England Women suffer record Twenty20 loss to Australia
England were bowled out for only 96 as they lost to Australia in the women’s Twenty20 tri-series in Mumbai.
England chased 199 and 150 in winning their first two matches, only to slip to their joint-second-lowest total in T20 cricket in Wednesday’s defeat.
Australia fell to 12-2, but Meg Lanning hit five fours in one Danielle Hazell over to get them home with eight wickets in hand and 51 balls to spare.
England will meet Australia in Saturday’s final.
Before that, they meet India in their last group game on Thursday.
Australia’s win came inside 11.3 overs – England have never before lost a game with so many deliveries remaining.
England captain Heather Knight told BBC Sport: “We’ll learn a lot more from today than the past two games. The wicket was slightly different to what we’ve had in the past two games and we didn’t adapt quick enough.
“It keeps us humble. The first two wins were amazing, but sometimes little knocks like this remind you where you are and how fickle the game is. It shows that we still have a lot of work to do, but we’re going in the right direction.”
Whereas their batters shone in the opening victories over Australia and India, here they fell foul of a series of miscues and misjudgements on a Brabourne Stadium pitch appearing to offering a little more assistance to the bowlers.
At one stage England lost four wickets for 12 runs in the space of 18 balls as Australia bowled straight and caught well – the highlight of which was Lanning’s leap at mid-off to hold a one-hander to dismiss Nat Sciver.
From 40-5, England were saved from a complete implosion by Alice Davidson-Richards, who made 24 batting for the first time in her third international.
However, she saw Jenny Gunn and Hazell bowled in the same Delissa Kimmince over, then was caught at long-on from the left-arm spin of Jess Jonassen as England lost their last four wickets for 12 runs.
Their hopes of getting back into the contest were raised when Alyssa Healy was well held on the leg-side fence by Gunn off Sciver and Elyse Villani chipped Sophie Ecclestone’s spin to mid-wicket.
But Lanning tucked into Hazell in the sixth over, carving four fours through the off side and sweeping another.
The skipper ended unbeaten on 41, sharing an unbroken 85 with Ellyse Perry, who made 47 not out.
Courtesy : BBC
Photo : ptcnews.tv
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