Blackwell eyes ODI sweep ahead of Ashes Test
The fact that she will be playing her 250th game for Australia Women on Sunday (October 29) will be at the back of Alex Blackwell’s mind even as she focuses on helping her team extend their winning run and clinch a 3-0 sweep against England Women.
A day after Australia went 2-0 up – worth four points – in the ODI leg of the Ashes series with a 75-run (DLS method) win, Blackwell said Australia must look to be consistent and that “the series was not yet over” despite its strong run so far.
“Given the points system, we've got our nose in front and we want to extend that, so to go into the Test match with England not having a victory so far in the series would be a daunting task for them,” she said on Friday. “Mathematically, this would give us an opportunity to win a series in the Test match.
“We have won a series within a series, the ODIs within this Ashes series, and are very pleased about that, but it's still a long way to go, and we know they will bounce back very well. I wouldn't suggest that they are down and out at all. Hopefully, we can make it 3-0, which sounds a lot better than 2-1.”
Soon after Australia’s innings of 296 for 6 in the Thursday fixture, there was a hailstorm in Coffs Harbour that kept the players off the field and left the visitor chasing a revised target of 285 from 46 overs.
Blackwell lavished praise on the bowlers, led by Megan Schutt’s 4 for 26, for wrapping up England’s innings for 209. “It was tricky conditions with the wet outfield, the ball was getting pretty hard to handle, and they did really well,” she said. “It’s easy to play half a game well and we've been of guilty of that in recent times, so we put the whole game together.”
Blackwell, the Australia vice-captain, also had good things to say about Rachael Haynes, leading the side in Meg Lanning’s absence, after her unbeaten 56-ball 89 not out. “Rachael had such poise from the beginning of her innings, using the pace on the ball, knowing how to manipulate the field, and hitting a few beautiful shots behind point, but then showing her power down the ground. I have seen it before and it's lovely to see it again at this level in green and gold,” gushed Blackwell.
Speaking about her own 250th milestone – 11 Tests, 143 ODIs and 95 Twenty20 Internationals so far – Blackwell said she couldn’t be happier. “It feels like it’s flown by, I absolutely love playing for Australia and trying to get the best out of myself, as a batter and as a leader within the team as well,” she said. “I think I have got a fair bit to offer in terms of experience and I just love seeing the young players show what they've got and express themselves out there.”