Australia A women levelled their three match series against India A at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane, setting up the decider to be played at the same venue on Monday. They did so by setting a big target, and then restricting the Indian run chase, with the weakness of the visitors’ middle order being made apparent.
It was India who won the toss and, although they enjoyed early success with the ball as Tahlia McGrath fell early, caught by Veda Krishnamurthy off the bowling of Mansi Joshi, they soon came to rue that decision. Georgia Redmayne combined with Bridget Patterson in a stand of 97, and, when she departed for 7, caught and bowled by Devika Vaidya, Redmayne then shared a stand of 57 with Heather Graham.
India had brief hopes of checking the run flow when both Graham and Annabel Sutherland departed in quick succession, but then Erin Burns came to the crease, and she blasted 107 off just 59 balls, including 5 sixes and 13 fours. Together, she and Redmayne put on 149 for the fifth wicket, and, although Burns fell off the penultimate ball of the innings to the bowling of TP Kanwer, Redmayne was undefeated as the end on 113, as Australia closed on 315 – 5. She had struck one six and ten fours.
In reply, India started well enough with Priya Punia and 15 year old Shafali Verma, who put on 98 for the first wicket. However, Verma fell for 46 to the bowling of Molly Strano, who struck again two balls later, bowling Dayalan Hemalatha for a duck. Punia and Krishnmamurthy added 107 for the third wicket, but India were struggling with the asking rate by this time, and when Krishnamurthy was out for 40, another victim of Strano, they were well adrift. Arundhati Reddy went for another duck, and then Punia who had reached 112, including 2 sixes and 16 fours, fell to the bowling of Belinda Vakarewa.
The end after that came quickly – although Vaidya made 20, none of the other women could score more than one, and India were bowled all out for 234 in the 45th over.
Strano took 3 for 37, but it was Burns who took the honours as Player of the Match.
