Image Credit- PTI
In Bengaluru on
Sunday, Meg Lanning’s half-century and another outstanding bowling performance
by Jess Jonassen vaulted Delhi Capitals to the top of the WPL standings and
kept Gujarat Giants without a victory.
The Giants, who had won the toss and chosen to bowl instead, were hapless in
the field, blowing five opportunities in an attempt to secure their first
victory of the year. Despite Meghna Singh’s remarkable four-wicket haul,
Lanning was one of those, and she made them pay with a 41-ball fifty-five. Lanning’s
innings saw her surpass 9,000 T20 runs, which was the highlight for the
Capitals, who saw Alice Capsey start and Annabel Sutherland make a stylish 20
from 12 cameo.
Shafali Verma showed
perfect timing when she hit the opening ball she faced, a shot from Tanuja
Kanwar, through square leg for four. Two balls later, she lofted a six back
over the bowler’s head. Even worse for the Giants, at the end of the over,
Kanwar lost a return catch off Shafali, costing them 12 runs right then and
there, plus who knew how many more. As it happened, Shafali only managed to add
three more before Meghna easily caught her at square leg by Wolvaardt. By the
end of the powerplay, Lanning and Capsey had established a rhythm and had taken
the Capitals to 51 for 1, but Meghna had struck again, taking the vital wicket
of the highly effective Capsey, who was in good form with scores of 75 and 46
heading into the match. Meghna ended Capsey’s latest innings on 27 with a
tempter outside off stump, sliced to Kanwar at backward point, and she wasn’t
done yet.
That caused the
Capitals to retreat inside themselves as 19 deliveries arrived and exited
without warning. After breaking that by hammering rookie Tarannum Pathan over
long-off for a maximum, Lanning appeared occupied once more.
The next ball produced another four over cover, but this time, it was D
Hemalatha who moved to her left and held on at cover point, stopping the
Capitals captain in her tracks after her second half-century of the season,
much to Meghna’s delight and Lanning’s agony.
After seven Twenty20
Internationals for India, Titas Sadhu made her WPL debut. Opening the bowling
in Marizanne Kapp’s absence, she began with a maiden as the Capitals launched
their 163 for 8 defence. With her third delivery, Shikha Pandey struck for a three-ball
duck. The ball was an absolute gem that swung in late, squeezing between Laura
Wolvaardt’s bat and pad to crash into the top of leg stump. After striking Beth
Mooney on the pad in line with the middle stump, Pandey had another
opportunity, but the Capitals foolishly decided not to review the on-field
reprieve.
Itchfield amassed 11
runs off of Sadhu’s second over with ease. The Giants were then cruising in the
fourth over after Pandey hit three fours in four balls to Mooney and
Litchfield. The Giants had to attempt to rebuild as Jonassen entered the attack
and pinned Mooney on the front pad next to the stumps. But Litchfield spooned
one straight to mid-off, giving Jonassen another goal, and the momentum
switched decisively in the Capitals’ favour.
They had already
faced 25 dot balls after seven overs. After hitting a 78-meter six and four off
Arundhati Reddy, Gardner let loose, leaving the Giants needing 92 more runs at
the midway mark of the innings. With the Giants requiring 60 runs from six overs,
Jonassen came back to attack. She virtually put an end to their chances by
placing the ball on a length outside off-stump as Gardner moved forward, swung,
and missed. Gardner was too far down the track and the Giants were too far
behind when Taniya Bhatia whipped off the bails.