Beth Mooney marked her 200th international appearance with a stellar performance, helping Australia secure an emphatic eight-wicket victory over New Zealand in the opening T20 match in Auckland, getting their series off to a winning start.
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03-21, 2025The left-handed opener was in sublime form, smashing an unbeaten 75 as Australia chased down the 138-run target with 39 balls to spare. Mooney and her opening partner, Georgia Voll (50), put on a 77-run stand for Australia in just six overs, stunning the White Ferns, the defending T20 world champions, at Eden Park on Friday.
The victory gives Australia a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The second match is scheduled for Sunday. New Zealand, unsettled by Australia's aggressive onslaught, committed a series of uncharacteristic errors in the field, making the outcome a foregone conclusion. This was Australia's highest opening partnership in a T20 against New Zealand.
Voll was dismissed with just 15 runs required for victory, and Phoebe Litchfield soon followed, before Ellyse Perry helped Mooney guide Australia to victory. Australia accomplished the task without star all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner, who was sent for scans after sustaining a finger injury.
Mooney's performance in her milestone match was particularly noteworthy, as she has been a consistent, yet often underrated, member of the dominant Australian side for nearly a decade. After electing to bat first, the White Ferns posted 2-137, thanks to an unbroken 90-run partnership between Amelia Kerr (51 not out) and Sophie Devine (39 not out). Devine, playing her first international match since taking a break in December, impressed alongside Kerr.
Acting captain Tahlia McGrath and fast bowler Darcie Brown picked up the only wickets for Australia. Aside from injured captain Alyssa Healy, Australia fielded a strong lineup for the first of the three matches. The White Ferns are the defending T20 world champions, having unexpectedly won the tournament last October. Australia, who won the first three T20 World Cups but were eliminated in the semi-finals, are eager to reassert their dominance. Star bowler Kim, who excelled in the recent Ashes series against England and was named player of the series, was replaced by fellow leg-spinner Georgia Wareham.
