Australia vs Pakistan Highlights, T20 World Cup 2024: Australia Women won by 9 wickets

Sadia Iqbal to Ellyse Perry, Flighted, around middle, Perry uses her feet this time, gets to the pitch of the ball and flicks it straight to short mid-wicket.

So Wareham at 3 against Sri Lanka, Perry at 3 against New Zealand and it is Perry again tonight, at 3.

Sadia Iqbal to Ellyse Perry, Landed outside off, Ellyse Perry looks to cut but misses.

Sadia Iqbal to Beth Mooney, OUT! CAUGHT! Pakistan get a breakthrough. Full, outside off, Beth Mooney comes down the track and looks to go over the top. But she gets too close to the ball and ends up chipping it straight to Aliya Riaz at mid on. Beth Mooney departs for 15 (15), Australia Women are 36/1 and need another 47 from 95 balls.

Sadia Iqbal to Beth Mooney, WIDE. A bit harsh, to be honest. Beth Mooney gets down to paddle but misses as Sadia fires it down the leg side. A bit of consideration for the bowler, perhaps?

Sadaf Shamas to Beth Mooney, On middle and leg, pushed wide of mid on for a quick single. 11 from the over, 23 in the last 2!

Sadaf Shamas to Beth Mooney, Pace taken off, fuller in length, bowled on middle. Mooney pushes it towards mid on and initially sets off for a single but then sends Healy back.

Sadaf Shamas to Beth Mooney, WIDE. Full and down the leg side, Beth Mooney misses her sweep. 49 more needed from 98 balls.

Sadaf Shamas to Alyssa Healy, Another short ball, outside off, Alyssa looks to pull but kind of miscues it. The ball goes off the top edge but does not carry to deep mid-wicket. A single taken.

Sadaf Shamas to Alyssa Healy, FOUR! 6th boundary in 16 balls. A short ball again, outside off, Healy slaps the pull through mid-wicket. Deep mid-wicket runs to her left and puts in a dive, but in vain.

Sadaf Shamas to Alyssa Healy, Slower ball, on a length, outside off, Healy pushes it straight to point.

Sadaf Shamas to Alyssa Healy, FOUR! Sadaf Shamas comes in as the first change, the first fast bowler in this inning, but cannot stop the leakage! Badly lined, around middle and to make matters worse, way too short. Alyssa Healy just gets outside the line of the ball and pulls it through mid-wicket.

Sadia Iqbal to Beth Mooney, Short and outside off, BM cuts it straight to point. So after 3 overs, Australia have as many boundaries as Pakistan managed in their entire innings - 4.

Sadia Iqbal to Beth Mooney, FOUR! Third one in this over! The flight returns from Iqbal and the ball returns to the boundary. Tossed up, outside off, Beth Mooney skips down the track again, gets to the pitch of the ball and lofts it over mid off this time. 59 more needed from 103 balls.

Sadia Iqbal to Beth Mooney, Quicker and flatter, outside off, Beth stays back and dabs it to short third.

Sadia Iqbal to Beth Mooney, FOUR! Up and over! Sadia does not shy away from flighting the ball and Mooney does not shy away from stepping out. Takes it on the half volley this time, outside off and lofts it over cover.

Sadia Iqbal to Beth Mooney, Comes down the track again, does Mooney, takes it on the full once more, drives yet again but finds cover this time.

Sadia Iqbal to Beth Mooney, FOUR! Two in two for Australia. Flighted, outside off, Beth Mooney skips down the track, takes the ball on the full and drives it to the left of cover. 67 more needed from 107 balls.

Nida Dar to Alyssa Healy, FOUR! SWEET! Tossed up, outside off, with the fielders in the deep on the leg side, Healy innovates. Backs away to the leg side and drives it to the left of mid off for the first boundary of the run chase.

Nida Dar to Alyssa Healy, Floated, outside off, Alyssa swings this through mid-wicket this time, a bit flatter. Long on gets across to her right, slides and keeps the batters to a brace.

Nida Dar to Alyssa Healy, There she goes. Tossed up, outside off, Healy comes down the track and swings it over mid-wicket. The two fielders allowed outside the 25-yard circle during the Powerplay are mid-wicket and long on and Healy gets a couple.

Nida Dar to Alyssa Healy, Opportunity missed. Dar fires this down the leg side and keeps it short. Alyssa Healy gets into position and looks to paddle pull but miscues the ball to square leg.

Nida Dar to Beth Mooney, Flatter, around leg stump, the broom comes out now and Mooney sweeps it towards fine leg for a single. 79 more needed from 110 balls.

Nida Dar to Beth Mooney, Oopssy... good start. Flighted, outside leg, Beth Mooney lunged to defend but the ball pitched and then ballooned up sharply. Mooney adjusted well to stay back but still, spooned it back in the air. Did not carry to the bowler.

Nida Dar to bowl from the other end. So Pakistan are starting with spinners with the new ball.

Sadia Iqbal to Alyssa Healy, Flighted, outside off, a low full toss, Healy drives it straight to mid off. Decent start by Iqbal.

Sadia Iqbal to Alyssa Healy, Comes around the wicket, does Iqbal and fires it down the leg side. Alyssa Healy swivels and pulls it to the right of short fine leg for a couple to get off the mark.

Sadia Iqbal to Beth Mooney, A bit quicker, on middle and leg, BM nudges it towards square leg and gets the scoreboard rolling with a single.

Sadia Iqbal to Beth Mooney, Very full, around off, Beth drives it back to Sadia again.

Sadia Iqbal to Beth Mooney, Landed outside off, Mooney opens the face of her bat and guides it towards short third.

Sadia Iqbal to Beth Mooney, Full, around off, Beth Mooney pushes it back to the bowler.

The players are back out on the field. Beth Mooney and skipper, Alyssa Healy come out to the middle. They don't really need it, but one eye could be on trying to finish this off quickly. should Australia, New Zealand and India finish with 6 points apiece. It will be the left-arm spin of Sadia Iqbal to Mooney first up.

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Well, Australia have never lost to Pakistan in any format in Women's games. They have certainly got themselves in pole position to maintain that record. Do stay tuned for the chase.

A really tough batting outing for Pakistan. They never really got off to a start, having a a boundaryless Powerplay, finishing with 23/2. No batter could adapt to the surface with only Aliya Riaz managing to get past 20. But she took too much time to get to even 20 and the pressure told on the other batters. The result was - not a single over went into double digits.

With Pakistan not attacking enough, Australia were spot on with their lines and lengths, not giving any letup. Everyone who bowled, kept the pressure on with Ash Gardner profiting the most, with 4 wickets, because those came at the back end of the innings. If truth be told, Australia could have restricted Pakistan to under 70 as well, because they missed a run out and as many as 3 catching opportunities. Still, they would be chasing at roughly around 4 runs an over.

It was not a great start for Australia though, as they lost Tayla Vlaeminck in the very first over, while trying to save a boundary. That meant Alyssa Healy was already a bowler short without even getting an over completed. But you look at that scorecard and see 6 bowlers utilized, without Ellyse Perry bowling a single ball. That tells you, if Vlaeminck had not been injured, Australia would have had 8 bowling options! Like in her previous two games, Megan Schutt was on the dot, setting the tone in the Powerplay but everyone bowled well. Or, was allowed to bowl well. Pakistan could just not get to terms with the pace of the deck and just crumbled under pressure.

Well, 82 is the lowest total made by any side in this World Cup so far. Majority felt that winning the toss and choosing to bowl was a bit of a questionable decision by Alyssa Healy but her bowlers have redefined every letter of the word discipline from the Oxford Dictionary. Absolutely supreme bowling display by the defending champions, that too, with a bowler short.

Annabel Sutherland to Aliya Riaz, OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Sums up the sort of game Pakistan Women are having. Back of a length, slower one, on off. Aliya Riaz swings and gets it right into the dark sky in front of Georgia Wareham running in from long on fence. Georgia Wareham makes good ground and ends up holding onto it. Pakistan Women are bundled out for 82 and they fail to play the full quota of 20 overs. 

Annabel Sutherland to Aliya Riaz, Change of pace this time from Annabel Sutherland. On a length wide of off, Aliya Riaz plays for the pace on and this was pace off from the bowler. Gets beaten on the outside. 

Annabel Sutherland to Aliya Riaz, Yorker on off, Aliya Riaz jams this out in front. 

Annabel Sutherland to Aliya Riaz, Too full and wide of off, Aliya Riaz guides this towards cover-point for no run. 

Annabel Sutherland to Aliya Riaz, FOUR! Starts the last over of the Pakistan Women's inning in fine fashion does Aliya Riaz. On a length around middle and leg, Aliya Riaz clears her front leg and flicks this up through the square leg region for a boundary. 

Sadia Iqbal is the last batter left. Annabel Sutherland to bowl the final over of the innings. 2-0-11-1 so far.

Nashra Sundhu in now.

Ash Gardner to Nashra Sundhu, OUT! TRAPPED IN FRONT! Another umpire's call going the Aussies way and Nashra Sundhu departs for a golden duck. Offie from round the wicket, pitching just outside off and turning into the right-hander. Nashra Sundhu prods to block this out but gets beaten to the turn and bounce on offer for Ash Gardner. The ball misses the bat and goes on to hit Nashra Sundhu on her pads. A loud appeal and after some thought the umpire raises her finger. Nashra Sundhu goes upstairs but has no luck with the impact suggesting umpires call on the Ball Tracker and she has to walk back. Ash Gardner finishes with figures of 4-0-21-4!

Ash Gardner to Syeda Aroob Shah, OUT! CAUGHT BY MOONEY! Touch fuller, holding a bit into the surface. Aroob Shah looks to nudge this around the corner but gets a bit more behind this off the bottom of her bat and the ball lobs straight to Beth Mooney at short mid-wicket. A simple take for Beth Mooney and Aroob has to walk back. 

Ash Gardner to Aliya Riaz, Fuller on off, Aliya Riaz drives this through mid off for one. 

Ash Gardner to Syeda Aroob Shah, Short of a length around middle and leg, Aroob Shah pulls this to deep mid-wicket for one. 

Syeda Aroob Shah walks in at number 9, replacing Tuba Hassan.