Australia beat India in final T20 to end series on a high– as it happened | Sport
7.31am EDT
07:31
That is the end of the multiformat series, Australia winning it 11 points to 5. India got robbed of the full 4 points from the Test match by rain, and probably 2 points in the first T20 too, when they were flying with the bat before they got washed out.
We saw some tremendous close finishes in the second and third one-dayers, and in the second T20 last night.
And some highly entertaining performances from a host of players: McGrath, Rodrigues, Mandhana, Goswami, Wareham, Gardner, Molineux, Pandey, Deepti, and on, and on.
It’s been good fun. There’s a long wait until the women’s Ashes in late January, but the Big Bash League for the women starts in less than a week, so switch onto that when and were you can.
That’s it from us. Take care.
7.27am EDT
07:27
Australia’s best performance of the T20 series tonight. Some low scores through the top order again – Lanning, Perry and Healy haven’t had much to cheer about – but Beth Mooney being the stable centre meant that the worst the score got was 73 for 4. Then McGrath and Wareham came in and did a job with the bat, just as they did last night. Wareham is quite an underrated resource in this team, though at least she’s been allowed to bowl recently.
That carried Australia to 149 for 6, when with six overs to go it looked like India could hold them to 130 or so.
Then India couldn’t get going in reply. Verma fell early, runs didn’t come while the field was up, and while Mandhana batted beautifully in terms of the aesthetics of her shots, she was also too slow with 52 from 49. Harmanpreet likewise couldn’t get going at pace, and speed of scoring was key tonight. It was a really tough chase, and no surprise they fell short.
7.22am EDT
07:22
Australia win by 14 runs
That sounds closer than it was, with Richa Ghosh’s 23 from 11 balls flattering India at the end. Perhaps next time they need to supercharge a chase, she’ll be the one sent out. It still took her a little time to get going.
7.21am EDT
07:21
20th over: India 135-6 (Ghosh 23, Deepti 9) Clipped off the pads by Deepti to start the over for four, which means that Australia can’t lose as long as Carey bowls no extras. She flirts with the wide line to the left-hander but lands it correctly, and that’s a dot. Game really over.
When she gets strike, Richa Ghosh does find one of the sixes they needed. Stands tall and gets under a straight drive.
Rocks back to the fifth ball and pulls that for six too! 19 runs required from 1 ball. Sound familiar?
She smashes the last ball through cover for four, and that is that.
7.16am EDT
07:16
19th over: India 114-6 (Ghosh 7, Deepti 4) No release shots for India against Molineux, who gives up no more than singles. Also could have had a stumping, but the ball keeps really low as it creeps through Ghosh, and ends up hitting Healy at the bottom of the shin pad rather than in the gloves.
India need 36 from the final over. Hmmmmm.
7.13am EDT
07:13
18th over: India 109-6 (Ghosh 5, Deepti 2) Richa Ghosh will have a go. Absolutely middles three shots. The first nearly breaks the non-striker’s stumps and scores nothing. The second is a genuine scoop shot over her own head for four. The third gets her one run to long-on. Eight runs and the run-out from the Sutherland over.
7.08am EDT
07:08
WICKET! Deol run out (Wareham) 1, India 102-6
Had to go for it. Deol clips Sutherland to midwicket, takes on the arm for the second, but the arm is terrific from Wareham and lasers the ball right next to the bails. Contrast that with some (all?) of the throwing that we’ve seen from India throughout this series.
7.07am EDT
07:07
17th over: India 101-5 (Ghosh 0, Deol 1) The air is out of the balloon for India. Harleen Deol to the middle, not someone with a history of fast scoring. Carey finishes off the over conceding only a run from the bat and a wide.
They need 49 from the last three overs, not going to happen.
7.04am EDT
07:04
WICKET! Vastrakar b Carey 5, India 99-5
Vastrakar! First ball of Carey’s over, and she carves it through extra cover for four. But the second ball the bowler carves through her stumps. Hit the yorker length perfectly and it goes under the toe of the bat as Vastrakar tries to flick leg side.
7.00am EDT
07:00
16th over: India 95-4 (Vastrakar 1, Ghosh 0) The task ahead looks too great from here. Ghosh and Vastrakar will just have to lash and hope, but doing that effectively when you’ve just come to the middle is hard going.
55 from 24 required.
6.59am EDT
06:59
WICKET! Harmanpreet c Lanning b Sutherland 13, India 95-4
Has to go, and has to go. Harry tries to clear cover but Lanning climbs high to bring in the overhead catch.
6.55am EDT
06:55
15th over: India 93-3 (Harmanpreet 12, Vastrakar 0) Good move from India, they’ve sent in Vastrakar to have a lash. She made 37 not out from 26 balls last night, including a couple of sixes. India need 57 from 30 from here.
6.54am EDT
06:54
WICKET! Mandhana c Lanning b Carey 52, India 92-3
That is class! Carey starts with a full toss, and so often you see players try to blast those as hard as they can. Instead Mandhana just pauses, turns the bat face up, and scoops it over fine leg for four. That’s her milestone. But the wicket follows from the fifth ball of the over, Mandhana trying to go over cover, slicing it too high and Lanning is able to run back from inside the circle and claim it.
6.49am EDT
06:49
14th over: India 86-2 (Mandhana 47, Harmanpreet 10) Different finger-spinner, same result. Mandhana hitting Molineux over mid-off this time for four. I like the tactics from Australia though to keep that fielder up. It only takes one mistake to end Mandhana’s night. She teases the deep midwicket with a slog-sweep but it lands short. The over goes for 9. They’re not willing to push for a fast second, either. Probably three times when it might have been on, but declined. Got to roll the dice a bit, no?
64 off 36 required.
6.45am EDT
06:45
13th over: India 77-2 (Mandhana 40, Harmanpreet 8) Loves the off-drive, does Mandhana, and they leave that fielder up for her. Over the top she goes from Gardner. Then goes back to pull, but loses strike to the outfielder. Harmanpreet joins in with a slog-sweep for four, splitting the leg-side riders perfectly. Add in some singles and that’s 11 off the over, good but they have to keep scoring that rate.
Gardner finishes her four overs with 1 for 22, outstanding. India need 73 from 42 balls.
6.42am EDT
06:42
12th over: India 66-2 (Mandhana 34, Harmanpreet 3) Annabel Sutherland for her first over of the night. Harmanpreet defends the first ball, then whips a single. It doesn’t get better than that for India. Four runs from the over! Cannot afford that.
84 from 48 required. As is something monumental.
6.38am EDT
06:38
11th over: India 62-2 (Mandhana 33, Harmanpreet 1) India’s captain to the middle. She has been timing the ball beautifully in the previous two T20s. Needs to do so through the next nine overs tonight.
6.37am EDT
06:37
WICKET! Rodrigues c Vlaeminck b Wareham 23, India 2-60
Both players feel they have to go hard at Wareham. Mid-on is up, so Rodrigues hits four over her head on the charge. But long-off is back, and her second attempt at a big shot a couple of balls later goes that way instead. Straightforward catch.
6.33am EDT
06:33
10th over: India 54-1 (Mandhana 31, Rodrigues 18) Desperate for a big over now, India, to change the dynamic. They don’t get it from Molineux. One ball keeps low and creeps past off stump. Both players keep finding Perry at mid-on or mid-off depending who is facing. But at last, from the sixth ball, Mandhana finds the rope instead. Down through long-on after advancing to the pitch.
96 from 60 balls.
6.30am EDT
06:30
9th over: India 47-1 (Mandhana 26, Rodrigues 16) Gardner for her third over, hasn’t put a foot wrong while bowling tonight. Appeal as she hits Mandhana on the pad, not given, ball-tracking says going over. Scoreboard says four singles from the over. Big win for Australia. India need 9.36. Which in this case means 103 from 66.
6.26am EDT
06:26
8th over: India 43-1 (Mandhana 24, Rodrigues 14) Carey now with her skiddy seam-up bowling. Rodrigues flays away off the top edge to deep third and scolds herself for not evading the fielder. But it brings Mandhana on strike, who steps across her stumps and picks up Carey over square leg for four! Lovely shot, pre-empted Carey’s line outside off stump.
Now she goes back on her stumps and pulls, nearly beating fine leg but not quite. More singles follow, 8 runs from the over. They need almost 9 per.
107 from 72.
6.22am EDT
06:22
7th over: India 35-1 (Mandhana 18, Rodrigues 12) As the field goes back, Mandhana decides to attack. Advances and drives over extra cover, but Gardner gets around to save. Rodrigues sweeps hard behind square and they get back for two. Then another hustled second run as Rodrigues works square. Wareham is the bowler, leg-spin early. Her over costs 7.
6.19am EDT
06:19
6th over: India 28-1 (Mandhana 17, Rodrigues 6) Molineux comes on to close out the powerplay, and does it really well. Only three runs possible, one from the pad, as she stays tight on the stumps. 28 with the field up is not what you want if you’re India.
122 required in 84 balls.
6.16am EDT
06:16
5th over: India 25-1 (Mandhana 17, Rodrigues 4) There’s the boundary for Mandhana! Uses Vlaeminck’s pace to clip off the pads just behind square, beating the fine leg who comes around. The bowler gets away with a couple angled wide across the left-hander, but when she brings back her line Mandhana climbs into a hook shot for four! Glorious sound! That cracks off the willow, over midwicket!
Now the wides do start to come. One outside off stump, one marginally down leg. Healy saves four extras. Another attempt at the fifth ball of the over, and Mandhana dismisses it through point for four! Just lays into that cut shot and doesn’t move! Exhilarating batting, in an over that goes for 14.
6.10am EDT
06:10
4th over: India 11-1 (Mandhana 5, Rodrigues 4) Australia sucking all the air out of the innings! The in-fielding is tight. The out-fielders, only two of them in the powerplay, are in exactly the right place. Mandhana finds one of them at deep cover, the other at deep midwicket. Four singles from Gardner’s over.
They need 139 from 96.
Updated
at 6.10am EDT
6.07am EDT
06:07
3rd over: India 7-1 (Mandhana 3, Rodrigues 2) Vlaeminck carries on with pace, a bouncer past Mandhana’s nose, then another short ball that the left-hander hooks beautifully but deep fine prevents four. Rodrigues looks calm and collected, steering a run to deep third, before Mandhana gets an under-edge into the ground and through to Healy. The bowler has conceded four runs from two overs defending 150: that’s godly stuff.
6.04am EDT
06:04
2nd over: India 5-1 (Mandhana 2, Rodrigues 1) Big result for Australia early on. Held India to five runs from the first two overs.
6.02am EDT
06:02
WICKET! Verma c Vlaeminck b Gardner 1, India 3-1
Oh, no! That’s an accidental wicket. Gardner just grimaces, then gives an embarrassed grin. She drags down a short one outside Verma’s leg stump, and Shafali would normally punt that toward the floodlights. This time she hits flat behind square. Straight to the short fine fielder. Goodness me.
Molineux has been the spinner in the powerplay in the previous two matches, but Gardner does that job and gets the fortunate result tonight.
6.00am EDT
06:00
1st over: India 2-0 (Mandhana 1, Verma 1) Tayla Vlaeminck, the fastest in the land, to begin as she has done for each T20 match in this series. Does it well tonight. Two singles, a hook from Mandhana and a nick from Verma, who holds back from trying to flog anything into the seats at this early stage.
5.49am EDT
05:49
Mooney outstanding again, 61 from 43 balls.
Her scores across formats in this series: 125*, 52, 4, 11, 34, 61.
McGrath has gone 74, 47, 28, 42*, 44*.
Of the bowlers with four overs: Deepti Sharma and Pooja Vastrakar both 1 for 24, Renuka Singh 1 for 23, and Gayakwad 2 for 37. Take out Gayakwad’s one expensive over and Harmanpreet’s over that went for 14 and this would be a modest Australian score. Such are the margins.
5.44am EDT
05:44
India must chase 150 to win
That’s advantage Australia at the halfway mark. Chasing 150 will be a big ask, and everything will need to go right at the top of the order. Early wickets and this should be Australia’s game. But here’s a final chance for Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana to put on a show together.
