A look back on how Meg Lanning’s team beat the record of Ricky Ponting’s Australia side
Andrew McGlashan02-Oct-2020October 29, 2017: v England, Coffs HarbourThis was Australia’s last slip-up in ODIs – during the first phase of the 2017-18 Ashes – when they couldn’t quite overhaul a slightly rain-adjusted target. Alyssa Healy and Nicole Bolton added 118 in 21 overs for the first wicket but the middle order fell away. They were captained by Rachael Haynes as Meg Lanningwas out with a shoulder injury (for the series).March 12, 2018: v India, VadodaraFive months on from that defeat, Australia got the ball rolling with a convincing chase against a team that had beaten them at the 2017 World Cup, winning with nearly 18 overs to spare on the back of Bolton’s unbeaten 100 off 101 balls. With the ball, Jess Jonassen and Amanda-Jade Wellington shared seven wickets. “Best teams evolve and learn from their mistakes. That’s something we have done really well,” the fit-again Lanning said.March 15, 2018: v India, VadodaraBolton continued her fine form with 84 to anchor Australia’s innings, and then Ellyse Perry’s run-a-ball 70 and Beth Mooney’s 40-ball 56 helped them to a strong total. India started well in the chase as Smriti Mandhana hit 67 out of an opening stand of 88 before Jonassen broke through. Australia then chipped away at the middle order.March 18, 2018: v India, VadodaraAn even more convincing victory was set up by Healy’s 133 off 115 balls, her maiden ODI hundred, and contributions throughout the middle order, including powerful cameos from Mooney and Ash Gardner. However, they were given a shock at the start of the chase as Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues added 101 in 13 overs before both fell in consecutive deliveries to Gardner.Georgia Wareham celebrates a wicket•ICC/GettyOctober 18, 2018 v Pakistan, Kuala LumpurThe bowlers set up victory with Megan Schutt and Nicola Carey sharing six wickets, while Georgia Wareham and Sophie Molineux both impressed on debut to skittle Pakistan inside 38 overs. After a brisk opening stand of 40, the chase wasn’t perfect but always on the rails.October 20, 2018 v Pakistan, Kuala LumpurLanning’s 124 was the centrepiece of Australia’s batting as she added 181 in 26 overs with Haynes to build a total well out of Pakistan’s reach. Molineux then starred with the ball, taking 4 for 14.October 22, 2018 v Pakistan, Kuala LumpurHealy collected 97 off 75 balls to provide a power-packed start to the innings and the depth of Australia’s batting was highlighted by Gardner’s 62 off 37 balls from No. 7, which turned a solid total into a huge one as 99 runs came off the last ten overs. Pakistan batted better without threatening the target with Gardner cementing the match award with 3 for 44 and Molineux again standing out as she claimed 1 for 16 off ten overs.Jess Jonassen enjoys some success with the ball•Getty ImagesFebruary 22, 2019 v New Zealand, PerthNew Zealand should have won this match. At 188 for 4 in the 42nd over, with captain Amy Satterthwaite going well, they were well on course but Jonassen – who earlier hit 36 off 32 balls – prised an opening which led to panic. She claimed three more wickets, including Satterthwaite in the penultimate over for 92, as Australia’s nerve held and New Zealand’s failed. In a collectively poor day, Healy, Lanning and Perry scored 16 runs between themFebruary 24, 2019 v New Zealand, AdelaideAustralia 247 for 7 beat New Zealand 152 by 95 runsPerry’s maiden ODI century was the cornerstone of Australia’s victory, and her 98-run stand for the fourth wicket with Mooney the phase that set it up. As in the previous match, New Zealand were promisingly placed in the chase on 93 for 2 in the 21st over but when Jonassen trapped Sophie Devine lbw a collapse set in. Jonassen finished with a career-best 5 for 27.March 3, 2019 v New Zealand, MelbourneAustralia 233 for 3 beat New Zealand 231 for 8 by seven wicketsNew Zealand put a workable total on the board as Devine struck a half-century alongside useful scores from Satterthwaite (49) and Katie Perkins (41), but in the end it did not prove a problem for the home side, which put together a strong chase. Healy and Haynes opened with a stand of 84 in 16 overs, Lanning eased to 48, and Perry helped finish the job with an unbeaten 54, although the Player of the Match award went to Gardner for her 3 for 49.Ellyse Perry picked up 7 for 22 in 2019, the best by an Australian woman in ODIs•Getty ImagesJuly 2, 2019 v England, LeicesterAustralia 178 for 8 beat England 177 by two wicketsOne of the rare close matches in Australia’s run, in which their batting depth got them over the line in a messy chase. England were in big trouble early on slipping to 19 for 4 and 44 for 5 as Perry and Schutt took out the top order, but scrambled to 177 through Nat Sciver’s 64 and useful lower-order runs. In reply, Healy struck 66 off 71 balls but Australia could not form partnerships and they slipped to 167 for 8 before Delissa Kimmince finally hauled them to victory.July 4, 2019 v England, LeicesterAustralia 218 for 6 beat England 217 by four wicketsAnother one where Australia’s depth shone through as Jonassen’s unbeaten 31 in a seventh-wicket stand of 60 secured a wobbling chase after Perry had dominated with 62 to overcome the early loss of both openers. Kimmince had wrapped up England’s innings to finish with 5 for 26 after a century from Tammy Beaumont had led the early exchanges. The last four wickets fell for six runs and in the end, Australia had nearly five overs in hand.July 7, 2019 v England, CanterburyAustralia 269 for 7 beat England 75 by 194 runsA record-breaking day for Perry as she claimed 7 for 22, the best ODI figures for an Australia woman, in a magnificent 10-over spell that included four maidens and 49 dot balls. “I honestly think today just went my way,” she said. Amy Jones, Sarah Taylor and Sciver bagged ducks as England sunk to 21 for 6 and at one stage Perry was on a hat-trick. For the record, Australia’s innings was built around a second-wicket stand of 109 between Healy and Lanning.Meg Lanning and Alyssa Healy added 225 against West Indies•Cricket.com.auSeptember 5, 2019 v West Indies, AntiguaAustralia 308 for 4 beat West Indies 130 by 178 runsAfter the shock of losing Haynes to the first ball of the match, Australia flexed their muscles as Healy (122) and Lanning (121) added 225 for the second wicket – their second-highest stand for any wicket in ODIs. “It was probably one of the more scratchy innings I’ve played,” Healy, whose runs came from 105 deliveries, said. West Indies were 8 for 3 by the end of the second over as Perry continued her form with the ball.September 8, 2019 v West Indies, AntiguaAustralia 308 for 2 beat West Indies 157 for 8 by 151 runsA very similar outcome. This time Perry churned out three figures, a career-best unbeaten 112, in oppressively hot conditions while Gardner capped the innings with a destructive 57 off 25 balls – her 23-ball half-century equalling the Australia record held by Lanning, who had been ruled out of the match moments before the toss because of back spasms. Mooney had been forced to retire with heat exhaustion after reaching her half-century. Australia weren’t stretched in the field as stand-in captain Haynes was able to go through eight bowlers.September 11, 2019 v West Indies, AntiguaAustralia 182 for 2 beat West Indies 180 by eight wicketsThe highlight of the day was Schutt’s hat-trick to finish West Indies’ innings as she became the first woman to take three in three in ODIs and T20Is. The chase of 181 was always unlikely to challenge Australia and Healy’s 32-ball 61 blew West Indies away inside the opening ten overs before Lanning’s unbeaten 58 secured the whitewash.Alyssa Healy struck a 71-ball hundred against Sri Lanka•Getty ImagesOctober 5, 2019 v Sri Lanka, BrisbaneAustralia 281 for 8 beat Sri Lanka 124 by 157 runsA professional all-round display against another out-classed opposition was highlighted by Lanning’s 66-ball 73 alongside half-centuries for Haynes and Mooney. At 188 for 3 with 15 overs to go, Australia may have eyed more than 300 but it barely mattered in the end. Six bowlers shared wickets, Gardner taking 2 for 9 from nine overs.October 7, 2019 v Sri Lanka, BrisbaneAustralia 282 for 8 beat Sri Lanka 172 for 9 by 110 runsA dominant performance by Australia’s top three led the way with Haynes making her maiden ODI hundred alongside a rapid 69 from Healy in an opening stand of 116 in 19 overs. Again the batting fell away, this time from the very strong base of 219 for 1 in the 40th over, and when Sri Lanka were 95 for 1 in the 23rd over there was just a glimmer of a contest which soon faded. Jonassen and Wareham combined to take 6 for 60 in 20 overs.October 9, 2019 v Sri Lanka, BrisbaneAustralia 196 for 1 beat Sri Lanka 195 for 8 by nine wicketsAustralia set a new winning-streak record in women’s ODIs as they cantered home with 23 overs to spare on the back of Healy’s 71-ball hundred and her opening stand of 159 with Haynes which did most of the work. However, the first half of the match had included a superb century from Sri Lanka captain Chamari Atapattu, which kept Australia on their toes. But she lacked support to really make it count with the next-best score being 24.Meg Lanning completes her century against New Zealand with the winning boundary•AFPOctober 3, 2020 v New Zealand, BrisbaneAfter a gap of 12 months, Australia resumed ODI cricket with a convincing victory. Their spinners tied New Zealand in knots as Jonassen, Wareham and Molinuex claimed 6 for 80 in 29.1 overs. The chase was a formality after Healy set the early tempo, Lanning enjoying the return to the longer format as she eased to an unbeaten 62 with the target achieved with more than 16 overs to spareOctober 5, 2020 v New Zealand, BrisbaneThe home side were given more of a challenge, but they still cantered across the line. Once again Lanning was there to finish the job, reaching her 14th ODI century with the winning boundary after Amelia Kerr had caused a brief middle-order wobble. Devine and Satterthwaite had produced excellent half-centuries, but even then Australia never really lost control for long periods. Lanning and Haynes added 117 for the second wicket while Annabel Sutherland played a useful hand in her first ODI innings.October 7, 2020 v New Zealand, BrisbaneAustralia equaled the world record in the most convincing of styles, despite the absence of Lanning to go alongside the series-long loss of Perry. Stand-in captain Haynes and Healy added 144 for the first wicket and Australia never looked back. Mooney, Gardner and the recalled Tahlia McGrath – playing her first game since 2017 – ensured a power-packed finish to the innings. The bowlers then made short work of a shellshocked New Zealand side who were skittled out in 27 overs. Fittingly every bowler used took a wicket.April 4, 2021 v New Zealand, Mount MaunganuiThe new landmark was set with in dominant style as Gardner, Healy and Perry starred in a chase that was completed with more than 11 overs to spare. Gardner brought up victory and her own 41-ball half-century with the winning six off Amelia Kerr. New Zealand had been promisingly placed on 159 for 2 but lost their last eight wickets for 53 as their attempts to accelerate fell flat. Schutt and Carey shared seven wickets.
