Aussie hopes hinge on rain

AUSTRALIA’S hard-hitting approach can pay dividends if the Twenty20 World Cup semi-final is reduced to as little as a 10-over affair. Rain is forecast for Sydney for the rest of the week, with some showers around the SCG tomorrow night when the game is scheduled. If the semifinals are washed out, the top two teams progress to Sunday’s decider and Australia’s title defence will be over. Players are taking confidence from the ability to get the same ground ready for the Big Bash final last month, after records deluges in the week leading up to the game. Under tournament rules, a minimum of 10 overs must be bowled per side for a semi-final to constitute a match, an increase on the five-over minimum in group games. “Obviously there has been a lot of talk about that, but they got a game up at the SCG a few months ago with the Big Bash final,” opener Beth Mooney said yesterday. “I’m sure they’ll be doing everything they can to make sure there is at least 10 overs a side for both games.” Under the rules, each of the two semi-finals tomorrow are individual events and Australia’s game at night won’t be delayed if the first semi-final is affected by rain. Unlike the final on March 8, there are no reserve days for semi-finals, meaning Australia’s first-up loss to India could come back to haunt it. But in Australia’s favour is the fact it has one of the hardest-hitting top orders in the competition. Mooney, Alyssa Healy and Ashleigh Gardner all score at strike rates above 120, with Australia having taken a fearless approach to its T20 cricket in recent years.