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Australia beat New Zealand by 89 runs to kickstart their Women’s Cricket World Cup campaign on Wednesday in a one-sided affair between the two rivals.
Ashleigh Gardner starred for Australia with the bat, crafting a sparkling second ODI hundred as the White Ferns bled 326 runs — the heaviest tally ever conceded in meetings between the sides.
The all-rounder produced a masterclass in rescue and destruction in compiling her 115 in Indore, first steadying the ship at 128-5 and then going hell for leather in the closing overs to help Australia set a daunting target.
Gardner, one of the few Indigenous Australians to don national colours, unfurled elegant cover drives and wristy flicks that split the field regularly.
Her innings wasn’t all classy stroke-making, though, as Gardner showed no hesitation in striding down the pitch to deposit spinners over mid-on and mid-off with disdain.
“It was really special. We had lost a few wickets at that stage and it was important that we didn’t get bogged. So we took the attack onto the opposition and I suppose that gamble paid off,” Gardner said.
“We like to play with freedom. We know that we bat deep so we could take those chances. The ball wasn’t moving much, so we focused on running hard between the wickets,” the 28-year-old added.
Her 115 off just 83 balls, laced with 16 fours and a six, had the New Zealanders chasing leather all afternoon.
Much was expected from New Zealand, fresh from their T20 World Cup triumph last year, but the 50-over format proved a different kettle of fish, demanding staying power rather than a quick burst.
The White Ferns made a horror start in pursuit of 327, losing both openers for ducks, with Georgia Plimmer suffering the ignominy of a diamond duck, run out without facing a ball.
Australia, seven-time champions, reminded everyone why they are the team to beat, boasting not just batting depth but also bowling variety and electric fielding. Two sharp run-outs summed up their clinical edge.
Sophie Devine, the New Zealand skipper bidding farewell after this campaign, waged a lone battle with a typically pugnacious 111 — her ninth ODI ton.
Yet it was a case of a lone warrior fighting a lost cause, with little support from her team-mates.
In the process, Devine also joined an elite club, becoming only the fourth New Zealander to pass 4,000 runs in ODIs.
“It’s bittersweet to be fair, I’d throw it all away to make sure we won,” Devine said of her knock.
Leg-spinner Amelia Kerr also had a good game bagging her 100th ODI wicket, foxing Phoebe Litchfield with a well-disguised googly to join an exclusive club of New Zealand bowlers.
Together with elder sister Jess, the Kerrs claimed five Australian wickets.
