ICC Women’s World T20 Australia won’t let up despite qualifying - Schutt
Australia seamer, Megan Schutt says her side will still be taking the next game seriously despite already qualifying for the semifinals of the Women’s World T20.
Speaking at the post-match conference after their victory over New Zealand on Tuesday at the Providence Stadium, the 25-year-old responded to the thought of being in the semis with a match to go by saying “yeah it’s great, a classic case of one in the hand is better than two in the bush and I think it’s great to be locking in the semi-final position but we wouldn’t be taking the next game lightly.”
Schutt credited the White Ferns for their challenge, stating that during the match “I think they bowled really well in the middle and clamped down on us” but felt the start they had gotten with Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney putting on 71 for the opening partnership was key to them setting that total, opining that “I think we got 10-15 runs over par so 150 plus is defendable.”
With three wins from as many matches, the seamer welcomed the contest from their perennial rivals, saying “I think it was a really good challenge for us and is something that we needed but it’s moments like this that we just need to take a deep breath and that’s what we did out there and not panic.”
Looking at the match, the member of the team of the three-time champions explained that the plan was simple, all they did was “try to keep Batesy [Suzie Bates] off strike as much as we could and give her the single and put pressure on the other end.”
Now looking ahead to their final match against India in the group stages, Schutt described their comfort in the next stage as “a breath of fresh air” saying that the position “gives us the kind of freedom to go out there and play the kind of cricket we want to and we really want to go into the finals producing.”
While she could not confirm if the camp will be willing to test the bench strength, Schutt joked that she hoped not since she wanted to play more.
With three days to their final group match, Schutt said that to have this downtime in a T20 tournament is really handy and they have been pacing their rest up to this point with a lot of the girls being the “brownest they have been” after tanning a lot.
Australia have accumulated six points from three matches in their group while India has two wins from a pair of matches. Pakistan has secured one win from three tries whereas New Zealand and Ireland are winless from their two matches. MELBOURNE, (Reuters) - Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has defended giving Roger Federer “prime time” treatment at the year’s first grand slam, saying it was a matter of meeting fans and broadcasters’ demands for the “box office” athlete.
Frenchman Julien Benneteau caused a stir during a radio interview on Sunday, in which he said referees were often kinder to the Swiss great when it came to scheduling.
Benneteau also criticised Federer’s Laver Cup project, saying the exhibition team event, in which Tiley is also involved, represented a conflict of interest.
In a statement issued by Tennis Australia on Wednesday, Tiley said players and fans were “obviously at the forefront” when scheduling matches but added that there was no way of pleasing everyone all the time.
“In terms of players and their appeal, it needs to be said that Roger Federer is a once-in-a-generation player widely regarded as one of the biggest ‘box office’ athletes in the world,” Tiley said.
“He has been regularly voted Australia’s favourite athlete. The fans demand his appearance in the big stadiums and our broadcasters naturally want his matches to air in prime time.
“And I don’t think there’s a tournament director in the world who’s not going to take those factors into account when setting the schedule. This is the case with all the big names in tennis, and in sport in general.”
Federer, playing at the season-ending ATP Tour Finals in London, attempted to avoid getting dragged into a row with Benneteau but said “a lot of the facts (were) not right” about his scheduling. “Sometimes I get help, sometimes I don’t,” he said. Tiley also hit back at Benneteau’s criticism of the Laver Cup’s integrity.