ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2024 Day 1 Round-Up: Sri Lanka and Ireland off to a strong start
Day one of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2024 saw Ireland and Sri Lanka making a strong start. Eimear Richardson led Ireland to victory against UAE with an all-round performance, while Sri Lanka’s bowlers dominated the field, bowling Thailand out for 55 at the Tolerance Oval.
Match Summary: UAE 105/9 (20 overs) vs Ireland 106/4 (16.1 overs)
Toss: Ireland chose to bowl first
Scorecard
The match began with Esha Oza giving UAE a flying start with an aggressive onslaught on Alana Dalzell. However, Dalzell had the last laugh, dismissing Oza off the final ball of the over. Theertha Satish and Khushi Sharma then built a solid partnership for UAE, but Ireland made a spirited comeback, causing the UAE innings to unravel quickly.
From a comfortable 64/1, UAE slipped to a precarious 77/7 in just five overs. Arlene Kelly, Cara Murray, and Richardson shared the spoils. The talented Kavisha Egodage’s run-out further added to UAE’s woes.
The lower order couldn’t put up much of a fight, and UAE finished on 105/9 in 20 overs. Kelly and Richardson were the pick of Ireland’s bowlers, sharing two wickets apiece.
In response, Ireland’s Amy Hunter and Gaby Lewis got off to a flying start. The duo scored 52 in the Powerplay before Lewis fell off the final ball of the sixth over. Oza struck in successive overs, taking the wickets of Laura Delany and Rebecca Stokell, causing Ireland to stumble to 68/4.
However, Orla Prendergast and Richardson steadied the innings, remaining unbeaten and reaching the target with more than three overs to spare, giving Ireland a winning start to their campaign.
Ireland’s all-round excellence helped them secure a six-wicket win over tournament hosts UAE. Watch the tournament live and FREE on https://t.co/jp7Bv15DXS in selected territories, and on Fancode in India and the subcontinent. #IREvUAE : https://t.co/zqOEqd6jIe pic.twitter.com/Tuz3DOCxk0
Match Summary: Sri Lanka 122/5 (20 overs) vs Thailand 55 (16.2 overs)
Toss: Sri Lanka chose to bat first
Scorecard
Thailand’s disciplined bowling restricted tournament favourites Sri Lanka to 122/5 in 20 overs at the Tolerance Oval in Abu Dhabi. Sri Lanka got off to a slow start, with Chamari Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne taking their time to settle in.
Chanida Sutthiruang dismissed Gunaratne for 13 in the Powerplay, but the big blow came when skipper Athapaththu was run out by a brilliant fielding effort. Hasini Perera anchored the innings, but Thailand managed to find breakthroughs, keeping the scoring rate under control.
Eventually, Perera was trapped in front by Sunida Chaturongrattana for 29, and Sri Lanka slipped to a precarious 78/5 with just over five overs remaining in the innings.
Nilakshi de Silva and Anushka Sanjeewani then formed a crucial partnership that drove Sri Lanka out of trouble. De Silva finished on an unbeaten 20-ball 29 while Anushka made 13 off 15, helping Sri Lanka finish on 122/5.
In response, Udeshika Prabodhani and Inoshi Priyadharshani led Sri Lanka’s bowling effort, with only one Thai batter making double digits. Thailand started decently with 29 runs in the Powerplay for the loss of one wicket, but wickets tumbled soon after as Sri Lanka displayed their bowling prowess.
Sri Lanka are off to a winning start in the ICC Women’s #T20WorldCup Qualifier 2024. Watch the tournament live and FREE on https://t.co/CPDKNxoJ9v in selected territories, and on Fancode in India and the subcontinent. #SLvTHA : https://t.co/xzoGyCn3yG pic.twitter.com/rhcVBy128t
Prabhodhani, Kavisha Dilhari, and Achini Kulasuriya helped Sri Lanka reduce Thailand to 40/5. Things went downhill for Thailand as three wickets fell in the 14th over bowled by Priyadharshani. They slipped to 45/8 and were eventually bowled out for 55 with Athapaththu wrapping up the innings with the final wicket.
Priyadharshani was the star bowler with 3 for 14 in her four overs, while Prabodhani took 2 for 10 in her three overs.