Women’s T20 World Cup 2020: Day 10, Round-up

As the enthralling journey of Women’s T20 World Cup as the tournament dished out another two exciting matches for the audience. In the first match of the day, Sri Lanka Women thumped Bangladesh Women by nine wickets to finish their World Cup campaign on a positive note. Bangladesh Women, on the other hand, had to wrap up their journey with no wins as Salma Khatun and Co. finished their campaign at the bottom of Group A points table.

The decision of batting first after winning the toss backfired on the Tigresses as they could only amass 91 runs on the board in their stipulated 20 overs. Apart from Nigar Sultana– who amassed 39 runs in the middle-order– no other batter stitched a prolonged inning. Bangladesh Women were left in doldrums by Shashikala Siriwardene’s four-wicket haul. She was also assisted by Achini Kulasuriya, who scalped two wickets while conceding 19 runs.

Coming on to Sri Lanka Women’s run chase, it was a cakewalk for Chamari Atapattu and Co. as they hunted down the total in the 16th over itself at the loss of a single wicket. Hasini Perera and skipper Atapattu stitched a half-century partnership for the opening wicket to lay the foundation for their side’s triumph.

After the departure of Atapattu, Anushka Sanjeewani shuffled the scoreboard along with Perera to steer Sri Lanka Women to their first victory of the tournament. Bangladesh Women failed to mount any pressure whatsoever on the Sri Lanka batters and they had to bid adieu to the mega-event without clinching a single win.

Australia Women paved their way into semi-finals

The second encounter of the day was played between Australia Women and New Zealand Women. It was a must-win encounter for both the sides in order to book a semi-final berth. New Zealand Women won the toss and put the Aussies to bat first. And it was Beth Mooney who proved her worth by propelling her side to a steady start. After the departure of fellow opener Alyssa Healy in the third over, Mooney stuck to the crease and hit a gritty half-century (60 off 50 deliveries) to ensure that Australia post a competitive total on the board.

Skipper Meg Lanning (21), Ashleigh Gardner (20) and Ellyse Perry (21) also stitched vital cameos in the middle before Rachael Haynes hogged the limelight in the death overs and smashed 19 runs off just eight deliveries to guide her side to a total of 155 runs. Anna Peterson, who scalped two wickets in her spell, emerged as the best bowler of Kiwi bowling force.

New Zealand’s run-chase was bolstered by Sophie Devine’s class as the skipper seized the opportunity yet again and delivered a vital 31-run knock at the start. Maddy Green also amassed a vital 28-run knock to keep the scoreboard shuffling in the middle overs. However, the pressure kept mounting on the Kiwi batting force after Green’s departure as no batter ticked double figures to steer their side to the victory.

New Zealand Women succumbed to the pressure and lost three wickets in quick succession. Sophie Devine and Co. eventually crashed out of the mega-event after falling short of the target by 4 runs. Australia Women clinched the victory and booked their place in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2020.