Expected to be a high-scoring contest where big strikes landing in the dugout were to have celebrated the possible coming of the Women’s IPL, a frail-looking scoresheet proved enough to produce a sublime thriller at the Wankhede.
Even as only 3 sixes were struck in all from 40 overs of nervy, exciting T20 cricket, you didn’t really miss the huge deposits into the stands as solid all-round play orchestrated by Suzie Bates produced a showstopping thriller.
Here’s what we learned from the much-anticipated Women’s T20
Not every IPL 20-20 has to be a high-octane run chase fuelled by grizzly hits into the stands.
Not every contest has to be marked by mishits and super-overs.
The curtain raiser to the Women’s IPL- expected sometime in the future- might have produced runs at 6-an over, but it did enough to put a behemoth of a batting side including modern stars like Meg Lanning, Sophie Devine, Harmanpreet Kaur and Veda Krishnamurthy nearly on the back foot had Pooja Vastrakar not put bat to ball on the final ball of the low-scoring chase to win it for Harmanpreet’s Supernovas.
In a contest that seems so skewed to batswomen, Suzie Bates produced a spellbinding display of good, hard-fought, accurate medium pace bowling, restricting big-hitting legends of the modern game such as Perry, in emerging with 3-16-2, very nearly running over Harmanpreet’s visibly shaken Supernovas.
When was the last time a score of 130 looked improbable?
But then, was it ever going to be easy with Suzie Bates in charge of attempting a clawback for the Trailblazers?
At the back of the Kiwis’ brilliant controlled line and length, the Supernovas, who’d so seemed in control of the proceedings, going at nearly 47 off 6, thanks to Mandhana and Wyatt’s easy collection of runs, within a few overs plummeted to 106 for 4 and 113 for 6.
Nearly making a match of just 130, which the Trailblazers gathered despite the trio of Alyssa Healy, Smriti Mandhana, Beth Mooney accounting only 25, thanks largely to Bates’ defiant 32 off 37 including 2 fours, the Supernovas had to face some music in the 20th over.
A final over thriller where Suzie Bates nearly made it count
As 4 were needed from 6, bowling at the blockhole and restricting a mega-striker like Elysse Perry for room, Suzie Bates nearly clawed her way back in, in a contest that didn’t seem would boil down to the classic live-wire equation: 1 needed of 1.
Fans wondered sticking to the edge of their seats what if Jhulan Goswami, stationed at short mid-wicket, would’ve just gotten down in time to collect a lowly catch inches off the ground?
Vastrakar- the unlikely carver of victory, Suzie Bates- the valiant hero
A warm smile on Bates’ face mirrored the disappointment on Smriti Mandhana’s, who had a mixed day in the field falling to a stupendous diving catch by Harmanpreet for 14, her opposite number in the Supernovas camp, but contributing courtesy a thrilling run-out of Mona Meshram an over earlier.
While it was an off day for the other captain as well, Kaur contributing with a low-key 21, among the two biggies dismissed by Bates, the other being Devine, useful runs were collected on either side in the closing overs.
A game that belonged to superior fielding as also to good, penetrating fast bowling saw Megan Schutt dive in with early wickets to put the brakes on to Trailblazers’ scoring, the Australian pace-gun scalping compatriots- the dangerous Alyssa Healy and then, Beth Mooney.
Was this the most under-appreciated effort of the game, you wondered?
What was rather shocking, however, was that Trailblazers’ Jemimah Rodriguez, who resurrected the Mandhana’s side a bit thanks to her vital 25 off 23 didn’t walk back voluntarily when despite gloving a clearly mistimed stroke to Healy continued to bat as something the snicko-meter clearly picked up, didn’t prompt the young talent to move out of conscience.
A lesson in there for a young cricketing force, you wondered?
But all said and done, the showstopping Women’s T20 IPL contest depicted a sign of things to come
In all fairness, the glitzy show at Wankhede pulled out a few aces despite lagging magnanimous strokes and punchy counter-attacking batting.
It indicated that in the IPL if the men can transform into superhero skills seeming like the Avengers, then it’s time to embrace the Wonder Women.