Mumbai: The much-hyped women’s exhibition T20 match had an exciting finish but failed to attract sizeable crowd on a sultry Tuesday afternoon despite the presence of the world’s top women cricketers.
Supernovas chased down a target of 130 in a last-ball finish. Needing 10 runs in last two overs, Ellyse Perry (13 n o) struck a boundary off Ekta Bisht (1/24) but Mona Meshram (four) was run out by Smriti Mandhana off the last bowl of the penultimate over.
Needing four off the last over, New Zealand international Suzie Bates conceded just a single in the first three deliveries bringing the equation down to run-a-ball. A composed Pooja Vastrakar (two n o) lofted to mid-wicket and completed a single to ensure a win for her side.
While a women’s IPL is a novel idea, the response at ground zero was a testimony that BCCI still has some way to go before the idea takes a final shape. The lukewarm response was largely due to timing of the match as Mumbaikars decided to conserve their energies for the 7pm cracker.
India’s ODI captain Mithali Raj decided against fielding, something that didn’t go unnoticed considering the likes of Perry, Megan Schutt, Sophie Devine showed utmost professionalism in adverse weather conditions.
Chasing a target of 130, veteran Mithali (22) and Dani Wyatt (24) conjured a 47-run stand for the opening wicket. The Supernovas, however, slumped to 71/3 after a strong start. But then skipper Harmapreet Kaur (21) and Sophie Divine (19) stitched a crucial 36-run stand that took the game away from the Trailblazers. Bates (2/16) and Poonam Yadav (2/21) bowled well for the losing side.
Earlier, Bates (32) and Jemimah Rodrigues (25) added 45 runs for the fifth wicket to ensure a decent total for the Mandhana-led Trailblazers. Schutt (2/18) and Perry (2/20) were the picks of the Supernovas bowlers.
Brief Scores: Trailblazers 129/6 (Suzie Bates 32, Jemimah Rodrigues 25; Megan Schutt 2/18, Ellyse Perry 2/20) lost to Supernovas 130/7 (Dani Wyatt 24, Mithali Raj 22; Suzie Bates 2/16, Poonam Yadav 2/21).
