Australia are aiming for their fifth T20 World Cup title. (Source: AP Photo)
Hosts and defending champions Australia will be bidding for a record fifth World T20 title in front of a packed crowd. India has had mixed success against the hosts of late. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side won the Women’s T20 World Cup opener just days after they had lost to Australia in a tri-series final. For the Aussies, it has been a bumpy ride to the final. Fighting a spate of injury concerns throughout the tournament, they will be without their talismanic all-rounder Ellyse Perry in the final.
PLAYING NON-STOP CRICKET
Heavy workload and players burnout are issues that one generally associates with men’s cricket. However, since the Ashes tour in July 2019, Meg Lanning’s team has been virtually on the road, playing a solitary Test, 11 ODIs and a staggering 46 T20Is. India, during the same period, has played six ODIs and 17 T20Is. Consequently, injuries and breakdowns have been a recurring theme with this Australian team. Before Perry, pacer Tayla Vlaeminck was ruled out of the tournament with a stress fracture. All-rounder Sophie Molineux has been on the watch list because of an injured thigh. However, she is said to be fit now and looks poised to replace Perry in the final. Even captain Lanning missed out on a couple of matches during the tri-series earlier this year due to a stiff back.
All smiles at the Australia training session earlier today 😃 #T20WorldCup | #FILLTHEMCG pic.twitter.com/DSvCG1qU6i
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) March 7, 2020
PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR
Meg Lanning: She has several nicknames but ‘Ice Woman’ has stuck with her. That’s because adversity and the big occasion bring out the best in the Australian captain. Her glittering international career is laced with numerous such stellar acts, like a 2016 World T20 match against South Africa in Nagpur. Lanning was battling a stomach bug during that game and had apparently dozed off in the dressing room before she was woken up by her team-mates. The reason: Australia were reduced to 9/3 chasing 103 for a win. Lanning smashed an unbeaten 19-ball 30 to see her team through. However, she hasn’t been at her fluent best in this tournament so far, but India will be wary of Lanning, given her reputation to step it up on the big stage. In the eight semifinals and finals that she has played since 2012, Lanning has stacked up 283 runs at an impressive average of over 40.
Meg Lanning’s #T20WorldCup campaign so far:
Runs: 1️⃣1️⃣6️⃣
Average: 5️⃣8️⃣
Catches: 4️⃣ (Joint-most by an outfielder)Will we see another stellar performance from her in tomorrow’s final? pic.twitter.com/yVj1J67R7G
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) March 7, 2020
Sophie Molineux: Sometime last year, all-rounder Sophie Molineux announced that she would be taking an indefinite break from the game to focus on her mental health. An opening batter and left-arm spinner, Molineux burst onto the international scene two years ago, playing a key role in helping Australia clinch the 2018 T20 World Cup in West Indies. Back then, it looked like a promising career would be nipped in the bud. But Sophie returned to international cricket more than six months later during the tri-series in Australia earlier this year, where she came up with match-winning figures of 3/19 against England in her comeback game. However, a thigh injury relegated her to the sidelines and out of contention from the World T20. But she regained full fitness and was included as Perry’s replacement in the semifinal against South Africa.
Megan Schutt: Shafali Verma, the dashing 16-year-old Indian opener, has the wood on Schutt. Shafali smashed the pacer for a humongous six during the tri-series, and then struck 16 runs off her opening over during their T20 World Cup opener. Nevertheless, Schutt exuded confidence as she knows what it means to be playing the final in front of a packed house at the MCG. Fresh from her 2/17 spell against South Africa in the semifinal, Schutt claimed that she has a plan chalked out to outwit Shafali and her opening partner Smriti Mandhana. “There are plans that I’ve worked on which I will be revisiting as a bowler,” she told cricket.com.au.