THAILAND’S TOUR OF AFRICA ENDS ON A HIGH NOTE

The Thailand Women’s cricket team have spent the past month on the African continent playing 50-over and T20 series in Zimbabwe and South Africa as part of an intense schedule of 15 matches in 33 days. Thailand saved their best until last as they bowled out a South African development team for 84 in the final match of the tour as leg-spinner Suleeporn Laomi took a hat-trick to put Thailand on the way to victory in the match and the series.

Thailand had already drawn the four-match 50-over series two-two against Zimbabwe and then overcame losing the first game to win the three-match series of T20 Internationals two-one before moving on to South Africa for the second leg of their tour.

Thailand began their time in South Africa by playing a five-match 50-over series against a South African Emerging Players team at the Senwes Stadium in Potchefstroom and the outstanding individual performance came from opener Nattakan Chantam who scored back to back centuries in the second and third matches to give Thailand a two-one advantage in the series.

Nattakan scored 113 from 142 balls with 14 fours as Thailand posted a total of 276 for 6 to win the second match by 68 runs and followed up by hitting 120 from 126 balls with 14 fours and a six as Thailand chased a target of 241 to win by five wickets. The fourth match proved decisive as it proved to be a close contest as Thailand did their best to overcome South African Emerging Players’ total of 254 for 8. Nattakan Chantam this time scored 42 and captain Naruemol Chaiwai hit 80 but Thailand eventually fell 23 runs short.

The decider was rather one-sided as Thailand were bowled out for 139 in just 32 overs and the South Africans eased to victory by five wickets with 17.4 overs to spare to win the series by three matches to two. Nattakan Chantam was the leading run-scorer in the series with 344 runs at an average of 68.80 and Nannapat Khoncaroenkai backed her up well at number three with 194 runs as Thailand are on the way to building a fine batting line-up. Nattaya Boochatham followed an outstanding T20 series in Zimbabwe by finishing as leading wicket-taker with 14.

Thailand’s tour would now end with a three match T20 series and it looked like the South African development team had taken the ascendancy as they won the opening match by scoring 151for 4 in their 20 overs and Thailand were dismissed for 91 in reply. Thailand had now lost three matches in a row but they recovered strongly to level the T20 series as they scored 139 for 5 in the second match with Nannapat top-scoring with 50 and they claimed victory by 30 runs as three spinners, Boochatham, Tippoch and Laomi, took two wickets apiece as the South Africans were limited to 109 for 8.

The South Africa Developing Players team won the toss and batted first in the final match and all seemed set fair as they took 16 runs from the second over but it was to be the only over of seam to be bowled in the innings and the Thailand spinners soon took complete control and were again backed up by some fine fielding with Chaninda Sutthiruang claiming a brilliant run out to dismiss the South African captain. Laomi claimed a hat-trick as she finished with figures of 4 for 12 and seven wickets in three matches and it was fitting that Nattakan Chantam saw her team home to a seven-wicket success with an unbeaten 36.

Thailand have continued to show their talents in 20-over cricket by winning both T20 series in Zimbabwe and South Africa but it may be the sequence of 50-over matches they have played against quality opposition that will put them in a good position as they look to qualify for their first 50-over World Cup as they take part in the qualifying tournament which will be held in Zimbabwe later in the year.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/thailand-women-in-south-africa-2021-1272887