Australian women retain World T20 Trophy in a thriller

 
Kersi Meher-Homji Columnist

By Kersi Meher-Homji, 8 Oct 2012 Kersi Meher-Homji is a Roar Expert

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    What can Australian women do their blokes cannot? Win the ICC World Twenty20 Trophy – not once but twice in a row.

    It was another cliff-hanger final for the Southern Stars.

    In the 2010 Final in the Caribbean they had beaten New Zealand by three runs off the final ball. Yesterday they overcame a strong challenge from the English girls to win off the last ball by four runs.

    Both the semi-final against West Indies two days ago and the final of the women’s World T20 provided excellent cricket. But there were few in the crowd to applaud their admirable efforts.

    Isn’t it time we grow up and stop treating women’s cricket as an afterthought, a sort of PS to a letter? Or like an advertisement or a trailer before a movie in a theatre?

    In terms of the play, I was very much impressed with Australia’s Lisa Sthalekar’s off-spin. Of late I have not seen a male off-spinner turn the ball that much.

    And the catch Alex Blackwell took to dismiss England’s Danielle Wyatt was amazing – Ricky Ponting would be proud to snap up a catch like that.

    Blackwell spoilt her copybook by dropping a dolly catch a few minutes later. By now, nerves had started to make their presence felt among the Aussie girls as two fairly easy catches were floored.

    Late order English bats took advantage of the nervousness creeping up on the field.

    With it all on the line, they went hell bent for a surprise win. They needed 22 runs off the final two overs and attacked with gusto. But Aussie skipper and wicket-keeper Jodie Fields kept her cool, keeping fielders on the boundary line.

    The final ball needed to be hit for six for victory for England. Danielle Hazell gave it a big whack and lifted the ball on the on-side. Six? No! It fell short and Australia won the ICC World Twenty20 Trophy.

    To Australia’s 4 for 142, England replied with 9 for 138 to lose by four runs.

    Australia’s Jess Cameron who had top scored in the match with 45 was adjudged Player of the Match and England’s captain Charlotte Edwards the Player of the Series.

    Women tennis players are watched as avidly as their male counterparts and it’s about time more spectators turn up to watch women’s cricket. Or should they start grunting like Maria Sharapova to receive more attention?

    Kersi is an author of 13 cricket books including The Waugh Twins, Cricket's Great All-rounders,Six Appeal and Nervous Nineties. He writes regularly for Inside Cricket and other publications. He has recently finished his new book on Cricket's Conflicts and Controversies, with a foreword by Greg Chappell.
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