Ellyse Perry, bowlers help Australia to big win against Ireland

Australia resumed normal service after the two limited over series defeat against England - although they retained The Ashes - when they defeated Ireland in a convincing fashion in the 2nd match of the three-match ODI series in Dublin on Tuesday (July 25). Ellyse Perry set the foundation with a solid 91 before bowlers cameback from a mini onslaught by Amy Hunter and Gaby Lewis to clinch a 153-run win.
Opting to bowl first, Ireland swing bowlers troubled Australia early and even though Phoebe Litchfield was dropped in slips, the young southpaw departed after only scoring two. With Orla Prendergast striking early, Alyssa Healy played a few shots and Perry also took advantag of the loose balls came her way.
However, 18-year-old pacer Georgina Dempsey got the better of Healy and Tahlia McGrath in consecutive deliveries. She first got one ball to came back sharply against the Australian captain and then removed McGrath for a first-ball duck with the allrounder chopping one on to the stumps.
From 58 for 3, Perry, in the company of Beth Mooney, took Australia to safety and then started opening up her shoulders whenever the Irish bowlers erred on the length. She took on the spin of Carra Murray to hit her out of the park. It looked like the duo of Perry and Mooney would take Australia to mammoth total as they added 106 runs for the third wicket.
However, Murray had Mooney dragging one on to the stumps when the batter was on 49 even as Perry contiued her splendid form and hit her third consecutive fifty in the format. After adding 54 runs with Ashleigh Gardner, Perry once again fell in the 90s - her third from the start of the Ashes - as she became Dempsey's third victim.
From there, Gardner took on the Ireland bowlers and hit Murray for three back-to-back sixes on her way to a whirlwind fifty. Eventhough Gardner fell for 65 off 39 balls, Annabel Sutherland and Georgia Wareham took Australia over the 300-run mark.
For Ireland, Dempsey was the most impressive bowler as she ended her spell with career-best figures of 4 for 54 from her ten overs.
Chasing 322 runs for a famous win, Ireland started cautiously with Leah Paul struggling to put bat to ball and Lewis was devoid of strike in the power play. Paul eventually fell for five off 24 balls. But that brought, the exciting Hunter to the crease. And the 17-year-old took on the Australian bowlers. She was strong on the pull and down the ground.
Hunter, who holds the record for the youngest international centurion, pulled Sutherland for a four and then followed it up with a maximum before launching Warhem over long-on for a six. Lewis also grew in confidence and pulled out her drives through cover and straight down the ground. The pair added 89 runs for the second wicket giving Ireland some hope of overhauling the huge total.
However, Gardner came through for Australia once again and removed Lewis for 37 off 51 balls in the 21st over. With Prendergast also falling early, it was all on the young shoulders of Hunter as she brought up her fifty from just 60 balls.
But with the mounting required run rate and wickets falling at the other end, Hunter decided to take on McGrath and was caught at long-on. Once she fell, Ireland's innings nosedived and were bowled out 168 losing the last eight wickets for just 59 runs as they succumbed to a 153-run defeat. Injured wicket-keeper Mary Waldron didn't come to bat after she went off with a calf injury during Australia's batting innings. Hunter did the rest of the keeping duties during that innings.
For Australia, Wareham came back from the tap she received from Hunter to return with figureso of 3 for 33 while McGrath and Jess Jonassen picked up two wickets apiece.
Brief scores: Australia 321/7 in 50 overs (Ellyse Perry 91, Ashleigh Gardner 65; Georgina Dempsey 4/54) beat Ireland 168/10 in 38.2 overs (Amy Hunter 50, Gaby Lewis 37; Georgia Wareham 3/33) by 153 runs POTM: Ellyse Perry