KOWLOON: Bismah Maroof’s fighting 66-run knock went in vain as Warriors Women edged Spirit Women by three runs in the low-scoring thriller in the ongoing FairBreak Invitational.
Set to chase a modest 119, the Spirit could only accumulate 115/8 in their set of 20 overs despite Bismah’s 66 not out.
The Spirit were off to a poor start to the run chase as the side lost two wickets for just 11 runs as both openers Sophia Dunkley (8) and Sarah Bryce (0) perished cheaply.
Coming out to bat at number four with her side in heaps of trouble, Bismah soaked the pressure and looked to stitch an anchoring partnership with Natthakan Chantham.
Chantham, however, could not hang for long and fell in the seventh over after managing to score 18 off 19.
Her dismissal sparked a match-defining collapse and the Spirit batting line-up crumbled.
Meanwhile, Bismah held her ground firm and kept the scoreboard ticking singlehandedly until the end of the innings but no support from the other end, resulted in her efforts going in vain.
Bismah remained the top scorer for the Spirit with an unbeaten 60-ball 66, laced with five boundaries and a six.
Besides Bismah and Chantham, no Spirit batter could enter the double figures.
Amanda-Jade Wellington led the bowling attack for the Warriors with 3/27, followed by Shamilia Connell’s 2/16 while Kathryn Bryce and Esha Oza could pick up a wicket.
Put into bat first, the Warriors also struggled with the bat and could only pile 118 runs before bundling out in the 18th over.
The Warriors also had a dismal start to their innings – losing the first wicket for just one run – but soon recovered, courtesy of a gritty second-wicket partnership between Mignon du Preez and Ellie Johnston.
The pair had settled things down as they took the Warriors to 58/1 in seven overs before Betty Chan found the breakthrough for the Spirit by dismissing du Preez, who scored 23-ball 27.
The Warriors then ran into a collapse following du Preez’s dismissal with their mainstay Johnston also falling victim and could not recover. They lost wickets at an alarming rate and soon bundled out for a meagre total.
Johnston remained the top-scorer for the Warriors with a brisk 24-ball 40, laced with two boundaries and three sixes.
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