1st ODI: Proud of team for the bounce back after T20I defeat, says Healy after Australia’s win

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Brisbane, Feb 24 (IANS) Captain Alyssa Healy hailed Australia’s clinical response to the scrutiny they faced after the T20I series loss to India as her side cruised to a six-wicket win over the reigning World Champions in the opening ODI at Allan Border Field in Brisbane on Tuesday.

“Pretty pleased with that. A little bit was put on us after the T20I series about how we would bounce back. To come out and play the way we did today was clinical. Proud of the group for the bounceback,” Healy said after Australia chased down 215 with authority to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

After dismissing India for 214, Australia’s chase was calm and confident, qualities Healy says are typical of a team that excels in the 50-over format. “Like I said at the toss, we really enjoy this format and are good at it. We like to keep the pressure on for long periods. It suits us,” she said.

That method was evident from the outset. Healy set the tone with a fluent half-century, sharing a 55-run opening stand before combining with Beth Mooney to steady the innings after a brief wobble. Mooney’s composed 76 ensured there were no alarms, while Annabel Sutherland’s unbeaten knock sealed the result comfortably.

India had earlier threatened in patches. Smriti Mandhana’s 58 and Harmanpreet Kaur’s fighting effort provided resistance, but Australia’s bowlers struck at key intervals to prevent any sustained momentum. The target, widely viewed as under par on a surface offering early seam and later grip, never truly stretched the hosts.

The victory also maintained Australia’s remarkable dominance in Brisbane as the hosts now extended their multiformat winning record to 21-0 at Allan Border Field. “It’s an astonishing record 21-0 (at this venue). Hopefully, the girls can keep it going,” Healy noted, acknowledging the team’s formidable history at the ground.

The skipper quickly shifted focus to the next challenge in Hobart and underlined the need for swift adjustment, saying, “We’ve got to do it all again in Hobart. Hopefully, we can go to Hobart and adapt to the conditions there quickly as well.”

Healy also admitted the physical toll of a packed season, hinting that recovery will be key ahead of the second ODI, as she added, “It’s probably about dressing room recovery leading into that game. Some tired bodies around. Have had really heavy seasons. Really pleased for tonight, hopefully the girls are buoyed by that.”

The two sides will play the second ODI on Friday.

–IANS

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Chandigarh Chargers defeated Kurukshetra Warriors 56-36 in a Pool B encounter. Thanks to an All Out on the Warriors, the Chargers led 23-13 at halftime. In the second half, they scored 33 points to seal the match by 20 points. Chandigarh got their opponent All Out twice in the second half, while the Warriors inflicted an All Out on the Chargers.

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The Junior Steelers played a thrilling 44-44 tie against the UP Falcons in a Pool-A encounter. The Steelers scored early points, but the Falcons inflicted an All Out to take a four-point lead. Both teams went into the half-time break with an 18-19 lead in favour of the UP Falcons. The Haryana-based club inflicted an All Out on the Falcons to level the scores 23-23.

Following a Super Raid, the Steelers took a two-point lead, but the Falcons reduced the deficit to one point, courtesy of a Super Tackle. Both teams inflicted an All Out on the other to take the game into the final moments. The score was 44-43 in favour of the Uttar Pradesh-based club with just over a minute to go on the clock.

With two empty raids by both clubs, the Falcons were on the verge of winning the match. However, they conceded a Technical Point to the Steelers and were forced to split points with Haryana. UP Falcons’ Arjun Sirohi was the star performer with 18 points. They are fourth with 32 points, while the Steelers are fifth with 21 points.

Later in the day, Warriorz K.C. defeated Palani Tuskers by the barest of margins. The Tuskers had a 19-13 lead at half-time, courtesy of an All Out, a Super Tackle, and a Super Raid each. The Bengal-based team inflicted two All-Outs on Palani in the second half to win the match 36-33. Kesavan Raja was the best performer with 13 points. Warriorz K.C. are second in Pool A with 52 points, while the Tuskers are third with 36 points.

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Champions Trophy: Afghanistan win toss, opt to bat first against Australia

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There was heavy rain in the lead-up to the clash at Lahore, but skies cleared up in time for the toss to happen. Friday’s match will be played on a used pitch, where Australia previously faced England in the eight-team tournament.

The equation for Afghanistan to enter the Champions Trophy semi-finals is very simple; they need to beat Australia to secure their qualification. But a defeat to Australia would knock them out of the competition.

Even if the match is later abandoned due to rain, it won’t favour Afghanistan, as they could still be eliminated from the tournament on the basis of the net run rate.

After winning the toss, Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi said their playing eleven is unchanged from their thrilling win over England.

“We will bat first because the wickets looks good; it’s a used pitch, England and Australia already played on this pitch, so it will slow down in the second half, and hopefully our spinners will come into play.

“We were happy with the performance in our last game; we also have made plans against Australia, and hopefully we can rectify the mistakes we made against England,” he said.

Australia skipper Steve Smith said he would have bowled first as well. “Uncertain overhead conditions and there’s the dew factor as well, so would have bowled. All the guys are doing good, should be a good contest. Coming here with good intent and aggression and ready to get started.”

Playing XIs

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, and Fazalhaq Farooqi

Australia: Matthew Short, Travis Head, Steve Smith (captain), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, and Spencer Johnson

–IANS

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Happy for my thambi Sanju: Ashwin reacts to India’s T20 WC squad

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India’s high-profile match against Pakistan is set for February 15 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Their next and final league game will be against the Netherlands, taking place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 18.

India squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar and Ishan Kishan.

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