4 hours ago
18
Key events
4th over: Australia 45-1 (Perry 26, Voll 10) Diana Baig now, short hair bouncing behind her. An outside edge from Perry flies fo four then more running for the Pakistan fielders as Perry pans another through midwicket. A third four from an athletic-looking ramp – no messing about with fripperies – and five wides to finish. Nineteen from the over.
3rd over: Australia 26-1 (Perry 12, Voll 10) Voll fancies this and pancakes Sadia down the ground for four. But that’s the only boundary from the over.
2nd over: Australia 19-1 (Perry 10, Voll 5) Fatima Sana with the next over. The second ball threatens to go for four wides, but that woman Feroza again stops it just before the rope. The third is square driven by Perry for four. And the next pulled upwards and wristily and gloriously for four more. Hmmm. Now Voll joins in, pinging Fatima down the ground. A nasty 17 from the over.
1st over: Australia 2-1 (Perry 1, Voll 1) Not the start anyone was expecting! Unbelievable worldie from Feroza off a Mooney outside edge.
WICKET! Mooney c Feroza b Sadia 0 (Austrlaia 0-1)
What a blinder from Feroza who clutches the egg almost before it has left the chicken, diving to her right at slip. Mooney out first ball of the match!
The cameras have found some fans now, mostly hiding in the shaded end Here come the players and the mascots. The Pakistan team, to a woman, place hand on heart. The Aussies link arms and look formidable
Two results already today – New Zealand knocked Scotland out of the competition, winning by six wickets with an over and a bit to spare at Bristol; while Sri Lanka thrashed Ireland by nine wickets thanks to an unbeaten century from Chamari Athapaththu to keep their hopes alive. If they can defeat Scotland on Friday and the other results fall their way, they’re through!
It’s hot, hot, hot at Headingley – 30 degrees at 6 o’clock and the stands look pretty empty – but it might be that people are hiding in the shade behind the until the action starts.
Pakistan XI
Pakistan: Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali (wk), Ayesha Zafar, Iram Javed, Saira Jabeen, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana (c), Rameen Shamim, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal.
Fatima Sana announces two changes from the last match – Diana Baig and Rameen Shamim are in, Tuba Hassan and Tasmia Rubab benched.
Australia XI
Australia: Beth Mooney, (wk) Georgia Voll, Ellyse Perry, Ash Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux (c), Alana King, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton.
An unchanged XI.
Australia win the toss and will bat
Sophie Molineaux says, “We hope to put a big total. We’ve tried to stay in the moment. We are unchanged today.”
Phoebe Litchfield is training well and nearly there.
Pakistan would have batted too.
The Aussies need to win two games to be sure of reaching the semi-finals, but one would probably be enough because of their tip-top run-rate -4.39. Pakistan are already done and dusted.
Preamble
Tanya Aldred
Hello, hope you’re somewhere near a fan or some shade on this broiling afternoon. This game should be a bit of a mismatch, between a green and gold juggernaut (three games, three wins) and a sage tabby cat (three games, three defeats). But upsets do happen and Pakistan will be keen to give the Aussies a bump on the nose. They’ll be tossing the official WC coin shortly.
