Second T20 - Talking Points

If only.....

If only England could have batted like that in the first T20...

If only Brunt and Gunn could have bowled like that in the first T20....

If only Beth Mooney could have run herself out in the first T20.....

Ah the vagaries of cricket.

As it was England were very good and the Aussies weren't. Aussie hangover? Maybe. England more relaxed and more focused? Probably.

England's 152/6 was their highest ever score against Australia in a T20 in Australia. Their win by 40 runs was their largest ever margin of victory over the Aussies in this format (with thanks to @hypocaust). It was a comprehensive win.

And yet at the turnaround England's 152 looked to be slightly below par. They had run well, but failed to find as many boundaries as they would have liked. The pitch was quick and true and the outfield like glass. 165 looked like the score they needed to post.

As it was 152 was plenty, but with the Aussies at 45/0 in the fifth over that didn't look to be the case. Healy looked in good touch (as she so often does just before she gets out), even if Mooney wasn't quite as fluent as she had been in the first T20. She then thumped one straight to Jenny Gunn at mid-off and set off for a run. She was well short as the ball clattered into the stumps at the bowler's end. The next four overs turned the game on its head...

Brunt came on for her first over (the seventh of the innings). New bat Elyse Villani played and missed at the first three balls; to the fourth she walked down the wicket, swished wildly to leg and was stumped by Sarah Taylor.

In the next over Healy meekly hit Gunn straight down long-on's throat.

In the next over Ellye Perry contrived to hit a Brunt short ball onto her front foot and then back onto her stumps.

In the next over the much-hyped Ash Gardner hit Danni Hazell for a beauteous 6, and then holed out at deep midwicket, to a shot described on CA's livestream ball by ball commentary as a "slog".

Australia were now 65/5 after 10 overs - GAME OVER.

And so we move to the final game of the tour, and the penultimate entry on this blog. The last will follow the final T20.

The Aussies really want to win the last game so they can say they have won the series 10-6, and the T20 series 2-1. England will be desperate to square the series at 8-8, even though that means they have to leave Australia without the Ashes. I doubt there will be any changes to the England line-up unless there are injuries. As for the Aussies I think Villani may well give way to Alex Blackwell. Villani has had a poor Ashes series with scores of 38, 1, 8, 14, 17, and 1. Blackwell may be the calming influence they need to try and chase down any target England can set in the final match.

You should be able to watch it online here in the UK for free. I think it's going to be tight.

MD
20/XI/17