Australia’s women cricketers have slipped to a 17-run loss to India in their series-deciding Twenty20 fixture.<\/p>\n
India claimed a 2-1 series triumph after posting 5-176 on Saturday night at Adelaide Oval, the highest women’s T20 international score at the venue.<\/p>\n
Australia mustered 9-159 in reply, losing traction after their initial three wickets fell in a 13-ball span.<\/p>\n
The match was Ellyse Perry’s 350th international match.<\/p>\n
“It was a bit of a bugger, we couldn’t get the result for her tonight,” Australia captain Sophie Molineux said of Perry.<\/p>\n
“She’s a special person, a special cricketer, she has done so much for the game and continues to.”<\/p>\n
Australian openers Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney cracked 18 runs from the first over, delivered by Renuka Singh Thakur.<\/p>\n
But Voll (10) and Mooney (six) were dismissed in a space of six balls.<\/p>\n
Australian great Perry scored only one. She advanced to spinner Shreyanka Patil and attempted a big drive but missed and was bowled.<\/p>\n
Perry’s dismissal left the hosts reeling at 3-32 in the fourth over and Phoebe Litchfield and Ash Gardner steadied with a 31-run stand.<\/p>\n
But Litchfield (26 from 17 balls) was caught in the deep from consecutive switch-hits. She smacked a four from the first one to leave the hosts 4-63 in the ninth over.<\/p>\n
The Australians were 4-78 at the midpoint and Gardner gave her side a sniff, making 57 from 45 balls before she too was caught in the deep.<\/p>\n
Gardner’s departure started another Australian slump of 4-15.<\/p>\n
“We actually thought we kept them to a good score. It was a pretty good wicket,” Molineux said.<\/p>\n
“We just lost some pretty important wickets at the wrong point in time.”<\/p>\n
Earlier, Indian opener Smriti Mandhana top-scored with a superb 82 from 55 balls and featured in a 120-run partnership with No.3 Jemimah Rodrigues (59 from 46).<\/p>\n
Australia struck early when quick Kim Garth (1-25) dismissed Shafali Verma (seven) in the third over.<\/p>\n