Megan Schutt’s teammates were in awe of her stingy milestone performance as Australia beat South Africa by eight wickets in the one-day series opener.
The visitors were bowled out for 105 at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, with Shute winning 1-for-1 in five consecutive overs. Australia’s Beth Mooney scored an unbeaten 52 to score 106 for two in 19 overs to win the first of the three-match ODI series.
Schutte, the sixth Australian to reach 200 international runs, took the new ball and picked up a wicket off her ninth delivery, with her only loss coming from the inside edge. “It’s an incredible spell,” Mooney said. “To bowl five overs and only get hit for one run against really quality opposition in international cricket… it probably just shows the quality of bowling that the shooter has been able to deliver over a long period of time.
“I would say this is probably the best bowling she’s bowled in a long time and in her entire career.”
Schutte set the dominant tone for Australia as South Africa were bowled out for 31.3 overs. Marizanne Kapp scored 50 but was forced to retire due to injury; while completing her second run to reach a half-century, she was hit on the left elbow by a delivery.
Alana King (3-for-19), Kim Garth (2-for-12), Ellyse Perry (1-for-8), Annabel Sutherland (1 for 22) and Ash Gardner (1 for 12) were also among the wickets.
Shute’s 261st international wicket was the prized scalp of Laura Wolvaardt. The Proteas captain was Shute’s team-mate with defending champions Adelaide Strikers in the Women’s Big Bash League.
Walwat gave her 4-wicket to her friend, cutting a short and wide ball towards Georgia Wareham for a simple catch. South Africa soon fell to three for nine after eight overs and never recovered.
Kapu remained calm throughout the carnage, hitting eight fours in her 58 balls before misfortune struck. The all-rounder was taken to hospital for scans which revealed no fracture but soft tissue damage and in her absence the tourists lost their last four wickets in 11 matches.
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In Australia’s run-chase, openers Phoebe Litchfield (12 off 23 balls) and Alisha Healy (19 off 24 balls) were dismissed in nine overs. Mooney hit nine fours in 34 balls before Perry (16 not out in 33 balls) then won comfortably.
“We always talk about finishing well, but I find those smaller run chases a little trickier,” Mooney said. “If you lose a couple of wickets early on, it can have some knock-on effects on the batting order. “It’s all about making sure we win these games well and not leave too many behind for the middle and lower table teams. things to do. “
The three-match ODI series continues at North Sydney Oval on Wednesday and Saturday.
