A sparky 93 not out from Sarah Taylor took England to a comprehensive 90-run win against the Governor General’s XI under the lights at Drummoyne Oval.
Taylor’s innings formed the backbone of England’s 146/5 and early wickets in reply meant the hosts never really got going.
The wickets were shared around to see the hosts bowled out for 56, 90 in arrears.
England didn’t get off to the best of starts. Heather Knight – immovable at North Sydney Oval throughout Sunday – attempted to drive the first ball of the innings from Hayleigh Brennan and nicked behind.
That brought Sarah Taylor to the crease.
While it may have been her first T20 match in an England kit since the World T20 in India in late 2015, she wasted no time in demonstrating her class – paddling and reverse-paddling two fours early on.
Get To Know
Get To Know...
StafanieTaylor
- AKA: ST
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- Age: 34
- Domestic Team: Surrey Stars and Sussex
- Bowling Style: Right-arm
- Fun Fact:
- Made history by becoming the first woman cricketer to play first grade cricket in Australia
- Cricketing Legend:
- Graham Thorpe
Tammy Beaumont was unable to replicate her success, bowled by a quicker ball from slow left-armer Sophie Molineux as she tried to reverse-sweep.
Taylor wasn’t to be distracted by wickets falling at the other end, continuing on her merry way with – as ever – some particularly attractive shots through the covers.
Nicole Bolton was rotating the bowlers for the Governor General’s XI and she was enjoying some success.
Erin Fazackerley – a 19-year-old tall seam bowler – discounted for Nos.4 and 5, Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt, before Taylor found a partner in Danni Wyatt.
They progressed the score to 124/4 before Wyatt holed out and along with No.7 Fran Wilson, Taylor added another 18 to finish on 93 not out and help the side to 146/5.
It was an innings of supreme comfort for Taylor, who looked at home from the moment she arrived.
Where others struggled for timing she found ways to score both in front and behind the wicket, and made life very hard for the young Governor General XI bowlers.
Katherine Brunt – who’s made a career out of making life hard for batters – continued in that vein by castling the Governor General’s XI skipper Nicole Bolton first ball.
It was a beauty from Brunt, nipping away to take the top of Bolton’s off-stump.
One became two shortly after via a run-out. Molineux attempted a single but Jenny Gunn’s throw from mid-on left her short of her ground.
England were in the mood by this point and Brunt had a second when she was too quick for Heather Graham, lbw for one.
Already it was looking like the Governor General XI would struggle and the introduction of spin didn’t stem the fall of wickets.
Alex Hartley’s first ball was hit out to Gunn at long-on by Naomi Stalenberg – who scored a hundred in the pink-ball warm-up match – to end her brief resistance.
Nicola Carey was superbly caught by Natalie Sciver to give Jenny Gunn a wicket (35/5) before three wickets fell in quick succession: Mikayla Hinkley and Georgia Wareham to Sciver and Chelsea Veney to Hartley.
There was still time for Sophie Ecclestone to grab her first wicket and Gunn her second for England to seal a 90-run win.
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