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ICC WOMEN'S WORLD T20

November 13, 2018

Megan Schutt

Georgetown, Guyana

Australia - 153/7, New Zealand - 120/all out

Q. Good win for the semis. How does it feel?
MEGAN SCHUTT: It's great. It's the classic case of bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. I think it's great to be locked into that semifinal position, but obviously we won't be taking the next game lightly.

Q. How were you guys feeling at the innings right there? I think the feeling from the commentaries was maybe a bigger total was on the opening after the fine start?
MEGAN SCHUTT: Yeah, I think they bowled really well in the middle patch there. They really clamped down on us. But I think we got 10, 15 runs over the pass. So I think as long as we get 140 it's always defendable.

Q. For you personally, when the whole bowling -- when Suzie was coming at you, I know you talked a lot about resilience. Do you think that was a good example of how the teams changed in the face of someone batting like that today?
MEGAN SCHUTT: Yeah, definitely. I think it was a really good challenge for us and something that we probably needed. But I think it's moments like that where you just need to take a deep breath. I think that's what we did out there and probably would have panicked maybe 12, 18 months ago, but it's something we worked on and it was nice to see it out there today.

Q. What was it that you were discussing out there at those times?
MEGAN SCHUTT: Pretty much just basic plans. I think we needed to obviously keep Batesy off track as much as we could and trying to give her the single run and put pressure on the other end.

Q. Just personally against Ireland, fair to say probably wasn't your best game?
MEGAN SCHUTT: Bad day.

Q. How were you feeling about that? And to come out and do what you did tonight, how does that sort of make you feel?
MEGAN SCHUTT: Yeah, much better. Look, after the five wides at the stat I was a little bit worried it could have been a bad day again. But, yeah, two bad games in a row would have been absolutely horrible for me. So, nice to bounce back.

Q. Does that just give you the confidence, like, how were you feeling after that Ireland game?
MEGAN SCHUTT: I was feeling okay. Just you feel let down a little bit, kind of, after a match like that. But at the end of the day we won. Had we lost and I had lost us the game, I would have been pretty bummed. It's cricket, those games happen.

Q. And the importance of not having to win against India, like, I know you're going to try and win, but so that's not make or break. Like how much is that a benefit to the team to have that off your shoulders?
MEGAN SCHUTT: Yeah, I guess it's a breath of fresh air. I think it just gives us freedom to go out and play the kind of cricket we want to and that we really want to go into the finals producing, really.

Q. Is there a chance that you're going to test the bench strength knowing that you've already gone through to the semifinals?
MEGAN SCHUTT: God, I don't know that question. Is Matthew Mott here? I hope not because I want to keep playing.

Q. We saw Georgia Wareham came on and got a big wicket at a big moment for Australia. How important is she in that role?
MEGAN SCHUTT: Yeah, I think she's the X factor. I think a leg spinner in women's cricket is always pretty effective. And she's young and talented and someone that people haven't seen before. So, I think she's going to be really effective for us, and she showed that out there today.

Q. How are your bodies feeling? Midge looked like she might have had some cramps or something?
MEGAN SCHUTT: Did she?

Q. She didn't show it really, but she was down on her haunches for a bit. How is everyone feeling in the conditions?
MEGAN SCHUTT: Good I think. I'm actually the worst sweater out of all of them and I'm going okay. So I think we're going all right. We're pretty good with our plans and having rest days where we think we need them and things like that. A lot of down time in a T20 tournament which I think really helps.

Q. And Healy, have you seen her like this before in this kind of form?
MEGAN SCHUTT: I've been on the receiving end of it a few times in Big Bash, but to see it so consistently out here at an Australian level is really pleasing.

Q. What do you think it is? It's the consistency, obviously. But what's clicked?
MEGAN SCHUTT: I don't know. I know she's bloody worked hard in the offseason. We had a chance to be in our home states and actually have a preseason. And she's showing how much that actually helps to just kind of take some time and really work hard and come out and play that kind of cricket.

Q. You guys have the break now with three days off before your next match. Does that come at the perfect time knowing that you're all through the semis, got a bit of rest and right here for hopefully the last three big matches?
MEGAN SCHUTT: I think so. I think a break in a tournament like this is always kind of crucial to rest the brain from cricket, really. And I think we're really good at doing that now, really being aware of when we need to take time off. So it couldn't have come at a better time.

Q. What will you do on the rest days? What do you typically do, besides recovery?
MEGAN SCHUTT: We spend a lot of time by the pool. We're probably all the brownest we've ever been in our lives. There's been a lot of tanning going on. We're all going to try and get out of the hotel the next couple of days and see what the girls are up to.

Q. Speaking of tanning, you did pretty well in India when you were there. Here you're also going okay. Does wickets like this that have a little bit of grip to offer, do you prefer bowling on them rather than flat wickets which you get in England and Australia?
MEGAN SCHUTT: Yeah, definitely. For me slower balls and back of the hands and that sort of stuff is what I love to bowl. And here it grips a little bit more and there's be some pretty big turn out there for myself. I love playing on wickets like this.

Q. And your leg curler, looks like it's really developed. Can you give us a synopsis of the evolution of that ball?
MEGAN SCHUTT: Not really, to be honest. I kind of saw it as an effective bowl on the powerplay. I think that there's less room for error than there is with my back of the hand. It's all about bowling the right one at the right times. But as I say, it's more effective on wickets like this over here.

Q. And how do you space for wickets like this, not just different conditions, but also within a match, how do you choose when to switch up, switch down?
MEGAN SCHUTT: It depends on the batter, to be honest, and the situation of the game. I'm probably not going to bowl a risky bowl if they need a boundary off that kind of bowl. But I don't know; it's just what I feel when I'm out there.

Q. Today. How do you -- what's your thought process today with regards to your pace?
MEGAN SCHUTT: Well, when I came back on, we had already taken the big wicket of Batesy. So for me it was just making sure when I was bowling in a powerplay, trying to restrict them from boundaries as much as I can. Dots are great, but if I'm getting smoked for boundaries on the other ball it doesn't really matter. That's all I try to do in the powerplay.

Q. Obviously Batesy was still there at the end of the powerplay. But you held her back and picked up three huge wickets. Was that pretty much the perfect powerplay for you guys?
MEGAN SCHUTT: Yeah, I think so. I think it's kind of the blueprint. I think we take that against a powerhouse like New Zealand. I think we had a good series against them not long ago. We know if we can contain them in the powerplay, then it sets us up for the rest of the innings.

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