Unbeaten Australia secured a convincing six-wicket victory over their Ashes rivals England in the Women’s World Cup on Wednesday, with exceptional performances from Ashleigh Gardner and Annabel Sutherland.
Playing without their injured captain, Alyssa Healy, Australia restricted England to 244-9 after Sutherland claimed three wickets. Sutherland then proved pivotal with the bat, hitting 98 and sharing an unbroken 180-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Gardner, who scored 104. The pair rescued Australia from a precarious position of 68-4 and steered them to victory in 40.3 overs.
Gardner registered her second century of the tournament, hitting the winning boundary to condemn England to their first defeat in this World Cup edition. Sutherland, 24, was named player of the match for her resilient knock and bowling figures of 3-60.
Stand-in skipper Tahlia McGrath praised Sutherland, stating, “She is such a gun and I think it’s scary how young she still is. Her planning is meticulous and whenever we’re in trouble, you sort of just turn to Bells. She’s that good.”
The win marks Australia’s fifth victory in six matches, with one wash-out, placing them atop the table on 11 points. Seven-time winners Australia, England, and South Africa have already qualified for the semi-finals of the 50-over marquee tournament, which is being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. India, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka are competing for the final semi-final berth.
The arch-rivals could still meet again in the semi-final or the final on 2 November. England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt remained optimistic, saying they can “definitely” beat Australia. “We will take the positives and the learnings. Coming up against a quality side you have to be really good and we were not at our best today, but we will be ready if we see them again,” she added.
The Chase and England’s Innings
Defending 245, England’s bowlers initially put Australia on the back foot. Lauren Bell bowled Phoebe Litchfield with the third ball before Linsey Smith dismissed Georgia Voll and Ellyse Perry in quick succession. Sophie Ecclestone then removed the dangerous Beth Mooney, giving England, who suffered a 16-0 Ashes defeat earlier this year, genuine hope of a statement win. However, Sutherland and Gardner dug in, putting the chase back on track and accelerating with regular boundaries.
Earlier, England got off to a quick start, led by Tammy Beaumont, who made 78. She hit a string of boundaries, including three consecutive fours off Kim Garth in the eighth over. All-rounder Sutherland broke the opening stand of 55, bowling wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones for 18 in the next over.
Beaumont continued with Heather Knight, but Sophie Molineux sent Knight back leg before wicket for 20. Beaumont reached her fifty but soon England lost momentum when Sciver-Brunt fell to Alana King’s leg-spin and Sutherland removed Beaumont. Alice Capsey and Charlie Dean (26) counter-attacked in a 61-run seventh-wicket partnership before Molineux dismissed Capsey for 38 and Gardner accounted for Dean two balls later, leaving England with a below-par total at a venue that has historically produced high scores.
