Meg Lanning fell just short of a ton but Australia locked up their place in the ICC Women’s World Cup semi-finals as they mounted the biggest successful run chase in tournament history.
Australia advanced in the pinnacle one-day international competition in a six-wicket victory over India at Eden Park, inspired by captain Lanning’s 97 from 107 balls.
Harmanpreet Kaur top-scored for India with an unbeaten 57 from 47 as her side posted 7-277, before Australia chased the runs with three balls to spare.
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Alyssa Healy got Australia off to a rocketing start, pummeling 72 from 65, and Beth Mooney rounded out the job with 30 not out from 20 balls.
Mooney hit a boundary, pinched a hasty two and struck veteran quick Jhulan Goswami for four down the ground to seal the special victory.
“What a great finish for Beth Mooney on the top of an all-round top performance from a side that looks nigh on unbeatable,” said New Zealand cricket icon Ian Smith on the Fox Sports broadcast.
https://twitter.com/cricketcomau/status/1505116549375721473
Lanning peeled off 13 fours and garnered 44 of her runs through the gully-point region.
The 29-year-old’s shot at a century slipped away when she holed out in the second-last over, her team needing another eight runs to win.
“It was a belter of a wicket,” Lanning said at the post-match ceremony.
“It came on really nicely, there wasn’t a lot of turn and any width given was really hard to defend.
“So, that was sort of the strategy to have: to play really straight when it was on the stumps and when it was wide to go really hard.”
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