Oman, UAE win to close out GCC Women’s Cup

MUSCAT: Oman clinched a hard-fought 2-run victory over Qatar on the final day of the GCC Women’s T20I Championship Cup at the Oman Cricket Academy on Saturday. They ended the tournament in second place.

Electing to bat first after winning the toss, Oman made 97-8 after 20 overs.

Skipper Vaishali Jesrani was the only batter to cross the 20-run mark. Fiza Javed, Saya Channa and Amanda Dcosta chipped in with scores of 13, 13 and 12 respectively.

The visitors were energetic in the field, but Oman paid the price for their indecisive strike rotation throughout the game. Qatar inflicted a total of four run-outs in the first innings. Saachi Dhadwal, Hiral Agarwal, Rochelle Sherlene Quyn and Aysha, with 1 wicket apiece, administered the other dismissals.

Qatar fell agonisingly short in the second phase of the match. Captain Aysha led the scoring for her side with a 25-ball 24. At the 14-over mark, her 41-run partnership with Saachi Dhadwal, who made 18 runs herself, looked to be enough to steer the visitors to victory.

However, Priyanka Mendonca picked up 3 key wickets in the space of 2 overs to turn the tide back in Oman’s favour. With 10 runs needed off the final 6 balls, Saya Channa held her nerve and secured the win for the hosts. Snehal Nair, Amanda Dcosta and Saya Channa accounted for Oman’s remaining scalps.

UAE FINISH ON TOP

In the day’s other game, the UAE cemented their spot at the top of the standings with a dominant 210-run victory over Bahrain.

Batting first after winning the toss, the UAE openers forged a 193-run partnership in 16 overs to turn the remainder of the contest into a formality.

Kavisha Egodage was dismissed for 67 runs but Esha Oza continued the carnage.

Her unbeaten 71-ball 158 – the second highest-individual score in Women’s T20I history, powered the UAE to 253-1 after 20 overs.

In response, Bahrain were bowled out in 16 overs for 43 runs, 25 of which belonged to opener Tharanga Gajanayake. Lavanya Keny was the pick of the UAE bowlers. She claimed 4 wickets while giving away just 3 runs.

Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain settled on third, fourth, and fifth spot respectively, with net run rate separating all of them. Saudi Arabia were unable to pick up any points in the competition and finished last.

All in all, the GCC Women’s T20I Championship Cup succeeded in providing game time at the top level to all sides competing. In addition, the matches were broadcasted live, serving to garner further exposure for the women’s game in the Gulf.

BRIEF SCORES:

Oman 97-8 in 20 overs (Vaishali Jesrani 23 (33b); Rochelle Quyn 13-1) beat Qatar 95-8 in 20 overs (Aysha 24 (25b, 2×4); Priyanka Mendonca 3-11) by 2 runs.

UAE 253-1 in 20 overs (Esha Oza 158 (71b, 22×4, 6×6); Kavisha Egodage 67 (45b, 10×4) beat Bahrain 43 all out in 16 overs (Tharanga Gajanayake 25 (45b, 3×4); Lavanya Keny 4-3) by 210 runs.