Bengaluru, Mar 1 (PTI) Gujarat Giants batters struggled to get going against spinners on a slow surface, settling for a slightly below-par 142 for five against UP Warriorz in their Women’s Premier League match here on Friday.
After being asked to bat first, the Gujarat outfit, in fact, made a fine start as Lara Wolvaardt (28, 26b, 4×4) helped them reach 41 in the Power Play for the loss of skipper Beth Mooney.
Wolvaardt smashed Anjali Sarvani for three fours in a row through the off-side as the pacer erred in line outside the off-stump.
But once the Power Play ended, the Giants slipped into a period of hibernation, going without a boundary for 23 balls, and the dismissal of Wolvaardt too did not help their cause.
Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone was the pick of UP bowlers with a three-wicket haul.
It required a forceful 52-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Phoebe Litchfield (35, 26 balls) and Asheligh Gardner (30, 17 balls) to add a touch of respectability to their total.
Litchfield, who was dropped on 19 by Deepti Sharma off Sophie Ebrought, brought her hockey background into her batting, using those supple wrists to manoeuvre the ball into the corners behind the wicketkeeper.
Her reverse scoop off left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad for a boundary was a treat to watch.
At the other end, Gardner was all about raw power and smart placement. Gardener muscled her Australian teammate Grace Harris over mid-wicket for six as the Giants tried to make up for the lost time.
But the flowering alliance was snapped when Gardner’s attempt to reverse-scoop ended in the hands of debutant Chamari Athapaththu near short fine leg.
In the same over, Litchfield was run out while trying to steal a quick single, as Saima Thakor’s direct throw beat her to the crease.
Litchfield’s dismissal also ended the Giant’s hopes of raking in some quick runs in the last couple of overs. PTI UNG AM UNG AM AM
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