Author: Web Desk

Dubai, February 19, 2023 (PPI-OT):Ireland captain Laura Delany promised there is more to come from her side as they end their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 campaign against India on Monday.

Delany’s side are winless from their first three matches, with narrow defeat against West Indies on Friday ensuring they could not qualify for the semi-finals.

It means their tournament will come to an end at St George’s Park in Gqeberha against an India side looking to bounce back from defeat to England.

“We know that we’ve performed well in certain aspects of the game throughout the last number of games, but there are certain areas that we definitely want to target now in this last game,” she said.

“What’s most exciting for us is that we haven’t played our best cricket yet and we want to put in a really good performance tomorrow and show everyone what we’re capable of.

“We’ve performed well in certain parts of the game. Our top order has performed with great intent, but then we’ve failed to kick on in the latter stages of the batting innings.

“We’ve bowled well at times; we just haven’t been consistent; we haven’t backed it up. One area that we really want to try and focus on is making sure that if we perform with the bat, we back that up in the same game with the ball.”

Youngsters such as Orla Prendergast, 20, and Gabby Lewis, 21, have impressed with the bat so far in South Africa, with Prendergast hitting 61 off 47 balls against West Indies as part of a 90-run partnership with Lewis.

It is the first World Cup for many of Ireland’s players, and Delany knows her side will be much better in the future for the experience of pitting themselves against the best in the world.

“At times throughout this tournament, nerves have definitely got the better of a few players, which is understandable,” she added.

“There are several players in this group that have never competed in a World Cup before and haven’t played against certain sides like England and tomorrow against India, there’ll be some girls that have never played against India.

“I’m really excited about where this team can go. I know the past few performances may not have shown that to everyone else but being involved and leading this team is such an honour and I know that we’re heading in the right direction irrespective of the results.

“There’s so much potential within this team and the squad at the moment. And if we keep putting our best foot forward, hopefully we’ll just keep tracking in the right direction.”

While Ireland will be looking to end on a high, India know a win will go a long way to ensuring their tournament continues into the semi-finals.

Despite England slipping to 29 for three at the start of their innings thanks to the superb bowling of Renuka Thakur, who took five for 15, India were unable to chase down 152.

The 11-run loss means a second-place finish in Group B is the most likely, but field coach Subhadeep Ghosh insisted there would be no panic or big changes.

“Yesterday’s match was a very good match,” said Subhadeep. “I think both the sides played well.

“I think 150 was chaseable, definitely, and we were in the game throughout the 20 overs. We were in the game till the 20th over. One or two sixes would have been a different story.

“We have to give credit to the English bowlers. They kept us under pressure, and they fielded well. They didn’t give us the boundaries.”

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, February 19, 2023 (PPI-OT):Sophie Devine spoke of her pride at New Zealand’s performance as they stayed in the Group 1 fight with a thumping win over Sri Lanka.

The White Ferns grasped an outside chance of sealing progress to the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup with a 102-run romp in Paarl.

Having picked themselves up off the canvas following defeats in their first two games, Devine lauded her side’s resilience to stay alive in South Africa.

“We just wish that was how we played in the first game!” said Devine.

“I was embarrassed after the first game but now I just feel extreme pride, to be able to bounce back in the way that we have.

“We’ve given ourselves a chance. Even if it’s a tiny, small chance, we’re still in with a shout and that’s why I’m really proud of this group

“The partnerships we built were outstanding and we always felt 160 was the target, we knew it was a tough wicket and that would be a competitive total. The bowlers were also outstanding.”

Amelia Kerr won the Player of the Match for a sublime 66 with the bat as New Zealand posted a towering 162 for three.

She then took two wickets for just seven runs with her leg spin as Sri Lanka were rolled for just 60.

Kerr said: “It’s nice to get a big win for the team. It was a tough start to the tournament so to get that win was awesome.

“I’ve been a bit light on runs myself so it was great to get that time in the middle and bat with Suzie, who is a class act.

“With the ball, it feels like it’s coming out really well. Our spin coach Craig Howard has done some great work with our young spin group and I’m loving bowling more than ever.”

It was a difficult day at the office for Chamari Athapaththu’s side, who saw their semi-final hopes go up in smoke.

Athapaththu felt a lack of big-stage experience hampered her team.

She said: “It was a tough day. As a bowling unit, we wanted earlier wickets and we felt 140 was a good score to chase.

“It’s not easy to chase anything more than that and as a batting unit, we had to stick to our plans and play our natural game. Early wickets stopped us doing that and that’s why we lost.

“The game plan didn’t come together. As a captain, the players need some experience. I have only a few senior players in the team, a lot of them are very young and haven’t played a lot of cricket.

“They don’t have enough experience for this kind of game. This game was very crucial for us. As a team we need to stick to our plans and not take too much pressure on our shoulders.

“We have played some good cricket in this tournament. We’ve learned a lot of things and we’ll try to carry those things forward and play good cricket in the future.”

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, February 19, 2023 (PPI-OT):West Indies kept their slender semi-final hopes alive with a nail-biting three-run win over Pakistan that went down to the last ball.

Bidding to build on their win over Ireland, Windies opted to bat and posted a below-par 116-6 at Boland Park in Paarl.

Skipper Hayley Matthews took key Pakistan wickets early and late in the innings to inspire her side to a dramatic victory.

Matthews and Rashada Williams flayed 15 from the bowling of Aiman Anwer in the fourth over but navigated the power play in cagey fashion.

Matthews perished late in the power play when she tried to lift Fatima Sana over the midwicket boundary but only found the hands of Sidra Ameen.

It was a massive wicket that sparked wild celebrations but not a flurry of scalps as Shemaine Campbelle joined Williams and the pair put on 40 at a run-a-ball.

The second-wicket stand came to a tame end when Williams offered a simple return catch to the outstanding Sadia Iqbal to depart for 30.

Chinelle Henry muscled two boundaries but was trapped in front by Nida Dar for 11 and Campbelle went in the next over, smartly stumped by Muneeba Ali.

Nida Dar bowled Aaliyah Alleyne in the penultimate over, her 125th T20I wicket, making her the joint-leading wicket-taker in the history of the format.

Pakistan began cautiously in reply to 116-6 and it was Windies game-changer Matthews who got the breakthrough, dismissing the dangerous Muneeba Ali for five in the fourth over.

Matthews was at the heart of the action again two balls later when she took a sharp catch at midwicket to account for Sidra Ameen, with Pakistan 15 for two.

The experienced pairing of Bismah and Nida then embarked on a measured partnership that rarely got out of first gear until the latter whipped Henry to the midwicket fence in the 13th.

Nida looked to go aerial again in the next over but was deceived in the flight by Afy Fletcher and caught at extra cover by Karishma Ramharack, with 57 runs still required.

Pakistan have been by some distance the best finishers at this tournament and Aliya Riaz began to free her arms.

But she lost the stabilising influence of Bismah who was given out LBW on review after mistiming a reverse sweep off the bowling of Matthews.

Aliya and Fatima needed 18 from the final over and they took 13 from Shamilia Connell’s first four balls with some brilliant hitting, before Aliya chopped on to her own stumps to dramatically end Pakistan’s hopes.

Scores in brief

West Indies beat Pakistan at Boland Park, Paarl by three runs

West Indies 116 for 6 in 20 overs (Rashada Williams 30, Shemaine Campbelle 22; Nida Dar 2/13, Fatima Sana 1/10)

Pakistan 113 for 5 in 20 overs (Aliya Riaz 29, Nida Dar 27; Hayley Matthews 2/14, Karishma Ramharack 1/18)

Player of the Match: Hayley Matthews (West Indies)

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Dubai, February 19, 2023 (PPI-OT):New Zealand crushed Sri Lanka by 102 runs in Paarl to ensure Group 1 at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will go down to the wire.

Suzie Bates and Amelia Kerr combined for a second wicket stand of 110, their nation’s third-highest ever at the tournament, to lift their side to an imposing 162 for three.

Sri Lanka were meek in reply, rolled for 60 to end their hopes of progression to the semi-finals, suffering the second-biggest defeat in T20 World Cup history in the process.

The White Ferns got the big net run rate swing they desired, meaning they climbed into second with South Africa facing Bangladesh on Tuesday in Group 1’s final game.

New Zealand preached positivity in the lead-up and Bernadine Bezuidenhout epitomised that approach, crushing a series of fours through the leg side when the bowling was too straight.

She raced to 32 from 20 balls but played one shot too many off Achini Kulasuriya, spooning a catch to Chamari Athapaththu at mid-off.

Bates and Kerr dropped anchor with the former picking up where she left off in the win over Bangladesh, piercing the field beautifully with the first two balls of the ninth over.

The pair didn’t score at an express pace but Kerr chose Athapaththu’s 13th over to accelerate, cover driving for four and then whipping through square leg to make it 93 for one.

Sri Lanka’s fielding was lacklustre – Bezuidenhout was given two early reprieves, Nilakshi de Silva shelling an easy chance to get Bates and a point blank run-out missed later on.

Kerr brought up her maiden T20I half-century off 40 balls and Bates her 24th in the closing stages.

The White Ferns rattled along to a fine total despite Bates being stumped for 56 and Kerr run out for 66 in the final over.

Sri Lanka coasted to 22 without loss in reply before capitulating.

Harshitha Samarawickrama holed out to deep midwicket off Eden Carson’s off-spin and then Bates took a stunner running back from mid-on to dismiss 17-year-old Vishmi Gunaratne for a duck.

Nilakshi de Silva swiped at a Yorker and was clean bowled for a duck to leave Sri Lanka floundering on 24 for three.

Athapaththu briefly remained among the rubble but the hammer blow came when the captain was trapped in front by Amelia Kerr, given not out on field, a decision overturned on review.

The collapse continued when Anushka Sanjeewani chopped onto her stumps off Lea Tahuhu and the quick got another in her next over when Kavisha Dilhari patted to extra cover.

18-year-old Fran Jonas struck in her first over, bowling Oshadi Ranasinghe for three, and Sugandika Kumari was skilfully run out by Bezuidenhout at 48 for eight.

After a brief resistance from Malsha Shehani and Inoka Ranaweera, the former was bowled by the outstanding Amelia Kerr and Achini Kulasuriya not batting due to injury.

Scores in brief

New Zealand beat Sri Lanka at Boland Park, Paarl by 102 runs

New Zealand 162/3 from 20 overs (Amelia Kerr 66, Suzie Bates 56; Inoka Ranaweera 1/27, Achini Kulasuriya 1/14)

Sri Lanka 60 all out from 15.5 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 19, Malsha Shehani 10; Amelia Kerr 2/7, Lea Tahuhu 2/12)

Player of the Match: Amelia Kerr (New Zealand)

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com