PAK vs AUS | Mooney ton rescues Australia from near-unprecedented upset to make Pakistan succumb

Asked to bat first, Australia got off to atypical confident start when Phoebe Litchfield dismissed the final ball of the first over for a resounding four. With Alyssa Healy alongside, the duo accumulated 24 runs in the first six overs when the skipper innocously chipped a Sadia Iqbal delivery straight to short midwicket to hand Pakistan their first breakthrough. Litchfield departed three deliveries later when a reckless shot led to Fatima Sana taking a skier off her own bowling, but Beth Mooney and Elysse Perry ensured there were no further powerplay hiccups as they saw out the period at 40/2. However, before the stand could get going, Nashra Sandhu spun a delivery 10 degrees square to beat Perry's outside edge as Sidra Nawaz completed a sharp stumping to trigger a brutal collapse. Sandhu soon added Annabel Sutherland and Tahlia McGrath to her tally while Rameen Shamim took care of Ashleigh Gardner and Georgia Wareham, their efforts making Australia go from 55/2 to 76/7 within the space of 51 deliveries. Beth Mooney quietly watched the meltdown from the other end and as the final recognized batter at the crease, took on the repsonibility of rescuing her team. The veteran kept rotating the strike while Kim Garth ate deliveres at one end, stitching a 39-run stand in 75 deliveries featuring a solitary boundary. Mooney brought a 64-ball half-century in the 34th over but there was no time to celebrate as Baig broke the game open once again by having Garth stumped just four deliveries later to bring Alana King to the crease. Mooney returned to the template she had been following with Garth, albeit King proved to be more proactive at the crease, and with four overs to go the score read 168/8 with the partnership already 53. Mooney decdeed the time had come to take charge as she smashed back-to-back boundaries off Baig before bringing up a 110-ball ton in the next over. King joined the party with a six and a four in a 13-run penultimate over, before bringing up a maiden ODI fifty with back-to-back maximums at quicker than run-a-ball. Mooney provided the final flourish with a couple more boundaries before eventually holing out on the last ball of the innings, the century stand having taken Australia to 221/9.

Facing a tall order, Pakistan endured their first blow in the third over when Garth had Sadaf Shamas nick behind for five. Megan Schutt took care of fellow opener Muneeba Ali three overs with some extra bounce before the promoted Sidra Nawaz departed six deliveries later to another caught behind off Garth. Natalia Pervaiz and Eyman Fatima thereafter survived for a combined nine deliveries as Pakistan tumbled from 24/1 to 31/5, making the chase look a lost cause before the powerplay even ended. Sutherland sounded Fatima Sana the death rattle in the 13th over and all hopes practically ended when talisman Sidra Amin holed out for 35 off Gardner in the 22nd over, the score now a somber 78/7. Shamim and Sandhu delayed the inevitable by knuckling down for 64 and 41 deliveries respectively, scoring 26 runs in the process, before Sutherland sealed proceedings with the former's wicket to bowl out Pakistan for 114.

Aussies win

Strong one

Highest ever

What pressure?

Wow

Brilliant

Too good

All time great

Love it

Clutch