Pakistan implode after centurion Beth Mooney rescues Australia

Despite being down in the dumps at 76/7 at one stage, Australia managed to display their bouncebackability to secure a 107-run win over Pakistan on Wednesday in Colombo, thanks to a masterful ton by Beth Mooney. The southpaw curated a 114-ball 109, her maiden World Cup hundred, to stabilize Australia’s ship before Pakistan’s yet another horror outing with the bat.

Australia didn’t exactly blaze off the blocks after being put in to bat, and once Alyssa Healy fell chipping Sadia Iqbal to mid off, they imploded rather uncharacteristically. Unable to comprehend the slow nature of the pitch, the Australian batters were early into their shots and ended up losing their wickets due to tame chips.

Nashra Sandhu and Rameen Shamim were the chief architects of this rout of Australia as they combined to bag five wickets and made a mockery of Australia’s middle order. The experienced Ellyse Perry, who waltzed out of her crease, was flummoxed by the spin and stumped, while Ash Gardner, Tahlia McGrath and Georgia Wareham proffered catches to close-in fielders.

Albeit, with Mooney adapting well to the slow nature, Australia weren’t yet at panic stations. She found an able partner in Kim Garth, who was measured with her strokeplay even as Pakistan tempted her with deliveries looped up above the eyeline. The pair kept the women in green at bay for more than a dozen overs and arrested the slide, before a fine piece of glovework from Sidra Nawaz spelled the end of Garth’s innings in the 34th over. Nawaz, who stood up to the pacers, had a rollicking day behind the stumps and despite dropping a hard chance of Alana King, was largely on point with her wicket-keeping skills.

However, Pakistan struggled to get through the last three wickets. Mooney’s calculated attack and useful hands from the lower order ensured that Australia had a platform going into the death overs. King was especially brutal towards the end, tearing apart Diana Baig. The generally tidy Fatima Sana was also hammered for 21 runs in the ultimate over before she dismissed Mooney off the last delivery of Australia’s innings. However, by then, King had accomplished her maiden ODI half-century, and in tow with Mooney, had stitched the best partnership for the ninth-wicket in women’s cricket – 106 runs – which helped Australia post a competitive 221 for 9.

In response, Pakistan never threatened to offer a challenge in the run chase. Even as the in-form Sidra Amin ripped off a couple of confident boundaries, the Australian pacers kept chipping away at the wickets with ludicrous ease, reducing them to an alarming 49 for 6.

By the 22nd over, even Amin was on her way, looking to clear the in-field, and Pakistan were reduced to 78 for 7 – a tad bit better placed than their counterparts at that juncture.

However, unlike Australia, Pakistan’s tail did not show the stomach for a fight. Rameen and Nashra fared better than their top-order, slugging it out for more than 11 overs, but victory was beyond Pakistan’s reach by then. Each of the six Australian bowlers claimed at least a wicket each as Pakistan folded up for a shambolic 114.

Three games down, victory continues to elude Pakistan who will next face table-toppers England. Australia, on the other hand, will return to India to meet the hosts in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

Brief Scores: Australia 221/9 in 50 overs (Beth Mooney 109, Alana King 51*; Nashra Sandhu 3-37, Rameen Shamim 2-29) beat Pakistan 114 in 36.3 overs (SIdra Amin 35, Rameen Shamim 15; Kim Garth 3-14, Annabel Sutherland 2-15) by 107 runs