Southern Stars spearhead ready for final

Southern Stars pacer Megan Schutt likes to intimidate with the ball but knows she will have to be at her best against West Indies in the World Twenty20 final.

Southern Stars spearhead Megan Schutt is in form, fired up and ready to frighten in Sunday's World Twenty20 final in India.

Schutt, taking part in her first World T20, has been Australia's enforcer in their bid for a fourth straight T20 title.

Seven wickets at 12.14 mean the right-armer could finish the leading wicket-taker of the tournament, depending on how she fares against West Indies in the decider at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Statistics only tell a portion of the story.

Take for example when Meg Lanning asked Schutt to deliver the penultimate over of Australia's semi-final, when England needed 21 runs.

Katherine Brunt belted the swing bowler for a boundary then was clean bowled, triggering fervent celebrations that could easily be confused for hostility.

"It wasn't really a send-off. I'd never do that to any player. In that situation I was just pretty bloody happy to get a wicket," Schutt told AAP.

"I was just caught up in the heat of the moment.

"I get pretty fired up in those sort of situations. I think the pressure helps me play better."

It wasn't the first case of white-line fever from the 23-year-old, who grew up idolising Glenn McGrath, and it almost certainly won't be the last.

"I like fast bowling and I like to try to be intimidating. It doesn't always work out but I like to try," she said.

"I think fast bowlers should be able to intimidate, give the batters a bit of a stare if they edge a good ball for four or something along those lines.

"We all play in the spirit of the game but I think you have to be that little bit more aggressive, being a fast bowler."

Australia and the Windies also clashed in the final of the ODI World Cup at Mumbai in 2013 but Stafanie Taylor's Windies side have come a long way since then.

They recorded an upset six-run win over New Zealand in their semi-final, when the White Ferns had been the only undefeated side in the competition.

Schutt rated Taylor and Deandra Dottin, who both lit up the women's Big Bash League, as two of the most destructive batters in women's cricket.

"They're two people that can take the game away from us pretty quickly," she said.

"We're going to have to be on point from the start. It's about getting that powerplay right."


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Source: AAP



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