THAILAND’S AFRICAN ADVENTURE

Thailand women’s cricket team have returned to the international stage for the first time since they came back from Australia in March 2020 after taking part in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time.

The Thai girls have embarked on a long tour of Africa where they are playing 50-over and T20 series in Zimbabwe and South Africa as they prepare for the next stage of their cricket development when they will be playing in the qualifying tournament for the 50-over ICC Women’s World Cup.

This qualifying tournament is also being held in Zimbabwe in November and December with three places in the 50-over World Cup and a total of five places in the next edition of the Women’s Championship in which the top ten teams in the world play ODI series against each other.

The first stage of Thailand’s tour has just been completed with Zimbabwe and Thailand sharing the honours in a four-match 50-over series with both sides winning two matches apiece with some highly competitive cricket being played at the Takashinga Sports Club in Harare.

The series was a personal triumph for Thailand’s new captain, Nuruemol Chawai who scored a fifty in her first international match as captain and made an unbeaten century in the third match after coming to the crease at 14 for five. Former captain Sornnarin Tippoch is still playing in the team to lend her valuable experience to the cause and she and other senior players like Nattaya Boochatham, Nattakan Chantam and Chanida Sutthiruang all made telling contributions during the series.

Zimbabwe won the first match by seven wickets but after being put into bat Thailand recovered from 35 for 3 as new vice-captain and wicket-keeper Nannapat Khoncharoenkai scored 37 before Chanida Sutthiruang (52*) helped Naruemol Chaiwai(67*) add 101 for the fifth wicket to take Thailand to 199 for 4 in their 50 overs. Zimbabwe enjoyed a comfortable chase after an opening partnership of 59 and a fourth-wicket stand of 105* from Mary-Anne Musando and Josephine Nkomo saw the home side through to a seven-wicket victory.

Thailand levelled the series by winning the second match by 22 runs after reaching a total of 229 for 9 as Nattaya Boochatham and Wongpaka Liengprasert both scored fifties before Nattakan Chantam hit 42 and Naruemol Chaiwai was again unbeaten on 28 at the end of the innings. Boochatham completed a fantastic all-round performance by taking five wickets for 33 as Zimbabwe were restricted to 207 for nine.

Thailand endured a torrid start to the third match as they collapsed to 14 for 5 at the start of their innings but this situation presented a wonderful opportunity for Naruemol Chaiwai to show her side what she could achieve at the helm as she batted through the remaining 40 overs of the innings to reach a brilliant unbeaten century from 133 balls with 12 fours. Former captain Sornnarin Tippoch helped Chaiwai add 70 for the sixth wicket, but it was 17-year-old Thipatcha Putthawomg who showed great character to help her captain through to her century in an eighth-wicket stand of 87. Facing a total of 189 for 7 Zimbabwe again chased down the target without any drama with 6.3 overs to spare as Mupachikwa and Mugeri both hit half-centuries.

Thailand needed to win the fourth match in order to level the series and Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat first. Although Mugeri and made 58 in 101 balls and Patience Marange a powerful 66 in 76 balls Zimbabwe were contained to a total of 212 for 8 as Boochatham took 3 for 27, Thailand had their regular openers Boochatham and Nattakan Chamtam reunited at the top of the order and they combined in a stand of 52 but captain Chaiwai was dismissed for a second-ball duck so it was down to the middle-order to save the day. Nannapat Khoncharoenkai and Wongpaka Liengprasert added 64 for the fourth-wicket before Chanida Sutthiruang and Sornnarin Tippoch saw Thailand home to a five-wicket victory with a stand of 75 as Chanida made her second fifty of the series.

Given the rare opportunity to play 50-over international cricket, both teams had shown their quality in this series and all four matches were highly competitive encounters. Zimbabwe and Thailand will both want to give a good account of themselves in the forthcoming World Cup Qualifier with three places in the next Women’s World Cup in New Zealand early next year up for grabs.

Thailand’s new captain Naruemol Chaiwai will be delighted with her aggregate of 195 runs for once out with her unbeaten hundred in the third match a splendid achievement but she will be just as pleased that her team were able to win the fourth match when the captain failed to score. Thailand made four totals between 189 and 229 with some consistent batting displays but they will be hoping that their main pace bowler Chanida Sutthiruang returns to full fitness later in the tour.

Zimbabwe and Thailand will be starting a three-match T20I series starting on Friday 27^th August before the Thai girls head to Potchefstroom in South Africa to contest 50-over and T20 series against South African Emerging Women.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/thailand-women-in-zimbabwe-2021-1272883