New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) Former India cricketer and national selector Saba Karim believes that opposing teams must adopt a more ruthless approach and out-think Australia strategically if they wish to challenge the dominant side, who won their seventh Women’s T20 World Cup title.

At the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, Australia again showed their big-game mentality when they comprehensively beat England by seven wickets in the title clash by chasing 151 with 17 balls to spare, after restricting the hosts to 150/4.

“The other teams can compete with this Australian side only when they are a bit more ruthless and one step ahead of them strategically, because in a player-to-player comparison, they simply cannot match them.

“This is a very big lesson for India as well, that to compete against and defeat Australia, they need to think ahead about the kind of players they require, players who can score heavily in T20 internationals at a higher strike rate,” Karim said on JioStar.

Praising the work ethic of veteran Australian players who refuse to stay in their comfort zones, Karim urged other international cricketers to ask themselves difficult questions to bridge the gap.

“Look at Ellyse Perry; this is her 10th World Cup. Why does she need to work so hard and improve her strike rate from 120 to 140? She could have stayed in her comfort zone, thinking Australia would win the World Cup even if she didn’t score runs.

“But she put in that effort to improve. Beth Mooney is striking at 140. That is the difference in the T20 format. Until players ask themselves uncomfortable questions, reaching that level will be difficult,” he added.

He further pointed out that a timid batting approach cannot put a side like Australia under pressure. “England scored only 39 runs in the Powerplay and lost two wickets. They lost half the match right there. Nat Sciver-Brunt is the captain and a brilliant batter, but she scored just 58 runs off 53 balls, at a strike rate of 109.

“How can you defeat a team like Australia with such a timid approach? You need to score at least 175-180 runs in 20 overs, have that fearless approach, only then can you build pressure on this team.

Contrasting England’s approach with Australia’s clinical run-chase, Karim highlighted how the target of 151 was brought down effortlessly in the initial overs. “In reply, what did Australia do? They broke the back of the chase in the Powerplay itself. Beth Mooney also said the same thing, that her effort was to finish half the match in the Powerplay.

“And in the end, that’s exactly what happened. Phoebe Litchfield and Beth Mooney added 62 runs in the first six overs. The match was done right there. So, I think this tactical brilliance sets Australia apart from every other team,” he concluded.

–IANS

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