CWC22: Australia vs Bangladesh - Aussies survive a scare to claim another win

Australia survived a huge scare against Bangladesh at Basin Reserve in Wellington and finished their league stage campaign at the Women's World Cup with a perfect winning record.

Meg Lanning led Australia win over Bangladesh. (Image: Twitter/cricketworldcup)
By Samrat Chakraborty | Mar 25, 2022 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Australia survived a huge scare against Bangladesh at Basin Reserve in Wellington and finished their league stage campaign at the Women’s World Cup with a perfect winning record. Meg Lanning-led Australia recovered from 41/4 to successfully chase down 136 in a rain-affected match to remain unbeaten in the group stage and reached the semi-final as well.

Beth Mooney smashed an unbeaten 66 in the windy conditions and fading light as Australia chased the target in 32.1 overs. Mooney scored an unbeaten 66 and added in an unbroken 65-run partnership with Annabel Sutherland (26 not out) to make sure Australia reached the finish line with 65 balls in hand.

The match at Wellington’s Basin Reserve has also started late because of rain and it was reduced to 43 overs per side as well. With the sudden change in the outfield as the temperature dropped to around 10 degrees Celsius, all the players felt uneasy where batters were knocked off balance and pacers lost their run-ups too due to the wind.

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However, spinners did well where off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner and left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen shared four wickets for 36 runs from 17 overs and Australia restricted Bangladesh to 135-6 after winning the toss as well. While the target of 136 looked easily chasable, it took another turn when off-spinner Salma Khatun removed the top-order of Australia’s batting within the first 10 overs. Khatun dismissed openers Alyssa Healey (15) and Rachael Haynes (7) and then the captain Meg Lanning for an eight-ball duck that too on her birthday.

Australia finished the group stage unbeaten

Australia were 26-3 and soon they were reduced to 41-4 when Nahida Akter removed Thalia McGrath. Sutherland then joined Mooney with a total of 70-5 and the pair steadied the ship to ensure the chase and register its seventh consecutive victory at the tournament.

“It was really tough to see the ball at the end there,” Mooney said. “We certainly wouldn’t have been bowling (fast bowlers) if we had been out there. It was really tough conditions. Obviously they bowled really well and put us under the pump so you have to work your way through that when you’re out in the middle.”

Meg Lanning said after the win: “Certainly – the conditions – the hardest I’ve played in. I was freezing cold, I was fielding without a hat on which is a bit different. Today was about finding a way to get through and win, we had to fight. Bangladesh played extremely well and put us under pressure. It was a really positive performance in the end from Mooney and Sutherland to get us over the line. (The conversation with the umpires) It was just about how dark it was. They were bowling spin, so it was fine tonight but if Darcie Brown was bowling, it might have been hard to see.”

She continued: “That’s the way the conditions were and I thought they did a good job to keep us out there. Just to be able to fight there with the bat and Sutherland – a young player to come and play under pressure and get us home was really important. We understand that heading into the semifinals, everything’s not going to go our way and we have fight back. So to be able to work our way through was very impressive and we’ll certainly take the win.”