Decoding Natalie Sciver-Brunt's stellar WODI record against Australia
Natalie Sciver-Brunt on Sunday smoked a remarkable ton against Australia in the second Women's ODI albeit in a losing cause. She fought valiantly and scored an unbeaten 111 off 99 deliveries with the help of 10 boundaries. Her knock, however, wasn't enough as the Aussies held their nerves to seal a three-run win. Here we look at her stellar WODI stats against Australia.
Sciver-Brunt shows her mettle
Sciver-Brunt came to the crease when England were 86/2 while chasing 283. England kept losing wickets at crucial junctures and were reduced to 144/5. Sciver-Brunt stayed at the other end and made sure she kept the scoreboard ticking. She shared a superb 57-run stand alongside Amy Jones before being involved in an unbeaten 76-run stand with Sarah Glenn. However, her brilliance wasn't enough.
Highest average against Australia
Sciver-Brunt's average of 57.93 is the highest among batters with at least 200 WODI runs against the Aussies. Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (51.18) is the only other batter with a 50-plus average in this regard. Meanwhile, the England star also owns the third-highest individual WODI score against Australia Women, 148* in 2022. She is only behind Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu (178*) and Harmanpreet (171).
Fourth-highest scorer against AUSW among England batters
Versus AUSW, Sciver-Brunt has amassed 869 runs in 22 WODIs at a terrific 57.93. The tally includes three tons and as many fifties. Among England batters, only Charlotte Edwards (1,092), Sarah Taylor (986), and Samantha Taylor (952) own more WODI runs against Australia. Meanwhile, Heather Knight is the only other Englishwoman with 800-plus runs versus AUSW (809).
Joint-most centuries against Aussies
As mentioned, Sciver-Brunt smoked her third WODI century against Australia, the joint-most for any batter. She has joined New Zealand's Suzie Bates in this regard. Sarah Taylor and Samantha Taylor are the only other England batters with multiple WODI tons against the Aussies, two apiece.
Here are her overall numbers
In 96 WODIs now, Sciver-Brunt has raced to 3,151 runs at an average of 44.38. She slammed her sixth WODI century, besides also owning 20 fifties. 1,387 of her ODI runs have come on England soil at 40.79. Meanwhile, the 30-year-old has also been contributing with her right-arm pace bowling. With the ball, she owns 67 WODI wickets at an economy rate of 4.46.
How did the match pan out?
Australia lost Phoebe Litchfield and Allysa Healy early on (27/2). Beth Mooney and Ellyse Perry (91) steadied the ship. Perry added crucial runs with Ashleigh Gardner and Annabel Sutherland. Georgia Wareham (37) played a blinder, smashing 26 in the final over. In response, England's openers added 66 runs before the hosts kept losing wickets. Sciver-Brunt played a lone hand but Australia kept calm.
