Scotland, UAE grab last two Qualifier semi-final spots; Sri Lanka, Ireland finish unbeaten
The final two semi-final spots were up for grabs going into the last day of the group stages of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2024.
The race for the semi-final spots heated up heading into the final day of the group stages of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Global Qualifier.
A disciplined bowling effort followed by a captain’s knock from Kathryn Bryce got Scotland past Thailand and into the semi-final after what was a virtual quarter-final for both teams.
UAE who kept their semi-final hopes alive with a big win over Vanuatu and unfortunately for the Netherlands, their journey ended in disappointment as they narrowly missed out on a semi-final spot to the UAE, edged out on net run rate following a tough loss to Ireland.
Sri Lanka, like Ireland, finished their group stages on a high and unbeaten, defeating USA by 20 runs to build momentum going into the business end of the tournament.
Thailand v Scotland | Match Highlights | Women’s T20WC Qualifier 2024
Choosing to put scoreboard pressure on the opposition in a must-win encounter for both teams, Thailand made a confident start, with Nattaya Boochatham hitting two boundaries off Rachel Slater in the second over.
Slater once again went for runs in the penultimate over of the Powerplay, this time being hit for three boundaries, but still came away with the priced scalp of Boochatham (13).
Thailand lost their openers on either side of the end of Powerplay with Abtaha Maqsood removing Nannapat Koncharoenkai in her first over.
The Scotland bowlers were tight with their lines and lengths, and kept a leash on the scoring. The Thailand batters had no answer to the swing and pace of Hannah Rainey, who struck twice in two overs to further hamper Thailand's progress.
Thailand ended up scoring only one more boundary after the Powerplay as Scotland proved miserly with their bowling, restricting Thailand to just 99/5 in their 20 overs.
Defending a relatively low target, Thailand sought early breakthroughs and Chanida Sutthiruang delivered precisely that by dismissing both the openers within the Powerplay to put the pressure back on Scotland.
Scotland only managed two boundaries in the first six overs and finished on 23/2 with the required run-rate climbing close to run-a-ball.
At a critical juncture, the Bryce sisters stepped up, forging a crucial 46-run partnership in just 40 deliveries. Sarah Bryce initiated the counterattack against Thailand immediately after the Powerplay with a boundary and Bryce followed suit by hitting consecutive fours in the subsequent over, alleviating some of the mounting pressure on the team.
The partnership continued to flourish with boundaries flowing steadily until Onnicha Kamchomphu halted the opposition, claiming the wickets of Sarah Bryce and Ailsa Lister in quick succession. However, skipper Kathryn was relentless at the other end, and soon brought up her fifty with a four off just 43 balls, helping Scotland close in on victory.
Fittingly, it was Bryce who hit the winning runs as Scotland punched their tickets for the semi-final with six wickets and 13 balls to spare.
UAE v Vanuatu | Match Highlights | Women’s T20WC Qualifier 2024
UAE needed a win to stay alive in the semi-final race and captain Esha Oza led by example after being put in to bat first.
Oza began the innings emphatically, hitting two boundaries in the opening over. She continued to find the fence regularly, racing to 29 runs off just 20 balls within the Powerplay. However, her innings was cut short by Rachel Andrew, who also dismissed Khushi Sharma in the same over.
Theertha Satish and Kavisha Egodage sought to rebuild, putting together a 31-run partnership but Vanessa Vira then struck to remove the latter, courtesy of a stunning one-hand catch from Andrew.
Vanuatu staged a strong comeback in the latter half of the innings, claiming wickets frequently. Nasimana Navaika played a pivotal role, taking three wickets in her final two overs to revive Vanuatu's chances in the game.
Theertha top-scored for UAE with 44 as they set a target of 134 for Vanuatu.
In response, Vanuatu were rocked early by a brilliant spell by Samaira Dharnidharka, who claimed four early wickets to put UAE on top. Khushi added to the pressure with a wicket of her own, leaving Vanuatu reeling at 16 runs for the loss of five wickets within just 7 overs.
With boundaries becoming scarce, UAE continued to chip away at the wickets, with Heena Hotchandani and captain Oza getting in on the act.
Struggling at 37/8, Vanuatu's Gillian Chilia and Vanessa Vira staged a resilient partnership, remaining unbeaten and adding 26 runs to the total without losing further wickets, as they closed their innings at 63/8 after 20 overs.
UAE's comprehensive 70-run victory significantly boosted their net run rate from 0 to +0.976, and levelled them on points with the Netherlands.
The Dutch team holds a net run rate of +1.117 and must either win their upcoming match against Ireland or maintain their net run rate above UAE's to secure a spot in the semi-finals.
Netherlands v Ireland | Match Highlights | Women’s T20WC Qualifier 2024
Heading into their final group stage match, Ireland had already secured a spot in the semi-finals but remained determined to maintain their winning streak. However, their openers Amy Hunter and Gaby Lewis failed to make an impression in the last group stage game, falling in consecutive overs to Iris Zwilling inside the Powerplay.
Struggling at 14/2, Ireland found themselves in a precarious position until Orla Prendergast and captain Laura Delany stepped up to stabilise the innings with a resilient 38-run partnership. Prendergast kickstarted the recovery with two boundaries in the 4th over, while Delany joined the fray in the final Powerplay over, unleashing a six and a four off Silver Siegers
Caroline de Lange broke the partnership as soon as she came on to bowl and one brought two with Leah Paul falling in the very next over.
That was the last bit of respite for Netherlands as Delany came together with Eimear Richardson to take the game to the Dutch with an 89-run partnership off just 63 balls.
While Richardson provided steady support with a composed 32-ball 34, it was Delany who dominated the proceedings, taking the attack to the Dutch with a flurry of boundaries.
Delany reached her fifty off 39 deliveries in the penultimate over, capping off her stellar innings with a hat-trick of boundaries off the final three balls to propel Ireland to a commanding total of 143/4.
Netherlands needed to either win or avoid a heavy defeat to qualify for the semi-finals. However, their hopes took a severe blow as they stumbled right from the start, losing three wickets within the Powerplay.
Iris Zwilling broke the shackles after a quiet first three overs with consecutive boundaries off Prendergast but was dismissed off the very next ball.
Prendergast inflicted further damage with back-to-back wickets in the last over of the fielding restrictions to further dent the Dutch.
Babette de Leede and Heather Siegers led the Netherlands’ fightback with a 31-run partnership before Arlene Kelly struck in her very first over to get rid of the opposition skipper. The collapse began after the wicket as Delany brought herself on and scalped three more in her next two overs.
With the lower order unable to withstand the mounting pressure, Netherlands suffered a collapse, ultimately bowing out for a mere 90 runs. Their defeat, by a margin of 54 runs, dealt a severe blow to their net run rate, plummeting from a promising +1.117 before the match to +0.111, falling below UAE’s +0.976 as the Netherlands crashed out of the tournament on NRR.
USA v Sri Lanka | Match Highlights | Women’s T20WC Qualifier 2024
USA couldn’t have asked for a better start to their innings after being asked to bowl first as they got rid of the dangerous Chamari Athapaththu in the very first over.
After the early setback, Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama were forced to mix caution with aggression, accumulating regular boundaries in their 49-run partnership.
However, their hopes of a substantial total were dashed as they both fell to consecutive deliveries, putting Sri Lanka under pressure once again.
Hansima Karunaratne and Nilakshika Silva then took charge of the rebuilding phase for Sri Lanka, starting with two boundaries off the first over bowled by Sai Tanmayi Eyyunni. Their partnership flourished with a 43-run stand before a mix-up between them resulted in Nilakshika's run-out.
Nevertheless, Hansima held her ground till the end, ensuring Sri Lanka reached a respectable total of 123/4.
In reply, USA struggled to get going as Sri Lanka stifled the run-scoring effectively with both spin and pace in the Powerplay. Athapaththu broke the opening partnership early as USA only managed to get to 22/1 in the first six over.
The second-wicket partnership between Disha Dhingra and Sindhu Sriharsha injected hope into USA's innings with a crucial 52-run stand. However, their momentum was disrupted when Inoka Ranaweera and Athapaththu struck in consecutive overs, removing both well-set batters.
A run-out accounted for the dismissal of Aditiba Chudasama, and as boundaries became scarce, the required run rate gradually spiralled out of USA's reach. Despite retaining wickets in hand, USA struggled to accelerate in the death overs, ultimately falling short by 18 runs as Sri Lanka maintained their unbeaten record in the group stages.