Michael Clarke, a former captain of Australia, has commented on the Harmanpreet Kaur run-out during the Women’s T20 World Cup. He calls Meg Lanning’s squad the best sporting team in Australia during the past ten years, but he also calls the run-out “unlucky.” In the Women’s T20 World Cup semifinal match versus Australia, India lost heartbreakingly. India was in a commanding position while chasing a 173-run mark when captain Harmanpreet Kaur was run out.
Only 40 runs were needed from 32 balls as Harmanpreet left the field, and the game changed significantly. Kaur batted brilliantly to reach 52 before striking a ball to deep midwicket. She appeared to be finishing a comfortable two runs when her bat jabbed into the ground just beyond the crease. Kaur walked away while furiously swinging her bat. India was ultimately set back by that dismissal. “If the bat didn’t get stuck then she would have been in. But that happens in a game. If that runout didn’t happen then Australia would have found it difficult to make a comeback in the game. Worst luck at the worst time for Harmanpreet”, Clarke said on the Backstage with Boria show.
Recently, veteran Australia bowler Megan Schutt reacted strongly to a comment by Harmanpreet. “They were cruising and we were under the pump. Collectively our last five overs were crucial. Getting a couple of wickets in there but also providing pressure on all aspects, whether it’s in the field, with the ball, or even body language out there. Harman said our body language was down. I’ll call bullshit on that. We’re just calm. We don’t panic, we don’t take it out on each other if there’s a misfield or a dropped catch. That’s where we stand out as a team. We’re a team first and we know getting angry about that isn’t going to do that. So it was a collective effort,” Megan Schutt told Cricbuzz.
