Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner star in Australia Women’s 7-run win in 4th T20I; Richa Ghosh’s cameo in vain

Richa Ghosh’s valiant cameo of an unbeaten 40 off 19 balls and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s knock of 46 off 30 deliveries went in vain. The hosts required 20 runs off the last six deliveries but the pair of Ghosh and Deepti Sharma could only score 13 runs and reached 181/5 in 20 overs.

Ashleigh Gardner won the player of the match award for her all-round skills in the game. She first scored 42 off 27 balls and later returned with 2/20 from her quota of 4 overs.

In the run chase of 189, India didn’t have a good start as openers Smriti Mandhana (16) and Shafali Verma (20) were dismissed inside the powerplay. Jemimah Rodrigues also scored just 8 runs and left her team in trouble.

However, skipper Harmanpreet and Devika Vaidya (32 off 26) shared a stand of 70 runs for the fourth wicket and kept her team in the hunt. But the tourists dismissed them both at critical junctures and secured a win.

Earlier in the day, veteran Ellyse Perry continued her scintillating comeback with a second consecutive half-century as Australia posted 188 for 3. The e 32-year-old all-rounder, who struck a 75 in Australia’s 21-run win in the third T20I, came up with yet another dominant innings as she smashed four sixes and seven fours in her blistering 72 not out from 42 balls.

Gardner smoked three sixes and as many boundaries to lend Perry perfect support as the duo put on 94 runs off just 59 balls to seize the momentum from the 12th over onwards after being invited to bat.

After the departure of Gardner in the 17th over, it was Grace Harris who took on the assault as she made a quick-fire 27 not out from 12 deliveries (1×6, 1×4) to continue to pile misery on the Indians.

Perry, who was earlier axed from Australia’s T20 side apparently for slow batting, used her feet well to the Indian spinners and drove powerfully.