EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE DELHI THE HINDU 20 SPORT MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2020 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Australia runs away with cup as India crumbles on the big stage Healy and Mooney set up a daunting target; Women in Blue flounder in the chase, lose by a mile Reign continues: Australia celebrates winning the ICC Women's T20 World Cup for a fifth time.* AFP T20 WORLD CUP Australia to a formidable 184 who had saved their best for The match was as good as ly’s 39­ball innings was laced SCOREBOARD for four in 20 overs. the last. over when India was 18 for with seven 4s and five 6s. Press Trust of India Evidently overwhelmed The manner and magni­ three by the fourth over, Healy and Mooney shared 115 Melbourne by the occasion, India crum­ tude of the defeat, including which became 30 for four runs in 11.5 overs for the AUSTRALIA 4­0­34­1. FALL OF WICKETS Alyssa Healy c Veda b Radha INDIA India saved its worst for the bled to 99 all out in front of a a few sub plots, were remi­ when skipper Harmanpreet opening wicket. 1­2 (Shafali, 0.3), 2­8 (Je­ 75 (39b, 7x4, 5x6), Beth Shafali Verma c Healy b mimah, 1.6), 3­18 (Smriti, 3.1), last. A brutal Australia out­ turnout of 86,174 at the icon­ niscent of the 2003 men’s Kaur departed and 58 for five Just like Healy, Mooney Mooney (not out) 78 (54b, Schutt 2 (3b), Smriti Mandhana 4­30 (Harmanpreet, 5.4), 5­58 classed India by 85 runs to ic Melbourne Cricket World Cup final when Ricky when Veda Krishnamurthy too cashed in on a dropped 10x4), Meg Lanning c Shikha b c Carey b Molineux 11 (8b, 2x4), (Veda, 11.3), 6­88 (Deepti, 16.1), claim a fifth ICC T20 World Ground, a record in women’s Ponting’s Australia thrashed was taking the long walk chance — caught and bowled Deepti 16 (15b, 2x4), Ashleigh Taniya Bhatia retd. hurt 2 (4b), 7­92 (Shikha, 17.1), 8­96 (Richa, Cup title on Sunday. cricket history. Sourav Ganguly’s India in an back. opportunity by Rajeshwari Gardner st. Taniya b Deepti 2 Jemimah Rodrigues c Carey b 17.3), 9­97 (Radha, 18.1). Batting first after the coin What worked in the home anti­climactic title clash. Earlier, Mooney and Healy Gayakwad in the fourth over (3b), Rachael Haynes b Poonam Jonassen 0 (2b), Harmanpreet AUSTRALIA BOWLING 4 (5b), Nicola Carey (not out) 5 landed in Meg Lanning’s fa­ team’s favour was that the rode on dropped chances to — to punish India by reaching Kaur c Gardner b Jonassen 4 Schutt 3.1­0­18­4, Jonassen (5b, 1x4); Extras (b­1, nb­1, (7b, 1x4) vour, Australia came out in openers easily neutralised All nerves smash blistering fifties and her fifty off 41 balls. Mooney , Deepti Sharma c 4­0­20­3, Molineux 4­0­21­1, w­2): 4; Total (for 4 wkts. in 20 (35b, 2x4) scintillating fashion with the threat posed by in­form Like Zaheer Khan in his power Australia to a chal­ struck 10 fours in her 54­ball Mooney b Carey 33 , Kimmince 4­0­17­1, Carey overs): 184. openers Alyssa Healy (75, spinner Poonam Yadav (one opening over at the Wander­ lenging 184 for four. unconquered knock. Veda Krishnamurthy c Jonassen 4­0­23­1. FALL OF WICKETS b Kimmince 19 (24b, 1x4), Richa 39b) and Beth Mooney (78, for 30), while taking the likes ers against Adam Gilchrist The Indian spinners — Player-of-the-Final: Alyssa 1­115 (Healy, 11.4 overs), 2­ Ghosh c Carey b Schutt 18 (18b, Healy. 54b) laying the foundation of medium­pacer Shikha and Matthew Hayden, Deepti Dropped catches Deepti (2/38), Radha (1/34) 154 (Lanning, 16.2), 3­156 2x4), Shikha Pandey c Mooney b with a 115­run partnership in Pandey and Deepti Sharma Sharma was all nerves when Mooney top­scored for Aus­ and Poonam (1/30) — did well (Gardner, 16.5), 4­176 (Haynes, Schutt 2 (4b), Radha Yadav c Player-of-the-Tournament: double quick time. to the cleaners. Shikha was up against Mooney and Hea­ tralia, but it was Healy, who to restrict Australia under 18.5). Mooney b Jonassen 1 (2b), Poo­ Beth Mooney. smashed for 52 runs in her ly, who blasted massive sixes went on the attack after be­ 200, but 184 proved too INDIA BOWLING nam Yadav c Gardner b Schutt 1 Richa Ghosh batted as con- Stirred up four overs. as a beaming husband Mitch­ ing dropped off the fifth ball much once India lost Shafali, Deepti 4­0­38­2, Shikha 4­ (5b), Rajeshwari Gayakwad (not cussion substitute for Taniya Stirred up by the grand occa­ Half the battle was won for ell Starc watched from the of the innings by Shafali Ver­ Smriti Mandhana and the 0­52­0, Rajeshwari 4­0­29­0, out) 1 (3b); Extras (w­5): 5. Total Bhatia. sion, their onslaught fired the formidable Australians, stands. ma off Deepti Sharma. Hea­ top­order in no time. Poonam 4­0­30­1, Radha (in 19.1 overs): 99. Australia won by 85 runs. Despite the final stumble, Reaching final no mean Have full faith in team: Harmanpreet a campaign to be proud of achievement: Shantha Rues dropped chances, says side has to work on fielding N. Sudarshan great bat and a future cap­ Teenaged talent to the fore; senior batters disappoint BENGALURU tain. But it's time they justify Despite Sunday’s crushing the ‘senior’ tag.” Amol Karhadkar loss, India’s run to the T20 Shantha felt there was im­ MUMBAI World Cup final was “no mense scope for Shafali to The G was abuzz with a re­ mean achievement,” be­ improve. “She is an exciting cord turnout. While the Aus­ lieves Shantha Rangaswa­ talent and we want her to tralian women rose to the my, former India skipper play long­term. For that she occasion, their Indian coun­ and current member of the needs to get fitter. She has terparts wilted under big BCCI Apex Council. brilliant hand­eye coordina­ match pressure at the Mel­ “We have to give the team tion like [Virender] Sehwag bourne Cricket Ground on credit,” Shantha said. “To and [Kris] Srikkanth, but Sunday. focus just on the defeat and her fielding and running Despite the disappointing not on the earlier wins is not between the wickets are be­ loss, captain Harmanpreet fair. We should congratulate low par. Kaur, head coach W.V. Ra­ Harmanpreet Kaur and “After the 2017 World Cup man and the touring entour­ team.” final (that India lost), the age have every reason to “The final was the first number of women taking up hold their heads high after a match Shafali didn’t click cricket tripled, even qua­ highly successful campaign. and you saw the collapse. drupled. No doubt the final was Playing her part: Deepti Sharma contributed to the team’s Harman's form is causing “Broadening the base is The blues! After a fine run, the Indians were found wanting in the most important match.* AFP lopsided, but the loss should cause with handy batting and effective spin bowling. * AP concern. Jemimah is per­ our dire need, and, in that not take away anything from haps one of the best we context, Harman and team Press Trust of India rued the dropped chances of the final. I think we’re on the the Indian girls who exceed­ teenaged prodigies — Shafali zled opposition batters with have; an excellent fielder, have done well.” Melbourne Beth Mooney and Alyssa right path. Every year we are ed expectations. Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues her combination of leg­ India skipper Harmanpreet Healy, who set up their improving. We just need to For starters, India was and Richa Ghosh — came to breaks and googlies, pacer Kaur said on Sunday she had team’s victory. She said the think of how we play with fo­ clubbed in the ‘group of the fore consistently, with Shikha was at her best with full faith in her team to do team needs to work on its cus in the main games. So­ death’, with Australia and allrounder Deepti Sharma the new ball and also in the well in future after Australia fielding. metimes we don’t manage New Zealand fancied to pro­ and finisher Veda Krishna­ death overs. outclassed her side by 85 “Today, it was unfortu­ that,” she said. gress to the semifinals from murthy making vital contri­ Shikha also played the si­ runs in the summit clash. nate that we dropped those She spoke highly of the its pool. butions in the latter half. lent contributor’s role to “The way we played in the catches. The upcoming one­ domestic IPL­style Women’s To add to the woes, two of perfection. league games was outstand­ and­a­half years is very im­ Challenger. “This year we its experienced batters — Shikha, Poonam shine They may have to failed to ing. I still have a lot of faith in portant. We need to focus, are hoping for some more Harmanpreet and the stylish While Deepti was consistent cross the hurdle again in a my team,” Harmanpreet especially in fielding,” she games in the Women’s Chal­ Smriti Mandhana — never with her off­breaks as well, World Cup summit clash, af­ said. “It’s part of the game, said. The skipper reckoned lenger. That tournament is got going. Still, to maintain a the bowling burden was ter the 2017 50­over event in sometimes you win and so­ her side needed to learn very important because it is clean slate and top the group shouldered by the expe­ England, but the Women in metimes you lose.