Mooney century blasts Australia to victory over brave Sri Lanka
Source:-The Sydney Morning Herald
A 54-ball century from opener Beth Mooney helped kick off the international summer of cricket as Australia saw off a spirited Sri Lanka by 40 runs in the first match of the women’s Twenty20 series at North Sydney Oval.
Most predicted one-way traffic against a visiting team which hadn’t played an international match in six months but captain Chamari Atapattu made the result respectable with a sparkling knock of 113, the first ever T20 ton by a Sri Lankan woman.
Beth Mooney celebrates her century at North Sydney Oval.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES
Mooney’s 113 from 61 deliveries, however, ensured Australia were too far out of reach, with their total of 4-217 the sixth-highest ever in women’s T20 cricket and the second-highest ever by Australia.
“I couldn’t ask for a better start,” Mooney said.
She said a wicket with minimal turn against a team full of spin bowlers was always going to be great for batting and that the target at the start of the day was an “ambitious” 240.
“North Sydney’s a great venue to play at for women’s cricket. You always get a good crowd and the wicket’s pretty good,” she said.
Of Atapattu she added: “She’s absolutely moosed them. We’ll have to have a sit down and re-think our plans against her, but she did really well.”
For a team that were given no chance in this series, it was an admirable performance. If Sri Lanka were to bat first and force Australia to chase a total of this size, perhaps the pressure could force a boilover.
“I’m so happy, I just played my natural and normal game. But this innings is now history, I’m focused on tomorrow’s game,” Atapattu said.
The good news for the Sri Lankans was that Healy, who had scored at more than two runs a ball, was no longer an issue. The bad news was that Mooney was still there, and was about to shift from a support role to the star of the show.
Spectators enjoy the action of the first international match of the home season.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES
Captain Meg Lanning came and went, scoring just one run, dismissed off Ranasinghe’s next over. But Mooney pressed on, a crunching cover drive in the 13th over bring up her half-century before she kicked it up a gear and reached triple digits 21 deliveries later.
After slogging them to all corners of the ground it was a gentle single back past the bowler while on 99 that brought up the milestone. Mooney eventually holed out in the deep for 113 but left the field with Australia at 196, her job well and truly done.
The Sri Lankan opening pair of Atapattu and Yasoda Mendis started brightly, scoring at more than a run a ball before the woman who had already tormented them so much with the bat struck brilliantly in the field.
Chamari Atapattu played a captain’s knock in the first T20 international against Australia.
Atapattu worked one down to point and set off for a quick single but Mooney steadied herself and threw down the stumps with Mendis well short of the crease.
Tayla Vlaeminck claimed the wicket of ‘keeper Anushka Sanjeewani shortly after and the rout looked to be on.
Nobody told Atapattu.
The Sri Lanka captain was masterful, playing a steady hand in the opening stages before swinging freely in the latter overs. A boundary back over the head of Delissa Kimmince brought up the hundred and a glorious six to midwicket brought up Sri Lanka’s highest-ever T20 score against the world’s best team, no less.
A Megan Schutt yorker finally got the breakthrough a ball later, with Atapattu departing for 113 from 66 balls. Some late slogging brought their innings to a close at 7-170, the second-highest ever score against Australia.
The series will resume at North Sydney Oval on Monday.
