First-time women’s T20 World Cup finalists India take on four-time former champions Australia in the summit clash on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
While India are the unbeaten team in the tournament having even defeated Australia in the opening fixture two weeks back, Meg Lanning’s side have history and the recent tri-series final victory over India working for them as the two teams get set for the 12am IST toss.
The match will be the first time the MCG is hosting the final of a Women’s T20 World Cup and there’s a lot riding on the players of the two teams.
Here’s a look at some of the stats of the venue, the teams’ head-to-head and approaching milestones of the players in the game.
T20 WC History
- Australian Women have been the winners of the World T20 four times out of six contested - 2010, 2012, 2014 & 2018. England Women won the first edition in 2009 and West Indies Women in 2016.
- Of their four World Cup triumphs in the finals, two have been very close. Australian Women had defeated New Zealand by 3 runs at Bridgetown in 2010 and won by four runs against England Women at Colombo, RPS in 2012.
- Just two fifties have been recorded in the finals of Women's World T20 - both by West Indian players against Australian Women at Kolkata on April 3, 2016 - Hayley Matthews - 66 off 45 balls and Stafanie Taylor - 59 off 57 balls.
Venue Records
- Australian Women have won five out of seven T20Is played at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
- India (69/0 off 9.1 overs) had recorded a ten-wicket win over Australian Women (125 for eight) by D/L method in the only match played by them at Melbourne Cricket Ground in T20Is on January 29, 2016.
- The top two individual innings at this venue have been recorded by West Indian Stafanie Taylor (78 vs Aus Women on November 7, 2014) and Australian Elyse Villani (73 not out vs New Zealand on February 17, 2017).
- Mithali Raj's match-winning knock of unbeaten 37 off 32 balls on January 29, 2016 is the highest by an Indian Woman at MCG.
- The only bowler to produce a four-wicket haul in T20Is at MCG remains Australia's Ellyse Perry vs England Women on February 1, 2008.
India vs Aus in T20Is
- 19 T20Is have been played between Australian Women and Indian Women. Australian Women have won 13 (winning % 68.42) and lost six.
- Four T20 World Cup fixtures have been played between Australian Women and Indian Women. Both teams have won two games each. Australia won by 7 wickets at Gros Islet on May 13, 2010 and by 8 wickets at Galle on September 27, 2012. Indian Women won the next two matches against Australia - by 48 runs at Providence on November 17, 2018 and by 17 runs at Sydney on February 21, 2020.
- Alex Blackwell had recorded her career-best score (61) against India in the World T20I at Gros Islet on May 13, 2010. Her only fifty in T20Is remains the highest by an Australian Woman against India in T20 World Cup.
- Alyssa Healy posted 51 off 35 balls at Sydney on February 21, 2020 - the only other fifty by an Australian Woman against India in World T20.
- Erin Osborne's splendid figures of 3 for 13 at Galle on September 27, 2012 are the best by an Australian woman player against India in World T20.
- Poonam Yadav (4/19 at Sydney on February 21, 2020) remains the only Indian bowler to produce a four-wicket haul against Australian women in World T20.
- Jhulan Goswami's career-figures of 5 for 11 at Visakhapatnam on March 23, 2012 are the best by an Indian bowler against Australian Women in T20Is (the only five-wicket haul by an Indian bowler against Australian Women in this format).
Approaching Milestones
- Poonam Yadav (94 wickets at 14.22 in 66 matches) needs six wickets to become the first Indian bowler to complete a century of wickets in T20Is.
- Radha Yadav (48 at 16.00 in 34 matches) is all set to complete her 50 wickets in T20Is.
- Jemimah Rodrigues (930 runs at 27.35 in 43 matches) requires 70 runs to complete her 1,000 runs in T20Is. In case, she achieves the feat, she will be the fourth Indian woman after Mithali Raj (2364), Harmanpreet Kuar (2182) and Smriti Mandhana (1705) to do so.
- Having qualified for the finals for the first time in World T20, India have golden opportunity to become the champions for the first time.
- Ellyse Perry (37 wickets) needs four wickets to equal England's Anya Shrubsole's record tally of 41 wickets in World T20.
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