Six wickets for seven runs triggers dramatic collapse as India beaten by Australia in second T20I
The pair added 128 runs for the first wicket — Australia’s highest opening stand against India in women’s T20Is — helping the hosts post 163 for 5. India started the chase well but finished at 144 for nine. Ashleigh Gardner took 3/22, while Kim Garth, Annabel Sutherland and captain Sophie Molineux picked up two wickets each.
The series decider will be played at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
India were well placed at 65 for one in the ninth over before losing momentum, collapsing late with six wickets falling for seven runs. The chase had begun quickly with Shafali Verma attacking early and Smriti Mandhana building on that start. The openers added 54 in the powerplay.
Molineux broke the stand by trapping Shafali leg-before for 29 off 23 balls, and Gardner removed Jemimah Rodrigues for four. India’s scoring slowed further when Mandhana was caught down the leg side by Mooney off Garth.
With India at 71 for three, captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh added 55 runs for the fourth wicket. But the rising required rate forced risks. Harmanpreet was caught by Molineux off Garth on the second-last ball of the 17th over, and three balls later Ghosh was stumped off Gardner. Gardner then had Deepti Sharma caught by Sutherland in the 18th over, leaving India at 128 for six.
Earlier, Voll scored 88 and Mooney made 46 in the record opening stand of 128. Arundhati Reddy, who also saw a catch dropped off her final ball when Gardner was batting, dismissed both openers and finished with figures of 4-0-30-2.
The partnership surpassed Australia’s previous best first-wicket stand against India in women’s T20Is — 115 runs shared by Alyssa Healy and Mooney in March 2020 in Melbourne.
Voll led the scoring, hitting 11 fours and one six in her 57-ball 88. Mooney played the supporting role but fell four short of a half-century, caught at mid-on by Shafali off Arundhati in the 15th over after scoring 46 from 39 balls with four boundaries.
Brief Scores: Australia Women 163 for 5 in 20 overs (Georgia Voll 88, Beth Mooney 46; Arundhati Reddy 2/30) beat India Women 144/9 Harmanpreet Kaur 36; Ashleigh Gardner 3/22) by 19 runs.
'I can't trust him': Stephen A. Smith, others weigh in on Darryn Peterson
Kansas' Darryn Peterson, a Canton native who attended Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy during his high school years before transferring to Huntington Prep in West Virginia, has been one of the best players in college basketball season — when he's been on the court.
Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, that hasn't happened nearly as much as the NCAA Tournament champion hopefuls might have envisioned.
Peterson's inconsistent availability has been head-scratching at times, as he has played in 15 of Kansas' 26 games this season due to a nagging hamstring injury. He also missed a game against top-ranked Arizona with flu-like symptoms. He most recently subbed himself out early in the second half of Kansas' 81-69 win over Oklahoma State on Feb. 18, and didn't sub back in after playing 18 minutes.
Peterson's participation in games has become a national story in recent weeks, and ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said on Thursday, Feb. 19, that he wouldn't take Peterson No. 1 overall due to the questions surrounding the talented guard.
"There is no team in (expletive) that should grab Darryn Peterson No. 1," he said on ESPN's "First Take." "You cannot do it. The first ability is availability. And my brother, Darryn Peterson, I hope you're watching because I'm talking directly to him, and whoever — his family members, his inner circle, whatever. What the (expletive) is going on? ... This is business. I can't trust him. You cannot be trusted."
The projected No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft is averaging 20 points per game this season on 48.5% shooting and a 43.1% mark from 3-point range. Kansas coach Bill Self said after the game Peterson left due to "cramping," adding he was disappointed because he thought Peterson was "good to go" pregame.
Former Duke star Jay Williams, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft to the Chicago Bulls, also questioned drafting Peterson at No. 1.
"If I were a general manager, I would be extremely concerned about Darryn Peterson," Williams said on ESPN's "Get Up" on Feb. 19. "I don't question his talent at all. His talent is the No. 1 pick in the draft. But I would take (BYU forward) AJ Dybantsa because I'm not sure about the availability of Darryn Peterson."
ESPN's Scott Van Pelt also questioned Peterson's intangibles on Feb. 18 after Peterson checked himself out of the Oklahoma State game.
“When the presumed No. 1 player sits out a home game against unbeaten, No. 1 Arizona with the flu after having all these questions and managing minutes throughout the season with other issues, it makes people wonder," Van Pelt said. "Not about his talent, but about those intangibles that can’t really be measured."
In a year with multiple high-end NBA draft prospects such as Dybantsa, Duke's Cameron Boozer, Houston's Kingston Flemings and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson, an NBA organization may have second guesses when it comes to Peterson as a prospect given his recent availability.
At least, according to some NBA experts around the league.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pundits weigh in on Canton native Darryn Peterson’s draft prospects
Suns Owner Attacks NBA Over Tanking
Phoenix Suns owner Matthew Ivey has launched a scathing attack on the NBA, criticizing the league's perceived tolerance of tanking to secure high draft picks.
Ivey emphasized that such practices undermine the integrity of the game and harm the fan experience.
Vitor Pereira's perfect start: New Nottingham Forest boss releases stars from Sean Dyche's shackles as they dismantle Fenerbahce to raise hopes chaotic season could end with Champions League place
With Vitor Pereira, their fourth head coach of the campaign, in the dugout for the first time, Forest dismantled Fenerbahce and are on the brink of a place in the last 16 of the Europa League.