Other teams ‘scared of our batting line-up’ – Megan Schutt

Schutt returned 3/15 as Australia comprehensively won the second Women’s Twenty20 International against New Zealand by six wickets in Brisbane, taking a 2-0 lead in a three-match series.

Schutt’s efforts helped restrict New Zealand to 148/5, even as Suzie Bates hammered a 52-ball 77, and half-centuries from Alyssa Healy and Elyse Villani thereafter helped them seal the chase in 18.5 overs.

It was a dominant, all-round display, but for Schutt, it was the performance with the bat that most impressed her. “I was thinking the other night, to be 45/4 (in the first T20I) and still have Rachael (Haynes) coming in and make a partnership with Meg (Lanning), it’s such a deep batting order,” she said.

“It’s something we really pride ourselves on. To have Per (Ellyse Perry) there at No.7, it’s almost relieving. Other people will be scared of our batting line-up.”

Schutt was also impressed with the performances of Healy, who brought up 1000 runs in 82 T20Is during her 41-ball 57 on Monday. Healy’s last T20I half-century came in 2012 against India, but she has been in fine form recently, and Schutt said it had to do with an upswing in confidence.

“She’s whacked the [Adelaide] Strikers around a fair bit, in the [Sydney] Sixers colours unfortunately, but when she’s on, she’s incredible,” said Schutt.

“That’s the way she needs to come out and play – be fearless, and that opening batting role is really (helping her in) doing that. It suits her, and she just gets on a roll and goes from there. It’s lovely to watch.”

The series victory, Schutt said, gave Australia “the bragging rights” but it also served the more important function of maintaining momentum ahead of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in the Caribbean next month.

“Obviously, momentum heading forward is so important,” she said. “Big win today. We were all a little nervous coming into the series. The first win’s great, but we’ve been in that position before and lost. To have two from two is fantastic.”

That said, in the final T20I in Canberra on Friday, there is still room for improvement. “We had a couple of good overs in the Powerplay and then we kind of let it go a little bit, [with] slips in the field,” she said. “Fielding will be a bigger issue in Canberra, under lights as well, and it’ll be freezing cold. It’s certainly something we’ve to improve.”