AUS-W vs NED-W Match 14 Results

1:33 PM IST A batting beauty - Perhaps that's what describes this scorecard at best. Australia Women scored runs aplenty while with the ball, struggled to pick up wickets regularly, after the new-ball burst. The target was a big one for the Team In Orange, but the fact that the deck was playing well was seen as an opportunity by them to bed down and score some runs. Skipper Babette de Leede continued her good form, scoring her second half century in this World Cup, still the only player from Netherlands to score a fifty in a Women's T20 World Cup. Sterre Kalis, technically their best batter, played a solid hand in their 96-run stand for the third wicket, but missed out on her half century. A critic might say that with so many wickets in hand, Netherlands could and should have played a bit more freely, trying to put more pressure on the Aussies, but just like Rome was not build in a day, it takes time for quality, consistency and talent to seep through. The openers found it tough against the new ball, but after that, once the ball stopped moving around, the batters were quite comfortable.

1:30 PM IST Big win, or issues dwarfed? To be really honest, we will have to wait and see two big sides go against each other on this ground and on this deck, and then make a verdict. The scorecard does say that Australia Women managed to pick only 3 wickets, but the same scorecard also says that they conceded runs only at slightly above 6 an over. Sophie Molineux exercised plenty of options, with as many as 8 bowlers being used. Lucy Hamilton and Kim Garth were threatening with the new ball, but once the ball lost its shine, it just stopped doing everything. It is easy to say that the number 1-ranked team should have picked more wickets but the deck was nothing more than a road. On that, the bowling was pretty much consistent, while the fielding, barring a dropped catch, was more or less decent.

1:28 PM IST Batting statement - That's what the Aussies did after losing the toss early on. They were put into bat under overcast conditions, but the batters were helped by some loose bowling. They made full use of those gifts and even played some ultra-aggressive shots, which led to the fall of wickets. They might have lost more wickets had it not been for the sloppy Dutch fielding. Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner found their form back with fluent half centuries, but more importantly, Australia will be concerned about Mooney's fitness, given the tough games ahead. Towards the end, Georgia Wareham played a nice cameo, but it will be fair enough to say, that the batters just did not get a good bowling opposition in front. Let's see what the interviews have in store for us.