Wonder Women - Ten T20I records women own

However, this week, Women’s CricZone brings to you 10 T20I records that the women hold over the men.

1. First-ever T20I:

New Zealand celebrate a wicket in the first ever T20I. © Getty Images

In August 2004, New Zealand and England became the first international teams to play a T20I match when they clashed at the County Ground in Hove. New Zealand rode on Rebecca Rolls’ 32-ball 39 to post a competitive total of 131 for 8. Buoyed by Claire Taylor’s (43) 43-run second-wicket stand with Charlotte Edwards (34), England were on course for victory, but Aimee Watkins’ three-wicket haul derailed the chase to hand New Zealand a thrilling five-run win.

It was only in February 2005 that the men played their first T20I – bit of a ‘hit and giggle’ affair between Australia and New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland. Ricky Ponting slammed an unbeaten 98 before Michael Kasprowicz’s four-fer gave Australia a 44-run win.

 

2. Largest margin of victory (by runs):

Uganda in the field against Mali. © Uganda Cricket Association

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the largest margin of victory recorded by both men and women involves a couple of associate teams. However, for any team – regardless of gender - recording a 304-run win in a limited overs match, let alone a T20I is hard to believe. On 20 June 2019, the Uganda women’s team steamrolled a hapless Mali by exactly that margin, first piling up a mammoth 314 for 2 – an innings that included two centuries – before cleaning up the opposition for just 10 runs – the second lowest total in T20Is.

ALSO READ: Ladies first - Ten ODI records women hold over men

A little over a month later on August 30, Sudesh Wickramasekara’s incredible 36-ball 104 headlined Czech Republic’s total of 278 for 4. They went on to crush Turkey by 257 runs, rolling them out for a meagre 21 – an innings that included eight ducks (more than Mali)!

 

3. First to 300:

Prosscovia Alako (L) and Rita Musamali  scored centuries. © Rwanda Cricket

Uganda’s total against Mali was the first instance of the 300-run mark being crossed in a T20I. Opener Prosscovia Alako and skipper Rita Musamali shared a 227-run stand for the second wicket to lay the foundation to their 314 for 2. The pair registered their respective centuries – 116 and 103 not out – before the bowlers wrapped up an easy win.

The men are still to reach the mark.

 

4. Highest innings total:

© Uganda Cricket Association

In February 2019, when Afghanistan’s Hazratullah Zazai blasted a scarcely believable 62-ball 162 not out – a knock that included 11 fours and 16 sixes – leading his team to a total of 278 for 3 against Ireland, few believed the total would be bettered any time soon.

ALSO READ: With heart and patience Mali keep moving forward

However, four months later, Uganda smashed the men’s record, posting a mammoth 314 for 2 against Mali. A couple of days later, on June 22, 2019, Tanzania came close to their effort, amassing 285 for one against the same opposition, Mali.

 

5. Most consecutive wins:

Thailand won 17 matches on the trot between July 2018 and August 2019. © ICC

Only recently, Thailand’s women’s team broke Australia’s record of 16 consecutive T20I wins when they defeated Netherlands in August last year. The Asian team’s run of 17 wins on the trot lasted from July 2018 to August 2019 and saw them defeat several better-established teams including Scotland, Netherlands, Ireland, United Arab Emirates and Nepal.

For the men, Afghanistan’s run which lasted between February 2018 to September 2019 included as many as 12 consecutive wins that came over Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Ireland.

 

Anjali Chand took six wickets. © Cricket Nepal

6. Best figures:

In November 2019, with Bangladesh seemingly on course for victory over India in Nagpur, Deepak Chahar’s inspired spell of 6 for 7 – including a hat-trick to wrap up the game – handed India a 30-run win. Chahar thereby broke Ajantha Mendis’ record haul of 6 for 8 against Zimbabwe to register the best figures in men’s T20Is.

ALSO READ: Lessons, laughs and leadership - Thailand's T20 World Cup campaign

A month later, Anjali Chand, the off-spinner from Nepal, registered figures of 6 for 0, against Maldives. Not only did Chand, incredibly, achieve the feat on debut, but also did it in 13 balls, taking a hat-trick and bowling two maidens along the way. Maldives were bowled out for a paltry 16, and Nepal chased the total down in 0.5 overs.

 

7. First five-wicket haul:

Amy Satterthwaite won the 'Player of the Match' award for her 6-fer. © Getty Images

At a time when she was still bowling medium pace, Amy Satterthwaite became the first bowler to record a five-wicket haul in T20Is. Her scintillating spell of 6 for 17 against England, way back in 2007 – in what was only the tenth women’s T20I match – helped New Zealand seal a 38-run win at the County Ground in Taunton.

It wasn’t until 2009 that the men were able to break the five-wicket barrier, when in June that year – during the T20 World Cup in England – Umar Gul’s 5 for 6 in just three overs helped Pakistan roll over New Zealand for just 99. Interestingly, Gul’s was the second five-wicket haul of the day. India’s Priyanka Roy had, only hours earlier, registered figures of 5 for 16 against Pakistan in the women’s competition.

 

8. Highest partnership for any wicket:

The Indonesian team celebrate a wicket. © PCI

Yulia Anggraeni and Kadek Winda Prastini of Indonesia shared a massive 257-run opening stand against Philippines in December 2019. The pair occupied the crease for 19.4 overs, striking 32 boundaries between them to take Indonesia to a total of 260 for 1. Anggraeni brought up her maiden T20I century – a 68-ball 112 – while Winda Prastini managed an unbeaten 89 off 64 deliveries.

For the men, Hazratullah Zazai and Usman Ghani shared a 236-run stand for Afghanistan against Ireland in Dehradun last February. Ghani backed up the former’s astonishing 162 not out with a rapid 73 off 48 deliveries.

 

Aye Moe. © Singapore Cricket

9. Youngest captain:

On January 12, 2019, when Aye Moe took the reins of the Myanmar women’s cricket team, she became the youngest player to captain a side in the format at only 18 years and 337 days. While it certainly was an exciting occasion for both Moe and her entire team, they were unfortunately thrashed by Thailand in the opening game of the Women’s T20 Smash in Bangkok.

ALSO READ: Brazil's women's leading the way

A few months later, in September 2019, Malaysia’s Virandeep Singh became the youngest man to captain a T20I team at the age of 20 years and 190 days. Much like Moe, his captaincy career also got off to a losing start, Malaysia being downed by Vanuatu by 17 runs.

 

10. Youngest player:

Jersey team. © Bailiwick Express

Barely into his teens, Meet Bhavsar became the youngest male to play T20Is when he featured in Kuwait’s match against Maldives in the Asian Cricket Council Western Region T20 tournament in Oman in January 2019. Bhavsar was only 14 years and 211 days. He kept wicket, effecting one run out in the game as Kuwait romped home by eight wickets.

If one thought Bhavsar was too young for the pressures of international sport, Nia Greig was only 11 years and 40 days when she made her T20I debut for Jersey in July 2019. She has neither batted or bowled in any of her five matches so far, but when has an 11-year-old been worried about being deprived of opportunities!