Sri Lanka’s women’s cricket team, a favorite in the tournament, won a big game against Uganda, securing their spot in the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier. They won by a big margin of 67 runs at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, the Netherlands won a tough match against Zimbabwe by 14 runs at Tolerance Oval.
Vishmi Gunaratne, who opened the game for Sri Lanka, was the standout player and was named player of the match. Sri Lanka’s spinners also played a crucial role in their victory. In the other match, Netherlands performed well overall. Their captain, Babette de Leede, played exceptionally with the bat and was named player of the match. This win kept Netherlands’ hopes alive for reaching the semi-finals, but it dashed Zimbabwe’s chances.
In simple terms, Sri Lanka and Netherlands both won important matches in the tournament. Sri Lanka’s opener Vishmi Gunaratne and Netherlands’ captain Babette de Leede played exceptionally well in their respective matches, helping their teams to victory. Sri Lanka’s spinners also contributed significantly to their win. These victories have boosted the chances of both Sri Lanka and Netherlands to advance to the next stage of the tournament.
Zimbabwe vs Netherlands
Netherlands chose to bat first in the match. They lost Iris Zwilling early in the game when Pellagia Mujaji hit the stumps directly while Zwilling was trying to make it back to her crease. But Sterre Kalis and de Leede worked together to rebuild their innings carefully.
At the beginning, Netherlands scored slowly, reaching only 29 runs in the first six overs. Kalis then hit two fours in a row off Josephine Nkomo, showing her strong form.
In the 13th over, Sharne Mayers bowled out de Leede, breaking the partnership. Then, Francis Chipare dismissed Kalis two overs later.
In the final five overs, Netherlands added 42 more runs, with Robine Rijke scoring 39 runs from 25 balls without getting out.
In response, Zimbabwe’s Modester Mupachikwa played well at the start, but Netherlands took wickets regularly at the other end. By the end of the Powerplay, Zimbabwe had lost three wickets, with Frederique Overdijk, Silver Siegers, and Zwilling each taking one wicket.
After the Powerplay, Caroline de Lange took another wicket, sending Ashley Ndiraya back to the pavilion.
Nkomo and Mupachikwa tried to build a partnership for Zimbabwe, but Netherlands bowled very well, making it hard for them to score quickly.
Zimbabwe needed 52 runs in the last five overs, but they only managed to score 37, finishing the match with 121/4. Despite their effort, the partnership between Nkomo and Mupachikwa couldn’t save Zimbabwe.
With this win, Netherlands has won two out of three matches in the tournament so far.
Sri Lanka vs Uganda
Sri Lanka had a big win against Uganda in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier. Vishmi Gunaratne played amazingly, scoring her best ever in T20 Internationals. Sri Lanka batted first, with Chamari Athapaththu and Gunaratne starting strong. Athapaththu scored 24 runs before getting out. Gunaratne continued with Hasini Perera, who scored 30 runs. Gunaratne ended unbeaten with 73 runs, leading Sri Lanka to a strong 154/4 in 20 overs.
In the chase, Sri Lanka’s bowlers dominated Uganda, quickly taking wickets and limiting their score to 87 all out. Inoka Ranaweera and Shashini Gimhani took crucial wickets for Sri Lanka. Uganda’s Prosscovia Alako fought hard with 36 runs but didn’t get much support. Kavisha Dilhari wrapped up the innings with two wickets in the last over.
This win keeps Sri Lanka unbeaten in the tournament, with three wins out of three in Group A.
In other matches, Netherlands beat Zimbabwe by 14 runs, with Babette De Leede being the Player of the Match. Ireland secured a place in the Group B semi-final with a strong win over Vanuatu. Thailand also won convincingly against the United States of America, boosting their chances of reaching the Group A semi-finals.
Ireland and Thailand both won their matches by nine wickets, showing their dominance in their groups. Thailand, especially, recovered well after losing their first match to Sri Lanka. Now, they aim to beat Scotland in their last group match to secure a spot in the semi-finals alongside Sri Lanka.
Vanuatu vs Ireland
Vanuatu played against Ireland in cricket. Ireland chose to bowl first. Vanuatu was doing okay, having scored 58 runs for 1 wicket in 11.2 overs. Then, their best scorer, Valenta Langiatu, got out. After that, Vanuatu kept losing wickets. They only added 20 runs in the last six overs and ended up with 88 runs for 9 wickets. Eimear Richardson from Ireland bowled really well, taking three wickets for only eight runs. She was named the best player of the match. Ireland easily chased the target, winning by nine wickets.
In another match, Thailand played against USA. USA batted first but struggled. They lost wickets quickly and could only manage to score 54 runs all out. Thailand’s bowlers, especially Thipatcha Putthawong, did great, taking four wickets. Thailand chased down the target easily, winning by nine wickets.
Both Ireland and Thailand won their matches convincingly. Ireland has won three matches in a row, leading their group. Thailand, after losing their first match, has won two matches and is looking good in their group. They have to beat Scotland in the next match to advance to the semi-finals.
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