West Region scored 124/6 from 20 overs and went on to beat East Region by 33 runs in the opening game of the 2020 Cricket Ontario Women’s Regional Championship on Monday evening (August 24. 2020). East won the toss and invited West to bat first.
Hiba Shamshad picked up an early wicket trapping Suboor Khan lbw for 8 (10 balls) leaving West on 9/1 after 2.2 overs. New batter Habeeba Bader clipped 15 runs from 13 balls before being bowled by Rabbjyot Rajput’s first ball of the sixth over: West 29/2. West’s captain Terisha Lavia came in at four and played the innings that turned the game in favour her team. Opening bat Kainat Qazi fell lbw to Rabbjyot Rajput for 17 (21 balls) to end a promising third wicket stand of 30 runs with West on 59/3 after 9.1 overs.
Terisha Lavia went on to score 48* (6x4s) from 38 balls in West’s eventual 124/6 from 20 overs. Kadie Ramdath bowled Mahwish Khan for 8, then Achini Perera trapped Chuntell Martin for 3 and Ramdath bowled Amanjit Virk for a duck that left West on 99/6 after 15.2 overs. A useful unbroken seventh wicket stand saw Terisha Lavia add 25 runs with Saan Zafar (9*) to close East’s innings. West’s Kadie Ramdath took 2/21 from 3 overs while Rabbjyot Rajput ended with 2/19 from her 4 overs.
East’s innings started fairly slowly which may not be surprising in a year of little cricket until recent weeks. But credit should go to West’s opening bowlers. Mahwish Khan bowled 4 overs for just 12 runs while opening partner Kainat Qazi took 1/14 from 4 overs.
East captain Kamna Mirchandani was caught off the bowling of Ishmeet Sagoo for 8 at 19/1 at the start of the seventh over. East struggled along to 32/4 from 9.1 overs before opening bat Miriam Khokhar and Rabbjyot Rajput added 42 for the 5th wicket in a partnership ended when Rajput was caught for 11. The sixth wicket pair carried East to 91/5 by the time the 20 overs limit was reached. Miriam Khokhar closed on 54* (64 balls) with Sunita Dinakar was 5*.
After making the initial breakthrough, West’s Ishmeet Sagoo ended with 2 wickets for 23 runs from 4 overs. West’s opening bowlers Mahwish Kahn 0/12 from 4 overs and Kainat Qazi 1/14 from 4 overs bowled economically to help their team’s bid for victory.
This Cricket Ontario Women’s Regional Championship continues this week with further matches between East and West being played at two different locations.
Eddie Norfolk, Toronto,
August 25, 2020