'I'll have nightmares': Lanning reacts to dropped hat-trick

Meg Lanning admits she hoped the ground would simply open up and swallow her after she grassed Alana King's chance at a Commonwealth Games hat-trick.

If the Australian captain had a spade handy, she would happily have started digging the hole herself.

The leg-spinner had just removed Barbados batters Shakera Selman and Shamilia Connell with consecutive deliveries, and after the Australian fielders crowded in close, King drew a thick edge off the bat of Keila Elliott – only for Lanning to fumble what should have been a straightforward catch.

Unfortunately for the Australian captain (and fortunately for the Edgbaston ground staff) no such gardening tools were readily available where she was standing at first slip, and Lanning had to be content with letting out a frustrated scream once she returned to the dressing room once Barbados were bowled out for 64.

The drop had no material impact on the result, with Australia winning by nine wickets with 71 balls to spare, and King finished with a career-best 4-8, but it did not stop Lanning bemoaning her lapse following the match.

"I'll have nightmares," Lanning told reporters after the match. "I wanted to dig a hole and jump in it as quick as I could.

"I don't know, I tried my best and I dropped it. I wasn't overly pleased. Let's put it that way.

"I was just disappointed for Kingy, she was bowling so well and to let her down like that was not ideal. But that's cricket, I guess."

Lanning then took her frustration out on the Barbados bowling attack, hammering an unbeaten 36 off 21 balls to see Australia seal their spot in the Commonwealth Games semi-finals.

"I was just keen to contribute really," Lanning continued. "I was just pouncing on some loose balls when I got them.

"(The pitch) has tended to be a little bit tricky to start, and you've got to get the pace of the wicket and make sure that you're playing the appropriate shots ... then once you get a feel for it, you can accelerate pretty quick."

King, whose rise in the national side since debuting against England in January has been meteoric, was more forgiving of her captain.

Her four-wicket haul continued what has been a strong tour of the United Kingdom; she now has 10 wickets at an average of nine from six matches since arriving in Northern Ireland last month.

"No one means to drop the ball or anything, it's just the way the game goes, but I'm happy that I could contribute in whatever way I can," King said.

"Every ball I bowl I'm trying to get a wicket so that was no different.

"It caught the outside edge … and that's just cricket, I guess. But I'm just really happy with how I played today."

It would have been just the second Australian hat-trick in women's T20 cricket, following Megan Schutt's effort against India in a 2018 match in Mumbai.

Australia have a day off on Monday before they return to training ahead of their final group stage match against winless Pakistan on Wednesday morning.

Victory in that game will seal top spot in the group, and Lanning is viewing the game as a chance for her side to continue improving ahead of the finals.

"We're going out to win and play well against Pakistan ... we know they've got a different skillset to the other teams, they bowl a lot of spin and have got a good variety as well," Lanning said.

"So that's something new for us to look at it and make sure we come really well planned for.

"And just continuing to build, we felt like we did that today – we played better, better than we did the other day.

"We need to continue to do that because once we get to the semi-final stage, it's going to be pretty amazing cricket, and we're going to have to play well."

2022 Commonwealth Games

Australia's squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade Wellington

See all the Commonwealth Games cricket squads here

Group A: Australia, India, Pakistan, Barbados

Group B: England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka

July 29: Australia beat India by three wickets

July 31: Australia beat Barbados by nine wickets

August 3: Australia v Pakistan (11am local, 8pm AEST)

Semi-finals: August 6, 11am local (8pm AEST) and 6pm local (3am Aug 7 AEST)

Bronze medal match: August 7, 10am local (7pm AEST)

Gold medal match: August 7, 5pm local (2am Aug 8 AEST)

All matches played at Edgbaston Stadium