Thanks for following along as Australia returned to form with a devastating display on the way to a comprehensive five-wicket victory over India. We’ll be back again for the second women’s one-day international on Sunday, but in the meantime you can catch up on the full report:
Australia win by five wickets!
Australia captain Tahlia McGrath slices a drive between point and cover to the boundary to seal a five-wicket victory over India with 202 balls remaining. The winning stroke leaves Voll four runs short of a half-century on debut but an unbeaten 46 from the 21-year-old was full of promise.
Megan Schutt set up the win with her first five-wicket haul in ODIs which came for only 19 runs as Australia dismissed India for only 100 runs in Brisbane. Phoebe Litchfield kickstarted the run chase with 35 from 29 balls before a mini-slump left Voll to guide Australia to their target.
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16th over: Australia 97-5 (Voll 45, McGrath 1) SIX! This time it is Gardner looking to finish off the chase in a hurry with a powerful straight drive that sails easily beyond the rope. But the all-rounder tries her luck once more and is stumped. Captain Tahlia McGrath blocks out the over, perhaps wanting debutant Voll to hit the winning runs.
WICKET! Gardner st Ghosh b Mishra 8 (Australia 97-5)
Gardner looks to seal it with a six as the all-rounder dances down the pitch and swings wildly but is some distance from connecting with the ball and is easily stumped.
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15th over: Australia 89-4 (Voll 44, Gardner 1) SIX! Voll lands the ball on the rope with a controlled slog to deep midwicket. The 21-year-old had earlier pushed closer to what now looms as a half-century on debut with a flick to the fine leg boundary.
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14th over: Australia 79-4 (Voll 34, Gardner 1) India almost pick up a wicket from Priya Mishra as the leg-spinner starts with a googly to Voll and Sutherland is almost run out scampering through for a quick single. Sutherland is gone next ball as Mandhana grasps a sharp chance. The young spinner causes chaos after Gardner comes to the crease and makes you wonder why Kaur took so long to throw the ball to the 20-year-old.
WICKET! Sutherland c Mandhana b Priya 6 (Australia 77-4)
India finally turn to spin and leggie Priya Mishra has an immediate impact. Annabel Sutherland has taken time to get going and now mis-times a swat from outside off through midwicket and it flies straight to Mandhana.
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13th over: Australia 76-3 (Voll 32, Sutherland 6) Titas Sadhu is back and bowling a tight line and length. The pressure almost tells on Voll who tickles at a straight one and can only edge, somehow, between Ghosh with the gloves and first slip. The keeper failed to move her feet quickly enough and had to snatch at the ball when it was already behind her.
12th over: Australia 69-3 (Voll 26, Sutherland 5) Saima Thakor is back into the attack. Sutherland gets off the mark with a boundary through cover as Mandhana steps on the rope while picking up the ball. A single to point hands the strike to Voll who has picked up the baton as the main aggressor. Voll gets down onto one knee to slog a wide ball from outside off across the line over midwicket for another boundary. After a few steadying overs, Australia are back to motoring towards their target.
11th over: Australia 58-3 (Voll 20, Sutherland 0) The debutant is showing no signs of suffering from the mounting pressure as Voll steps onto the back foot to dispatch a shorter ball over a square leg for four. Another short one is nudged past point for a single as Sutherland’s batting looms as the calm before the storm.
10th over: Australia 53-3 (Voll 15, Sutherland 0) The powerplay ends with Australia edging towards the ropes as India pick up three for five in just over three overs. Voll and Sutherland both refuse to be tied down but are having trouble finding their way through the infield.
9th over: Australia 52-3 (Voll 14, Sutherland 0) A pair of wickets bookend a superb over from Renuka Singh with the dangerwomen Ellyse Perry and Beth Mooney both on their way. But their is little respite for India as Annabel Sutherland moves up the order, while the debutant Voll remains as the steadying influence at the non-striker’s end.
WICKET! Mooney c Rodrigues b Renuka 1 (Australia 52-3)
India have bowled to a plan and they get the critical wicket of Beth Mooney. A back-foot slice bobs to backward point and Jemimah Rodrigues isn’t going to drop that. Dare I say, but we could have a game here!
WICKET! Perry c Ghosh b Renuka 1 (Australia 50-2)
A faint edge sends Ellyse Perry on her way and this time India celebrate. The right-hander looked to cut but the ball drifted too close to her body and Richa Ghosh takes a very sharp catch. Both keeper and batter know which way this is going and Perry doesn’t bother to review.
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8th over: Australia 50-1 (Voll 14, Perry 1) Australia look to settle after the loss of their chief aggressor. Voll will rue a hard swipe at a wide one that missed everything and really deserved to be sent to the boundary. A few little moments going India’s way now.
7th over: Australia 48-1 (Voll 13, Perry 0) Voll likes what she has seen from her good friend and regular opening partner, immediately turning the strike back over to Litchfield with a pull to backward square leg. Litchfield continues on her merry way with three more boundaries in a row, punishing anything wide whether blasting it through the on or off-side. That’s until an entertaining innings comes to an end as Litchfield picks out Kaur while looking to bring up the Australia 50. Ellyse Perry comes to the crease.
WICKET! Litchfield c Kaur b Renuka (Australia 48-1)
Litchfield had hit six boundaries in as many balls faced but tried her luck one too many times as she smacks a drive straight to Kaur at a wide mid-off. The left-hander’s innings ends with eight boundaries from 29 balls that have propelled Australia to almost the halfway mark of their chase.
6th over: Australia 35-0 (Litchfield 23, Voll 12) Titas Sadhu comes into the attack and Litchfield suddenly looks like a woman in a hurry. The opener lifts the run rate with three consecutive boundaries, the first with plenty of good fortune as a thick edge takes the ball over the keeper but there is nothing wrong with the next two shots. Litchfield stands tall and pummels a four over point, then the best of the lot is a rocket through cover that almost travelled a metre from the ground all the way to the rope.
5th over: Australia 23-0 (Litchfield 11, Voll 12) Litchfield is showing all the signs of putting together another big innings against India, patiently waiting for the bad balls and then duly punishing them. The left-hander defends four deliveries then dispatches a slightly wider one with a controlled square drive over point to the boundary.
4th over: Australia 18-0 (Litchfield 6, Voll 12) Voll continues to attack the India bowling but is having trouble finding the gaps with her more powerful strokes. A dab through midwicket picks up two runs but Voll saves her best for the last ball as the right-hander gets down on one knee to casually lift a sweep shot over midwicket. One, two bounces and over the rope for the second boundary of Voll’s innings.
3rd over: Australia 12-0 (Litchfield 6, Voll 6) Australian hearts are in mouths for a brief moment as Litchfield punches a square drive in the air through point but the danger passes as the ball races away to the boundary. Nice variety from Renuka from there as the right-armer mixes up her pace and length.
2nd over: Australia 7-0 (Litchfield 2, Voll 6) Saima Thakor takes the new ball from the other end and ties down Litchfield while pitching it up. The left-hander steps down the pitch to throw Thakor off her line but reigns in the shot with a nudge through square leg for a single. Voll sees out the over cautiously but looks comfortable.
1st over: Australia 7-0 (Litchfield 1, Voll 6) Renuka Singh immediately finds some swing and calls for a slip but then loses her line to let Australia’s openers off the hook. Litchfield pulls to fine leg for a single and turns the strike over to Voll. The debutant starts in a blaze of glory, standing tall and clobbering a drive through cover to the boundary off her first ball faced in international cricket. Voll tucks a shorter delivery around the corner for a couple more and is well and truly away.
Thank you Angus and well done keeping pace with the Australia bowling attack as they ripped through the India middle order and tail with six for 11 to end the innings and restrict their target to a mere 101 runs. It is little surprise that Australia are out to make a statement after losing their T20 World Cup crown but no less impressive as they returned to an all-too familiar domination.
Now it’s over to the batters. Phoebe Litchfield and debutant Georgia Voll are in the middle and preparing to start the chase as Australia demonstrate their depth of talent with a pair of 21-year-olds to open the innings. Voll has earned her spot in the XI with strong performances alongside Litchfield with Sydney Thunder in the WBBL, and against India A earlier in the summer.
Left-hander Litchfield has already played 20 ODIs and saved some of her best performances for India, with a pair of fifties then a century from her three innings in the format against Australia’s rivals. Renuka Singh has the ball in hand at the top of her mark and we’re about to get into it at Allan Border Field.
India all out for 100 in the first women's ODI against Australia
What a disaster for India. They remodelled their side for this first match of the series and won the toss, electing to bat first under bright skies in Brisbane. But they never got going at any stage and lost steady wickets until coming completely undone in the final stages. Jemimah Rodrigues top-scored with 23 and only three of her teammates reached double-figures as India lost their last five wickets for just 11 runs.
Megan Schutt was the hero for Australia with 5-19, the first five wickets haul of her storied 92-game career. She got great support from Kim Garth (1-20), Ash Gardner (1-14), Alana King (1-18) and Annabel Sutherland (1-13). The bowlers were superbly supported in the field with a wonderful run-out by Georgia Wareham and two cool catches by Litchfield contributing to India’s premature demise.
Can Australia run down 101 for victory. Australia’s 150th ODI women’s player Georgia Voller will be making her debut as Phoebe Litchfield’s new opening batting partner and will be desperate to atone for her dropped catch. Can the rookie put her name up in lights and pick up where the bowlers left off? Join us in a hot half hour to find out.
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WICKET! Priya b Schutt 0 (India 100-10)
Priya Mishra is gone for a duck and Megan Schutt, this mighty warrior for Australia, has the first five-for of her one-day international career. Schutt threw it down fuller and faster and in direct line with the stumps. Mishra wasn’t sure whether to play or run and got caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. She pushed forward, missed completely and the ball cannoned into the top of middle peg.
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34th over: India 100-8 (Priya 0, Thakur) King delivers another wicket maiden, the second in succession for Australia.
WICKET! Titas c Litchfield b King 2 (India 100-9)
Litchfield has another catch! This one is simpler but she juggles it once out of her belly before getting two safe hands on the catch. Priyas is gone for bugger all, Alana King has her first wicket of the day and India are reeling.
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33rd over: India 100-8 (Titas 2, Priya 0) Schutt turns the screws further with a wicket-maiden. The big quick has 4-19 from seven overs.
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WICKET! Thakor c Litchfield b Schutt 4 (100-8)
What a catch by Phoebe Litchfield! Thakor stepped out and drove with a full bat and Litchfield, like a Premier League goalie, flew to the left at midwicket and snared a wonderful catch. Megan Schutt has four wickets are Australia are in total control in Brisbane.
32nd over: India 100-7 (Thakor 4, Titas 2) Titas Sadhu is the new batter and she gets off the mark with a neat drive off Gardner for two runs.
WICKET! Richa c Garth b Schutt 14 (India 97-7)
Australia have their seventh. Megan Schutt was brought back for a second spell after her four-over spurt at the start of this innings and straight away she strikes! She shot a tracer bullet ball right at Richa’s heart. The batter backed away and swung but was beaten and it chipped into the safe hands of Kim Garth at short midwicket.
30th over: India 96-6 (Richa 13, Thakor 0) No one likes dropping catches but especially not debutants. Unfortunately that was a sitter put down Georgia Voll who is fielding on her own in the slips. Beth Mooney is consoling her but the youngster is hurting as Ash Gardner closes out a sixth over with miserly figures of 1-11.
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29th over: India 95-6 (Richa 13, Thakor 0) Saima Thakor is the new batter and, after Richa runs a single from a thick edge, the 28-year-old playing her fourth ODI for India now has Kim Garth and her deadly wobble seam to contend with. After playing out four dots she slashes angrily at the final ball from Garth, catches the edge and is DROPPED by debutant Georgia Voll at first slip!
28th over: India 93-6 (Richa 13, Thakor 0) Gardner was especially delighted by that run out. She’d been carted into the outer and Wareham not only saved runs by reeling the ball in before the boundary she used superb footwork to whip it ijn accurately and saved Gardner the trouble of backing up and whipping off the bails herself.
WICKET! Sharma run out Wareham 1 (India 92-6)
Good lord! What a run-out! Sharma lofted it into the outfield and ran the first run easy but took off for the second run a tad too nonchalantly and Georgia Wareham whipped it in at terminal speed and hit the stumps with a direct hit on the half-volley. Deepti Sharma put in a desperate dive but too late. Great out-fielding by Australia and sloppy play by India.
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27th over: India 89-5 (Richa 13, Sharma 1) After that breakthrough by Garth, the new batter is Deepti Sharma, a left-hander from the beautiful city of Agra, home to the Taj Mahal. She punches square to third man to get off the mark.
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WICKET! Jemimah b Garth 23 (India 89-5)
Just as India looked to be hitting their gear at last, Kim Garth strikes! It was a poor shot by Jemimah Rodrigues who was looking to ease it through slips but the ball didn’t swing as expected. It went straight on and skidded and off-stump gets knocked over! Lovely bowling by Garth who has bowled beautifully all day to the benefit of her teammates. Finally, after six over for just 16 runs, she has a wicket. And what a beauty it is.
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26th over: India 89-4 (Jemimah 23, Richa 10) Good over for India! They have taken seven easy runs from this Alana King over with five well-judged singles and a swat over cover for two. That is the most profitable over of the day for India and they needed it.
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25th over: India 82-4 (Jemimah 18, Richa 8) Kim Garth is back into the attack… and there’s almost a caught and bowled as Richa Ghosh was befuddled by the length and popped a catch that dropped just short of Garth’s diving hands. And now a skied catch… but it falls safe after Phoebe Litchefield’s valiant chase backwards falls short. Georgia Voll was running forward from deep cover and may have been better placed to catch that one but Litchfield called it so she backed off. Good call by the debutant. Dodgy call by Litchfield.
24th over: India 80-4 (Jemimah 17, Richa 7) Now a reverse sweep by Rodrigues! Alana King caught the switch play early though and defuses it by rolling the ball through a little slower. Beth Mooney behind the stumps, who was moving to her right to chase the the catch, had to stick out a fast left paw to stop runs. There’s plenty of timber on the next shot through but it yields only a single as Australia’s field closes in. Rodrigues shows finesse to the final delivery, easing it to fine leg for two.
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23rd over: India 76-4 (Jemimah 14, Richa 6) Blazing cut shot! That’s better batting by Rodrigues and it brings up the first boundary in eight overs. That’s what India need right now. Sutherland was smothering them until she pushed one a little wider. Rodrigues duly punished it.
22nd over: India 71-4 (Jemimah 9, Richa 6) Alana King is defying that finger injury to bamboozle India with spin. Even so, Richa Ghosh takes her over cover for two runs and then clips one off her hip for a single. India’s run-rate falls further and now sits 3.2.
21st over: India 67-4 (Jemimah 8, Richa 3) As Australia apply the squeeze, India have a big decision to make. With 30 overs to bat, do they play them out and set Australia modest total? Or swing for the rafters and make a statement to ignite this series? Sutherland is charging in and India can only manage a couple of singles.
20th over: India 62-4 (Jemimah 7, Richa 2) India’s new batter is Richa Ghosh, a noted power hitter in T20s. And straight away she has a dash at Gardner and gets an outside edge which eludes first slip for two runs. Streaky start and Richa rides her luck with a couple of swish and miss shots to close out the over.
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19th over: India 62-4 (Jemimah 5, Richa 0) Great over from Annabel Sutherland. She threw in a first-up bouncer to Rodrigues but it was tucked it over her right shoulder for a run. The skipper expected the same but Sutherland took the low road and a lusty swing didn’t connect with anything but pad. India’s new batter is Richa Ghosh.
WICKET! Harman lbw Sutherland 17 (India 62-4)
Sutherland strikes! That ball jagged back at Harmon. Australia looked confident from the get-go and the onfield decision is out but the Indian captain called for the review. Replays show no bat and the ball hitting. Fourth wicket for Australia and India in strife!
18th over: India 61-3 (Harman 17, Jemimah 5) Big shout to the first delivery as Mooney goes up for a ball that beats Jemimah’s attempted slog sweep. no one else, least of all the umpire, is much interested and the batters run a leg bye. Harman finds a single but India remain tied down. Jemimah gets her feet moving to drive but good fielding by Schutt keeps it to a single. Tight bowling from Australia, with just 13 runs from the last five overs.
17th over: India 58-3 (Harman 16, Jemimah 4) Annabel Sutherland is into her second over nut hasn’t quite found her line yet. Her second ball is a wide and Harman pushes a single from the next. Jemimah resorts to wristy business from the third, flicking over the infield for a solitary run. We are one-third of the way through this innings and India’s run rate has now slipped below 3.5.
16th over: India 55-3 (Harman 15, Jemimah 3) Almost a run-out! The Australians have been shying at the stumps every time Harman runs and replays show why: she’s not in the habit of her sliding her bat. Instead she lopes down with her bat in her paw. Not a great example by the skipper! She’s getting away with it so far and takes another single from Gardner to get to 15. It’s a start but can she go on with it?
15th over: India 52-3 (Harman 13, Jemimah 3) Here comes Annabel Sutherland. She’s taken a great catch today. Can the 23-year-old allrounder find a 30th ODI wicket for Australia in her 34th. Not yet but there’s also a run out as Jemimah Rodrigues takes a risky single and Schutt misses the stumps at the bowler’s end by a whisker. Harman takes an easier one to close out the over.
14th over: India 50-3 (Harman 12, Jemimah 1) Ash Gardner is back after her successful first over. Harmanpreet Kaur takes an easy single from the first ball which brings Jemimah Ivan Rodrigues on strikme. The 24-year-old from Mumbai in her 34th ODI and averages 26 with a highest score of 86. She sweeps stylishly to get off the mark.
13th over: India 48-3 (Harman 11, Jemimah 0) Perry returns and Harman greets her with a sweetly-tucked clip off the hips. It runs away to the boundary for FOUR and gets the run-rate crawling back to four-per-over. Harman can only eke a single from the remaining over as Perry finds her length.
12th over: India 42-3 (Harman 6, Jemimah 0) After that delightful piece of bowling, Ashleigh Gardener has new batter Jemimah Rodrigues in all sorts of trouble. Driving, sweeping, pulling.. she tries everything but is beaten each time.
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WICKET! Deol c Sutherland b Gardner 19 (India 42-3)
Gardner strikes with her third ball of spin! Deol skipped down to whack her down the ground but the wily off-spinner was too good. The ball gripped and Deol caught5 the edge and it sailed down to Sutherland whose tall limbs plucked it from the sky. Great catch by Sutherland and a big wicket for Australia!
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11th over: India 42-2 (Deol 19, Harman 6) Here is Ellyse Perry again and she beats Harman and puts up a shout. Umpire is unmoved but good signs for the 34-year-old legend who has grown up before our eyes after debuting as a 16-year-old in 2007. Today, 147 one-dayers later, Perry is chasing a score of 42 to crack 4000 ODI runs. She has 165 wickets to go with that mountain as well. What a player she is. After baffling Harman with her first four, Perry drops her speed to 114kph and India finally find a single.
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10th over: India 40-2 (Deol 18, Harman 5) Harleen Deol has surged to 14 from 23 after a slow start. Kim Garth is back for a fifth over to put the stoppers on. Her first two are dead straight, her third is crooked as a hound’s hind leg. Wide. Deol tries to work the next through slips but no dice. Fifth ball is straighter but wide enough for Deol to slap through point for a glorious FOUR. Great batting by the 27-year-old from Chandigarh in her 11th ODI for India. Garth is falling victim to her own mastery of swing at the moment. Her fifth ball is yet another wide.
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9th over: India 34-2 (Deol 14, Harman 5) First bowling change for Australia as Megan Schutt takes a breather and Elyse Perry comes into the attack. And what a welcome by Deol spanks her behind square for a lovely boundary. India are accelerating in Brisbane and a bit of pressure is back on Australia.
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8th over: India 28-2 (Deol 9, Harman 4) Kim Garth is into her fourth over. She has 0-4 but certainly had co-ownership of that wicket of Punia whom she stifled so that Schutt could strike. Third ball carries good swing but Deol reads it enough and it catches a thick edge and flies over a leaping Wareham at third slip. Four runs for Deol but a sniff of opportunity for Garth.
7th over: India 23-2 (Deol 4, Harman 4) India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur is the new batter and having driven the first one for no result, she caresses the second behind point for FOUR. Lovely soft hands from the skipper. That’s what India need right now. They are playing too conservatively and Australia are smothering them.
WICKET! Punia b Gardner b Schutt 3 (India 19-2)
Skied by Punia and caught! That was a wild shot from a batter who had been pinned down. Schutt sensed the pressure her compadre Kim Garth had built and cashed in, drawing a wild slice which Gardner gobbled up at backward point. Schutt has two wickets and India are in early trouble.
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6th over: India 18-1 (Punia 3, Deol 4) Garth delivers five dots until finally India eke a run, although Alana King flung it a fraction skew of the stumps at the bowler’s end. Just the one run for India as Australia turn the screws.
Australia’s men’s side have just made a couple of big announcements for tomorrow’s second Test …
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5th over: India 17-1 (Punia 3, Deol 3) Megan Schutt returns for a third over and Deol tries to whack it behind point but doesn’t quite get the timber required. Second ball she’s hurled her second ball way down leg side. Wide. Almost a catch! But Deol, who look intent on upping the ante, scampers a single. Punia chips another one which falls short. No run. Now she takes an aerial route, wedging one over square leg. There’s a squawk of “Catchit!” but it falls safe. Alana King gives chase but India run two.
4th over: India 13-1` (Punia 1, Deol 2) Edged… and dropped? Garth found more movement to the new batter Harleen Deol and the right-hander slashed hard and sent it skidding toward second slip. Replays show it reached the fielder on the half-volley and it has run away for two. Great signs for Garth here.
WICKET! Smitri c Mooney b Schutt 8 (India 9-1)
Australia has first blood! That wide ball from Schutt has indeed caught the toe of the bat and Smitri is out. It took a loooong time for the third umpire to make a call but the Australians were elated from the get-go and the noise was audible on TV screens. Sure enough, Smitri is gone, having gone to unleash one pf those gorgeous cut shots. But she got to it late and it caught the edge.
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3rd over: India 5-0 (Punia 1, Smriti 4) Overpitched by Schutt and punched for FOUR by Smriti. Lovely shot there. She’s come to play has the elegant left-hander. This is Schutt’s 92nd ODI for Australia but Smriti is in her 89th and it hasn’t worried the 28-year old from Mumbai. Schutt beats her on the next one. Good comeback. There’s a loud snick on the fifth ball but umpire’s arm stays inert. The Australians like it A LOT and the batter seems to be strolling…
2nd over: India 5-0 (Punia 1, Smriti 4) Immediate swing for Kim Garth. My oh my, that hooped a long distance away from Punia. Second ball jags back inside. Intriguing! Garth is in form with 11 wickets from her last five ODIs and she beats Punia with her third and fourth balls. Punia has driven at both but misjudged the line. Now the Indian opener reads it better, stepping out and smacking it, albeit it straight to the fielder. A maiden.
1st over: India 5-0 (Punia 1, Smriti 4) This is India’s fourth opening combination this year and a chance for Priya Punia and Smriti Mandhana to cement their spot at the top of the order. Megan Schutt will have something to say about that. The Australian fast-bowling champion has the new ball. Her loosener is tapped away for a single from Punia. Three dot balls… then BANG! Smriti unfurls a gorgeous cut shot and it races across this lightning fast field for a boundary. Wonderful shot!
Joseph Ruska has welcomed us to Country today and anthems have been sung with gusto. This venue played host to the T20 Harmony Shield between the Queensland Men’s Indigenous side and the Queensland Multicultural XI in February this year so it holds an important place in Indigenous cricket circles.
That early cloud has cleared and we are under hot and sunny skies today at Allan Border Field. Play is about to commence so buckle ‘em up and batten ‘em down!
India has also revealed a new-look squad for today’s match.
Shafali Verma has been axed after a lean run of 97 runs in four innings with a high score of 43 at the T20 World Cup in October. Her form didn’t improve in the one-dayers against New Zealand afterward, with scores of 33, 11 and 12 condemning her to the sidelines.
Wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia has been ruled out after she fractured her wrist playing for the Melbourne Stars in the WBBL. Richa Ghosh will take the gloves today, back in the squad after missing the series against the White Ferns due to university exams.
Dayalan Hemalatha didn’t do enough for the Perth Scorchers to earn a spot in the squad so young stars Harleen Deol, Titas Sadhu and Minnu Mani will get their chance.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur spoke with the media on Wednesday:
“It’s always a great feeling whenever we play in Australia. It’s a very important series for us … whenever we play, we always look to win. Our team is doing well in ODIs and we just want to continue the same momentum.”
Interesting that Sophie Molineux and Darcie Brown have been left on ice this afternoon for Australia. Both have had Big Bash seasons interrupted by injury but will rest today and will have huge roles to play for the six upcoming matches.
Molineux missed four straight Renegades matches due to knee soreness but returned against Hobart Hurricanes on Thursday night. Brown missed the Strikers’ past three matches due to a hip muscle strain but has resumed training.
Australia women’s team physiotherapist, Kate Beerworth said:
Sophie has returned to play following knee soreness which will continue to be managed over the course of the summer. Darcie has resumed training following a hip muscle strain and is on track for both series.
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Exciting teams to contest this first of three ODIs!
For Australia, 21-year-old Georgia Voll has been handed her cap as a debutant. She will open the batting alongside Phoebe Litchfield and arrives on the world stage in great form. The powerful right-hander hit two scores in the 90s in the WBBL and finished fifth overall in the runs charts with 330 at a strike rate of 144.73.
India have made a few changes to the XI that played against New Zealand – Priya Punia opens with Mandhana and Harleen Deol has been named at No 3. Arundhati Reddy and Radha Yadav have missed out and young legspinner Priya Mishra gets her chance after impressing in India A’s tour of Australia in August.
India have a debutant today too: fast bowler Titas Sadhu.
Congratulations to Georgia Voll who makes her ODI debut today at Allan Border Field! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/U2S2p269w4
— Australian Women's Cricket Team 🏏 (@AusWomenCricket) December 5, 2024
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India have won the toss and elected to bat
Final line-ups for today’s game have been announced…
AUSTRALIA: Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Voll, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney (wk), Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath (c), Georgia Wareham, Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Schutt
INDIA: Smriti Mandhana, Priya Punia, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Titas Sadhu, Priya Mishra, Saima Thakor, Renuka Singh Thakur
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Preamble
Greetings cricket fans! Welcome to the Guardian’s over-by-over coverage of the first one-day international between Australia and India at Allan Border Field in Brisbane. Angus Fontaine here with you for the first innings with Martin Pegan taking you home in the night session.
This three-game series is Australia’s first in the 50-over format since their tour of Bangladesh in March, and it lights the fuse on a busy run of six one-dayers in 19 days across two countries.
After this match and the sequel on Sunday, Australia travel to Perth for the third clash, then fly to Wellington for a three-game series against New Zealand before racing Santa Claus across the southern hemisphere skies to get home on Christmas Eve.
For Australia and India today’s game also marks the first steps of a higher quest. This series forms the first leg of the ICC Women’s ODI Championship, the quadrennial round-robin tournament between the world’s best 10 teams.
Australia currently sit atop the Championship table on 28 points, ahead of England on net run rate and with three games in hand. But India could yet leapfrog both. They sit in third spot on 25 points and have nine games left to play, three more than Australia.
All Championship matches will be played by the end of January so we have a frenzy of women’s cricket ahead in the next couple of months.
Will Australia get their 2025 World Cup defence off to the best possible start and regain the air of indomitability lost with their shock defeat in the T20 World Cup in October? Or will India strike an early blow in their dream to win the ODI World Cup on home soil?
We’ll find out shortly when play starts at 2.20pm AEST in Brisbane / 3.20pm AEDT.
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