Australian wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy may never take an international wicket with the ball but she played a pivotal role in the crucial dismissal of Chamari Athapaththu during Australia's T20 World Cup opener. A well-timed sledge from the Australian captain got into the head of the Sri Lankan skipper causing a serious lapse in judgement that sent Athapaththu on her way.
After Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first on Saturday, Athapaththu scored just three runs from her first 11 deliveries in a methodical start against the reigning champions. But after blocking another ball out, Healy was not impressed with the lack of actions and was heard saying: "Oh my God, play a shot Chamari". The swipe clearly bothered her rival captain who the very next delivery attempted to slog the ball off middle stump to cow corner but missed it entirely.
The left-hander was struck on the pads by Australian spinner Ash Gardner but umpire Sue Redfern gave her not out. Healy immediately called for a review with ball tracking showing Athapaththu was absolutely plumb. The 34-year-old trudged off for 3 (12), leaving Sri Lanka in some early bother at 2-6 in the fourth over and it was largely due to the Aussie skipper quip.
From there the Aussie attack continued to frustrate the Sri Lankans. Schutt starred with the ball for the Aussies snaring 3-12 off four overs to restrict Sri Lanka to 7-93 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE. In reply, Australia themselves got off to a poor start. The Aussies were 2-14 and then 3-35 as captain Healy (4), Georgia Wareham (3) and Ellyse Perry (17) all departed cheaply.
But Aussie opener Beth Mooney – player of the tournament in the 2023 edition – steadied the ship with her unbeaten 43 off 38 balls helping guide Australia to victory with 34 deliveries to spare. "We were decent without being perfect," Healy said after the match.
"We adapted to the conditions really quickly with the ball. To start the tournament 1-0 is a good result for us. Some confidence out of that."
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The temperature soared well into the mid-30s during the match, but the Australian team were well-prepared for the difficult conditions. In the month leading up to the World Cup, the Aussies were made to endure daily sauna sessions so they were well prepared for what was to come.
And Aussie quick Megan Schutt after the game against Sri Lanka said she feels she is finally getting used to the intense heat of the Middle East. "I think we've finally acclimatised because I didn't feel like I was going to die out there today," Schutt said with a laugh. "I think Mooney lost about 16kg out there. We've played in hot conditions before. We play a summer sport.
"It is what it is. You've got to suck it up and get on with it. The breeze out here made it a lot easier today."
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