Nepal skipper Puja Mahato’s scintillating all round show and UAE’s Lavanya Keny’s deadly four wicket spell lights up the fifth day of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier

Ajman. Nepal skipper Puja Mahato’s stupendous unbeaten knock of 130 off 69 balls with 17 boundaries and a deadly spell of five wickets for eight runs and UAE off spinner Lavanya Keny’s four wickets for four runs from her four overs lit up the final round matches of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2024 on the fifth day at the Seven District Sports Club in Ajman, UAE.

Mahato and Sony Pakhri, who hit an unbeaten 43 off 33 balls with two boundaries, posted an unbeaten 157 runs partnership for the third wicket and helped Nepal post 213 for 2 in 20 overs. Mahato then bowled a deadly spell of five wickets for eight runs to bowl out Kuwait for 48 runs in 13 overs and guide her team to a 165-runs victory. Mahato won the player of the match award for the third time in five matches.

In the second match, UAE recorded their fifth consecutive win in this tournament through Keny’s four wickets for four runs to bowl out Thailand for 55 runs in 19.4 overs. UAE raced to victory in 7.1 overs with Keny unbeaten on 27 and her skipper Samaira Dharnidharka’s unbeaten 19. Keny too bagged her third player of the match award from five matches.

Mahato’s scintillating century

Nepal won the toss and elected to bat. Kuwait skipper Zeefa Jilani picked an early wicket, having Sana Praveen caught behind by wicketkeeper Eshanvi Mohan Singh with the second ball of the second over. Praveen had top scored with 53 in her last match against Thailand. Opener Sabitri Dhami fell to the last ball of the powerplay clean bowled by Raelyn Maria D’Souza for 11. Skipper Puja Mahato went for her shots with good support from Sony Pakhri. Mahato reached her half century in 29 balls and Nepal reached the 100 run mark in 9.5 overs.

Nepal scored 12 runs off the 11th over from Ziniya Afroz. Although the 12th over from Jilani gave away only singles, Mahato hit a boundary off Ayesha Iqbal Pewekar in the 13th to move into the 70s. In the 15th over, Mahato struck two consecutive boundaries off Ziniya Afroz increasing her chances of reaching a century. By the 16th over, Mahato and Pakhri had recorded their 100 runs partnership, taking Nepal past the 150-run mark.

Mahato reached her century off 57 balls and celebrated by hitting four consecutive boundaries off Pewekar’s next four balls. Nepal raced past 200 runs on the first ball of the final over from Jilani, with Mahato adding two more boundaries to ensure a formidable total.

Mahato’s deadly five wicket spell

Kuwait faced an uphill battle chasing the huge target. Rachanna Kumari Chaudhary even bowled a maiden third over. Jilani scored two boundaries off Kusum Godar but Ayesha Iqbal Pewekar got bowled to Mahato in the fifth over for 4. One-drop Candice Dias lasted only four balls before being bowled to Chaudhary for a duck. Eshanvi Mohan Singh was then run out for 1.

Mahato bowled a deadly ninth over trapping Raelyn Maria D Souza leg before for a duck with the first ball, then clean bowled Ameesha Ram Olacheri with the next delivery. She also clean bowled Pearl Serena Simon with the fourth ball and Sarrah Jasvi with the fifth delivery for ducks to produce a maiden over. Mahato’s figures read 3-1-7-5 and she conceded just one run in her last over.

Seema KC hastened Kuwait’s defeat by clean-bowling Ziniya Afroz for the sixth duck of the innings. She also had Khadija Jahir Hussain caught by Jyotsnika Marasini for another duck. Jilani, who fought a lone battle to score 36 runs off 42 balls with seven boundaries, was the last wicket to fall to Chaudhary, ending Kuwait’s innings in 13 overs.

Keny’s four wickets wrecks Thailand

In the second match, Thailand won the toss and chose to bat. UAE off-spinner Lavanya Keny, who bowled the third over, delivered a maiden. In the fifth over, Keny struck twice: she trapped Nattharika Thokoi leg-before for 1 and, with the next ball, had Arrikan Phuengkho caught by Mehak Thakur for a duck.

Keny struck again in her tenth over, dismissing skipper Aphisara Suwanchonrathi, who had managed to score 20 runs, and then caught and bowled Chanoknan Phanao for a duck. In the 13th over, Keny combined with Thakur to run out Phatthanan Phinkaeo for 10, sending half of the Thailand side back to the pavilion for just 37 runs.

Thakur then took two wickets in the 17th over, dismissing Koranit Suwanchonrathi for 2 and Sunisa Bongkodphongampai for a duck. Thailand reached the 50-run mark but had already lost seven wickets. In the 19th over, Saithan Khanthachai was clean-bowled by Al Maseera Jahangir for 11 while Charukan Saema got run out for 3. Thailand was eventually bowled out in 19.4 overs when UAE skipper Samaira Dharnidharka clean-bowled Kesinee Kaewjumphol for a duck.

Chasing the target, UAE lost their consistent batter Rinitha Rajith to the last ball of the first over for 4 to Suwanchonrathi. Keny joined opener Dharnidharka and scored two boundaries off Koranit Suwanchonrathi in the fifth over. The pair guided their team to the target in just 7.1 overs with Dharnidharka scoring an unbeaten 19 off 20 balls with two boundaries and Keny remained unconquered on 27 off 21 balls with four boundaries.

Brief scores:

Nepal bt Kuwait by 165 runs. Nepal 213 for 2 in 20 overs (Puja Mahato 130n.o, Sony Pakhrin 43n.o) Kuwait 48 in 13 overs (Zeefa Jilani 36, Rachanna Kumari Chaudhary 2 for 10, Puja Mahato 5 for 8, Seema KC 2 for 1)
Player of the Match: Puja Mahato

UAE bt Thailand by 9 wkts. Thailand 55 in 19.4 overs (Aphisara Suwanchonrathi 20, Lavanya Keny 4 for 4, Mehak Thakur 2 for 4) UAE 56 for 1 in 7.1 overs (Samaira Dharnidharka 19n.o, Lavanya Keny 27n.o)
Player of the Match: Lavanya Keny