Sarah Andrews (cricketer) - Omission and Recall For The 2009 World Cup and World Twenty20

Omission and Recall For The 2009 World Cup and World Twenty20

Andrews was dropped from the Australia team for the home series against India before the start of the 2008–09 WNCL season. She responded by taking 12 wickets in the first six matches of the WNCL season, including a haul of 3/23 in an eight-wicket win over Western Australia and 3/43 in a losing cause against South Australia. In these six matches, she conceded 3.10 runs per over. She was unable to maintain this form throughout the season, going wicketless in the final two round-robin matches against Victoria, which New South Wales won to earn hosting rights for the final. Andrews then took 1/11 from seven overs as New South Wales won by six wickets to take a fourth consecutive WNCL title. She ended with 13 wickets at 18.53 and an economy rate of 3.23 and made a duck in her only innings.

Andrews was also effective in New South Wales's two T20 matches, taking four wickets at 5.75 at and economy rate of 3.28.

Andrews' strong WNCL performances earned her a recall into the Australian team ahead of the 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup to be held in New South Wales and Canberra. Before the World Cup, the Australians headed to New Zealand for the Rose Bowl series. Andrews was called into the playing XI for the second match, but was ineffective taking 1/52 from ten overs. She was dropped before being recalled for the fourth match, taking 1/17 from four overs in a victory; the final ODI was washed out.

In two warm-up matches ahead of the World Cup, Andrews had promising results although she bowled only briefly. She took 1/7 from three overs against England and then took 2/12 from four overs against Sri Lanka, as the hosts won both matches.

Despite these results, Andrews was left out of the first two group matches against New Zealand and South Africa; Australia lost the first and won the latter and needed to win the last group match against the West Indies to ensure progression to the next round. Andrews took 1/34 from eight overs as Australia took a 47-run win. However, she was substantially more expensive than her colleagues—the run rate in the remaining 42 overs was 3.14—and was dropped for the first Super Six match against India, which Australia lost by 18 runs. She was recalled and took 1/20 from 7.1 overs against Pakistan in a 107-run win. By this time, Australia's two losses had already made it impossible to make the final. Andrews took 3/35 from 8.3 overs in the final super Six match against England, which Australia won by eight wickets, and they met India in the third-place playoff. Andrews batted for the only time in the tournament and was unbeaten on zero as Australia were out for 142. She took 0/23 from five overs as the hosts lost by three wickets. Andrews ended the World Cup with five wickets at 22.40 and an economy rate of 3.90.

Andrews was selected for Australia's team for the inaugural Women's World Twenty20 held in England in 2009. The Australians hosted New Zealand for a three-match series in tropical Darwin at the beginning of June before the World Cup, and Andrews showed good form taking five wickets at 11.40 at an economy rate of only 5.70, with a best of 3/13 from three overs in the final match, helping Australia seal the series 2–1. However, she could not maintain the form. She took 0/31 from three overs in the team's only warm-up on English soil, against the hosts, and was retained for all the matches, despite taking only two wickets at 43.50 and taking an economy rate of 7.56. Andrews took 0/25 from three overs in a nine-wicket loss to New Zealand, but was retained for the match against the Wester Indies, taking 2/19 from four overs in an eight-wicket win. She was again attacked in the group match against South Africa, taking 0/19 from two overs in a 24-run win that qualified Australia for the semi-finals. Andrews was retained and was again ineffective, taking 0/24 from 2.3 overs as the hosts won by eight wickets to reach the final, which they won. She did not bat in any of the matches in Australia or England.

Andrews and the Australians stayed in England for a bilateral series against the hosts, who were the reigning world champions in both ODIs and T20s, after the end of the World Twenty20. She took 1/20 from her four overs as Australia upset England in the only T20 by 34 runs. She played in all of the five ODIs, taking eight wickets at 17.62 at an economy rate of 4.54 with a best of 4/50 from ten overs in the fourth match. She also scored 19 runs at 9.50, including 16 from 36 balls batting at No. 11 in the first match at Chelmsford and delaying the eventual English victory by ??? by ????.

England won all the ODI matches except the last, which was washed out. Andrews played in the one-off Test at County Road in Worcestershire. Batting at No. 11, she scored 11 from 14 balls in Australia's 309, before taking 1/32 from an economical display of 20.3 overs to help Australia take a 41-run lead. Having caught Lydia Greenway early in the innings, she then bowled the final English batsman Laura Marsh for 38, ending a last-wicket partnerhsip of 59. She then made 4 not out as Australia were bowled out for 231 to set the hosts a target of 273 before the match was drawn. She took 1/22—dismissing opener Caroline Atkins for a duck—from 13 overs in the second innings, meaning that she had conceded less than two runs per over throughout the match.