Australia’s crushing win over Pakistan at the T20 World Cup looks to have come at a massive cost, with injuries to captain Alyssa Healy and pace bowler Tayla Vlaeminck leaving their tournaments hanging in the balance. The Aussies cruised to a dominant nine-wicket win over Pakistan to secure their third straight group stage victory and all but book a spot in the semi-finals of the competition.

Spinner Ashleigh Gardner led the way with the ball, taking figures of 4-21 to help skittle the Pakistanis for a tournament-low 82 runs, despite being one bowler short after Vlaeminck dislocated her shoulder in the field in the very first over. Healy then smashed an unbeaten 37 before retiring hurt as the Aussies chased down the meagre victory target in just 11 overs to remain unbeaten against Pakistan in T20 cricket.

Healy limped back to the pavilion with what was said to be “an acute right foot injury” that came about after she went for a swift second run during Australia’s otherwise problem-free run chase. The Aussie skipper belted five boundaries in her unbeaten knock but will now undergo scans on Saturday to determine the extent of the injury.

“Once we have more information based on her assessment and scans tomorrow, her availability for the rest of the tournament will be clearer,” a team official reported. Healy’s fitness will be crucial to Australia’s hopes of World Cup victory but there was also a massive sense of disappointment for Vlaeminck after her first-over injury made it a costly win for the Aussies.

Vlaeminck is one of the fastest bowlers in women’s cricket and was given a chance to showcase it in her first match of the tournament but sadly never got the opportunity. Chasing down a ball that was hurtling towards the third-man boundary, the 25-year-old’s left knee got caught in the turf as she dived to save the boundary, before landing hard on her right shoulder.

Double injury blow rocks ‘heartbroken’ Aussies

Vlaeminck had to be helped from the field but did have her shoulder put back into place by medics, who are yet to clarify how significant the blow is for the luckless quick. It was the latest setback to cruel Vlaeminck after years of problems and surgeries on her foot, knee and left shoulder. Vice-captain Tahlia McGrath said she was “heartbroken” for both Vlaeminck and Healy after the match but paid tribute to the skipper for rallying her players on the boundary after the first-over injury to Vlaeminck.

“It was really important,” said McGrath. “We love Tay, and it was pretty hard to watch to be honest for all of us. “So we just came together as a group to focus on the job at hand, and we’ll get around her after the game. It was really important in that moment just to refocus and regroup.”

Aussie bowlers decimate hapless Pakistan batting attack

Fortunately Vlaeminck’s injury did little to blunt the Aussie bowling attack with Gardner impressing and Megan Schutt (1-7 off 3 overs) creating more history. Schutt had already become the T20 World Cup’s top wicket-taker in the previous match and her scalp against Pakistan saw the quick also become the all-time leading wicket-taker in all women’s T20 internationals.

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The 31-year-old had Sadaf Shamas caught behind sharply by Healy for her 144th scalp, taking Schutt past Pakistan’s own Nidar Dar. Gardner’s 4-21 saw her take player-of-the-match honours after the spinner picked up three wickets in the penultimate over. It was a superb all-round performance from the Aussie bowling attack, with Annabel Sutherland (2-15 off 2.5 overs) and Georgia Wareham (2-16 off 4) also chipping in to leave Pakistan reeling.

Healy had two smart stumpings and a catch and also showed her class with the bat to go past 1000 World T20 runs in blistering fashion. The Aussie skipper hammered five boundaries – one more than Pakistan managed as a team – before injury soured her day. Beth Mooney was the only wicket to fall after a run-a-ball 15 and Ellyse Perry guided Australia home to a 14th successive T20 World Cup victory against Pakistan. The Aussies could mathematically still miss out on the semi-finals but it would take a heavy defeat against India, coupled with two big wins from New Zealand to deny Australia a spot in the last-four.

with AAP