THAILAND QUALIFY FOR THE GLOBAL QUALIFIER OF THE ICC WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP

The Super Thress stage of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier started today in Bangkok and hosts Thailand have reached the Global Qualifier by beating UAE by 54 runs at TCG with a convincing victory.

Conditions were the best they have been since the start of the tournament with blue skies and sunshine so Thailand had no hesitation in electing to bat first on winning the toss.

UAE captain Esha Oza chose Suraksha Kotte to bowl the first over with her off-spin and she conceded just one run. After Heena Hotchandani was the first of the slow left-arm bowlers to be introduced Kotte took the first wicket as Sunida Chaturongrattana was bowled for 3 from 11 balls.

Nannapat Khoncharoenkai hit the first boundary to give impetus to the innings as Thailand were 24 for 1 from 5 overs Nattaya Boochatham then hit left- armer Michelle Botha for four as Thailand reached 32 in the powerplay.

Kotte completed a fine spell with figures of 1 for 13 from 4 overs and Katie Thompson was the third left-arm slow bowler to be used and conceded just three from her first over. There still had been only two boundaries as Vaishnave Mahesh allowed five singles and Thailand would have to accelerate after making 46 for 1 in 10 overs.

A change of pace as Silva was on after drinks and nine runs were scored as the 50 came up in the 11th over and Khoncharoenkai was breaking free as she hit Thompson over cover for four and brings up the fifty partnership with Boochatham.

Esha Oza brought herself on and Boochatham was struggling to change gear with the bat as just four runs come off the 13th over but finally she hit Thompson through the off-side for four but Khoncharoenkai was caught at mid-wicket for 39 from 36 balls with 3 fours.

The partnership was 67 and Thompson finished with figures of 1 for 23 as she claimed her seventh wicket of the competition. Natthakan Chantham was away with a boundary with Thailand were well-placed on 86 for 2 after 15 overs and looking for another 50 runs in the last five.

10 runs came off the 16th over with Chantham quickly finding her feet and she was dropped on the cover boundary after another powerful shot but Boochatham hit over mid-off for four as UAE were now under pressure after two comfortable wins earlier in the competition. Chantham made no mistake with a sweep for four as Botha conceded 14 as the 100 was up in the 17th over.

Boochatham was into the 40s as she was playing the anchor role to allow Chantham to hit out. UAE dropped another catch as Thailand were 117 for 2 in 18 overs. Oza was bowling the 19th over and Boochatham reverse swept her for four to move to 49 but she was stumped after hitting four boundaries from 48 balls.

A second wicket fell in the over as Chanida Sutthiruang played over a yorker as Thailand were 124 for 4 with one over to go as Oza claimed 2 for 20. Thailand captain Naruemol Chaiwai was out for 1 and Chantham hit the first sixes of the innings as she cleared mid-wicket twice and followed with a four off the last ball of the innings.

Chantham scored 46 from 20 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes as she made the most of several dropped catches, as Thailand scored 20 from the last over to reach 144 for 5 from their 20 overs. Esha Oza and Theerta Satish shared a stand of 192 the last time they batted but it would be a good chase against the Thailand bowling and fielding.

Five runs came of the first over bowled by medium pacer Chanida Sutthiruang and Satish hit the first boundary of the innings off left-arm spinner Thipatcha Putthawong but was out next ball to a brilliant diving catch at cover from Chantham. Another tidy over from Sutthiruang and UAE were 12 for 1 from 3 overs.

Two boundaries to Oza off Putthawong at the end of the fourth over as UAE were 23 for 1 but brilliance in the field from Thailand in the next over as Phannita Maya’s diving stop limits Lavanya Keny to one run then Boochatham took a good catch at mid-wicket to dismiss the main danger women Esha Oza for 11 from 12 balls. UAE were 25 for 2 from 5 overs with their two main batters both back in the tent.

Worse was to follow for UAE as Onnicha Kamchomphu bowled the last over of the powerplay and an attempted single ended in a run out for Botha as Chantham threw to the keeper and no runs were scored off the over as UAE were 25 for 3 after 6 overs.

Maya bowled the seventh over and Keny hit a boundary as nine runs were scored off the over and Hotchandani hit a four in the next over as UAE reached 39 from 8 overs.

Sunida Chaturongrattana was on to bowl her off spin and she struck straight away as Keny was stumped for 14 from 20 balls as UAE lost their fourth wicket. Hotchandani hit a four through mid-off as UAE for 46 for 4 after 10 overs. Both teams scored 46 in the first half of their innings but Thailand preserved their wickets and were able to score 98 in the second half of their innings.

Leg-spinner Suleeporn Laomi was brought on but Hotchandani hit a four to the cover boundary and Suwanan Khiato suffered a nasty injury as she landed awkwardly and she was being attended to by the ambulance staff.

With this stage of the tournament being a Super Three UAE’s hopes of qualifying were not dependent on today’s result as they would still go through to the global qualifier if they beat Nepal tomorrow regardless of today’s result but their lower-order players would benefit from this opportunity to bat and score as many runs as possible.

With victory today Thailand would again reach the global qualifier as only the winner of tomorrow’s match can better or equal Thailand’s likely eight points. With five overs to go UAE were 64 for 4 and even with Hotchandani batting well needed an unlikely 81 runs from five overs.