White Ferns dodge a bullet AT A GLANCE
The White Ferns have avoided embarrassment at the Twenty20 World Cup to set up a do-or-die clash with hosts Australia.
They were close to being humbled by Bangladesh in Melbourne yesterday after collapsing to 91 all out, but rallied in the field to win by 17 runs.
Seamer Hayley Jensen took 3-11, earning player of the match honours, and offspinner Leigh Kasperek took 3-23 as the White Ferns kept their campaign alive.
Sophie Devine won the toss and elected to bat, but her side never got going at Junction Oval.
They were 66-2 in the 13th over of their innings, but lost their last eight wickets while adding just 25 runs.
Bangladesh’s bowlers repeatedly turned the ball away from the White Ferns’ lineup of righthanded batters and got the rewards they were after.
Rachel Priest made 25 off 32 balls opening the batting, helping the White Ferns to 33-0 at the end of the power play – their best effort of the tournament – but was out leg before wicket in the ninth over.
Sophie Devine was dismissed cheaply for the second match in a row, caught at cover point for 12 off 15, and when Suzie Bates also failed to fire, bowled for 15 off 14,
Bangladesh sniffed a chance to turn the screws.
Maddy Green was stumped for 11 off 16 and Jensen was run out at the bowler’s end for two off four.
Katey Martin had talked up the pressure on Australia after the White Ferns’ loss to India, but failed to ramp it up with the bat, as she was caught at cover for six off seven, leaving her side 75-6 with five overs to go.
Anna Peterson was caught in the deep on the leg side for five off six, Fargana Hoque doing well to dive forward and complete the catch, and Amelia Kerr followed, caught at point for five off seven.
Bangladesh were into the bowlers by then – Kasperek made two off three, Lea Tahuhu three off five, and Rosemary Mair was not out on two off two.
Seamer Ritu Moni finished with 4-18 off her four overs, in her first outing of the tournament, while offspinner Salma Khatun took 3-7 off 2.2 and legspinner Rumana Ahmed 2-17 off 4.
The White Ferns’ total of 91 left them needing one of their best bowling and fielding performances to keep Monday’s match with Australia a simple door-die affair, as a score that low had never been defended before at a World Cup.
Early wickets were going to be crucial, so it didn’t help when
(Rachel Priest 25 off 32; Ritu Moni 4-18, Salma Khatun 3-7) beat
(Nigar Sultana Jotty 21 off 26; Hayley Jensen 3-11, Leigh Kasperek 3-23)
India 6 (3), Australia 4 (3), NZ 4 (3), Sri Lanka 0 (2), Bangladesh 0 (3).
Murshida Khatun was dropped at first slip by Kerr in the second over, which lasted 10 balls, as Tahuhu bowled four wides.
A breakthrough came the following over, when Salma Khatun top-edged a ball from Kasperek, offering Mair a simple catch and leaving Bangladesh 17-1.
That soon became 19-2 after five overs as the pressure built and Ayasha Rahman was caught by Devine off Jensen and at the end of the six-over power play they were 23-2.
At the halfway stage, Bangladesh had only made it to 31-3, losing Nigar Sultana Joty, who retired hurt on nine off 17 after she was hit in the throat sweeping Peterson, and Hoque, was run out for a three-ball duck.
The asking rate had crept past a run a ball at that point and Bangladesh’s task only got harder as they lost Moni, run out for 10; Ahmed, lbw for two to a Jensen ball that stayed low; and Sobhana Mostary for seven off 11, caught off Devine; slumping to 51-6.
With five overs to go, they needed 41 off 30 balls, and lost their seventh wicket straight away as Jahanara Alam was bowled by a Kerr googly for a duck.
Jensen bowled Fahima Khatun for six to finish with 3-11 from her four overs and Joty returned to the crease with 35 still needed off 20.
Kasperek bowled Salma Kahtun for four and as the final over started the last pair needed 25. Kasperek bowled that one too and got Joty caught to finish with 3-23.
The equation for the White Ferns now is simple – beat Australia on Monday and they’re in the semifinals. Lose, and they miss out for the third major tournament in a row.
Australia coach Matthew Mott is not buying New Zealand’s claims that they have ‘‘nothing to lose’’ in the teams’ sudden-death encounter.
After New Zealand’s thrilling three-run loss to undefeated India on Thursday, experienced Kiwi batter Martin delivered the first sledge.‘‘It’s effectively a quarterfinal for us and, you know, we’ve got nothing to lose,’’ she said. ‘‘All the pressure is on Australia, it’s their home World Cup.’’
Australia entered the tournament as overwhelming favourites to defend the crown they won in 2018 but Mott insisted he was perplexed by the White Ferns’ talk.
‘‘I always find that fascinating, when teams want to throw that out there,’’ he said.‘‘There’s a World Cup up for grabs. Anyone who says that it means less to them . . . I’m not sure where the motivation for that is. We’re desperate to keep doing well and give ourselves an opportunity to get through this stage and get to a semifinal.
‘‘I’m pretty sure New Zealand would be thinking exactly the same thing, no matter what they want to throw out there. I’m pretty sure it means just as much to them as it does to us.’’
Australia have been in do-ordie mode since dropping their opening group game to India. Led by blazing knocks from openers Alyssa Healy (83) and Beth Mooney (81 not out), Australia recorded a resounding 86-run win against Bangladesh on Thursday night for their second win of the World Cup after defeating Sri Lanka on Monday.
The only downside from the Bangladesh victory was a hip injury for superstar Ellyse Perry, placing her in doubt to face New Zealand, although Mott is backing the 29-year-old to play through any lingering pain.
White Ferns 91
Bangladesh 74
by 17 runs. Group A points (games played):