Beth Mooney played the innings of her life and one of the greatest ODI knocks, keeping Australia’s ODI streak alive with an unbeaten knock of 125 runs. Arguably, this was one of the greatest matches in women’s cricket history. Australian women chase down the 275-run target and took a 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. This is Australia women’s record 26th successive win in ODIs.
Australia needed 13 off the last over, Jhulan Goswami was handed the ball with two set batters on the crease. They got five off the first two balls and then Goswami bowled two no balls, which did not help India’s cause in the last over. Earlier batting first, Smriti Mandhana hit an effortless 86 and kept the scoreboard ticking throughout. A 50-ball 44 by Richa Ghosh and a late flourish from Jhulan and Pooja Vastrakar (29 off 37 balls) helped India reach a competitive total of 274.
“It was really tough. You have to fight your mind a little bit when you’re in those situations because you can see the ball is doing a bit, not just in the air but off the wicket as well. (India) get really up and about when they take wickets and we had to absorb some pressure, and whilst it was a hard battle out there trying to fight my ego a little bit, and (wanting) to take the game on, you just have to suck it up a little bit and do the job that’s required at the time.” said Mooney after the thrilling win
Australia women unbeaten in ODIs since 2018
The streak started on 12 March 2018 against India in Vadodara. Following that victory, the Australian women’s team dominated world cricket. Their 26-match winning streak is the longest in men’s or women’s ODI history. Only three players featured in every game of the winning streak so far, Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney, and Ashleigh Gardner.
The Australian women’s cricket team, led by Meg Lanning, broke the 18-year-old ODI record for most consecutive wins in ODI cricket. They beat New Zealand women by six wickets on April 4. They went past Ricky Ponting’s Australian men’s team. Ponting’s team had won 21 games on the trot in 2003. Which covered the 2003 and 2007 Cricket World Cup.
Australian women haven’t been beaten in an ODI since losing to England on Oct. 29, 2017. Since 2018, Australian women have defeated Pakistan, New Zealand in Australia, England in England, West Indies in the West Indies, beat Sri Lanka, and now registered a thrilling victory against India.
Records Broken
1. Australia women’s recorded 26th successive win in ODIs.
2. Australia women chased down 275 runs target against India women in 2nd ODI. This was the third-highest run chase in Women’s ODIs.
3. India women’s scored 274/7 in their first innings in the 2nd ODI. It is the highest total scored against Australia since its winning streak started in 2018.
4. This was also India women’s highest ODI team total in Australia.
5. The 74 run opening partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma was India women’s highest ODI opening stand in Australia.