Published: Jul 05, 2017, 08:30 AM (IST)
Edited: Jul 04, 2017, 12:28 PM (IST)
The ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 in England has surprisingly not seen any upset so far, but Match No.14 between Pakistan and Australia could change this. Pakistan, who have so far been nothing short of a disappointment, will look to make a statement against defending champs Australia, who have been the team to beat, winning all their matches till now. They were challenged by New Zealand with the match going till the second-last over.
This only showed that Australia too have chinks in their armour and are not completely unbeatable. Pakistan, meanwhile are down and out and can only rise from here on, which makes them unpredictable (much like their male counterparts). The numbers game outright favours the world champions, with Australia winning all 8 ODIs played against Pakistan since 1997.
Both teams have clashed in WCs thrice with Pakistan still waiting for their ‘Mauka-Mauka’ moment to make amends. This will also be the first time that these teams play in England against each other.
Meg Lanning and Co. could be in for a tough time against Nashra Sandu and Diana Baig. The pair made good use of the new and old white-ball against a strong Indian batting line-up. Diana relied on swing. Add to the mix Sadia Yousuf, and it makes for a potent attack in unison.
It was Diana’s athleticism that instilled a spring in Sana Mir-led side that skittled India for mere 168.
Sadly for Pakistan, it was their batting that saw them crash down like a pack of cards against Ekta Bisht. Given that Australia do not have spinning prowess like India’s, they could be in for a much easier time, may be. Pakistan’s batting revolves around their three pillars – Nain Abidi, Javeria Khan and Sana Mir. Unexpectedly, only Nahida Khan has shined so far with 109 runs under her belt. The trio for them has been below par, which has only made things difficult after they lost Bismah Mahroof to injury.
Against India, Pakistan’s top order was guilty of throwing their wicket away playing cross-batted shots as suggested by Sana in the post-match conference.
Another interesting battle would be between two accomplished and crafty captains in Sana and Meg, both of whom have conducted their duties to near perfection.
Meg has led from the front making 212 runs so far that has inspired the likes of Nicole Bolton, Beth Mooney and Alex Blackwell to perform freely with the bat. Nicole has been unstoppable from the top, even though she takes her time to get in, ensures that the team does not suffer in the long run. It will be interesting to see how Australia’s untested middle-order perform under pressure situations after just making it though against White Ferns in their last game.
Another player who has risen to the occasion has been Ellyse Perry. She easily takes the cake for being the best all-round women player on display in the tournament with 115 runs and 5 wickets.
The form of Jess Jonassen, Kristen Beams and Megan Schutt has been heartening to see. In alliance, these three have been economical and deadly across the 50 overs.
Squads:
Pakistan: Sana Mir (c), Sidra Nawaz (wk), Asmavia Iqbal, Ayesha Zafar, Iram Javed , Diana Baig, Ghulam Fatima, Javeria Khan, Kainat Imtiaz, Marina Iqbal, Nahida Khan, Nain Abidi, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Yousuf, Waheeda Akhtar.
Australia: Meg Lanning(c), Sarah Aley, Kristen Beams, Alex Blackwell, Nicole Bolton, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Belinda Vakarewa, Elyse Villani, Amanda Wellington
Time: 10:30 local | 09:30 GMT | 15:00 IST
