Meg Lanning scored a captain’s century to help Australia win their sixth match in a row in the Women’s Cricket World Cup.
On Saturday, she scored 97 off 107 balls as her side chased down 278 and won by six wickets with three balls to spare at Eden Park in Auckland.
It was the third-highest successful chase in the history of women’s one-day international cricket, demonstrating that the tournament favorites will need something spectacular to fall apart.
Alyssa Healy made 72 off 65 balls at the top of the order for Australia to get them ahead of the required run rate early, but some late wobbles after a 20-minute break for rain with nine overs to play complicated things.
Australia were set up to chase when Lanning won the toss and chose to bowl, and they had immediate success through seamer Darcie Brown, who picked up two early wickets.
Yastika Bhatia and Mithali Raj then came together for a partnership of 130 for the third wicket which set India up to post a big total.
Ellyse Perry had an opening over to forget, bowling six wides and conceding 16 runs in total off the 12 deliveries she sent down.
The India-backing crowd revelled in her misfortune, but also had plenty to cheer about from their own team’s batters.
Harmanpreet Kaur took over after Bhatia fell for 59 and Raj for 68, finishing not out on 57, while receiving support from Pooja Vastrakar, who was run out for 34 off 28 off the final ball.
Brown finished with 3-30, while leg-spinner Alana King took 2-52ICC Women’s
The big moment
With nine overs to play, and 53 runs needed off 54 balls, rain arrived at Eden Park. Soon after the reset, Perry departed for 28 off 51 balls, and things suddenly got tense. Australia got there in the end, but the interruption ensured they couldn’t just stay in cruise mode, as India came back into the contest.
Best with the bat
Australia lost openers Healy and Rachael Haynes in the space of two overs to go from 121-0 to 123-2, but Lanning showed her class as she took hold of the chase. Her dismissal, caught at point three runs short of a century, was the only blot in her copybook.
Best with the ball
Brown struck twice early with the ball for Australia and went on to finish with 3-30 from her eight overs. That she didn’t complete a full set of 10 was a bit of a surprise, but when she returned to claim Bhatia’s wicket in the 32nd over, it helped keep India from posting an insurmountable totalFull covege
The big picture
Australia’s win secured them a place in the semifinals and sets up a clash of the two unbeaten teams on Tuesday at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, when they play South Africa in an ODI for the first time since the last World Cup in 2017. India now need to bank a win against Bangladesh on Tuesday at Seddon Park in Hamilton before they play the Proteas in the final match of the round-robin next Sunday.
Scoreboard
At Eden Park, Auckland: India 277-7 (Mithali Raj 68, Yastika Bhatia 59, Harmanpreet Kaur 57no; Darcie Brown 3-30, Alana King 2-52) lost to Australia 280-4 in 49.3 overs (Meg Lanning 97, Alyssa Healy 72, Rachael Haynes 43; Pooja Vastrakar 2-43) by six wickets
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