Australia’s opener extends her remarkable record of batting long in the shortest format. Contrary to general perception, even T20 cricket does not have to be all about the boundaries. The final over of Australia’s innings showed that, in a running masterclass staged by Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath. It was all the more impressive given Mooney had been out there for the entire innings. It was, staggeringly, the ninth time she has batted through the 20 overs for Australia, nearly one in five of her 51 innings opening when batting first.
It is an absurd record in such a volatile format, in a position that mandates risk-taking from the start. Mooney has never been out in the 20th over when batting first, and only twice in the 19th. Add that to the 14 times she has opened and remained not out at the end of a chase, some of those deep into an innings. Mooney is famous for overheating on hot days to the point of needing an ice collar, but she clearly has ice in her veins.
In Adelaide, she got Australia off to a flyer in the manner you must with most fielders inside the circle. Three consecutive boundaries from Freya Kemp in the second over, lacing a drive square, then straight, then through the leg side. After Georgia Voll added a couple more in the third over, the score was 28.
From there she worked the field, ran like blazes, always looking for two and sometimes a third, and on a pitch when timing was not always easy, picked the right balls to hit for four. So it came to the last over, England’s best bowler, Sophie Ecclestone, sending it down. Once, twice, three times, Mooney found the gap and hared back for a second, dipping the bat and turning to perfection, no hint of hesitation, twice reviewed for a run out, once at a full-stretch dive, every time making it. McGrath looked cool as a cucumber, Mooney red as a tomato, but even under physical duress she got to walk off unbeaten on 94.
