Aus Women v Eng Women, 1st semi-final preview
Two powerhouses of women’s cricket will face off on Wednesday (March 30) at the Feroze Shah Kotla in New Delhi. Ashes rivals and finalists in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2014, England Women and Australia Women will lock horns in the semifinal of the 2016 edition, vying for another crack at a trophy they both have held before. While England was the inaugural winner in the 2009 edition, Australia has been three-times champion since then.
With the pitch expected to be a more batting friendly one, spectators will be hoping to see a repeat of the 2009 semifinal, where England chased 163 against Australia in a thrilling game. Both teams seemed intent on preparing accordingly. Half of the Australian team hit the nets, with the other half going through their fielding drills on the ground. England meanwhile, seemed to give special importance to fielding, as all 15 players participated in an extended session, before moving on to their nets in the afternoon.
Meg Lanning, the Australia captain, said that despite having got the better of England in recent times, her side expected a keen contest. “I'm not sure we'll be favourites. England are unbeaten in the tournament and have finished on top [of their group]. We finished second,” she said. “We always look forward to playing against England...There's definitely a fair bit of banter. With the WBBL (Women's Big Bash League in Australia), we played alongside some of their girls as well, so that adds another dimension.”
England had dominant victories against Bangladesh and Pakistan in the group phase, but it was touch-and-go against India and West Indies, though Charlotte Edwards’s side got over the line eventually. While it can claim to have gained valuable experience from the two high-pressure games, the batting looking top heavy will be in some focus. Edwards and Tammy Beaumonthave got runs, and Sarah Taylor is due for a big one, having only scored 28 runs in the group stages, despite batting well.
England’s bowling though, has looked formidable. The opening combination of Anya Shrubsole and Katherine Brunt have drawn first blood in all their group encounters. Although the attack has lost Danielle Hazell, the leading spinner, to a calf injury, Heather Knight and Jenny Gunnhave performed admirably in the slow bowling department.
“This team has quite a similar feel to 2009 when we won”, said Edwards. “We didn’t play well through the group stages, played Australia in the semi, and went on to win the title. Hopefully we will this time as well. We were losing finalists last two times, hopefully this will be third time lucky. At the same time we’re not putting too much pressure on ourselves, which is something we learnt over the last summer.”
Besides a loss to New Zealand, Australia has had a straightforward ride to the semifinals. It was also put under pressure by South Africa, but recovered well through the batting prowess of Lanning. The runs scored by Elyse Villani at the top of the order will be a relief, though the team could ponder a change in the batting order with Alyssa Healy yet to hit form.
While most teams have preferred to use spin extensively, Australia has relied heavily on the pace department, often using three or four pace options. The medium-pace inswingers of Megan Schutt and the left-arm angle of Lauren Cheatle have been effective more often than not. “Top order runs will be key for both sides”, said Lanning. “Bowling wise, if we get into their middle order, we can really put them under pressure.”
Lanning was also aware of the importance of being aggressive and taking wickets, especially targeting the England top order. “There's no doubt [Edwards] is a great player and key to their line-up, but they've got a number of different players who are very dangerous. Sarah Taylor can take the game away from you.”
Historically, both teams have been at the forefront of taking the women’s game to higher levels. It gives this contest between traditional rivals another angle. Much like the scientific rivalry between Isaac Newton and Robert Hooke, this clash is a battle of the pioneers of development in women’s cricket, continually seeking to go one up on the other. It promises to be a fascinating encounter.
**Teams (from):England:**Charlotte Edwards (capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Georgia Elwiss, Natasha Farrant, Lydia Greenway, Rebecca Grundy, Jenny Gunn, Heather Knight, Amy Jones, Natalie Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor (wk), Danielle Wyatt, Laura Marsh.
**Australia:**Meg Lanning (capt), Alex Blackwell, Kristen Beams, Nicola Carey, Lauren Cheatle, Sarah Coyte, Rene Farrell, Holly Ferling, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen, Beth Mooney, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani.
