Women’s T20 World Cup 2020: Day 6, Round-up

As the enthralling journey of Women’s T20 World Cup continued with two enthralling matches, India Women grabbed the eyeballs in the first encounter of the day by becoming the first team to qualify for the semi-final. Carrying on her sublime form at the top, Shafali Verma smashed a quick-fire 46-run knock to lay the foundation for India’s total.

Smriti Mandhana, who had missed the previous match due to viral fever, failed to leave her mark as she was bowled by Tahuhu in the third over of the match. However, Shafali ensured that the scoreboard keeps ticking as she was assisted by the cameos of Taniya Bhatia (23) and Jemimah Rodrigues (10).

Post the departure of Shafali Verma in the 14th over, the Women in Blue amassed 133 runs on the board at the loss of eight wickets. New Zealand’s Rosemary Mair and Amelia Kerr scalped two wickets each and kept India’s run-scoring flow in control.

Coming on to the run-chase, New Zealand Women’s wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals until Maddy Green (24) and Katey Martin (25) stuck to the crease and stitched a crucial 43-run knock. After the duo’s departure, it was Amelia Kerr who rose to the occasion and grabbed eyeballs with her explosive 34-run knock off just 19 deliveries.

However, Kerr’s efforts went down the drain as the Kiwi Women could post only 129 runs on the scoreboard in their stipulated 20 overs. India Women clinched the victory by 4 runs and booked the semi-final berth in their T20 World Cup heist.

Australia Women registered a thumping victory against Bangladesh

The second match of the day was played between Australia Women and Bangladesh Women. After winning the toss and electing to bat first, the Aussie Women posted a staggering total of 189 runs on the scoreboard. The opening duo of Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney propelled their side to a flying start as they stitched a 151-run partnership. Healy gathered 83 runs off 53 deliveries while Mooney scored 81 off 58. Both the batswoman ensured that they put the Bangladesh Women’s bowling force under pressure from the word go.

After Healy’s departure in the 17th over, it was Ashleigh Gardner’s quick-fire cameo of 22 runs which guided Australia to cross the 180-run mark. A hapless Bangladesh bowling attack was smoked all over the field by the Australian top-order trio. Skipper Salma Khatun was the only one who scalped a wicket for Bangladesh Women,

Coming on to Bangladesh’s run-chase, Salma Khatun and Co. were put under pressure in the PowerPlay itself as they lost their three wickets in the first six overs. Schutt and Sutherland wreaked havoc on Bangladesh’s top-order as they were left reeling at a score of 26/3 in the sixth over. Nigar Sultana and Fargana Hoque steadied Bangladesh’s ship by sticking to the crease for a considerable amount of time.

However, Australia plunged more misery on the Bangladesh batting force by scalping wickets at regular intervals. In their stipulated 20 overs, Bangladesh Women could amass only 103 runs on the board as Australia Women registered a comprehensive 86-run victory and grabbed two crucial points. The Aussies moved up to the third position in the points table by registering a victory in this match.