In prime gear: Harmanpreet toyed with the Giants bowling, smashing 14 fours in her 65.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
It was a dot ball, alright. But Ashleigh Gardner was bowling not simply to Yastika Bhatia. She was bowling herself into the historical past of girls’s cricket, too.
A quiet starting it could have been for the Women’s Premier League on the D.Y. Patil Stadium in entrance of an enormous crowd on Saturday, however the storm was not far-off.
First, there have been some lusty, aerial hits from the West Indian Hayley Matthews. Then got here an array of pictures all alongside the bottom from Harmanpreet Kaur, all performed with the sort of placement and timing you wouldn’t typically get to see in this frenzied type of cricket.
The knocks from Matthews (47, 31b, 3×4, 4×6), captain Harmanpreet (65, 30b, 14×4), and Amelia Kerr (45 not out, 24b, 6×4, 1×6) ensured that the maiden innings of the WPL was one to recollect. But the match wasn’t.
Chasing Mumbai Indians’ 207 for 5, the Giants had been by no means in the image. Mumbai romped dwelling by 143 runs. Even extra worryingly for the Giants, their skipper and finest batter Beth Mooney received injured and went again to the dressing room after going through simply three balls.
MI should be happy with its effort with the ball. Significantly, For MI, Saika Ishaque, the uncapped left-arm spinner from Bengal, took 4 for 11.
Earlier, it was certainly a wonderful present by the MI batters, after the early lack of Yastika. Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt (23) added 54 for the second wicket earlier than the latter was despatched again by Australian leg-spinner Georgia Wareham. That dropped at the center Harmanpreet, who seemed decided to go away her mark on this particular evening. Her 89-run stand with Kerr was merely breathtaking.
The of completion was supplied by Issy Wong, who swung Sneh Rana over deep midwicket for a large six.
