THAILAND MAKE IT TWO WINS OUT OF TWO AS NATTAYA TURNS THE TABLES

THAILAND MAKE IT TWO WINS OUT OF TWO AS NATTAYA TURNS THE TABLES

Thailand beat Tanzania by seven wickets to win their second match of the competition but it was a more even contest than the scorecard suggests. Tanzania were looking set for a competitive total as they reached 51 for 2 in the 14^th over with their captain Monica Pascal going well but suddenly the match was transformed as the visitors lost eight wickets for seven runs in a remarkable collapse as Nattaya Boochatham and Wongpaka Liengprasert each took three wickets. Wongpaka started the collapse as she bowled Pascal for 31, but it was Nattaya that made the difference as she claimed three wickets in an over. Tanzania were dismissed for 58 and although the home side lost three wickets for 25, they were seen home to victory by keeper Nannapat Khoncharoenkai and captain Sornnarin Tippoch with a partnership of 36. Thailand moved to the top of the table on four points with two wins in their two matches.

NATTAKAN AND NATTAYA GIVE THAILAND A GREAT START

Thailand made a great start to the Asean Women’s T20 competition as they beat Malaysia by 108 runs thanks to a fine batting performance as they reached 156 for 4 in their 20 overs. Opener Nattakan Chantham hit 42 from 30 balls with 3 fours and a six, but Nattaya Boochatham did even better as she made an unbeaten 68 with 5 fours and 2 sixes. Malaysia couldn’t compete with such a substantial target and they only managed to score 48 as Chanida Sutthiruang took two early wickets and Suleeporn Laomi  also claimed two wickets with her leg-spin.

BHUTAN FIGHT BACK TO BEAT HONG KONG

The second match of the opening day saw Bhutan beat Hong Kong by nine runs as their bowlers managed to defend a total of 88. It is a morale boosting victory for Bhutan who have not had many opportunities to play competitive cricket since they played in the ACC Women’s Premier held four years ago in Chiang Mai. Hong Kong beat Bhutan by nine wickets in that competition so this was a memorable victory for the girls from Bhutan. Hong Kong had looked on top for most of the afternoon as captain Mariko Hill took three wickets and Bhutan were in trouble at 42 for inside 10 overs. Dechen Wangmo and Tshering Zhangmo added 35 for the eighth wicket and their total of 88 was a respectable one. Hong Kong still looked on course for victory as they reached 37 with only one wicket down but they lost four wickets for just nine runs and two run outs did not help their cause. Bhutan restricted Hong Kong to 79 for 9 after a very impressive fight back to win by nine runs.

HONG KONG LOSE TO INDONESIA IN ANOTHER TIGHT CONTEST

Hong Kong lost their second close match in successive days as Indonesia beat them by two wickets in an exciting finish. Hong Kong were batting well as opener Yasmin Daswani made 28 but they lost five wickets for seven runs at the end of their innings which meant they reached only 69 for 9 in their 20 overs. Andriani Andriani recorded figures of 4 for 5 and then top scored for Indonesia with 24 and her team were coasting to victory as they needed only 12 runs with seven wickets in hand. Hong Kong captain Mariko Hill made one final effort as she finished with figures of 4 for 14 but Indonesia, who won the silver medal in the SEA Games, were able to scramble home to victory by two wickets in 14.3 overs.