter Beth Mooney was forced to retire hurt on 74 runs off 42 deliveries after complaining of a stiff back. Speaking to reporters after the innings, Mooney downplayed the injury, saying the withdrawal was purely a precautionary measure. The issue, she explained, likely stemmed from the extensive bus travel the team has undertaken throughout the tournament, to which she has not yet adjusted.

Despite Mooney’s early exit, Australia’s batting line-up held firm to deliver a record-breaking total. Mooney shared a 50-run opening stand off just 28 balls with Georgia Voll, who scored 17, before building a 101-run partnership off 55 deliveries with all-rounder Ash Gardner, who returned to the side following a recent ankle sprain and finished with 58 runs. It was spinner Georgia Wareham who pushed Australia across the 200-run threshold, bludgeoning 41 runs off 18 deliveries, with 32 of those coming from boundaries.

Mooney’s early departure created an unexpected gap behind the stumps, as the team’s usual backup wicketkeeper Phoebe Litchfield was already sidelined with a quad injury. The gloves were handed to opening batter Voll, who stepped up seamlessly to the role, pulling off a clean catch in just the second over of the Netherlands’ innings. Australian pace bowler Kim Garth capitalized on the early opportunity, taking two wickets for just 10 runs in her opening two overs to put the Dutch side on the back foot immediately.

Making their first-ever appearance at the Women’s T20 World Cup, the Netherlands never looked likely to chase down the target of 220 runs. However, the side delivered a gritty middle-order performance, with captain Babette de Leede and batter Sterre Kalis putting together a 96-run partnership from the fourth over through to the 19th. Kalis, who was dropped twice while on 21 and 40, was eventually bowled for 44 runs. De Leede remained unbeaten on 56 runs off 57 deliveries to close out the innings alongside Robine Rijke, with the pair both playing their 100th Twenty20 international match in the historic fixture.

Speaking after the match, de Leede framed the clash against the world-leading Australian side as a landmark moment for her team. “This is a massive moment for us,” she said. “Australia are a quality team, so to learn from them, see how they go about their innings, it’s just incredible.”

The match was the first of four fixtures scheduled for Saturday at the tournament, with subsequent group stage matches between Pakistan and Bangladesh, and hosts England against Scotland kicking off later in the day.

On the fourth morning of the ongoing Test match at London’s iconic Oval ground, New Zealand’s all-rounder Daryl Mitchell anchored a resilient batting performance to extend his side’s already formidable first-innings lead, putting the Black Caps in a nearly unassailable position against host nation England on Saturday.

When play got underway under overcast skies, New Zealand lost three early wickets before conditions cleared, reaching 345 for the loss of six wickets by the lunch break. This gave New Zealand an overall lead of 445 runs, with Mitchell remaining unbeaten on 66. He was joined at the crease by fast bowler Nathan Smith, who had already posted a quickfire 30 runs off just 35 deliveries by the interval.

New Zealand’s 345-run second innings total at lunch already gave them a second-innings lead well beyond England’s historic record for the highest successful fourth-innings chase, which stands at 378 runs. The Black Caps added 93 runs in 25 overs on Saturday morning against an England attack that extracted significant seam movement from a 60-over-old ball, particularly from seasoned fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue.

Mitchell survived a scare on the very first delivery of the day: he drove loosely at a full delivery from Archer and edged the ball toward second slip, only for the chance to slip through the outstretched fingers of Harry Brook. That drop would prove costly for England, as it remained the only mistake Mitchell made for the entire morning session.

Having already scored a quick 32 runs off 43 deliveries during Friday evening’s closing play, Mitchell adapted perfectly to Saturday’s bowler-friendly conditions, picking up just 34 additional runs off 59 balls to reach his half-century. He brought up his 50 in the over after the mid-session drinks break off 68 deliveries, a milestone that came as little surprise to cricket observers.

Mitchell has built a reputation as England’s nemesis, holding a phenomenal batting average of 56 against the Three Lions in Test cricket, far above his career Test average of 42. This innings marked Mitchell’s eighth half-century and third century against England across just 12 Test matches, underlining his exceptional record against the side.

While Mitchell anchored the innings from one end, wickets fell consistently at the other end. Brook made amends for his earlier dropped catch when he held onto a defensive edge from overnight centurion Henry Nicholls off Archer’s bowling. Nicholls, who posted an unbeaten 119 on Friday, had just been struck on the fingers by a short delivery from Tongue, and only added two runs to his overnight score before falling.

Tom Blundell became Tongue’s next victim after the New Zealand batter tried to glide a fine tickle down the leg side for 16 runs. The ball looped to Joe Root at first slip, who fumbled the catch, only for debutant wicketkeeper James Rew to snatch the rebound. The dismissal ended with Root accidentally falling on top of Rew, prompting a playful celebratory scrum among England’s players — a light moment that also served to encourage the debutant, who has already conceded 33 byes, the most by an England wicketkeeper in a Test match in 12 years.

First-innings centurion Glenn Phillips was the next batter to depart, out for just 3 runs when he edged Archer to Jacob Bethell at the gully position. That brought Smith to the crease to join Mitchell, and the pair stemmed the flow of wickets to head into lunch unbeaten. Smith hit four boundaries and a towering six over long-on off Bethell, setting the stage for New Zealand to extend their lead further in the afternoon session when clearer weather is expected to make batting easier.