Premature end to Cricket World Cup Qualifier even as Pakistan, Thailand register wins

Qualifier owing to travel restrictions that are in place in Zimbabwe owing to the new variant of COVID-19, Pakistan and Thailand registered wins in Harare on Saturday (November 27), while Sri Lanka – West Indies match was called off without a ball being bowled with a Sri Lanka support personnel testing positive for the virus.

Put into the bat at the Sunrise Sports Club in Harare, Pakistan started positively with Javeria Khan moving up to open the batting with Muneeba Ali. Khan was severe on Esther Mbofana as she hit the pacer for three boundaries in the fifth over. They were 53 without any loss at the end of the power play.

However, once Audrey Mazvishaya accounted for Ali in the 13^th over and Omaima Sohail fell cheaply, Pakistan suffered a mini collapse when illness forced Khan to retire mid innings and were reeling at 122 for five in the 37^th over.

Once again it was upto Aliya Riaz to resurrect the innings and she found an able partner in Khan as she returned to the crease at the fall of Sidra Nawaz. The pair added 37 runs for the sixth wicket before Khan fell to a mix up for 48.

Post Khan’s dismissal, Riaz continued her aggression as she hit Precious Marange for two consecutive sixes. A cameo from Fatima Sana – she scored an unbeaten 17 from 12 balls - at the other end took Pakistan to a competitive 195 for six from the fifty overs. Riaz remained not out on 48 off 58 balls. For Zimbabwe, five players took one wicket each.

In the chase, Zimbabwe failed to get off a good start with Anam Amin striking thrice in first 11 overs. Her scalps included the big wicket of Mary-Anne Musonda and Zimbabwe never recovered from 39 for four. Even though Ashley Ndiraya and Loreen Tshuma took them to 60, they lost last six wickets for 21 runs to be bundled out for 81 in the 27^th over.

For Pakistan, Amin and Sadia Iqbal took three wickets each, while Sana and Sohail bagged two wickets for their efforts.

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At the Old Hararians, USA were n0 match for Thailand after opting to bat and 34 for four inside the power play with Nattaya Boochatham running through the top order. Lisa Ramjit played a patient knock, scoring 26 from 64 balls and was the ninth wicket to fall as USA were bowled out for 93 in 42.5 overs. Apart from Ramjit, only Shebani Bhaskar and Tara Norris got to double figures.

For Thailand, Bhoochatham was the pick of the bowlers with four for 16 with Sornnarin Tippoch taking two wickets giving away only one run.

Chasing 94 for their third win of the tournament, Thailand started solidly although Tippoch and Nattakan Chantham took their time. After playing out five overs for 15 runs, Tippoch hit Sara Farooq for the first boundary of the innings and Chantham took on Norris in the next over with three fours.

The duo brought up fifty partnership in the 11^th over and Chantham continued the assault on the USA bowlers. She hit Akshatha Rao for two boundaries and was on her way to a fifty when she fell to Rao in the same over.

With Chantham making 48, Thailand win was just a formality and Bhoochatham finished it off with a single in the 17^th over. Tippoch remained unbeaten on 29.

Thailand ended the tournament with six points from four matches topping the Group B, while Bangladesh, Pakistan and West Indies progressed to the Cricket World Cup in New Zealand next year owing to their team rankings. Ireland and Sri Lanka will join them in the next cycle of ODI Championship.

Brief Scores:

Pakistan 195/6 in 50 overs (Aliya Riaz 48*, Javeria Khan 48; Audrey Mazvishaya 1/15) beat Zimbabwe 81/10 in 26.2 overs (Sharne Mayers 18; Sadia Iqbal 3/4, Anam Amin 3/9) by 114 runs

USA 93/10 in 42.5 overs (Lisa Ramjit 26; Nattaya Boochatham 4/16, Sornnarin Tippoch 2/1) lost to Thailand 94/1 in 17 overs (Nattakan Chantham 48, Sornnarin Tippoch 29*) by nine wickets