A new Australian superstar has emerged as the international cricket season began against India in Mackay, and she’s only 18 as she set a new national record.
The worry for Australia trying to extend a world record one-day winning streak to 25 in the international season-opener against India was rustiness and the attack after the top two bowlers in the world were unavailable.
But while superstar Ellyse Perry showed the effect of two-weeks hard quarantine in the lead-up to the series-opener in Mackay, Australia’s first game since April, teenage sensation Darcie Brown showed the bowling future is in awesome hands.
Playing just her second one-day game for Australia, the 18-year-old from South Australia rocked the Indian openers who had flayed an out-0f-sorts Perry in her worrying opening spell.
While Perry, given the ball in the absence of Megan Schutt, went for 26 from her opening two overs before being yanked from the attack by captain Meg Lanning, Brown was near unplayable.
She snared the opening two wickets of the game in her first three overs, and at the end of her third over had figures of 2/8.
After the Indians worked their way to 2-115, Brown returned for her second spell, took a wicket first ball, then another with the first ball of her eighth over. She had figures of 4-20, India had lost 2-14, and Australia was well and truly on top.
Brown became the youngest bowler to ever take four wickets in an ODI for Australia.
“She comes in and ruffles a few feathers … and gets wickets. She has executed beautifully,” Australian coach Matthew Mott said.
Lanning dropped a catch at second-slip off Brown’s bowling which could have been her fifth wicket.
Brown had figures of 4-33 from nine overs as India slumped to 5-166 in the 38th over as they tried to a competitive total.
Perry was the worry after being given the responsibility of leading a pace attack which boasted Brown, debutante Hannah Darlington, who is only 19 and Tahlia McGrath, playing her first ODI since last October.
Bowling the first over of the season, Perry couldn’t get her line right, and in her second over bowled three wides, including one down the leg side which went to the boundary after keeper Alyssa Healy couldn’t grab it.
“This is as rusty as I have ever seen Ellyse Perry,” former Test batsman Brad Hodge said in commentary.
Perry has only bowled one 10 over spell in an ODI in the past three years before the game, and was taken off after conceding 26 runs in her opening two overs.
“It wasn’t a complete shock we were a bit loose to start with,” Mott said.
She bounced back in her second spell, and even nailed Indian captain Mithali Raj on the helmet with a bouncer in the 15th over.
Earlier Darlington became the third Indigenous woman to play cricket for Australia and was presented her cap by fellow indigenous star Ashleigh Gardner.
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