Women’s T20 Challenge 2022: Harmanpreet Kaur, Harleen Deol take Supernovas to 163 after Hayley Matthews’s three-fer

The Supernovas scored around 90 runs in the first 10 overs, but the Trailblazers' bowlers made a stupendous comeback, Hayley Matthews picked up three crucial wickets.

The Supernovas, on Monday, May 23, scored 155/6 after electing to bat first against the Supernovas in the opening match of the Women’s T20 Challenge at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune.

Deandra Dottin and Priya Punia threw the kitchen sink at everything to put on 50 runs for the opening wicket of five overs. It needed something special from the Trailblazers to separate the duo and Bangladesh’s Sharmin Akter Supta produced it.

Supta produced a direct hit and sent back the dangerous Dottin, who scored 32 off a mere 17 balls with five fours and one six. A couple of overs later, Hayley Matthews accounted for the wicket of Punia, who scored a well-made 22.

Harleen Deol came out with a lot of intent and scored 35 runs off 19 balls before the wily Salma Khatun trapped her plumb in front. South Africa skipper Sune Luus failed to gain any momentum and eventually fell prey to Rajeshwari Gayakwad.

Alana King, who has Indian roots in Chennai, started with a four after which Khatun pinned her. In the death overs, Harmanpreet Kaur wielded the willow to good effect and scored 37 off 29. However, the rub of the green didn’t go her way as she was run out in the penultimate over.

Pooja Vastrakar’s handy 14-run knock helped the Supernovas post 163 on the board. Matthews was the standout bowler for the Trailblazers with three wickets. Renuka Singh and Arundhati Reddy failed to make a breakthrough.

Leg-spinner Poonam Yadav, who was mostly on the bench in the Women’s World Cup 2022, got the important wicket of Vastrakar.