Mooney finds runs at the top as Australia coast to series win

Beth Mooney made a successful return to the top of the order to steer Australia to an eight-wicket victory over Pakistan in the second T20I at Blundstone Arena.

Mooney, who did not bat in the series opener in Sydney as she managed soreness, struck 46 off 29 balls as Australia reeded in their target of 97 in 12.4 overs, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-game series.

After skipper Bismah Maroof won the toss and elected to bat, Pakistan were restricted to 7-96, with opener Muneeba Ali top-scoring with 33 from 43 balls.

Alana King (2-10) led the way as Australia’s bowlers shared the wickets, and the overs – with Meg Lanning using all nine options at her disposal, with the Australian skipper and wicketkeeper Mooney the only players who did not deliver an over. 

 

Lanning was later forced to depart for 31 off 32 when she was struck on the pads by a Nida Dar full toss, with the Pakistan spinner’s decision to review the original decision paying off.

But Mooney was joined by newly crowned T20I Player of the Year Tahlia McGrath and the pair made short work of the remainder of the chase.

Mooney found the boundary six times and cleared it once in her 46 off 29 balls, only to fall with the hosts eight runs shy of victory, while McGrath was unbeaten on 14 from nine deliveries as Australia iced victory in 12.4 overs.

Earlier, Ashleigh Gardner struck the first blow in the fifth over, bowling Javeria Khan (4).

It was slow progress for the Pakistan top-order, who reached 1-46 at the midway point of the season before Grace Harris’s off-spin picked fellow opener Muneeba for her first international wicket since March 2016.

Harris had not been bowling of late as she managed a knee issue, and given Australia’s depth of options, was not called upon in any of the 15 T20Is she played in 2022 after her long-awaited return to the national side.

 

Leg-spinner King came on in the middle to late stages, trapping both Ayesha Naseem (5) and Aliya Riaz (2) lbw, to finish with 2-10 from two overs.

With Australia keen to assess their options and back-ups plans ahead of next month’s T20 World Cup, Lanning handed just one over to Megan Schutt and Ellyse Perry and two to Jess Jonassen, while Annabel Sutherland (1-15) bowled her full quota of four overs for the first time in her T20I career.

There was a bizarre moment not long before the start of the game, with the on-field sprinklers briefly switched on just before the players took the field.

Australia took a moment prior to the first ball to stand together and acknowledge country, one of a number of steps the team took as they navigated playing on January 26.

In a move that was driven by the playing group, Australia wore their First Nations jersey, which was by designed by Aunty Fiona Clarke and Courtney Hagen, as well as wristbands and socks with Aboriginal colours for the match in Hobart.

On the eve of the match, the players attended a smoking ceremony and completed a wukalina walking tour of kunanyi after arriving in Hobart, where they learned about local culture, flora and fauna.

Allrounder and Muruwari women Ashleigh Gardner raised concerns about the scheduling of the second Commbank T20 via social media on Sunday, saying the anniversary of the day the First Fleet arrived in Australia in 1788 was a "day of hurt and a day of mourning" for First Nations Australians.

Lanning hailed Gardner’s "brave" decision to speak out about her concerns in the lead-up to the match, saying the players were united in their support of the star allrounder and determined to turn the game into an education opportunity.

CommBank T20I Series

Tuesday Jan 24: Australia won by eight wickets

Thursday Jan 26: Blundstone Arena, Hobart, 7:05pm

Sunday Jan 29: Manuka Oval, Canberra, 1:45pm

Buy #AUSvPAK T20 tickets here

Australia T20I squad: Meg Lanning (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

Pakistan T20I squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Fatima Sana, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz, Tuba Hassan