Graham (4/8 from 2 overs) was the star performer with the ball for Australia as she first dismissed Devika Vaidya and Radha Yadav in the last two deliveries of the 13th over.
Heather Graham came only the alternate woman cricketer from her country to take a T20 chapeau- trick as Australia crushed India by 54 runs in the final match to decide the five- game series 4- 1 on Tuesday. Graham(4/8 from 2 overs) was the star pantomime with the ball for Australia as she first dismissed Devika Vaidya and Radha Yadav in the last two deliveries of the 13th over. She also returned in the final over of the innings to not only claim a chapeau- trick with the opening ball in the form of Renuka Singh but also picked up the prized crown of Deepti Sharma( 53 off 34) in the final delivery.
Australian leader Megan Schutt was the first woman from her country to claim a chapeau- trick in T20 justice in 2018.
Transferred into club, Asheigh Gardner( 66 not out off 32) and Grace Harris( 64 not out out 35) struck explosive unbeaten half- centuries to power Australia to an assessing 196 for four.
The Indian bowlers cut a sorry figure after original success as Gardner and Harris sutured an attacking unbeaten 129 off just 62 balls to fire Australia to their loftiest aggregate of the series.
The asking rate was too altitudinous for India as they kept losing lattices at regular intervals to be sailed out for 142.
India started their big chase with a bang withvice-captain Smriti Mandhana( 4) pulling Darcie Brown across the square- leg boundary in the first delivery of the innings.
But Mandhana’s stay was short- lived as two balls latterly she drilled out to Grace Harris at forward square leg, looking to flutter the ball.
One- down Harleen Deol came all out attacking and struck a boundary through point and gully from her first ball of the innings.
Shafali Verma( 13) also got a reprieve in the third over when she was dropped by Harris at point after the batter miscued a shot.
But it wasn’t Shafali’s day as she was caught by Annabel Sutherland off the bowling of Gardner at long- on.
Harleen Deol played a 16- ball 24- run gem before getting a victim of an gratuitous run out.
Effects turned bad to worse when commander Harmanpreet Kaur departed. Introduced into the attack in the ninth over, Annabel Sutherland struck gold with her first delivery, enmeshing Harmanpreet infront of gate as the batter failed to gauge the length of the delivery.
Wicketkeeper- batter Richa Ghosh struck two boundaries before decaying and also Heather Graham dismissed Devika Vaidya and Radha Yadav in successive deliveries to be in the fray for a chapeau- trick, which she completed in the final over of the match.
Before, Gardner remained unbeaten on 66 off 32 balls with the help of 11 boundaries and one six, while Harris made 64 not out of 35 balls during which she struck six fours and four successes over the hedge.
Taking to coliseum, India started brightly, dismissing Beth Mooney( 2) and Phoebe Litchfield( 11) cheaply outside four overs.
Later, commander Tahila McGrath( 26 off 26) and Ellyse Perry( 18 of 14) participated 38 runs for the third gate to stabilise the innings.
Just when the cooperation was looking dangerous, Shafali Verma wisecracked McGrath with a tossed up delivery which spun just enough to beat the club of an aggressive McGrath to be stumped by Richa Ghosh.
An over latterly, Perry departed in hunt of big shot down the ground, caught by Harleen Deol in a juggling act of the bowling off Devika Vaidya.
Later, it was a complete Harris and Gardner show as the two batters took the Indian bowlers to the cleansers.
All the Indian bowlers looked oblivious in front of the two Australian batters as they set up the boundaries at will.
It was Harris who brought up her fifty first in just 28 balls with a six off Renuka Singh in the 18th over and also a ball latterly Gardner also reached the feat with a boundary in just 25 balls.
It was raining boundaries and sixes towards the end as the Indian bowlers looked fully out of feathers and some sloppy work in the field also did not help the hosts.
Vaidya turned out to be the most provident for India with numbers of1/26 from her three overs. Know More Women”s Cricket News…
