UP Warriorz 181 for 7 (Harris 72, McGrath 57, Garth 2-29) beat Gujarat Giants 178 for 6 (Gardner 60, Hemalatha 57, Chopra 2-29, Gayakwad 2-39) by 3 wickets
Just like the first Gujarat Giants vs UP Warriorz game, this, too, went down to the penultimate ball, and just like then, Grace Harris played the match-defining hand, and it was a three-wicket win for Warriorz, which put them in the WPL playoffs. It also meant the end of the road for Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore, at least for this season.
Last time, on March 5, Harris had struck a 26-ball 59 not out to take Warriorz to victory. She got out in the penultimate over here after scoring 72 off 41 balls, but it was seven from seven at that stage, and she and Tahlia McGrath, who scored 57 and put on a 78-run stand with Harris, had done most of the work.
The final over had it all – desperate dives, a run-out, and then the clever hit for the winning runs. Sneh Rana, the Giants captain, had the ball, but in front of her was the calm Sophie Ecclestone, whose bat had ended Mumbai Indians’ winning streak in their previous game. Simran Shaikh was run-out off the fourth ball, but with two needed off two, Ecclestone walked across her stumps and paddled Rana to the vacant fine-leg area for four.
It could have all been different for Rana, and Giants, though, had she run Harris out backing up at the non-striker’s end in the ninth over. Harris was on 11 then, and Rana stopped in her bowling stride but only issued a warning.
For Giants, meanwhile, it was an end to a campaign that started with the controversy over Deandra Dottin, included losing their captain Beth Mooney to injury, and just two wins.
On Monday, Giants got to a respectable 178 for 6, riding on an excellent 93-run partnership between D Hemalatha (57 in 33 balls) and Ashleigh Gardner (60 in 39). Even before they got together, there were positive signs, when Sophia Dunkley and Laura Wolvaardt went big at the top.
It was 41 after four overs, but Alyssa Healy was rotating her bowlers around, and brought back Anjali Sarvani in the fifth over. First ball, left-arm quick Sarvani castled Wolvaardt, and in the very next over, Rajeshwari Gayakwad struck twice, sending back Dunkley and Harleen Deol.
That’s when Hemalatha and Gardner got together and dug in. Hemalatha was the early aggressor, getting to her fifty off 30 balls with some clean hitting. Gardner got to her own half-century off 35 balls too, and Giants were on course for a big score at that stage.
But Parshavi Chopra, all of 16, made all the difference. She broke the stand when she got Hemalatha caught at the boundary, and, in her next over, a beautifully flighted legspinner deceived the advancing Garnder for her to be stumped.
Still, with 178 on the board, Giants had a chance, Gujarat needed a huge win to have a chance of staying in the tournament but with 178 they had given themselves a shot. It got even better for them when Warriorz were 39 for 3 in the fifth over.
Given Warriorz’s line-up, the game hinged on the partnership between McGrath and Harris, and the two Australians stood up to the challenge magnificently. They couldn’t finish the job, but did enough.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo
