September 8, 2023
Italy ( 74 for 8 ) lost to the Netherlands ( 75 for 1 ) by 9 wickets.
The 2024 Women’s T20 Finals are due to held in Bangladesh in September and October next year, but the qualifying competitions are under way.
Eight nations are exempt from qualifying for the 10-nation tournament, with Bangladesh, Australia, South Africa, England, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and West Indies already assured of their places. A global qualifier, which will feature 10 countries, is due to be held in February 2024 to determine the final two place. Sri Lanka and Ireland have already been seeded to participate in the qualifier, with regional competitions currently being played to determine the other 8 sides to get a chance to achieve a place in the finals.
Two sides will come from the Asian qualifier, with Thailand hoping to shown the progression they have made since their impressive debut in the 2020 competition, when rain prevented a win over Pakistan, and Covid denied them a place in the 2022 ODI finals when they looked in a good position to qualify. After the abandonment of the ODI qualifiers the ICC awarded the places according to ICC rankings, eliminating sides like Thailand who did not have ODI status and so did not have a ranking. If ever a decision showed ICC’s gutless self-interest, this was a prime example. Thailand have subsequently defeated Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Asian Cup Matches, and have qualified along with UAE.
The one place from East-Asia Pacific was taken by Vanuatu, who edged ahead of Papua New Guinea, Canada and the USA are fighting for the one slot from the Americas, whilst the two qualifiers from Africa will see a tight contest with Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Rwanda and Nigeria all fancying their chances.
A four-team tournament is currently being played to
determine the two qualifiers from Europe. Italy and France won a Division B
tournament to join Scotland and Netherlands in the Division A competition
currently being held in Almeria in Spain. All matches are being streamed live on ICC.TV.
The 4 sides play each other twice for a 6 game league, with Scotland and Netherlands strong favourites to take the two places, with the Dutch taking a giant stride to the finals with a 35 run victory over Scotland in game 2, having beaten France by 8 wickets in their opening fixture.
Italy had lost to Scotland by 9 wickets, but bounced back to convincingly beat France in their second game. Italy had subsided to 28 for 4 but a 96 partnership between Emilia Bartram and Sharon Withanage took Italy to 137 for 5, which was too much for the developing French side as Italian captain Kumudu Peddrick took 4 for 10 with her mixture of inswing, cutters and spin.
The star player in the Dutch side is opener Sterre Kalis, who scored 113 runs in 6 games ( Ave 18.83 ) for Northern Diamonds in Charlotte Edwards Cup, and averaged 32 at a strike rate of 145 in four games for the Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred competition. She missed the game against France due to commitments with the Northern Diamonds but scored a match winning 68 from 55 balls to set-up the victory over Scotland. Kalis will presumably need to return for the Northern Diamonds’ last three matches, but after hopefully having secured qualification for the Netherlands.
The other name to watch in the Dutch side is wicket-keeper Babette de Leede. A cousin of Bas de Leede, Babette took three stumpings and a smart catch against the Scots in a demonstration of her prowess behind the stumps.
The Dutch won the toss and elected to field, and both sides were unchanged from the last matches Scotland. Italy were also unchanged. The grass wicket looked in good condition and mountains were visible in the distance.
The tall Iris Zwilling opened the bowling with some gentle away swing with a bit of bounce, and the stocky Withanage, restored to opener after her runs against France, slashed a wide first ball down to third man for a single, and thrashed another wide delivery high over point for a boundary from the last ball of the over.
Robine Rijke opened from the other end, and made one bounce sharply over Rathnayake’s attempted cut-shot but otherwise concentrated on pitching the ball up. Rathnayake did swipe one over the bowler’s head for a single and the only run from a tidy over.
Zwilling swung the ball nicely to smack into the pads of Withanage but the umpire was unimpressed with the LBW appeal, and from the next ball Withanage attempted to cut a ball too close to her and Dekeling dropped the sharp chance in the gully. Withanage made the most of the reprieve by pulling the next ball to cow corner for another boundary to make it 12 for 0 off 3 overs.
Rathnayake attempted to slash the first ball of the fourth over high over point, but only succeeded in skying the ball to Landheer, who took a nice catch over her head. New batsman Mahamalage played a cross batted shot down the ground for her first boundary to ruin an otherwise tidy over from Rijke. 16 for 1 off 4 overs.
Mahamalage then played an ugly cross batted slog to a straight ball from Zwilling to be plumb LBW. Suddahazai got off the mark with a top edged sweep from a ball down the leg side but the ball landed safely away from short fine leg.
Another tidy over from Rijke was spoilt by a poor unnecessary throw when no run was attempted, and resulted in two overthrows as the score moved to 21 for 2 off 6.
Zwilling continued to bowl out her allotted 4 overs, and Withanage’s attempted pull-shot went high over the keeper’s head, but De Leede was able to turn and make the catch.
Nanayakkara played out the rest of the over as the score moved to 22 for 3 off 7, and Zwilling finished with 2 for 14 off 4 overs.
Off-spinner Eva Lynch came on for the first bowling change. With a high whirling action, the Italian batters were content to milk 5 singles from her over as they edged up to 27 for 3 off 8.
More spin was introduced as the burly Caroline de Lange replaced Zwilling, bowling flighted leg-spin with a jerky action and her head facing the ground in the delivery stride. Nanayakkara lost patience after four dot balls and hoicked to cow-corner where Kalis took the catch in front of her face.
The wicket brought the Oxford born left-handed Bartram to the crease, fresh from her 50 not out against France, and she pulled a long-hop to mid-wicket for a much needed boundary, and at the drinks interval after 10 overs, Italy had crawled to 34 for 4
Suddahazai charged down the wicket to a full toss and missed, but de Leede was unable to gather for the stumping. A long hop was then clubbed to the boundary to take the score to 40 for 4 from 11.
Lynch drifted one past Suddahazai’s defensive prod, and the over ended with a risky run to mid-off, and although the throw from Molkenboer was a direct hit, Bartram had just made her ground. Bartram should have gone in the next over, but a poor throw by De Leede after being called for a suicidal single prevented de Lange from gathering to break the wicket. But the pressure was still being exerted as Italy edged along to 44 for 4 of 13.
However, in the next over a well-flighted off-spinner from Lynch had Bartram in two minds and the ball clattered into the stumps for the 5th wicket.
Captain Peddrick played a strong forehand to smash a long hop down the ground for a rare boundary, and two more singles saw Italy limp to 51 for 5 off 14.
De Lange’s miserly spell continued and when Peddrick stepped across her wicket to try and hit to the leg side, she was trapped in front of the stumps for another easy LBW decision for the umpire. De Lange finished with 2 for 10 off her 4 overs with Italy 53 for 6 from 15 overs.
Molkenboer was introduced to bowl some phantom off-spin and saw a tough chance dropped at backward point by van Koolwijk, but a regulation catch in the deep was put down by Rijke at deep mid-wicket.
Landheer came on to bowl the 17th over and an inswinger from a bustling, slingy action cleaned up Malwatta first ball as Italy subsided to 58 for 7.
Lynch had two run-out attempts as two desperate singles to mid-on were attempted, but both shies missed the stumps with the batters out of their ground.
Rijke returned to bowl the last over with the score 69 for 7 and promptly bowled a wide, the first of the innings after a disciplined display from the Dutch bowlers. Kanankege took the long handle approach to hit a two over mid-off but another quick single, this time saw Lynch hit the target for the 8th wicket.
The Italian innings ended at 74 for 8 with Sonia Toffoletto taking a single off the last ball. 18 year old Regina Suddahazai remained unbeaten on 26 from 47 balls with Withanage the only other Italian to make double figures with 12.
Mahamalage opened the bowling for Italy and started with a slow swinging wide. After a short period of circumspection, Kalis launched at a wide ball and only just evaded two fielders running back from cover, and then smacked the last ball of the over straight to mid-off who dropped the rocket.
Bartram was the other opening bowler, running in quite a long way to bowl gentle away swing. Zwilling was also in no mood to defend and hit three consecutive twos as the Dutch moved to 14 for no loss off two overs. The Dutch openers were riding their luck as Zwilling hit one in the air between two fielders before Kalis smashed a full toss down the ground, and then took two from a mis-field.
Bartram decide to bowl around the wicket in an attempt to get the batters driving and Zwilling immediately edged past the diving second slip. After 4 overs the Dutch had cruised to 30 for no wicket as Peddrick, the Italian captain, decided to enter the attack. An inswinging off-break crashed through a surprised Zwillings defence and onto the stumps for the first wicket.
Peddrick then drifted one onto the pads of Kalis, but the ball was going down the leg side. The Dutch batters had something to think about as the score moved to 35 for 1 of 5 overs.
Bartram continued with her around the wicket approach and De Leede almost played on, but then swept the next ball nicely for four. Kalis then marvellously drove Peddrick through the covers for another boundary.
Suddahazai replaced Bartram with some leg spin bowled with a hop, skip and a jump and her first over conceded just 5 singles as the scoreboard moved to 54 for 1 off 8.
With victory in sight de Leede played an exquisite cover drive off Suddahazai, and after 10 completed overs, the Netherlands needed just two more to win.
Toffoletto was brought on to bowl some pretend left arm spin, and a single and a wide saw the Dutch to victory. Kalis was unbeaten on 28 whilst De Leede was 25 not out.
With three wins out of three, the Dutch are now virtually assured of their place in the global qualifier
Highlights : https://app.icc.tv/video/518190/netherlands-w-vs-italy-w-highlights
Link to scorecard : https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/icc-women-s-t20-world-cup-europe-region-qualifier-2023-1395020/italy-women-vs-netherlands-women-5th-match-1395030/full-scorecard
No comments:
Post a Comment