Category Uncategorized

Pakistan sealed the ODI series with another clinical win against West Indies, built on the back of a 169-run partnership between Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam

The Report by Nikhil Kalro02-Oct-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:04

By the Numbers: Pakistan’s highest ODI total against WI

Pakistan followed up their 3-0 T20I series win by sealing the ODI series with yet another clinical display against West Indies in Sharjah. Pakistan’s 59-run win was set up by their most and least experienced batsmen – Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam – who combined to display the art of batting through the middle overs on a slow surface to lead them to 337 for 5, the third-highest total in Sharjah.Azam struck a chanceless century, his second successive one, and Malik blitzed 90 as the pair strung together 169, Pakistan’s highest stand for the third wicket against West Indies. In reply, West Indies found the chase too steep and could only manage 278 for 7.Openers Azhar Ali and Sharjeel Khan put West Indies under pressure from the outset after Pakistan opted to bat. Sharjeel used his bottom hand to clear the infield regularly, collecting three fours and a six in his 12-ball 24 before West Indies hit back, removing both batsmen in the space of three balls.Thereafter, Azam and Malik stalled West Indies with sound technique and calculated risks. Azam pierced the field while Malik went over it, both equally effective in collecting frequent boundaries and keeping the score moving. Sulieman Benn’s introduction was delayed, but Malik capitalised on the bowler’s modus operandi of flight and loop from around the wicket.Malik struck five sixes off Benn – three in succession in the 27th over – by shimmying down, getting underneath the ball and going over the arc between long-on and midwicket. The period between overs 21 and 35 yielded 107 in conditions not suited to effortless run-scoring.In between, Azam unfurled classy drives through cover and found gaps in the outfield to accumulate runs. After Malik carved one to point, Azam utilised Pakistan’s strong platform. His 126-ball 123 included nine fours and a six, which indicated his ability to maintain a high strike rate through ones and twos. Neither Malik nor Azam offered even a “half-chance” until their dismissals.Towards the latter stages of the innings, West Indies seemed to stall Pakistan’s ease at finding the boundary through clever variations in pace until Sarfraz Ahmed plundered four fours in five balls in the 47th over. Sarfraz struck an unbeaten 60, but it went largely unnoticed behind Azam and Malik’s pyrotechnics.West Indies needed to pull off the highest successful chase in Sharjah to stay alive in the series, but their innings got the same start as the four previous games on this tour: an early wicket. Johnson Charles, looking to clear the off-side infield, toe-ended a catch to cover off Mohammad Amir to start the slide.Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo were left with the task of stabilising the innings in the face of some accurate bowling. Their 89-run second-wicket stand was built on the back of some sweetly-timed boundaries and plenty of singles, but it also took up 118 balls – not quick enough for a steep chase in tough run-scoring conditions.However, West Indies remained in the fight as Bravo took the onus of accelerating by attacking left-arm spinners Imad Wasim and Mohammad Nawaz. He struck three sixes over long-on off overpitched deliveries, two of which cleared the ground.Hasan Ali, though, removed Bravo with an athletic piece of fielding off his own bowling. Bravo nudged a yorker towards short leg and Hasan sprang towards the ball in his follow-through, picked up while sliding, turned around and fired an accurate throw at the non-striker’s end, all in one swift motion.Marlon Samuels was up against a mounting asking rate and a wily bowling side. He stuck around for 52 balls and struck 57, but the enormity of the task in front of West Indies meant that his effort didn’t suffice.Eventually, the asking rate was too steep an ask even for West Indies’ powerful middle order. That they couldn’t capitalise on six dropped chances by Pakistan told the story.

Azhar Ali, the Pakistan batsman, has been ruled out of the opening Test against England that starts on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi

Umar Farooq11-Oct-2015Azhar Ali, the Pakistan batsman, has been ruled out of the opening Test against England that starts on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. Azhar suffered a toe injury during the series against Zimbabwe earlier this month and since then he has not trained.”He will not be playing in the first Test,” Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan team manager, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. “His wound is almost dried up but he is not comfortable wearing his shoe and didn’t take part in training activities since we are here.”The news is a significant setback for Pakistan, who had been optimistic about Azhar’s recovery until today’s assessment which revealed that the pus in his infected wound had not completely healed up. As Pakistan’s ODI captain, he missed the final match of last week’s series win in Zimbabwe, but it is understood that the searing heat in the UAE has set back the recovery process.This is Azhar’s first injury setback since his Test debut against Australia at Lord’s in 2010, and with a current Test average of 44.06 in 44 matches, including nine hundreds, England’s bowlers will be grateful for his absence.He made a matchwinning 92 not out against England at The Oval in 2010 and completed the 3-0 whitewash on their last tour of the UAE with a second-innings 157 at Dubai, after Pakistan had been bowled out for 99 in their first innings.”He played very well last time at No. 3,” said James Anderson, England’s attack leader. “He was the guy to get out for them even with their experienced players after him, I thought he was the key wicket for us so he’ll be a big miss. But they have plenty of other quality players who have made big runs out here.”Azhar’s absence means that one of Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez is likely to fill the void at No.3, with Shan Masood set to retain his opener’s role following his matchwinning century against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in July.

Preview of the first Test between New Zealand and England at the University Oval

The Preview by Alan Gardner05-Mar-2013

Match facts

March 6, 2013
Start time 10.30am (2130 GMT)Alastair Cook knows England mustn’t disregard New Zealand as merely an Ashes warm-up•Getty Images

Big Picture

With crisply starched whites and a spring in their step, Alastair Cook’s Test side will begin their first assignment of 2013 looking to continue on the upward curve that they began to forge in India last year. Their opponents, New Zealand (or Not Australia, as some observers keep pointing out), having already experienced the low of 45 all out in Cape Town, will be ready to pounce on any hint of complacency, however, as Brendon McCullum and Mike Hesson seek a soothing balm for the still-raw wounds of the captaincy debacle.The removal of Ross Taylor as captain in all three formats needs little further raking over but it should be noted that his last Test appearance came in New Zealand’s historic win in Colombo last November, when his individual contribution with the bat amounted to scores of 142 and 74. His return to the middle-order will add class and experience to a line-up that was mercilessly ripped apart by South Africa but, should the team come under pressure again, the apparently fragile harmony of the dressing room could be tested.While McCullum is still working out his brief as Test captain, Cook has eased so comfortably into Andrew Strauss’ old job that he may as well be playing in slippers. Three vast centuries in India extended a remarkable run of scoring whilst in charge and more success will be expected against a team ranked a lowly eighth in the world. Having suffered a chastening tour-match defeat in Queenstown, in which England’s three seamers could only manage seven wickets between them, Cook knows that full focus is required. For now, the Ashes can wait.

Form guide

New Zealand LLWLL (Completed matches, most recent first)
England DWWLL

In the spotlight

He missed out on a return to the side in South Africa with a knee injury but Peter Fulton is set to resume his Test career after a hiatus of more than three years. Since Fulton made his debut at No. 3 in 2006, New Zealand have used 15 different openers and that will become 16 in Dunedin, when Hamish Rutherford will come into the side. Fulton was second in the Plunket Shield run-scorers’ list last season, with 902 at 56.37, and at 34 has the experience to play the senior role. Should he fail, New Zealand fans might seriously start to consider a campaign for Mark Richardson to abandon his TV mic and make a return.Nick Compton may feel particularly unlucky that his solid start to life in Test cricket, at the seasoned age of 29, has coincided with the rapid rise of Joe Root. Between England’s disastrous start in Ahmedabad and Cook getting sawn off twice in Nagpur, Compton and the captain provided opening stands of 123, 66, 58* and 165; but after Root’s eye-catching debut from left-field, talk has turned to fitting the younger model into the side at the top of the order, where he bats for Yorkshire. Compton averages 34.66 but he will want to double his high score of 57 to feel secure of his place.

Team news

As if the controversy over the captaincy wasn’t enough for New Zealand to deal with, Doug Bracewell has been ruled out with a foot injury sustained cleaning up glass after a party, ending an unbroken run of 15 Tests since his 2011 debut. It means Neil Wagner is certain to start and the final position is between Ian Butler, who hasn’t played a Test in more than eight years, and uncapped spinner Bruce Martin.New Zealand 1 Peter Fulton, 2 Hamish Rutherford, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Dean Brownlie, 6 Brendon McCullum (capt), 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Tim Southee, 9 Bruce Martin/Ian Butler, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent BoultCompton may not have made many runs in Queenstown but he should continue as opener, with Root retaining his place at No. 6 and being expected to provide a few fill-in overs with the ball. Andy Flower has cautioned against over-inflating the Root bubble, despite his gravity-defying start to life in international cricket, so although he may be a long-term option as Cook’s opening partner, a knee-jerk elevation is unlikely. The only other issue remains the third seamer slot, with Stuart Broad set to feature ahead of Graham Onions and Chris Woakes.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Nick Compton, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Joe Root, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven Finn

Pitch and conditions

The conditions may aid the seamers early on but it is quite possible to build big scores later in the match on what should be a decent pitch – South Africa made 435 for 5 after conceding a first-innings lead here a year ago and the last two Plunket Shield fixtures in Dunedin featured Otago declarations on 569 for 8 and 651 for 9. The weather seems to have turned autumnal on the south island and the possibility of cloud cover is likely to further influence the captains at the toss, with McCullum hinting he would bowl first.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand are unbeaten in all four Tests they have played at the University Oval, winning against Bangladesh and Pakistan and drawing with West Indies and South Africa.
• Since losing to them 2-1 at home in 1999, England have won eight out of 12 Tests against New Zealand.
• Ross Taylor’s batting average of 49.85 as captain compares with 41.12 when not in charge.
• James Anderson needs 12 wickets to become the fourth England bowler after Fred Trueman, Bob Willis and Ian Botham to take 300 in Tests.

Quotes

“You have to take on the big players and find a way to limit their impact on the series. If we do that it could well create some doubt in their squad. We have plans in place for all their players. How we implement those will determine how successful we are. “
“As players we’ve got to focus on this game and worry about the other stuff after it. But it’s an exciting time to be an England player. In the T20s and ODIs it showed how competitive both sides were. If we play to our potential we will be a hard side to be beat.”

A round-up of the latest round of matches of the SuperSport Series 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2012Albie Morkel’s all-round performance helped Titans leapfrog Cape Cobras to the top of the table with a tense two-wicket win in Paarl.On a usually benign pitch, Cobras chose to bat but were in early trouble. Morkel removed Andrew Puttick and Stiaan van Zyl in the first over and Cobras struggled to recover from there. Zero for 2 became 71 for 5 as the line up succumbed to the left-arm seam of Rowan Richards. Richard Levi’s 64 helped hold the innings together and Robin Peterson batted well with the tail to end on an undefeated 58, and take Cobras to 199. Richards finished with 5 for 49, while Morkel took 3 for 42.Titans’ top-five batsmen responded better. The captain Martin van Jaarsveld’s 71 took his team to the brink of overtaking Cobras and they should have gone on to score many more. However, their last five wickets fell for just 19 runs as Peterson celebrated his Test call-up by ripping through the lower order. He finished with 5 for 60 and Titans were bowled out for 207, only eight runs ahead.Cobras batted poorly once again in the second innings and were bundled out for 165. van Zyl’s 67 was the top score on a card that had eight batsmen out in single figures. Peterson’s 30 at No. 8 gave Cobras something to bowl at as they attempted to defend 158. Henry Davids was the wrecker this time, taking 5 for 22.Johann Louw sent early shockwaves through the Titans line-up when he removed both their openers, including Jacques Rudolph who moved back to the top of the order, in consecutive overs. In the 26th over, the Titans were 68 for 6 and victory seemed too far away to think about. Tumelo Bodibe and Morkel combined for a seventh-wicket stand of 53. Morkel’s unbeaten 54 ended up being a match-winning knock as he defied the Cobras attack and took Titans ahead by the slenderest of margins – 1.4 points.Weather intervened in the mid-table tussle between Knights and Lions at the Wanderers. Lions will be more thankful for the rain as they were facing defeat on the final afternoon.After choosing to bat Knights, at 192 for 7 on the first day, were in danger of posting only a little over 200. Former Lions allrounder Werner Coetsee resisted his old team with a patient 78. Lower-order partnerships of 68 for the eighth wicket and 78 for the ninth also frustrated Lions, who eventually bowled the Knights out for 338.Johann van der Wath claimed three wickets to leave Lions stumbling on 52 for 4 in their first innings. But a pair of old hands rode to their rescue. Neil McKenzie, who scored 73, and Zander de Bruyn, who ended on 92, shared a 162-run partnership for the fifth-wicket to ensure Lions came within 58 runs of their opposition total. With no tail wag, Lions were bowled out for 280.Knights attempted to up the scoring-rate as they looked to bat Lions out of the match in their second innings. Reeza Hendricks’ 75, Boeta Dippenaar’s 41 and Ryan McLaren’s 49-ball 41 allowed them to declare on 264 for 8, setting the Lions 323 to win.Quinton Friend’s double-strike in the first eight overs left Lions on 18 for 2 in reply. Medium-pacer Malusi Siboto also inflicted twin punctures on Lions, and Friend claimed one more to leave them at 83 for 5, when no further play was possible.In Durban, Lance Klusener earned his first win as a franchise coach as Dolphins beat Warriors by 227 runs.Vaughn van Jaarsveld’s 106 and Imran Khan’s 92 were the major contributors to the Dolphins’ first-innings total of 321. Simon Harmer claimed 6 for 94 in that innings while Wayne Parnell went wicketless. Imran Tahir’s 5 for 67 helped bowl out Warriors for 211 in reply, 110 runs behind.David Miller finally found form in Dolphins’ second innings, making an undefeated 71. Parnell could say the same, having taken 3 for 43. Dolphins declared on 275 for 8 and set Warriors 386 to win.Warriors were bowled out for 158, their only significant partnership being 85 between Arno Jacobs and Craig Thyssen for the sixth wicket. Left-armer Mthokozisi Shezi took 5 for 26, Kyle Abbot claimed 3 for 20 and Tahir took his match haul to seven with 2 for 91. Dolphins, however, remain at the bottom of the table.

The BCCI has categorically ruled out the possibility of India using the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) for the foreseeable future

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jan-2011The Indian board has categorically ruled out the possibility of India using the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) for the foreseeable future, saying they just don’t trust the technology. The board also turned down an offer to travel to Australia to watch how the system is being used during the Ashes series.”We don’t accept this technology. We are not going to use it in any bilateral series,” the BCCI’s secretary and president-elect, N Srinivasan, told . “They were supposed to take us to see its use in the Ashes series but I did not go. We have made our presentation to the ICC, saying we are just not convinced about the technology.”When asked if the cost of the technology was an impediment, Srinivasan said, “That’s another issue but we have got serious doubts about its accuracy.”India’s insistence on avoiding the UDRS is at odds with the trend elsewhere in the cricket world; the technology will also be used in the upcoming World Cup on the subcontinent. “Well, the World Cup is an ICC event and if the ICC decide to use it, they obviously can,” Srinivasan said.India has refused to use the UDRS in any of their bilateral series since becoming the first team to use the technology in 2008. They struggled with their referrals on that tour, getting only one review right, while Sri Lanka successfully challenged 11 decisions. The country’s stand has frustrated some of the other teams, who have called on the ICC to step in and ensure that the system is used uniformly throughout the game.”The ICC needs to take responsibility and lead the way when it comes to the review system,” Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain said after losing the Durban test against India during which a couple of decisions went against his team. Cricket South Africa had pushed hard for the system prior to the three-Test series between the two sides, but the BCCI did not budge.Michael Clarke, who is captaining Australia in the fifth and final Ashes Test in Ricky Ponting’s absence, echoed Smith’s comments, saying, ” I think it should be 100% used or not used at all.”

Luke Pomersbach kept Western Australia’s season alive with a maiden century that earned them a valuable bonus point against South Australia

Cricinfo staff06-Feb-2010Western Australia 5 for 234 (Pomersbach 104*) beat South Australia 9 for 233 (Klinger 51, Edmondson 3-45) by 5 wickets

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLuke Pomersbach’s century guided the Warriors home•Getty Images

Luke Pomersbach kept Western Australia’s season alive with a maiden century that earned them a valuable bonus point against South Australia. Pomersbach raised his highest one-day score with 104 off 102 balls as the Warriors passed the visitors’ 9 for 233 with five wickets and 11 overs remaining.The win lifted them to second on a crowded table, leaving them needing to win their last group game to stay in contention for the final. South Australia remain on 17 points along with Victoria and New South Wales, four behind the leaders Queensland.Pomersbach entered at No. 3 and after a watchful start found his groove by hitting Dan Christian for two fours and a six over midwicket in consecutive balls. South Australia had the hosts 3 for 87 but Pomersbach picked up the pace in partnership with Marcus North (22) and then watched Mitchell Marsh thrash 29 from 13 before securing the win. Pomersbach had a couple of reprieves during a sloppy day for fielding, but walked off with a collection of 13 boundaries and the six.South Australia were on target for a big total when Michael Klinger and Mark Cosgrove were together after combining at 2 for 66, but life became much tougher and the tourists were unable to find the expected late surge. Klinger was patient early before increasing his tempo, including hitting Aaron Heal for six in his 51, which ended when he was stumped off North.Cosgrove was the brightest of the visitors, although he did benefit from two drops off Heal mid-innings, and enjoyed planting the spinner for a couple of straight sixes. However, his luck ran out on 43 when he pushed North to long off, where Marsh leapt for an athletic catch to have the Redbacks 4 for 154.Cameron Borgas (31) and Christian (20) chipped in but Ben Edmondson (3 for 45) made things difficult during the second half of the innings. Nathan Coulter-Nile was also impressive with 3 for 46 while North picked up 2 for 28 in a strong all-round display from the Warriors.

India will play five matches on this tour, beginning with three one-day games, followed by two four-day matches

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jul-2025Mumbai batter Ayush Mhatre will lead India Under-19 in a multi-format tour of Australia, which begins on September 21 at Ian Healy Oval in Brisbane. The 17-member side includes 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who had lit up IPL 2025 with his power-packed batting.India will play five matches on the tour, beginning with three one-day games, all at the same venue, on September 21, 24 and 26. That will be followed by two four-day matches, the first one also at Ian Healy Stadium from September 30 and the second in Mackay from October 7.From the U-19 side that recently toured England for a similar multi-format series, the players missing are Maulyarajsinh Chavda, Yudhajit Guha (now among the stand-bys), Pranav Raghavendra and Mohammed Enaan. In come Vedant Trivedi, Khilan Patel, Udhav Mohan and Aman Chauhan.Khilan, who was ruled out of the England tour due to a stress reaction in his right leg, has recovered and is included in the 17-member squad. Top-order Punjab batter Vihaan Malhotra, who excelled in both the four-dayers and 50-over leg of the England tour, has been rewarded with the vice-captaincy for the Australia tour.Mhatre was the leading run-scorer (340 in four innings) in the youth Tests in England, a high-scoring series which ended 0-0 with both matches severely curtailed by rain. India had earlier taken the one-day series 3-2, with Suryavanshi topping the run-charts with 355 runs in five innings. Offspinner Kanishk Chouhan led the wickets column for India in the one-day series, while fast bowler RS Ambrish impressed with six wickets in the youth Tests.The squad also includes wicketkeeper-batter Harvansh Singh Pangalia and offspinner Anmoljeet Singh, while Naman Pushpak and D Deepesh also retain their places. Apart from Guha, Laxman, B K Kishore, Alankrith Rapole and Arnav Bugga are the standby players.India had earlier clean swept the Australia U-19 side in both the one-day and four-day series at home in September-October last year.India Under-19 squad: Ayush Mhatre (capt), Vihaan Malhotra (vice-capt), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Vedant Trivedi, Rahul Kumar, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (WK), R S Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Naman Pushpak, Henil Patel, D Deepesh, Kishan Kumar, Anmoljeet Singh, Khilan Patel, Udhav Mohan, Aman Chauhan

Also hoped curators in the Caribbean could produce pitches that encouraged more youngsters to thrive as fast bowlers

Alex Malcolm19-Jan-2024The performances of Shamar Joseph and Kirk McKenzie in Adelaide should give their West Indies team-mates the confidence that they can perform against Australia, according to the captain Kraigg Brathwaite.Joseph and McKenzie were the shining lights in West Indies’ ten-wicket loss at Adelaide Oval, which handed Australia a 1-0 series lead. Joseph became just the 14th player in Test history, and the first West Indian, to take a five-wicket haul and score more than 50 runs on Test debut having made 36 and 15 batting at No. 11 in both innings after taking five wickets in Australia’s only innings.McKenzie made his maiden half-century in just his second Test match. He was one of only two players in the entire match to pass 50 on a difficult Adelaide Oval pitch. He looked comfortable in both innings against Australia’s attack, which bowled superbly throughout.”It shows them that they can do it,” Brathwaite said after the match. “Kirk got a 50 and 20-odd [26] in the second. So it shows that he has the ability to score runs against world-class bowlers. And the other guys didn’t get runs but from watching Kirk they know now that we could get it done.”Because it’s all mental. We played some shots where I believe the shot was on but we edged it. So whether it was nerves, obviously a little poor execution, but I think it could give the batters confidence to know that they could do it.”[Joseph’s] belief is amazing. If all the guys could have that that’d be great. But he’s obviously a special, special guy and he gave a lot of confidence to the team as well when you see him playing his shots and for the batters I just want them to go out there and enjoy themselves.”Brathwaite had further praise for Joseph’s all-round performance, particularly his bowling.”It’s a great start to his international career and he has a bright future for the West Indies,” Brathwaite said. “I wasn’t surprised. I really believe he’s something special. And I was very happy for him.”It was a surprise that Joseph was not given the new ball in the second innings when Australia needed just 25 runs to win. He bowled well again in the ten balls he eventually bowled after coming on in the sixth over, beating the bat several times and hitting Usman Khawaja in the helmet.Related

• First-ball joy: Shamar Joseph starts Test cricket with Steven Smith's wicket

• 'I'll take a picture, and post it up' – Shamar Joseph on dream first-ball wicket of Smith

• West Indies coach praises batters' intent but questions decision-making

• Hazlewood takes career-best haul but Khawaja hurt in Australia's victory

Brathwaite said there was a thought to give him the new ball and hinted he may do so in Brisbane in the second Test.”Obviously he got Steve Smith with his first ball,” Brathwaite said. “So there was a temptation and you never know.”Brathwaite was also pleased with the performances of his other debutants, Kavem Hodge and Justin Greaves, despite neither having a major impact on the game. He was typically pragmatic about the challenges facing his young West Indies side.”I think it’s good for the guys to get out there and play and experience what it is to play international cricket,” Brathwaite said. “It’s great to be playing against the number one team in the world because you pretty much know where you stand after here. I was very, very pleased with what I saw from those debutants.”Brathwaite once again reiterated the need for West Indies to have more Tests scheduled, particularly back-to-back series, so his players can get some continuity without having to wait six months in between two-Test assignments.He also hoped curators in the Caribbean could produce pitches with more bounce and carry to encourage more youngsters like Joseph to emerge in first-class cricket and to help prepare West Indies batters for trips to Australia in the future.”I think one thing that would be great for us is we just got to produce some good pitches in the Caribbean,” Brathwaite said. “Some pitches that have some bounce so that we can produce more Shamar Josephs and not just a lot of spinners. Because pretty much in our first-class cricket in the first hour, the ball is spinning.”Our pitches are obviously getting better and they did improve in the last two years and if we continue to get them to have some pace in it, fast bowlers enjoy themselves and get some pace and balls bouncing to the keeper well and not just carrying knee height, I think all of that together will help us to produce more fast bowlers because it gives them a lot of confidence.”

Erin Burns hit a brisk fifty then Beth Mooney and Mathilda Carmichael responded in the second innings

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2022New South Wales 4 for 175 (Burns 54*) beat Western Australia 213 (Carmichael 68, Mooney 53, Brown 4-41) by eight runs (DLS method)New South Wales secured their first victory of the season after Erin Burns led a fightback with the bat then they held off a spirited chase by Western Australia.Rain ended the home side’s innings after 32.5 overs and by the time it relented Western Australia required 222 from 32. Beth Mooney and Mathilda Carmichael added 69 in 10 overs to give them an excellent base but Mooney, who made 151 in her previous innings, was brilliantly run out by a direct hit from Australia team-mate Alyssa Healy as she ran around from behind the stumps.However, Carmichael took charge and brought up a superbly-paced fifty to give her team a terrific chance of chasing the target before being lbw to Ash Gardner with 50 needed from 46 balls. It proved a step too far despite the efforts of Amy Edgar and a brief flurry from Alana King.Maitlan Brown, who had struggled badly in her first two matches of the season, rebounded with 4 for 41.New South Wales lost their opening two outings of the season heavily against Queensland and started uncertainly again when Tahlia Wilson clubbed a full toss to midwicket and Alyssa Healy was bowled by an excellent delivery that nipped by from Piepa Cleary.Gardner and Phoebe Litchfield rebuilt, but when both fell in the space of three overs it was 4 for 97. However, Burns and Anika Learoyd responded in positive style to add 78 in 13 overs before the rain came, after Burns had brought up her fifty from 39 balls.