Voll’s unbeaten ton powers Australia to series win

After missing the opening ODI, Georgia Voll struck a commanding century as Australia cruised to a nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second ODI at the Allan Border Field.

Chasing 221, Voll struck an unbeaten 131 off 97 balls, with Phoebe Litchfield providing equally fluent support through a 70 off 51 deliveries. The pair added 162 runs in just 19.5 overs to put Australia firmly in control, before Ellyse Perry helped complete the chase with 131 balls to spare. The win gave Australia an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

For Voll, the century was her third in ODIs, and a particularly satisfying one. Having been dismissed on 101 twice previously in the format, she went past that mark this time to finish unbeaten on 131, earning Player of the Match honours for her effort.

“It was good. After them batting the 50 and having a really good partnership, we knew it was a good wicket. Myself and Phoebe started well. We love batting together, so to put on a partnership like that was pretty cool. To finish it off with Pez (Ellyse Perry )was great,” Voll said post-match.

Voll and Litchfield made the most of a good batting surface, attacking from the outset after Bangladesh had recovered from an early collapse to post 220/6. Voll found the boundary regularly through point and cover, while Litchfield combined crisp strokeplay with inventive shots against the spinners. Both batters reached their half-centuries in quick time, putting Australia well ahead of the required rate.

Reflecting on the conditions, Voll said, “We knew after the other night that we were playing on the same wicket and it probably flattened out. We noticed that throughout our bowling innings, we weren't probably getting a lot out of the wicket.”

“The key thing was getting in and if you get in, make a big score. It was obviously nice to stay in the middle for a little bit longer than I did the other day.”

Litchfield’s dismissal for 70 brought their opening stand to an end, but Voll continued to dictate the chase. She brought up her century in the 25th over and accelerated further before finishing the game alongside Perry. Their partnership once again underlined the understanding between Voll and Litchfield, who have grown up playing cricket together.

“We've obviously grown up playing cricket against and with each other. To open for our country together, we probably never thought we would do it at 15 years of age. Every time we get to walk out there together and open the batting for Australia is pretty special.”

“I think we complement each other really well. She can bat left-hand, right-handed. She complements me well and I compliment her well. To go out there and do what we did again today was really pleasing,” she added.

Voll also spoke about the adjustments she has made to her game in the 50-over format, particularly learning to manage the tempo of an innings without losing her attacking instincts.

“I think that's probably been the thing that I've worked on is going through the gears a little bit more. Being a power hitter, I guess, I wanted to be able to adjust that in the one-day format but not take away that ability to try and score quickly. When you get off to a quick start, it's pretty easy to keep trying to want to hit the ball. I probably went through a little bit of ebbs and flows throughout that innings today and it was nice to get us through to the end.”

Earlier, Bangladesh had endured a disastrous start after being put into bat, losing three wickets for just eight runs as Megan Schutt and Kim Garth dismantled the top order. Sobhana Mostary and captain Nigar Sultana Joty then produced a remarkable recovery, adding 195 runs for the fourth wicket, Bangladesh’s highest-ever partnership in women’s ODIs. Mostary scored a superb 118, while Joty contributed a valuable half-century to lift Bangladesh to 220/6. Mostary’s innings is also the highest individual score for Bangladesh in ODIs.

Voll acknowledged the effort of Australia’s bowlers in difficult conditions and said the team would look for areas to improve ahead of the final ODI.

“Yeah, we'll obviously review the game and have a look where we can improve. I think our bowlers did a really good job. Like I said, the wicket was pretty flat so it's pretty hard to bowl on. Our girls at the top did such a fantastic job. I Credit to them, they did a really good job through the middle and the end there to get to that total. We'll obviously have a look and see what we can improve on come Wednesday and if that's a couple of different field changes to make them hit somewhere else. All in all, I think we did a really good job today.”

Voll also looked ahead to Beth Mooney’s 100th ODI, which is set to come in the third match of the series.

“She’s had a big influence on my career. She’s sort of the one that’s been there from the start helping me. It’s pretty cool to obviously take the field with her. She’s been around for a long time.

“It’ll be exciting for her and obviously in front of her home people as well. We’ll go out and celebrate her 100 games. It’s a massive milestone so looking forward to it.”