Georgia Wareham has shown why selectors see her as a future all-rounder, hitting her first international half-century in Australia’s 58-run Twenty20 victory over Bangladesh.
Usually picked primarily for her leg-spin, Wareham moved up the order and scored 57 runs off 30 balls as Australia took 8 for 161 in Dhaka.
The spinner then claimed 1 for 24 from their four overs, as the tourists held Bangladesh to 9 for 103 to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Long considered a potential all-rounder by selectors given her potential with the bat and her ability in the field, Wareham was at her best with the willow on Tuesday.
He drove for a long time at will, while using his crease well to pull and cut against the spinners.
Three consecutive boundaries came off Shorna Akter, with Wareham moving across the crease to pull the spinner for two fours and then cutting it for another.
The flurry of runs came when Wareham and Grace Harris (47) took 20 in the eighth over off Shorna, tipping the momentum firmly in Australia’s favour.
With the ball, Wareham bowled a maiden in the first over and bowled Dilara Akter (27) in the second when the right-hander pulled her again.
Spinners Ashleigh Gardner (3 for 17) and Sophie Molineux (3 for 10) were the stars with the ball for Australia.
The Molineux figures continue a brilliant tour for the spinner, who has now taken 10 wickets in two one-day internationals and two T20s after being selected ahead of Jess Jonassen.
The Victorian missed more than a year of cricket due to a torn ACL sustained in late 2022, but Molineux is now firming up to be part of Australia’s T20 World Cup squad for the September-October tournament in Bangladesh.
The hosts had some joy on Tuesday, with Fariha Trisna (4 for 19) taking a hat-trick and becoming only the third woman in history to register two in T20 internationals.
Off the last three balls of the innings, the left-arm medium pacer trapped Ellyse Perry at deep cover for 29, before trapping Molineux at point and then bowling Beth Mooney.
AAP
