Day 12 Talking Points: Australia’s depth too much for West Indies, Taylor left playing lone hand
Basin Reserve, Wellington - Match No. 14
M14 Match Highlights: Australia v West Indies
Darcie Brown was one of the standout performers with 3/22 in Australia’s dominant display against New Zealand but the 19-year-old pace bowler couldn’t hold her place in the starting XI for this match.
Jess Jonassen returned in place of Brown but even the No.1 bowler in the MRF Tyres Women’s ODI Rankings had to wait to get an opportunity with the ball.
Coming on as the sixth bowler used by skipper Meg Lanning, Jonassen still had an impact and finished with 2/18 off 7.5 overs but the real damage had been done much earlier in the innings.
Ellyse Perry (3/22) set the tone with some magnificent bowling to dismiss opener Hayley Matthews and Kycia Knight in consecutive deliveries for a pair of ducks, and soon added the wicket of the dangerous Deandra Dottin (16).
Off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner (3/25) picked up multiple wickets for the second time in as many CWC22 matches and further proved that Australia’s bowling depth is not only a threat to their opposition but also has the competition for places heating up.
Ellyse Perry with two crackers in two balls
The West Indies entered this match as the most effective Powerplay batters at CWC22, scoring a combined 193 runs for the loss of two wickets in overs 1-10 in their previous three hit-outs.
But Australia’s opening bowlers Megan Schutt and in particular Perry put the clamps on the West Indies top order to leave them reeling at 34/3 at the end of their Powerplay.
It is little coincidence that Australia have the premier Powerplay bowlers at CWC22, now allowing only 153 runs to be scored while claiming nine wickets in the initial 10 overs across their four matches.
The contest between bat and ball had a clear winner this time but Stafanie Taylor was defiant after entering the fray in the second over with her team 4/2.
The West Indies’ skipper built a patient half-century as wickets tumbled around her but didn’t have the support to turn that into a competitive team total as Australia asserted their authority.
Highlights: Stafanie Taylor with a defiant captain's knock
It is difficult to stand out in an Australian batting line-up featuring Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Beth Mooney and Perry but Rachael Haynes has done just that so far at CWC22.
The opener currently has the most runs at the tournament with 277 at an average of 92.33 and is 70 runs in front of the next best, Hayley Matthews on 207, thanks to a big ton against England and getting at least a start in every innings.
Haynes added an unbeaten 83 to her tournament tally with an assured knock against the West Indies, to again show that she can adapt to what her team needs rather than always attacking the bowling from the early overs.
Even before accumulating more runs against the West Indies, the 35-year-old had moved to seventh-place and her highest-ever position in the MRF Tyres Women’s ODI Batting Rankings, while suggesting that like a fine wine her best might be yet to come.
Highlights: Rachael Haynes with an assured half-century