Hong Kong’s women have T20 World Cup dream ended by blistering innings from UAE opener Esha Oza
- Oza hammers 85 off 60 balls on way to powering her side to 57-run win in semi-finals of Asia regional qualifier
- Hong Kong captain Kary Chan bemoans messy performance in field as side’s tournament ends with a whimper
Hong Kong suffered their second heavy loss in three days as their dreams of making the global qualifier for the Women’s T20 World Cup were blown away by UAE opener Esha Oza on Friday.
Esha hammered 85 off 60 balls as her side wracked up 141 for four in their innings of the Asia regional qualifier semi-final at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur.
Hong Kong were then bowled out for just 84 in 16.5 overs, slumping to a 57-run defeat and missing out on making the next stage for the first time in the side’s history.
Thailand were the other team to advance to the global qualifier, beating Nepal by 46 runs in the second semi-final.
“At the start, we had a plan,” Kary Chan, the Hong Kong captain, said. “But after Esha [Oza] hit a few boundaries, we were messy in the field. She batted well, but our bowlers did not bowl in the right areas.”
Hong Kong started brightly after winning the toss and electing to bowl. Early pressure led to Theertha Satish attempting an improbable single only to be run out by a direct hit from Maryam Bibi, leaving the UAE seven for one in the third over.
But Oza hit back, and hit Alison Siu into the leg side for three consecutive fours as the United Arab Emirates recovered to 48 for one midway through their innings.
The opener continued to accelerate, striking Maryam Bibi for a trio of boundaries in an over before doing the same to Kary Chan.
Ruchitha Venkatesh offered Hong Kong some respite, conceding a mere 16 runs in her final three overs, dismissing Oza, who was caught by a diving Shanzeen Shahzad at long on. Nevertheless, the UAE set Hong Kong an imposing target of 142.
In reply, Natasha Miles got her side off to a flier, hitting three fours in a 15-run first over, but that was as good as it got for the city’s side.
Suraksha Kotte dismissed Miles, who dragged an attempted sweep onto her stumps, before bowling Hong Kong’s captain with an arm ball.
Unable to execute an attempted paddle scoop, Mariko Hill instead made contact with her stumps, and Hong Kong had slumped to 24 for three in the fourth over. In spite of Maryam Bibi’s career-best 34, there was no way back from the early loss of the three best batters.
“We cannot rely on just one or two batters,” Chan said.
Hong Kong’s next assignment is at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, where they begin their campaign against Malaysia on September 19.
