Hamilton: Lea Tahuhu and Amelia Kerr shared 6 wickets to help hosts New Zealand beat India by 62 runs in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup match at the Seddon Park here on Thursday. Having played the five-match ODI series, which New Zealand won 4-1, ahead of the World Cup, both sides were well aware of each other coming into the game. Amy Satterthwaite top scored with 75 for New Zealand, while Amelia registered her fifth consecutive fifty-plus score against India. The hosts posted 260 for nine after being sent into bat first. In reply, it was a slow start for the India openers Yastika Bhatia and Smriti Mandhana, with runs hard to come by. The pressure paid off as Jess Ker dismissed Mandhana for 6, with the opener chipping it straight to cover. Deepti Sharma also couldn’t last long, with Tahuhu trapping her lbw for 5 in what turned out to be a successful review as India slipped to 26/2. Bhatia, joined by skipper Mithali Raj, failed to up the tempo as the hosts kept up the disciplined line and length. Bhatia finally perish for 28, with a leading edge to cover, as Tahuhu celebrated her second scalp. Mithali was then joined by her deputy Harmanpreet Kaur, with a tall task ahead for the two veteran India batters. After 25 overs, India were 75/3, with a mountain to climb. As Mithali started to up the ante, she was outfoxed by a tossed up delivery by Amelia, with the India skipper walking back for 31 off 56 deliveries. The very next ball from Amelia reaped the wicket of Richa Ghosh for a duck – a beautiful wrong’un bowling the Indian batter. India stuttered along for the next few overs, with Harmanpreet and Sneh Rana failing to accelerate, as the required rate kept on climbing up. Tahuhu scalped her third in 37th over, sending Rana packing for 18 with a short delivery. Vastrakar also couldn’t contribute much with the bat, perishing against Hannah Rowe for 6. With the match all but slipped away, Harmanpreet started unleashing a flurry of shots, bringing up her half-century. There were a couple of massive hits before she went for one too many, holing out to long-off after an entertaining knock of 71 off only 63 deliveries. Jhulan Goswami and Meghna Singh opened up their arms and cleared the boundaries, but it was a case of too little and too late for India. They were bowled out for 198, losing the match by 62 runs. At the backend of their bowling innings, India fought back brilliantly after Satterthwaite’s half-century had given the White Ferns a perfect platform. The left-hander was joined by wicket-keeper Katey Martin, promoted to No.6 to launch at the backend of the innings. Satterthwaite took 60 balls to reach fifty, also ticking over a fifty partnership with Maddy Green in the process. Alongside Martin, Satterthwaite stitched another crucial 49-run stand as New Zealand etched closer to mounting a big score on the board. Martin got a second life as Vastrakar spilt a simple catch off the bowling of Rajeshwari Gayakwad in the 42nd over. But she made up for it in the very next over, dismissing Satterthwaite. Trying to chip the ball with an on-drive, Satterthwaite could only find Mithali at mid-wicket. This brought to an end a brilliant knock of 75 in 84 deliveries. The wicket helped India mount a late fightback in the death overs. Hayley Jensen departed, failing in her attempt to sweep Gayakwad and getting her off-stump knocked over. Vastrakar then delivered a cracking 47th over, in which she took consecutive wickets and was on a hat-trick. Tahuhu was first bowled by a brilliant yorker on 1. On the very next delivery, Vastrakar again delivered a sizzling yorker, with the ball deflecting off Jess Kerr’s pads as she was bowled for a duck. Frances Mackay managed to dig the third yorker in a row out as Vastrakar missed out on a sensational feat. Martin’s valuable knock of 41 came to an end in the final over as Goswami knocked her over. With the wicket, Goswami became the joint-highest wicket-taker in Women’s World Cup history, joining Lynette Ann Fullston at the top with 39 scalps. Goswami only conceded 5 in the final over as the New Zealand innings came to an end. Brief scores: New Zealand 260/9 in 50 overs (Amy Satterthwaite 75, Amelia Kerr 50, Katey Martin 41; Pooja Vastrakar 4/34) beat India 198/10 in 46.4 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 71; Lea Tahuhu 3/17, Amelia Kerr 3/56) by 62 runs. UNI PN
