New Zealand Women 177/3 (20/20 ov)
Ireland Women 84/5 (20/20 ov)
New Zealand Women won by 93 runs
Suzie Bates' swift 60-ball 82 and her 104-run partnership with Sophie Devine for the second wicket set the base for New Zealand Women's massive 93-run win over Ireland Women in the World T20 match in Mohali.
New Zealand got off to a blistering start after opting to bat, as opener Rachel Priest struck three fours in the first over before falling to medium-pacer Amy Kenealy in the second over. The wicket brought Bates and Devine together at the crease, and the pair built on the early momentum in their century stand. By the end of the Powerplay, New Zealand were 48 for 1 and except for a couple of quiet overs, the pair found the boundary with ease. Devine fell in the 15th over to Isobel Joyce, after a 34-ball 47, and Bates then propelled the score past 150. The New Zealand captain struck two successive sixes off Kim Garth in the penultimate over before falling for 82; her knock also included seven fours. She became the fourth player to score more than 2000 runs in women's T20I cricket and is second on the list of highest run-getters with 2063 runs, ahead of Sarah Taylor and Stafanie Taylor.
Ireland's chase simply failed to get off the blocks. They lost two wickets within the first four overs for a score of 16 and by the tenth over had reached only 34 for 3. The required run rate was already more than 14 by that stage and it was only Joyce who showed some resistance with a 33-ball 28, the top score in an Ireland innings that eventually petered out to 84 for 5. Offspinner Leigh Kasperek had economical returns of 1-10 in her four overs while legspinner Erin Bermingham took 2 for 17.
South Africa Women 102/6 (20/20 ov)
Australia Women 105/4 (18.3/20 ov)
Australia Women won by 6 wickets (with 9 balls remaining)
In a clash that briefly flirted with the gripping, it was Australia's experience that helped them ride a top-order wobble as they began their title defence with a six-wicket win against South Africa at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. It was vice-captain Alex Blackwell and captain Meg Lanning who led the way to chase down 103 easily in the end, after they were reduced to 9 for 3 in the fourth over.
South Africa had an excellent launch pad at 69 without loss in 12 overs after opting to bat. Then they fell into a crater courtesy rush of blood, indecision against spin and a number of misguided strokes to huff and puff to 102 for 6. As hard as they tried, defending it was never going to be easy against the masters of the big occasion who are gunning for their fourth successive title.
Eventually, the batting meltdown played a big part in the result, as Lanning and Blackwell allayed fears with an unbroken 52-run fifth-wicket stand off just 38 balls to see Australia home with nine balls to spare.
Spin was expected to play a major part, but to everyone's surprise, it was a flat batting track, where batsmen could hit through the line without worrying about turn or bounce. South Africa showed they were up for a fight as Dane van Niekerk did the early running by making 45 in a 72-run opening stand with Trisha Chetty, before Australia strangulated them.
While Ellyse Perry hustled the batsmen with pace, Lauren Cheatle's canny variations resulted in South Africa's middle order having to manufacture strokes that didn't connect. Of course it didn't help that Australia's fielders were on the ball, showcasing tremendous athleticism and agility on one of the biggest outfields in India, cutting out at least 10 runs to the final total. Chetty's scratchy 34 eventually helped them cross the 100-run mark.
Australia's thoughts of the chase being a walk in the park were firmly put on the backburner. Alyssa Healy walked across to flick, only to find her leg stump flattened to give the fired-up Shabnim Ismail an early sniff. Perry bottom-edged a cut to the wicketkeeper, while Ellyse Villani chopped on to leave Australia in tatters before they could reach double figures.
Lanning's illness that kept her off the field for most parts of South Africa's innings meant she could come in either after 30 minutes or the fall of the fifth wicket. An air of anticipation hovered in the South African camp, but the conclusion of Ismail's opening burst took with it the sting in their attack as Blackwell and Jess Jonassen added 44 for the fourth wicket. More importantly, the pair ensured the asking rate never got out of hand. When Jonassen stepped out to be stumped, the game was back in the balance as Australia slipped to 53 for 4, needing 50 off 47 balls.
Lanning, not quite her usual self, struggled to run, but wasn't going to miss out on freebies on offer as she helped herself to three fours to bring the equation down to 23 off the last four overs. Once within striking distance, the feared white-ball striker in her surfaced as she hit Ismail for two fierce square cuts, to convert a tricky chase into a cruise.
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