Ontario Fire continued its winning ways with Day 4 double victories as play continued at the King City Maple Leaf Cricket Club-hosted 2022 Canadian National Women’s T20 Championships. Having started Day 4 with a perfect record of five wins and no losses from as many matches played, Ontario Fire extended it to seven and zero with comfortable back-to-back victories over firstly Atlantic Canada followed by British Columbia.
Taking first strike against Atlantic Canada, Ontario Fire posted a formidable 170/6 in its twenty overs. Achini Perera’s twenty-three balls 29 was the top score and there were also useful contributions from Mahwish Khan (24) and Maliha Baig (23). For Atlantic Canada, Rey Blais 2/11-2 ovrs was the top wicket-taker.
Blais also featured as Atlantic Canada’s top-scorer, posting a patient 39 not out off of 47 balls. The other Atlantic Canada batters were pedestrian in their efforts toward the victory target as the allocated twenty-overs ended with the score having gotten to only 76/2.
SUMMARIZED SCORES:
Ontario Fire 170/6-20 ovrs. Achini Perera 29, Mahwish Khan 24, Maliha Baig 23. Rey Blais 2/11-2/
Atlantic Canada 76/2 – 20 ovrs. Rey Blais 39.
Ontario Fire Won by 94 runs.
British Columbia (BC) gave the host Province’s second representative and developmental team, the Ontario Heat, a much stiffer challenge in their Day 4 encounter. BC came ever so close to securing what would have been a major morale boosting victory, eventually losing by the agonizingly slim margin of only nine runs.
Taking first strike, Ontario Heat posted 109/9 in its twenty overs. Almost half of that posted total came from the bat of Kamna Mirchandani whose 48 balls 47 included 8 fours. She was ably supported by Saleha Maqsood who contributed an eighteen balls 23 that was punctuated by five fours. For BC Mannat Hundal took 3/16 in her four overs. There were also two-wicket hauls for Sonali Vig 2/9-4 and Mukhwinder Gill 2/15-4.
Chasing 101 for victory at a very modest required run rate of 5.05, BC lost both Belinda Williams (7) as well as Sonali Vig for a second ball duck in the third over with the score on 19. Williams was bowled by Ontario Heat’s fourteen-year-old teenage sensation, Rabbjyot Rajput while Vig followed via the run-out route just two balls later.
Wickets fell with constant regularity after, including three with the score on 83 and a fourth one ball later at 84.
While the wickets were clattering, the runs were not forthcoming and BC was left needing 12 runs off the final over with its numbers 10 and 11 batters at the crease. It was too big a task as the innings folded with the last wicket falling off the fourth ball of the final over to leave BC still nine runs short of parity with Ontario Heat’s posted 109/9.
Manasa Challa 27 was the top scorer for BC. For Ontario Heat, Rabbjyot Rajput’s medium-pace bowling proved to much too hot for BC’s batters, the teenager ending with the ultra-impressive figures of 4/18-4.
SUMMARIZED SCORES:
Ontario Heat 109/9 – 20 ovrs. Kamna Mirchandani 47, Saleha Maqsood 23. Mannat Hundal 3/16-4.
British Columbia 100/10- 19.4 ovrs. Manasa Challa 27. Rabbjyot Rajput 4/18-4.
Ontario Heat won by 9 runs.
Ontario Heat’s elation however, soon proved to be short-lived as they were brought crashing down to earth by a five-wicket loss to Championship points table second-place holders the Prairies. Batting first, Ontario Heat posted 132/8 off its twenty overs. A total that was arguably 20-30 runs short of what would have been ideally required against the Prairies’ powerful batting.
Ontario Heat’s captain Saniyah Zia stroked an impressive 46 that was made off 36 balls and included 8 fours. Zia and teenage prodigy, Rabbjyot Rajput (24), posted 75 for the first wicket in only twelve (11.1) overs of batting. Once Rajput had departed 7 more wickets were lost in 8.4 overs for the addition of only 57 runs! Vijayani Vithanage’s 26, made off 24 balls with four boundaries, the only other score of note as Ontario Heat’s innings closed at 132/8 in 20 overs.
For the Prairies three bowlers, Arunimaa Kaur, Amarpal Kaur and Divya Saxena, ended with two-wicket hauls. Arunimaa claimed 2/20-3, Amarpal 2/26-4 and Saxena 2/27-4.
133 to win proved to be a bit of a cakewalk for the Prairies batters. Danielle McGahey single-handedly accounted for almost half of those in scoring a typically belligerent 65 that required only 29 balls. McGahey’s innings was once again fueled by muscular power-hitting that produced four towering sixes and seven whopping fours. Fortunately for Ontario Heat’s beleaguered bowlers, McGahey retired hurt after forty-five minutes of batting at a strike rate of 224.14.
Chandni Nair’s 26, scored off 21 balls composition with four boundaries included, was the next highest score as the Prairies comfortably reached their target off the fifth ball of the sixteenth over. Sunita Dinakar 2/18-2.5 was the main wicket-taker among Ontario Heat’s bowlers.
SUMMARIZED SCORES:
Ontario Heat 132/8-20 Ovrs. Saniyah Zia 46, Vijayani Vithanage 26. Rabbjyot Rajput 24. Arunimaa Kaur 2/20-3, Amarpal Kaur 2/26-4, Divya Saxena 2/27-4.
Prairies 133/5 – 20 ovrs. Danielle McGahey 65 (RH), Chandni Nair 26, Sunita Dinakar 2/18-2.5
Prairies won by 5 wickets.
Ontario Fire ended Day 4 with an 18 runs win over British Columbia (BC) that was far more comfortable than indicated by the eventual scores. Batting first, Ontario Fire posted a modest 114/8 off its 20 overs with Vandana Mahajan’s 24 as the top score. For BC Sonali Vig (3/11-4), Manasa Challa 2/29-4 and Mannat Hundai 2/30-4 were the main wicket-takers.
Despite the very reachable victory target of 115 runs in 20 overs, BC’s batters proved themselves to be not at all up to the task. Monalisa Chimutashu’s 17 was the highest individual score as BC steadily lost wickets in pursuit of the modest target. Finishing eventually at 96/9 and falling short by 18 runs.
Vandana Mahajan 3/10-4 was the leading Ontario Fire wicket-taker. There were also two-wicket hauls for Ontario Fire captain Hiba Shamshad 2/15-2, as well as Achini Perera 2/26-4.
SUMMARIZED SCORES:
Ontario Fire 114/8-20 Ovrs. Vandana Mahajan 24. Sonali Vig 3/11-4, Manasa Challa 2/29-4, Manat Hundai 2/30-4.
British Columbia 96/9 – 20 Ovrs. Monalisa Chimutashu 17. Vandana Mahajan 3/10-4, Hiba Shamshad 2/15-2, Achini Perera 2/26-4.
Ontario Fire won by 18 runs.