Voll trumps Mostary as Australia canter to series win

Georgia Voll’s unbeaten 131 off 97 and Megan Schutt’s 4 for 36 powered Australia to a nine-wicket win over Bangladesh in the second ODI at Allan Border Field in Brisbane, giving the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Australia chased down 221 in just 28.1 overs, overshadowing a record-breaking 118 from Sobhana Mostary, the first century by a Bangladeshi woman against Australia.

Voll took Ritu Moni for four fours in the 10th over to reach a 34-ball fifty, and the openers brought up their hundred stand in the 13th over. Phoebe Litchfield reached her own half-century off 41 balls and struck 70 off 51 before falling to Shorna Akter’s leg-spin, ending a massive opening stand of 162.

Voll then added an unbeaten 60 runs with Ellyse Perry for the next wicket as Australia romped home to a series win.

Bangladesh’s start in contrast was painfully slow, with the first runs off the bat coming only in the fourth over. By the eighth over, they had slipped to 8 for 3, with Schutt first getting Fargana Hoque caught behind, then Kim Garth trapping Sarmin Sultana lbw, and finally Schutt returning to bowl Sharmin Akhter.

Sobhana and captain Nigar Sultana then dug in for a massive 195-run stand for the fourth wicket, the highest partnership for any wicket against Australia in women’s ODIs. Sobhana reached her fifty off 66 balls, and her maiden international hundred off 123, while Nigar anchored the other end with a 97-ball half-century.

A Schutt full toss bowled Sobhana for 118 in the 48th over and Bangladesh lost three wickets for 11 runs at the end, ending with 220 for 6.

Brief scores: Bangladesh Women 220/6 in 50 overs (Sobhana Mostary 118, Nigar Sultana 74*; Megan Schutt 4-36, Kim Garth 1-35) lost to Australia Women 222/1 in 28.1 overs (Georgia Voll 131*, Phoebe Litchfield 70; Shorna Akter 1-32) by 9 wickets.