<\/p>\n
The concept of Twenty20 cricket was always about lifting scoring rates, but contemporary T20 focuses obsessively on batting. Indian Premier League pars of 250, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, six-hitting records, 30-ball hundreds, the search for the 20-over double ton: the attention is as relentless as the rate at which white Kookaburras fly into crowds. Looking at the Australia women\u2019s team, the focus is on young aggressors Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Voll; on Ellyse Perry\u2019s late-career lift in strike rate; on Ash Gardner and Georgia Wareham\u2019s aerial power at the back end.<\/p>\n
In the current T20 World Cup in England, though, Australia\u2019s success has been built on its work in the field, never more so than in their semi-final against West Indies<\/a> while setting up a win by eight wickets with seven overs to spare.<\/p>\n The Australians have not been tested through six wins at the tournament as the bowlers have choked out team after team: South Africa all out 107<\/a>, Bangladesh a pitiful 77 for eight<\/a>, the Netherlands 121 for three<\/a>, Pakistan 86 all out<\/a>. India were the only group-stage opponent with a decent score, 170 at Lord\u2019s last Sunday<\/a>, but with no need for Australia to win that game, it was partly down to experiments with death bowling and a late switch-off in the field, allowing four sixes in the last eight balls of the innings, with two of those dropped over the rope. In any case, their batters ran down the target with ease.<\/p>\n West Indies were never in the semi-final at the Oval, after being invited to bat. There was of course the serious disruption of Deandra Dottin collapsing with an as-yet-unspecified health issue during Australia\u2019s national anthem, having to be carried to the medical centre as play got under way. Not knowing whether Dottin would return may have dented West Indies confidence to attack. But Hayley Matthews and Qiana Joseph were paired at the top of the order with one objective, to go after the bowling with the field up, and while both tried, Australia denied either the chance to succeed.<\/p>\n Matthews got the ideal start with a half volley from Lucy Hamilton to smack through cover for four, but from then the left-armer used her angle across the right-hander with a deep point fielder back, almost having Matthews caught in that trap, and had no problem adjusting to bowl tight lines to the left-handed Joseph. Kim Garth meanwhile used the new ball on a humid day to get severe outswing, repeatedly beating Matthews\u2019s edge.<\/p>\n