Mooney shines in Australia win, England down Bangladesh eves

Mohammad Abdullah, Senior Sports Reporter

Megan Schutt put in a splendid bowling performance to help England set up a six-wicket win against Sri Lanka in their Women’s T20 World Cup match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Stadium on Saturday.

Australia restricted Lanka to a modest score of 94 and crossed the line for the loss of four wickets with 5.4 overs to spare.

Defending a paltry total, Lanka did try to make some inroads through their bowlers but Beth Mooney played a responsible knock to see Australia through.

Australia also began with a stuttering start but Mooney waged a lone  battle on one end single-handedly as she defied Lanka bowlers.

Mooney struck an unbeaten 38-ball 43 to put Lanka’s hopes of winning  to an end. Lanka’s Udeshika Prabodhani got rid of Australian opener Alyssa Healy after the skipper had scored only four runs.

It was a big setback for the Australian as Healy is one of the most experienced batters. After Australia had added just six runs to the total, Georgia Wareham was found short of her ground as Australia lost the second wicket.

Sugandika Kumari rattled the stumps of Ellyse Perry to reduce Australia to 35/3. They needed a big partnership to stay in the game. Perry scored 17 runs and added 21 for the third wicket.

Ashleigh Gardner and Mooney knuckled down to mend the innings and shared a 43-run stand for the fourth wicket as they took the match as deep as possible.

Gardner holed out to Madavi off the bowling of Ranaweera for her first scalp but it was too late for Lanka to make any comeback into the match.

Phoebe Litchfield and Mooney combined to complete the formalities as Australia romp to an easy win.

Earlier, batting first, Lanka got off to a faltering start as they lost the wickets of Vishmi Gunaratne and the Chamari Athapaththu with just six runs on the board.

It was Schutt, who triggered the collapse by getting rid of Gunaratne. She trapped him in front of the wicket to give England first breakthrough.

The Lankan opener, who was the highest scorer for them against Pakistan, was dismissed for a duck. Two balls later, Athapaththu was sent back to the Pavillion by Gardner.

Megan Schutt bowls during the ICC Women's T20 World Cup match at Sharjah Stadium on Saturday. AP

Harshitha Samarawickrama and Nilakshika Silva added 34 runs for the fourth wicket after Sophie Molineux caught Kavisha Dilhari plumb in front of wicket.

Molineux caught and bowled Samarawickrama to break the dangerous-looking partnership. After the dismissal of Samarawickrama, Australian bowlers ripped through the fragile middle order of Lanka.

Anushka Sanjeewani and Sugandika Kumari were sent back by Schutt in quick succession and Lanka’s could manage to muster a paltry 93/7 in 20 overs.

With two losses in as many games, Lanka will have to win all their remaining matches to keep their hopes alive of going into the second round.

 In the second match of the day, England defeated Bangladesh by 21 runs.

Spinners Linsey Smith and Charlie Dean took two wickets apiece as England defeated Bangladesh by 21 runs for a winning start to their Women's T20 World Cup campaign on Saturday.

England's strategy to play four spinners paid dividends as the 2009 champions restricted Bangladesh to 97-7 on a slow track in Sharjah as they managed to defend their lowest total in T20 World Cups.

England had made 118-7, riding on a 40-ball 41 by opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge.

Middle-order batter Sobhana Mostary played a lone hand for Bangladesh, making 44 off 48 balls, including a huge six off Dean over deep square leg.

The result was a disappointment for Bangladesh, who won against Scotland in the tournament opener on Thursday for their first T20 World Cup win in a decade.

"We missed a good opportunity to beat a good side. Our bowlers did a good job but our batters disappointed," said Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana.

"On this kind of a surface, we needed to have a good partnership. We did not have a good powerplay, we gave away wickets."

England, who chose to bat first, started-off cautiously before Wyatt-Hodge and Maia Bouchier (23) opened up to play some memorable shots.

"It was tough out there, conditions were tough for batting and boundary-hitting. Wyatt-Hodge and Bouchier did well," said England skipper Heather Knight.

"We targeted 135-140, that is what we prepared for."

Bouchier hit two fours on the trot in the fifth over off Marufa Akter as England raced to 36 runs off the first five overs.

Rabeya Khan dropped Bouchier on 16 off Marufa at point but returned to pick up her wicket, with Nahida Akter taking a catch at mid-on.

Bangladesh struck again with the dangerous Nat Sciver-Brunt (two) being trapped leg-before by Fahima Khatun in the eighth over.

England suffered another blow when Knight (six) tried to go for a drive down the ground but missed it completely to be bowled out by Ritu Moni.

Brief scores: Australia and Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka 93-7 in 20 overs (Samarawickrama 23, Silva 29 not out; Schutt 3-12, Molineux 2-20) v Australia 94-4 in 14.2 overs (Mooney 43 not out; Prabodhani 1-19)

Brief scores: England and Bangladesh

England: Danni Wyatt-Hodge 41, Maia Bouchier 23; Fahima Khatun 2-18, Ritu Moni 2-24, Nahida Akter 2-32.

Bangladesh: Sobhana Mostary 44, Nigar Sultana 15; Linsey Smith 2-11, Charlie Dean 2-22.