Agency :
Australia recovered from a shaky start to demolish New Zealand (NZ) by 141 runs in Wellington Sunday and underscore their status as ICC Women’s World Cup favourites.
New Zealand did well to contain Australia to 269-8 after winning the toss and opting to bowl, only for the six-time champions to bounce back and skittle the host nation for 128 with 19.4 overs to spare.
New Zealand are regarded as a realistic chance to make the final of the one-day showcase, but the lopsided result is a warning to all teams in the tournament that Australia remain the gold standard.
While their top order had a rare off day, Australia’s batting depth shone through, highlighted by half-centuries from Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath.
“That’s the beauty of our batting line-up, we’ve got some players who can rescue an innings and build the platform that allows us to play like we did at the back end,” captain Meg Lanning said.
