Key events
13th over: Australia 125-1 (Mooney 46, Litchfield 32) This is Beth Mooney’s sixth consecutive 40+ score. Wonderful consistency from the veteran opener and she celebrates by stepping out and lofting Amelia Kerr down the ground for a sixth boundary. Three sharp singles follow as Australia keep the run-rate a touch under 10. Kerr finishes well, fielding a bludgeoned drive from Litchfield to save four on the last
12th over: Australia 117-1 (Mooney 40, Litchfield 30) Another bowling switch as Rosemary Mair returns. Litchfield isn’t fazed. She skips down and belts it over mid on. Amelia Kerr gives chase but cannot get there. Another four – her fifth from 25 balls. Mair is mixing up her pace now and it’s working as Mooney hops down and misses a couple. Now she connects to a wide one but at full stretch it’s only enough for two runs. Mooney flicks fine on the last ball and a great lunge by Jess Kerr saves four.
11th over: Australia 105-1 (Mooney 36, Litchfield 24) We are back and New Zealand have introduced their seventh bowler for the day. It will be Suzie Bates, the 37-year-old medium pacer from Otago. And straight away her experience shows as she cramps up Beth Mooney who steps down and misses the attempted flick shot. Alas, Inglis cannot snaffle it one-handed to effect the stumping. Good bowling by Bates.
10th over: Australia 99-1 (Mooney 36, Litchfield 22) Driven on the up by Beth Mooney but safely deposited over the infield and it’s another four for the Australian wicketkeeper-batter who has quietly powered to 31 from 19. Make that 35 off 20 as Lea Tahuhu strays onto the offside and Mooney cracks it to the backward point fence. Now the Australian dances down and straight drives. She gets to the pitch and gives it some welly but Tahuhu gets a finger on what was a very tough chance. Tahuhu beats Litchfield’s bat twice to close the over as New Zealand bring the run-rate below 10.
9th over: Australia 88-1 (Mooney 27, Litchfield 21) Amelia Kerr returns but she still hasn’t found her radar. Mooney takes a two and a single before Litchfield gets a look. Her eye is in too. A fat full toss outside leg is walloped over backward square leg.
8th over: Australia 81-1 (Mooney 26, Litchfield 16) More loose bowling from New Zealand! This time it’s Eden Carson who finishes a mixed bag over with a full toss on Litchfield’s pads. The ball is smashed to the square leg boundary.
7th over: Australia 72-1 (Mooney 23, Litchfield 10) A more sedate over for the visitors as they move out of the power play and into regulation mode. Three singles ensue until Amelia Kerr rips one across Mooney and hams her up. There’s an inside edge into her pad but the ball flies over the keeper. Close!
6th over: Australia 67-1 (Mooney 20, Litchfield 8) New batter is Phoebe Litchfield and the 21-year-old gets off the mark in style with a gift-wrapped ball on the pads that she rolls her wrists on and clips it behind square for an easy boundary! Oh no, a misfield at long leg has turned a single into a four. That’s the end of the power play for Australia.
WICKET! Voll c Inglis b Devine 36 (Australia 57-1)
Voll is gone! Sophie Devine had just dropped a catch on the fence but she got her revenge with the first ball of her bowling spell, digging one in short and drawing the edge from Georgia Voll’s attempted swipe across the line. Initial decision was not out and it rose so sharply it must’ve been close to a no ball. But New Zealand review and it’s successful. The dangerous Queensland opener is gone!
5th over: Australia 57-0 (Mooney 20, Voll 36) Skied but safe! New bowler Lea Tahuhu pinged it in a little slower on off stump and drew the false stroke. The attempted pull shot came off the toe of Voll’s bat but still had enough timber on it to clear the fielder at fine leg. The Australians take two. Now Mooney gets width and finds the fence. Tahuhu tries to waft it wider outside off but Voll swings hard and high. It should be caught… but it’s dropped by Sophie Devine! And to salt the wound four becomes six as the dropped catch flies over the rope.
4th over: Australia 43-0 (Mooney 9, Voll 33) Bowling change for New Zealand. It will be Rosemary Mair. First ball is wide down legside and Voll works the second behind square for two. Mair now goes wide outside off and Voll gives it the axeman’s jazz but can’t pierce the field. Again, Mair strays wide down leg and Voll doesn’t miss out, swatting it off the hip for another once-bounce boundary into the fine leg fence. And again! This one is precision mixed with power as the Toowoomba tornado thumps it to the fence between cover and extra cover. Ouch! Australia’s run-rate has rocketed to 10.75.
3rd over: Australia 32-0 (Mooney 9, Voll 23) Jess Kerr returns and Mooney greets her with a ripped boundary over mid-on. A quick single brings Voll on strike and she gets down on one knee and thumps it over mid wicket! Georgia Voll is on fire today.
2nd over: Australia 22-0 (Mooney 4, Voll 18) Good attacking move from the home side as leg spinner Eden Carson gets the second over. First ball however is a long hop and Voll sweeps it over her left shoulder for a boundary. A single from the second. Mooney swats square for another easy run. Now some turn for Carson! That ball pitched and gripped, shooting low and straight and Voll had to chop down to prevent her castle exploding. Carson tries the same trick but Voll is ready for this one. Bang! She cuts for four. And wallop! Another short ball is met by Voll’s fast crouch and crunching cross bat shot. Four!
1st over: Australia 8-0 (Mooney 3, Voll 5) Mooney works Kerr’s second delivery for a single. Voll take an aerial aproach, getting down on one knee and slog sweeping for a boundary. She follows it up with a swipe that bounces awkwardly for the square fielder. They pinch a run. Strong start for the visitors.
Here come the Australian openers Beth Mooney, in her 111th match, and her rookie partner Georgia Voll. For New Zealand it will Jess Kerr, in her 40th T20, opening the bowling. Here we go, folks!
We have blue skies at Mount Maunganui as the players take the field.
Our officials for today’s fixture are umpires Shaun Haig & Tina Semmens with Kim Cotton as third umpire and Richard Hayward as the match referee.
A stirring rendition of Advance Australia Fair rings out as strong winds stir the flags.
Here are the 11 women charged with keeping the series alive for New Zealand: Suzie Bates (c), Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine, Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Jess Kerr, Polly Inglis (wk), Lea Tahuhu, Rosemary Mair, Eden Carson
Here’s how the first game of this series unfolded…
Australia have won the toss and elected to bat first
As predicted Alana King has come in for the injured Ash Gardner.
Australia’s XI looks like this: Beth Mooney (wk), Georgia Voll, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Tahlia McGrath (c), Grace Harris, Georgia Wareham, Alana King, Kim Garth, Darcie Brown
Preamble
Angus Fontaine
Hello cricket fans. Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the second women’s T20 international between Australia and New Zealand at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
Australia lead the three-match series 1-0 after a thumping eight-wicket triumph over the T20 world champions New Zealand at Eden Park on Friday.
That victory was led by Beth Mooney and Georgia Voll’s unbroken 77 run stand during the six overs of the power-play. The blitzkrieg partnership fired Australia to within 25 runs of their target by the halfway mark of the chase. Ultimately, the visitors cantered home with 39 balls to spare.
However, Australia’s win came at a huge cost with all-rounder Ash Gardner breaking her right index finger while attempting a catch off her own bowling. She has been replaced in the squad by Queensland all-rounder Charli Knott for the rest of the tour. However, it’s more likely leg-spinner Alana King will replace Gardner for today’s game.
This will be the first time Australia has played a T20I at Mount Maunganui but it has won its past eight ODIs at the venue. Play starts at 2.45pm local/12.45pm AEDT.
