Watch: ‘She could have just hit the stumps with her hand’ – Pakistan wicketkeeper bizarrely misses run out v Australia

Watch: During the third women’s ODI, in Sydney, Pakistan wicketkeeper Muneeba Ali missed an easy run out, allowing Kim Garth to bat on.

Australia had already sealed the three-match ODI series with two huge wins at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane, by eight and 10 wickets. Now, at the North Sydney Oval, they lost Phoebe Litchfield early. This was Litchfield’s first dismissal in ODIs, after her unbeaten scores of 78 and 67 in Brisbane: her batting average now stands at 154.

Beth Mooney (133 in 105 balls) and Meg Lanning (72 in 70) then set off, plundering 170 runs for the second wicket at more than seven an over.

Tahlia McGrath (30 in 30), Ash Gardner (19 in 14), and Annabel Sutherland (26 in 13) kept the onslaught going, and Australia were 330-8 when Nashra Sandhu came to bowl the last ball of the 49th over, to Garth.

Garth stepped down but came too close to the pitch of the ball, effectively yorking herself. As the ball trickled towards Muneeba, Garth, for reasons known to herself, tried to take a run. By the time Muneeba picked up the ball, Garth was too far outside the crease to have a realistic chance to return. She gave up.

It should have been the easiest of run outs, yet, for some reason, Muneeba failed to release the ball until Garth jogged back to the crease. By the time she took the bails off, it was too late.

Not that it mattered, for Fatima Sana bowled Garth three balls later. Australia finished on 336-9, with Sana taking 3-53 and Diana Baig 2-56.

In response, six Pakistan batters reached 20, but Bismah Maroof’s 44 remained the highest score as Gardner (3-30) and Jonassen (2-25) restricted Pakistan to 235-7. Australia have now beaten Pakistan in all 16 ODIs between the teams.

The two teams will play three T20Is as well, on January 24 in Sydney, on January 26 in Hobart, and on January 29 in Canberra. Australia hold an 11-0 lead here as well.