Dominant Aussies romp to victory in series opener

Twin centuries to Meg Lanning and Alyssa Healy led the way as Australia romped to a 178-run victory in the opening one-day international against the West Indies in Antigua.

Healy’s 122 and Lanning’s 121 laid the foundation as Australia piled on 4-308 from their 50 overs, the highest women’s ODI total ever scored in the West Indies, before Ellyse Perry led the way with the ball taking three wickets.

Sent in by Windies captain Stefanie Taylor at the Coolidge Cricket Ground, Australia were immediately put on the back foot when newly promoted opener Rachael Haynes was dismissed first ball of the innings after mistiming a short ball from Shamilia Connell.

The hosts were jubilant but it would be another 38.1 overs before they’d have another reason to celebrate as Lanning joined Healy in the middle.

Capitalising on wayward bowling and poor fielding from the home side, the pair put on 225 for the second wicket – Australia’s second highest partnership for any wicket in women’s ODIs – with first Healy, then Lanning, raising the bat for triple figures.

Healy rode her luck through her 106-ball knock, dropped on several occasions including over the rope for six when she was on 42.

The powerful right-hander made the most of her lives, batting through sweltering conditions to bring up her second ODI century from 94 deliveries.

When she departed looking to clear the ropes for a third time on 122, Lanning picked up the pace, bringing up her 13th ODI century in style with a six.

The Australian captain already has more ODI tons than any other woman and her innings at Coolidge saw her collect another slice of history as she became the fastest player, male or female, to reach 13 one-day international centuries – getting there in 76 innings, eclipsing Hashim Amla’s previous mark of 83.

Three balls later, she dispatched the ball into a nearby swimming pool, the exhausted skipper’s 145-ball innings eventually coming to an end on 122 when she was caught at long off.

Ellyse Perry (33no from 31) and Beth Mooney (15 from 16) put the finishing touches on the Australian innings, as they posted their highest ever one-day total against the West Indies.

Megan Schutt then ensured the West Indies’ chase started in identical fashion to Australia’s when she trapped Natasha McLean lbw with the first ball of the innings.

And it went from bad to worse as a double-strike from Perry saw Stacy Ann King and Kyshona Knight also dismissed without scoring, leaving the host in all sorts at 3-8.

Captain Taylor played a lone hand as regular wickets fell at the other end, giving the home fans something to cheer about as she brought up her 34th ODI half-century.

Lanning put the icing on a brilliant match when she clung on to a one-handed screamer at slip to give leg-spinner Georgia Wareham a second scalp and send Shabika Gajnabi on her way for one.

Taylor finished unbeaten on 70 while Perry led the way with the ball with 3-17 from five overs, Wareham (2-44 off 10) was other multiple wicket-taker.

While the Australians celebrated their 13th consecutive ODI victory, it was a vastly different story in the Windies camp, with injury-depleted hosts dealt a blow when Knight was stretchered from the ground with an apparent lower back complaint during the 15th over of the Australian innings – rendering her unable to bat during the chase.

It added injury to insult after vice-captain and star allrounder Hayley Matthews was earlier ruled out of the series for disciplinary reasons after breaching Cricket West Indies code of conduct on match eve.

A release from CWI did not elaborate on the reasons for Matthews’ withdrawal but the incident has been referred to their disciplinary tribunal and Sheneta Grimmond has been drafted into their ODI squad as a replacement.

Australia pick up two ICC Women’s Championship points for the win and have leapfrogged England to reclaim their spot on top of the table.

The Championship determines which four teams – alongside hosts New Zealand – will automatically qualify for the 2021 one-day World Cup.

CommBank Tour of the West Indies

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Heather Graham, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

West Indies ODI squad: Stafanie Taylor (c), Hayley Matthews (vc), Reniece Boyce, Afy Fletcher, Chinelle Henry, Shamilia Connell, Stacy Ann King, Natasha McLean, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Anisa Mohammed, Karishma Ramharack, Shabika Gajnabi

One-Day Internationals*
*ICC Women's Championship matches

September 5: First ODI, Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua

September 8: Second ODI, Sir Viv Richards Ground, Antigua

September 11: Third ODI, Sir Viv Richards Ground, Antigua

Twenty20 Internationals

September 14: First T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

September 16: Second T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

September 18: Third T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados