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West Indies 107 for 8 (Sutherland 3-6, King 3-16) vs Australia – The match is abandoned
The match was reduced to a 29-man affair after heavy rain fell throughout the morning in Melbourne, leaving puddles on the edge of the field at Junction Oval. But as soon as the rain stopped, the ground dried quickly and play could begin without any problems.
Alyssa Healy brought King into the attack immediately and bowled with great control when returning in place of the injured Darcy Brown. She attacked the stumps relentlessly and her length control was superb. She cleaned up Stafanie Taylor’s throw and trapped Shemaine Campbelle and Zaida James lbw as they both attempted to sweep long balls.
King was ruled out of the T20I series and missed the opening ODI. She spoke of her hard work during her time off in Perth following a long tour of the UK which included Ashes series against Ireland and the Hundred.
“I [worked on] “Just making sure I have my length,” King said. “We probably got too carried away in the Ashes. So it was just making sure I was returning that length and challenging both sides of the bat and making sure all the dismissals were in play.”
Sutherland took advantage of King’s sheer control, taking 3 for 6 at the other end and delivering a maiden. During the 14 overs after the 10th over, West Indies managed 30 runs.
Australia looked set to bowl West Indies out for 29 runs but the wind picked up and a big storm blew in the late afternoon. The match ended in very entertaining fashion as the Australian players were forced to help the Junction Oval ground team pull the big covers in strong winds with rain falling sideways.
“We were on top there,” King said. “We just needed a few more wickets to get the job done. But that’s Melbourne weather for you, unfortunately. All we can do is focus on the next match which will be on Saturday and hopefully wrap up the series.”
Australia maintain a 1-0 lead heading into Saturday’s final, which is also being held at Junction Oval.
