New Delhi: Australia extended their unbeaten run in the Women’s T20 World Cup with a 113-run win over Pakistan at Headingley on Tuesday. However, Australia is yet to secure a semi-final berth despite winning all four matches so far.South Africa and India can still win four games each to keep the tournament open. Australia, who have never failed to reach the semi-finals of the tournament, will play their final group match against India at a packed Lord’s Stadium on Sunday.Elsewhere, defending champions New Zealand and Sri Lanka kept their semi-final hopes alive with wins in Bristol. New Zealand defeated Scotland by six wickets while Sri Lanka defeated Ireland by nine wickets.Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu scored a memorable unbeaten 106 to become the eighth player in the history of the Women’s T20 World Cup to score a century. Just two days ago, she described herself as “a failure as a captain” after Sri Lanka’s loss to the West Indies.Perry stars as Australia dominatesAustralia recovered from losing Beth Mooney off the first ball to score 199/7. Ellyse Perry and Georgia Voll combined to score 100 runs but only scored 56 balls.Wall scored 39 points, while Perry scored 71 points on 48 shots. Useful contributions from Annabel Sutherland (27) and Nicola Carey (26) helped Australia finish strongly.Pakistan never recovered from the chase and were bowled out for 86 in the 14th over. Three games have taken a toll on their cause, with opener Muneeba Ali top-scoring with 32 points.Perry took two wickets in her only game, while captain Sophie Molyneux and Sutherland took two wickets each. Georgia Wareham also impressed, taking one wicket and bowling 11 dots in two overs.“We have options, we have depth, we are in a good position in this area,” Molyneux said. “We always look back at our games and there are things we want to check off, and even though we had a couple of strong wins, I don’t think we’ve checked everything off yet.”Athapaththu powers Sri LankaAtapattu, playing her 10th T20 World Cup, responded brilliantly after a disappointing start.Facing Ireland, she attacked from the start, scoring 50 goals in 32 goals. She then accelerated further to achieve her first World Cup hundred and fourth T20 hundred overall. Her innings included 76 boundaries.The Sri Lanka captain remained unbeaten on 106 runs and scored the winning run as Sri Lanka chased down the target by 4.3 overs.“I left the last game early. I’m disappointed about that, but we won today and that’s important for me as a player and as a captain,” Atapasu said. “I just played my natural game, I always attack. I tried to do my best.”Ireland, still seeking their first win at the Women’s T20 World Cup, bounced back from an early collapse with the help of captain Gaby Lewis and Leah Paul. Lewis scored 59 off 50 balls before being dismissed by Athapaththu.Sharpe and Halliday save New ZealandNew Zealand survived an early scare before beating Scotland by six wickets.The White Ferns were 26/3 when Izzy Sharp and Brooke Halliday combined for a match-winning partnership of 101. Sharp led the way with a career-high 62 off 43 balls while Halliday remained unbeaten on 41 as New Zealand reached 132/4 with 10 balls to spare.New Zealand captain Mellie Cole praised Sharp after the win.“She has the potential to be one of the best players New Zealand has ever produced and in the world.”Earlier, Scotland looked set for a bigger total after a strong start from opener Darcey Carter. Carter scored an unbeaten 72 but the New Zealand bowlers clawed back the score in the final overs.Sophie Devine struck two wickets in the over and Kerr finished with figures of 3/17, including a double-wicket maiden in the 19th over, as Scotland finished at 131/7.New Zealand’s chase got off to a shaky start, but Sharpe and Halliday steadied the innings before accelerating to an important victory.The match continues on Wednesday with an unbeaten England team taking on an unbeaten West Indies team.
