Stats: Meg Lanning and Rachel Haynes power Australia Women to a record chase

Australian Women took a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series against New Zealand as a record partnership between Meg Lanning and Rachel Haynes helped the hosts to chase down 163, their highest chase in the T20I format. The Australians elected to bowl first after winning the toss and picked up a couple of early wickets. However, a 33-ball 43 from Sophie Devine at the top and an unbeaten 34-ball 56 from Katey Martin helped them to finish at 162/5.

The destructive top four of the Southern Stars fell early in the chase and the White Ferns sensed a winning chance. Devine struck twice in her first over as the home team were reduced to 4/45 in the sixth over. However, the experience of Lanning and Haynes came to the rescue of the Australians. The pair got the scoreboard moving along with safe shots and kept the required run-rate under eight. Both the players started to cut loose from the 13th over when they were needing 66 in eight overs.

Highest 5th wicket partnerships in Women’s T20I cricket:

Haynes, who was batting on 24 in 19 balls, raced to a 31-ball fifty and remained unbeaten on 40-ball 69. She hit 11 fours and a six including the four boundaries off Devine in the 16th over. Skipper Lanning scored her ninth boundary to complete the chase and finished on 56* off 46 deliveries. The pair added an unbeaten 119 runs for the 5th wicket in only 75 deliveries as they chased down the target with 2.2 overs to spare. This is now the highest partnership for fifth and lower wicket in Women’s T20I format.

In the process, they surpassed Deandra Dottin and SF Daley’s 118-run stand against South Africa in 2010. This 119-run stand between Lanning and Haynes is also the joint highest 5th wicket partnership in the T20I format across both Men’s and Women’s cricket. In the inaugural edition of the WT20 in 2007, Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik added an unbeaten 119 for the 5th wicket. This partnership didn’t have close competitors as the next best 5th wicket stand in the Men’s T20I cricket is 102 on two different occasions.

Highest 5th wicket partnerships in all T20I matches (Men and Women):

(Stats as on September 29, 2018)

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