By Admin 
Champions are made from the clay of hard work in the off-season. But ever so often, winners come about purely through bravery. One spark is enough to create a moment to cherish for posterity.
This could have been the epilogue of a famous win for Pakistan against Australia in its Women’s ODI World Cup league fixture at the R. Premadasa Stadium here on Wednesday if it hadn’t ruined one of the best bowling efforts in this edition of the showpiece.
A flailing Australian batting order was reduced to 76 for seven with Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal and Rameen Shamim taking a combined six wickets for just 98 runs in their 30 overs. However, a carefully constructed century from the annoyingly immovable Beth Mooney and a crucial fifty by Alana King helped Australia recover to 221 for nine after which the seamers put a struggling Pakistan chase to bed to seal a 107-run win.
After Bangladesh’s bowling brilliance against England the day before, Pakistan seemed poised to do one better and potentially wrap up the Australian innings for a paltry score after opting to field on a hot, humid afternoon.
The top- and middle-order showed utter lack of application, trying to score too quickly off a slow surface.
Alana King and Beth Mooney came up with a crucial partnership to rescue Australia.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
Against a crimson sky with crows dotting trees around the Premadasa, waiting to peck at the carcass of the Aussie innings, a red-faced Mooney and her 114-ball 109, her fifth in the format, stood out.
Adept footwork and the ability to rotate strike obsessively to blunt Fatima Sana’s aggressive fields erased the embarrassing show from the top-ranked side in the early hours of the game.
She found support from Kim Garth (47-ball 11) and King, who smacked three fours and three sixes to aid Australia’s 81-run flourish in the final 10 overs, 53 of those coming just off the last five. A usually disciplined Diana Baig turned out to be Australia’s saviour, generously conceding 74 runs in her spell.
Chasing 100 more than they would have liked, Pakistan crumbled like nine pins against Australia’s relentless pace battery. Sidra Amin with a 52-ball 35 and the tail offered resistance, but, in the end, structure and stability triumphed over spirit.
The scores: Australia 221/9 in 50 overs (Beth Mooney 109, Alana King 51 n.o., Nashra Sandhu 3/37) bt Pakistan 114 in 36.3 overs (Sidra Amin 35, Kim Garth 3/14). Toss: Pakistan; PoM: Mooney.