Australia v New Zealand Third T20 Report Card

Featuring crediting New Zealand and Psycho

Crediting New Zealand
Grade: C

Onto the third and final T20 then, a match in which Australia continued to work on their fumbly outfielding (not to be confused with their Phoebe Litchfielding). And work on it they did, with mishandling from the first over of the New Zealand innings to the last. Fumbles. Overthrows. Dropped catches. Wides. More fumbles.

Perhaps this is just a way for Australia to handicap themselves as they head into yet another World Cup as overwhelming favourites. If so, great to see.

Oh, sure. Some of you are probably thinking that I’m not giving enough credit to the New Zealand batting. After all, doesn’t it take some kind of skill to constantly place the ball to the sloppy hand of the fielder rather than the hand that will cleanly gather the ball? Good batting, no?

Perhaps. But we should also remember that Australia’s ball sense has been so poor in this series that in the previous match, Ellyse Perry found herself run out after losing track of a mistimed sweep and wandering down the middle of the pitch while wicketkeeper Izzy Gaze simply gathered the ball and broke the stumps.

Yes, perhaps this was a case of Perry - ever the professional - working on the comedy side of her game. Always striving to improve is Pez. Can she become ‘Elolyse Perry’? You’d be a fool to say she couldn’t.

But, again, maybe also credit to New Zealand. Should we be surprised that Gaze was watching the ball so closely? Obviously not.