World Champions Australia won the first women’s cricket match in Commonwealth Games history with a three-wicket victory over India thanks to Ashleigh Gardner’s unbeaten half-century and Jess Jonassen’s four-wicket haul in their T20 clash yesterday.
Chasing 155 to win in the 20-over game, Australia were in trouble at one stage having lost half their side for 49, but Gardner got them over the line in style with an over remaining.
She smashed nine fours in her 52 not out off 35 balls while Grace Harris chipped in with 37 off 20 balls before Alana King (18 not out) helped finish the job.
India bowler Renuka Singh took 4-18 in her four overs but the effort was in vain. India had opted to bat first after winning the toss and made 154-8 in their 20 overs thanks to skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s 52 off 34 balls - a knock that included eight fours and a six - as well as opening batter Shafali Verma’s 48.
But Jonassen’s 4-22 meant that the lower order could not take them to a bigger total. India’s captain Harmanpreet  said: “We badly missed Pooja today. Renuka bowled really well, but we needed three pacers on this pitch. Lost few too many wickets and couldn’t reach 180. Didn’t bowl according to plans later on
In Group A leaders Australia face Barbados tomorrow while Pakistan meet arch-rivals India.
Cricket is returning to the Commonwealth Games after a 24-year absence with the women’s tournament. South Africa’s men’s team won the gold medal in the 50-over competition in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.  

Javelin world champ Barber Covid positive ahead of CWG
Javelin world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber’s bid to also win the Commonwealth title was dealt a blow on Thursday, with the Australian testing positive for Covid-19, team officials said.
Barber, who claimed her second world crown last week at Eugene, Oregon in the United States, tested positive at the Australian team camp ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this week. But with the women’s javelin final not until August 7, she could still compete. “Kelsey-Lee Barber is not out (of the Games),” the team’s high-performance manager Andrew Faichney said.
“I have to reconfirm, but I think the organising committee has said that if an athlete is well and healthy enough, then they are going to be able to compete, and so that is what we are working through.”
Barber, who won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, retained her world title with a throw of 66.91 metres, ahead of American Kara Winger and Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi. She was considered a strong favourite in Birmingham after winning bronze and silver at the past two editions of CWG.