Inauspicious start to WPL for Matthews
WEST INDIES Women’s captain Hayley Matthews had a forgettable start to the Women’s Premier League (WPL) Twenty20 tournament in India yesterday but Mumbai Indians (MI) defied the odds to clinch a thrilling four-wicket win against Delhi Capitals off the last ball.
The 25-year-old Barbadian all-rounder conceded 21 and failed to take a wicket in two overs with her off-spin, and Capitals, led by 75 from England international Alice Capsey, reached 171 for five after they were put in to bat in the first match of this year’s tournament at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Matthews, the 2023 women’s World T20 Player-of-the-Year, then suffered the indignity of being dismissed for a second ball duck, but half-centuries from the India pair of Yastika Bhatia and her captain Harmanpreet Kaur saved the day for MI and they completed a successful run chase.
Bhatia hit eight fours and two sixes in the top score of 57 from 45 balls, and Kaur, the India Women’s national captain, slammed seven fours and one sixes in 55 off 34 balls.
South Africa all-rounder Marizanne Kapp got Matthews caught behind off the second ball of the chase, but MI finished the Power Play on 50 for one thanks to Bhatia and England international Nat Sciver-Brunt.
The wicket of Sciver-Brunt – bowled by Arundhati Reddy – off the first ball of the next over brought Kaur to the crease and she anchored important stands of 56 for the third wicket with Bhatia and 44 for the fourth wicket with Amelia Kerr that appeared to put MI on course for victory.
The chase ran into trouble in the closing stages when Kerr fell in the 18th over with 22 required, and Pooja Vastrakar and Kaur were dismissed off the first and fifth balls of the final over before Sajeevan Sanjana hit Capsey for a six off the last ball of the match to seal the win.
Earlier, Capitals limped to 26 for one at the close of the Power Play, but Capsey was at the heart of half-century stands with former Australia captain Meg Lanning and India international Jemimah Rodrigues that got them on the right track.
Capsey struck eight fours and three sixes in the top score of 75 off 53 balls, Rodrigues supported with 42, and Lanning made 31.