India turns up the heat on Aussies
It took 1,294 days, but Australia’s incredible WODI winning streak was finally brought to an end in Mackay on Sunday.
They’d already conceded defeat in the sides’ ODI series, but the Indians shook off their embarrassing fielding display and chased down the home side’s total in nailbiting circumstances, becoming the first team to defeat Australia since October 2017.
To make matters worse for the already-depleted Aussies, three key players suffered injuries during Sunday’s loss, just days out from the sides’ Test match.
Hamstring injuries forced
key batting duo Rachael Haynes and Beth Mooney from the field during India’s run chase.
The two would be huge losses — Haynes, who missed the second match after picking up a knock in the nets during the week, topscored with 93 runs in the first ODI of the series. Mooney, meanwhile, was influential in guiding Australia out of the mire following a top-order collapse in the second.
The Aussies were clearly in the wars on Sunday. Sophie Molineux copped a ball to the face after Haynes and Mooney had left the field but managed to stay on, sporting strapping tape under her schnoz.
Australia is already having to contend without its two best bowlers, Megan Schutt (personal reasons) and Jess Jonassen (leg injury), as well as Georgia Wareham (quad injury) and Tayla Vlaeminck (foot injury), so will desperately hope the new additions to the casualty ward can recover in time for the first day of the Test on Thursday.
The Aussies’ streak would have ended two days earlier, if not for a no-ball that gave Nicola Carey a chance to hit two runs from the final delivery of the innings and seal victory.
It was India’s turn to pull a rabbit from a hat on Sunday.
The Indians required two runs from the last three balls
and when Jhulan Goswami slogged to the deep for four, the tourists were home.
The Mackay sun might’ve been to blame for the visitors dropping several basic catches during Australia’s stint at the crease.
Mooney was dropped on more than one occasion on her way to a half-century and she wasn’t the only one.
Ashleigh Gardner and Carey both got away with shots that sat up beautifully for the Indian fielders, who were made to pay for rookie errors. “I’ve got no words for this fielding at this level,” commentator Alister Nicholson said. “It’s falling apart horribly for India.”
The Aussies would’ve liked
Haynes to replicate her heroics from the first match of the series, but the veteran only managed 13 runs — well below her lofty standards.
Alyssa Healy went for a duck last time around, and on Sunday, it was skipper Meg Lanning’s turn to leave the pitch with nothing to her name.
Tahlia McGrath once again pitched in a solid knock, while Gardner topscored with 67.
As they did in the second ODI, the Indians came out of the blocks firing, but Annabel Sutherland took a vital catch on the run to dismiss Smriti Mandhana just as her partnership with Shafali Verma was hitting its stride..