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Australia Women 4 for 217 (Mooney 113, Gardner 49) beat Sri Lanka Women 7 for 176 (Atapattu 113, Wareham 2-19) by 41 runs
Australia Women began their international season with an expected victory, as Beth Mooney scored her second T20I hundred, but the story of the day belonged to the visiting captain Chamari Atapattu, who produced a brilliant 60-ball century to rekindle her liking of Australian bowling, as runs flowed at North Sydney Oval.
Mooney’s 113 off 61 balls was the cornerstone of Australia’s 4 for 217 – their second-highest T20I total behind the 3 for 226 against England Women a few months ago during the Ashes. Mooney added 72 for the first wicket with Alyssa Healy (43) and 115 off 60 balls for the third wicket with Ash Gardner (49) on a ground with enticingly short boundaries, which Gardner cleared four times.
Sri Lanka Women did not threaten the target but Atapattu, who scored 178 when these two teams last met – at the 2017 World Cup – played a breathtaking innings. This was only the second time she has passed fifty in her T20I career, as she thrashed Australia’s attack to all parts, in turn carrying Sri Lanka to comfortably their highest T20I total.
One of her six sixes laid claim to be the shot of the day, when it landed on the roof of the stand over long-on and she reached her century – Sri Lanka’s first in T20Is – with a powerful shot down the ground off Delissa Kimmince, celebrating with an emotional leap and gestures towards her team’s dugout. Atapattu knows she has to lead from the front and this was a mighty statement.
Batters have long wanted to roll up the North Sydney Oval pitch and take it with them. Today was no different. Mooney’s century, brought up with a crunching cover drive off her 54th delivery, made her just the fourth player to score two T20I centuries in the women’s game alongside her captain Meg Lanning, Danielle Wyatt and Deandra Dottin.
The only surprise of Australia’s innings was a rare low score for Lanning who was given lbw for 1 when sweeping at Oshadi Ranasinghe during the one brief period when Sri Lanka had a modicum of control.
Full report to follow…
Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo