It was another landmark day for Megan Schutt (1-7 off 3 overs), who’d already become the T20 World Cup’s top wicket-taker in the previous match, as she became the all-time leading wicket-taker in all T20 internationals.

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The 31-year-old had Sadaf Shamas caught behind sharply by Healy for her 144th scalp in the short-format game, taking Schutt past Pakistan’s own Nidar Dar, who went wicketless as Australia chased down the target.

Ash Gardner was player of the match for her 4-21, while there were two wickets apiece for medium pacer Annabel Sutherland (2-15 off 2.5 overs) and spinner Georgia Wareham (2-16 off 4) as the Australians were suffocatingly accurate.

In reply, Healy, who had also been in fine form behind the stumps with a catch and two smart stumpings, went past 1000 World T20 runs and looked in good nick as she hammered five boundaries – one more than the entire Pakistan team managed between them – in the 23 balls she faced.

Beth Mooney’s was the only wicket to fall after she’d made a run-a-ball 15 and Perry guided them home to a 14th successive T20 World Cup victory against a Pakistan side already dispirited by the absence of their skipper Fatima Sana, who had flown home after the death of her father.

There’s still a slim possibility Australia could be edged out of a semi spot, but India would have to beat them by a huge margin on Sunday and New Zealand win their two matches emphatically for that to occur.

AAP