Match Report: M3 - SUP vs VEL
In the last round-robin match of the Women’s T20 Challenge, the Supernovas defeated Velocity to secure a berth in the Final of the competition. The Supernovas rode on Jemimah Rodrigues’ attractive half-century to post 142-3; their bowlers then restricted Velocity to 130-3 to win by twelve runs. The two teams will clash again on Saturday – though there will be a trophy to win on that occasion.
The Supernovas, put in to bat, got off to a steady start with their openers adding 29 in 4.4 overs. Jemimah, who joined Chamari Athapaththu at the fall of the first wicket, brought urgency to proceedings. She opened her account with two boundaries – a fluent drive through cover and a drive straight down the ground. She kept piercing the field and dominated the 55-run partnership, contributing 30 runs to her association with Athapaththu.
After Athapaththu(31 from 38 balls) was dismissed in the thirteenth over, Jemimah continued to motor along. She collected consecutive boundaries off KomalZanzad in the fourteenth over and repeated the act against Ekta Bisht in the following over; the second boundary off Bishttook her to her half-century off 31 balls.
Jemimah was put down twice immediately after she had completed her half-century; Hayley Matthews grassed a catch at square-leg, and the very next ball the wicket-keeper missed a chance. Jemimah added 22 runs off 13 balls in the final four overs.
Just how good was Jemimah’s performance? While she scored 77 off 48 balls, the rest of batters in the Supernovas line-up scored 57 from 73 balls.
For Velocity, Shikha Pandey lived up to her billing as a wicket-taker; she picked up the wicket of opener Priya Punia and ended with impressive figures of 4-0-17-1. The young White Ferns leg-spinner Amelia Kerr would be the most successful bowler, returning figures of 4-0-21-2.
Velocity, despite losing both openers cheaply, put up a fight through Danielle Wyatt, who batted at number three. The England all-rounder was aggressive against the spinners early on; she often got charged down the track, got to the pitch of the ball and took the aerial route. Wyatt hit four boundaries and two sixes, scoring 43 from 32 balls before she failed to contact with a Poonam Yadav delivery while attempting a slog sweepand lost her leg stump.
The match changed its course completely following Wyatt’s dismissal. 77 for 3 after 11.3 overs when Wyatt was dismissed, Mithali Raj and Veda Krishnamurthy, with one eye on the qualification scenario, only added35 runs in the next 6.3 overs. And though they added 18 runs off the last two overs, their team still fell short by 13 runs; Mithali finished unbeaten on 40 (42 balls, 3 fours), while Veda was 30 not out from 29 balls.
For Supernovas, Poonam Yadav was sensational with the ball; she not only picked up the key wicket of Wyatt, but also pulled things back in favour of her team by strangling Mithali and Veda. Poonam bowled 12 dot deliveries in her spell, did not concede a single boundary and ended with figures of 4-0-13-1. Off-spinner Anuja Patil and left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, who bowled three overs each in the powerplay, chipped in with a wicket each.
Brief Scores
Supernovas: 142-3 (ChamariAthapaththu 31, Jemimah Rodrigues 77*, Amelia Kerr 2-21) defeated
Velocity: 130-3(Danielle Wyatt 48, Mithali Raj 40*, Veda Krishnamurthy 30*) by 12 runs.
Player of the Match
Jemimah Rodrigues, for her 77 not out from 48 balls.