Hong Kong beat Nepal in women’s cricket World Cup qualifying opener; China humbled by Thailand
Captain Mariko Hill leads the way for the home side at Mission Road while the Chinese are skittled for 32
Hong Kong launched their bid to qualify for the T20 women’s World Cup in style with a six-wicket victory over Nepal at Mission Road on Sunday.
Captain Mariko Hill led the way with a player-of-the-match performance as Hong Kong easily chased Nepal’s total of 77 all out in 19.2 overs, reaching 78 for four with 21 balls remaining.
The home side on Monday take on China, who were thrashed by 75 runs by Thailand in the opening match of the tournament on Sunday.
“It’s a massive boost for us, it will give us a lot of confidence as we performed how we wanted,” said Hill, who took two wickets and scored 10 runs. “We’ve never played international cricket at home so to see our family and friends here means a lot.
“We’ve got China tomorrow and it will be a completely different game, the outfield is so small so we will plan tonight and start again tomorrow.”
The winners of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers Asia Tournament go through to the global qualifiers.
Hill, Chan Ka-man and Chan Sau-hau each claimed two wickets for Hong Kong as they prevented the Nepalese from settling in at the crease. Opener Yip Sze-wan then hit 33 runs off 39 balls to set the foundation for Hong Kong’s successful chase.
Yasmin Daswani (15) and Shanzeen Shahza (11) also contributed for Hong Kong.
In the first match, Thailand scored 107 for six in their 20 overs and then skittled China out for 32 in 12.1 overs. Thai captain Sornnarin Tippocj was player of the match, having given away only five runs in three overs, and taking a wicket.
Openers Nattakan Chantam (14) and Sirintra Saensakorat (19) provided a solid platform for Thailand. An unbeaten 24 from Ratanaporn Padunglerd gave the Thais a mid-innings push as they reached 107 runs.
