With their third straight victory in the ICC Women’s T20 Asia Qualifier at the ICC Cricket Academy ground, the UAE extended their winning streak.
On the third day of the tournament, the hosts defeated Bhutan by 47 runs. They are the defending champions. Hong Kong recovered from their earlier defeat by the UAE to beat Malaysia by four wickets, while Nepal thrashed Kuwait by nine wickets.
The UAE vs. Bhutan
Theertha Suresh and Chamani Seneviratna both hit half-centuries to help the UAE reach 149-2 in 20 overs. Khushi Sharma’s five-wicket haul of 22 runs stymied Bhutan’s hopes of completing the task of chasing a total of 304.
Bhutan won the toss and promptly took out UAE opener Esha Oza for nine wickets after winning the toss. Oza, attempting to glance Anju Gurung off the back foot, missed the line and ended up with a trapped leg. Suresh and Seneviratna worked together to keep the score moving. Gurung took the wicket of Seneviratna for 63 after a 131-run second-wicket partnership between the two openers. Four boundaries were hit off her 58-ball knock. After 53 balls and six boundaries, Satish remained undefeated with a score of 64.
A 50-run partnership between openers Sonam Paldon and Ngawang Choden put Bhutan in a strong position before Khushi Sharma had Choden for 25 and he was bowled for four boundaries in 10.4 overs. Dechen Wangmo was also bowled out for 8 by Sharma.
Tshering Zangmo joined Paldon, but Sharma picked up her third wicket with Paldon caught by Oza for 26 at the score of 70. Two boundaries were struck in Paldon’s innings of 41 balls. The hosts appeared to have a firm grip on the match when Sharma clean bowled Bhutan captain Yeshey Choden for a duck. Samaira Dharnidharka also bowled Pema Seldon for a duck in the meantime. Sonam Choden was dismissed for 8 by Sharma, her fifth wicket. A pair of wickets from Seneviratna helped the UAE to a 47-run victory over Bhutan in the ICC World Twenty20.
“The first wicket among the five was crucial because that provided the breakthrough,” said Sharma, who received the Player of the Match award for her performance. We were able to maintain our momentum and come back strong as a result of this.
Sharma has never previously bowled a five-wicket spell in international cricket, but she had previously done so in domestic competition. At the Victoria Cricket Academy, I’d once taken five wickets in a match against the Under-17 boys. But getting five wickets in international cricket is a truly unique experience. In order to keep the ball in play, I simply varied my pace.”
United Arab Emirates skipper Chaya Mughal credited her squad’s combination for their success. As a team, we have a good mix of speed and spin. Our on-base percentage is also high. The middle order is formidable, even if we lose a few early wickets. For the time being, we’re focusing on one game at a time, and we’re not concerned about the overall standings.”
“We are happy that we gave a good fight against a strong squad like the UAE,” Bhutan captain Yeshey Choden said. We, on the other hand, are thrilled to have passed the 100-run milestone. Our support staff has done an excellent job of moulding us, and I am confident that we will continue to improve as a result of their efforts.”
Scores in brief:
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) defeated Bhutan (Bhutan) by 47 runs. Bhutan’s 20-over total was 102 for 9 after the UAE scored 149 for 2.
Khushi Sharma was named the game’s MVP.
A matchup between Kuwait and Nepal is scheduled.
Nepal thrashed Kuwait by nine wickets in their one-day international. Kuwait was bowled out for 27 runs in 15.4 overs by Rubina Chhetry and Sangita Rai, both off-spinners. Indu Barma (13 n.o.) and captain Chhetry both hit unbeaten 12s to help the team to a comfortable victory in just 3.3 overs.
Chhetry, with three wickets for three runs, was named Player of the Match, while Rai took three wickets for just two runs to take three wickets.
Only opener Priyada Murali scored in double figures for Kuwait. Sadly, she was only able to get 10 more. In fact, Kuwait had won the toss and elected to bat first, but they kept losing wickets at a rate of one every three balls. When Saraswati Kumari took opener Jeefa Jilani out for a duck, she started a trend. Five more people were duped after that.
According to Chhetry, her team “played this match rectifying our defects. We’ve proven our mettle as a unit. We set out to play well, and we’ve done just that.
The team’s strategy was also revealed by Chhetry. To move forward, we must first look back to see where we went wrong, then try to forget the past.” The best cricket will be played, but we will concentrate on our individual matches at a time.”
During her three-wicket haul for two runs, Sangita Rai said, “I am an off-spinner and idolise India’s Ravichandran Ashwin. Since elementary school, I’ve been playing cricket and am constantly working to improve my game. It was a pleasure to put on such a show today, and I hope to be able to do so again soon.”
Chhetry used to be a medium-pacer when she was playing. “I bowled medium pace for a long time before experimenting with off-spin. It was actually a batsman’s wicket but we both opted to bowl a tight line and length, which paid off,”
Despite the defeat, Kuwait captain Amna Tariq was confident that his team would learn from the experience and said: “I am proud of my team because they are trying their best to give their best.” Many will point the finger at us for this performance, but rest assured that with time and more practise, we will get better.
Scores in a nutshell:
By a margin of nine wickets, Nepal defeated Kuwait in cricket. Twenty-seven for one in 15.4 overs; 28 for one in 3.3 overs for Nepal.
Award for Most Valuable Player goes to: Rubina Chhetry
Malaysia and Hong Kong are at odds with one another.
As a result of winning the toss, Hong Kong has chosen to field their team. On a Malaysian score of 15, Kary Chan had skipper and opener Winifred Duraisingam caught by Maryam Bibi for six points. When Elsa Hunter came back for a third time, Bibi had beaten her for a duck. Twenty more runs were scored by the opening pair of Wan Julia and Mas Elysa before Julia fell victim to Iqra Sahar and was knocked out. After that, Elysa and Mahirah Ismail put on a stand of their own for the fourth wicket, scoring 53 runs together. As a result, Malaysia struggled to maintain a good scoring rate against Hong Kong.
Kary Chan bowled Elysa for 38 after she was caught and bowled. Bibi’s brilliant fielding allowed her to safely bring Ismail to ground zero with a score of 18. In the end, Malaysia’s 20 overs yielded only 101 runs.
The wickets of Hong Kong opener Shanzeen Shahzad and one-drop Natasha Miles by Malaysian skipper Duraisingam gave her team a great start. After removing Shahzad with a clean bowling for a duck, she then trapped Miles’ leg for another duck.
As a result, it was up to the dependable Mariko Hill to get the team out of a jam. Kary Chan, Hill’s skipper, joined forces with her to guide their team from a score of 0-2 down to 69 in 11.4 overs. Ainna Hashim bowled Hill for 36 at this point in the innings. Her 35-ball innings featured three boundaries.
When Nik Nur Atiela struck repeatedly, Hong Kong lost a further two wickets in quick succession. Hiu Ying Cheung, the wicketkeeper, contributed 11 runs before she was dismissed. In an unbeaten 38 off 40 balls, Chan guided her team to victory with 14 balls remaining.
When asked about her decision to stay at the wicket despite losing two quick wickets, Chan said, “We decided to stay at the wicket and put on a good partnership.” Chan was named Player of the Match for her unbeaten knock and two wickets. We (Hill and I) could make sure we kept moving in the direction of our goal.” When it came to the partnership, we knew exactly what to do to keep it going,” Chan said of Hills’ contributions. Because we’re on the same team, we’ve developed a strong working relationship.
Malaysian captain Duraisingam blamed his team’s batting woes for their loss. “Around 150 should have been posted by now. However, despite our modest numbers, I believe we fought to the bitter end. Due to a lack of runs on the board, we couldn’t keep them out of the game.
Scores in the following formats are provided in brief:
Hong Kong defeated Malaysia by four wickets in a one-day international cricket match. Hong Kong 102 for 6 in 17.4 overs; Malaysia 101 for 5 in 20.
Kary Chan was named the game’s MVP.
