Kiwis run rampant as Aussie collapse sparks search for answers
CAPTAIN Meg Lanning has implored her Australia side to learn some harsh lessons after being bowled out for the nation’s lowest women’s Twenty20 total in a humiliating loss to New Zealand.
The Australians were dismissed for a paltry 66 at the Adelaide Oval in a 47-run loss that handed the Kiwis a 2-1 series triumph.
Chasing 114 to win the series decider, Australia’s top order crumbled to be 5-9 within five overs.
The collapse followed a similar slide of 6-12 in game two of the series in Geelong last Sunday.
“We have got to learn from it. It’s two games in a row now that the same sort of thing has happened,” Lanning said.
“Very similar to Geelong unfortunately, we didn’t really learn our lessons well enough.
“Full credit to New Zealand, they bowled really well and stopped us getting any momentum. But we have got to be able to find a way to keep the scoreboard ticking and make sure we don’t give away easy wickets.”
Australia’s previous lowest T20 score in a completed innings was 73 all out against the Kiwis in 2010. Yesterday, only two Australians – Alex Blackwell (30no) and Alyssa Healy (12) – reached double figures.
The top order collapse was rapid: after Beth Mooney was run out on the fourth ball, the hosts lost their next four wickets in a span of 11 balls. The initial five batters dismissed made just eight runs. And the entire innings lasted just 16 overs.
“We had the double whammy of losing wickets and not being able to get the scoreboard ticking over as well,” Lanning said. “We never really got any momentum in either of the last two games to be able to chase down totals we would back ourselves to do most of the time.”
Lanning said the batters had let their bowling teammates down after the Kiwis were restricted to 8-113.
New Zealand’s batters suffered a collapse of their own, losing 4-2 in six balls as Australian legspinner AmandaJane Wellington ran rampant.