'A crafty spinner' - Beth Mooney lauds Salma Khatun after her impressive spell

Australian batter Beth Mooney had high praises for Bangladeshi spinner Salma Khatun after her impressive spell that left the women in yellow in a sort of disarray. Mooney’s unbeaten 66 off 75 balls ensured that the table-toppers were bailed out of a tough situation from 70 for five and were able to chase down the target of 136 with five wickets remaining in a rain-affected game.

Khatun opened the bowling alongside Jahanara Alam and picked up three big wickets of Alyssa Healy, Rachael Haynes, and Meg Lanning who have scored the bulk of runs so far in the tournament for Australia. She finished her spell with three for 23 in nine overs and almost got the favourites surrendering to an unlikely defeat until Mooney and Annabel Sutherland joined hands at the crease.

Salma Khatun was the main threat that we had to nullify: Beth Mooney

Mooney after scoring an important fifty mentioned she had insisted her new partners play out Khatun carefully as she looked the most threatening among the bowlers. She also noted Khatun as a ‘crafty spinner’ and explained the way Australian batters had allowed the off-spinner to settle on her lengths. She added that Khatun’s consistent wicket-taking abilities have made her more successful in the long run for her country.

“Obviously, she took three poles upfront, so whenever someone new came out, I sort of just said she was the main threat that we had to nullify,” said Mooney as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

“She’s a crafty spinner, got a lot of changes and can really settle on a length which is probably what we let her do a little bit today – settle on us a little bit more than we would normally, with that wind playing a factor as well. She’s extremely crafty. And she bowled really well today, so it’s no surprise to me that she’s been a very successful player for Bangladesh.” she added

Meanwhile, with the victory, Australia has stamped their authority at the number one position in the points table with seven victories in seven games and will be heading into the semi-finals with a lot of confidence.