Spain Women capped off their tour of Switzerland with an entertaining 15-run victory in the one-off Women’s T20I at the Embrach Cricket Ground, thanks to a breathtaking unbeaten century from Hillman-Bermejo and a disciplined bowling effort in the closing stages. Although Switzerland Women mounted a spirited chase led by an outstanding innings from Meghna Rajan, Spain held their nerve in the final overs to defend 208, sealing the contest after restricting the hosts to 193/7 in 20 overs.
After Switzerland Women elected to field first, Spain Women made a positive start through captain Katerina Frost and Deepa Chukkapalli-Llinares. The opening pair added 58 runs for the first wicket, putting the visitors in command during the powerplay.
Frost was the aggressor early on, striking 27 off just 20 deliveries with four boundaries before she was caught by Meghna Rajan off Sejal Vinod, giving Switzerland their first breakthrough at 58/1. Despite losing her captain, Deepa continued to play fluently and built another valuable partnership with Hillman-Bermejo. The pair added 39 runs for the second wicket, ensuring Spain maintained their scoring rate. Deepa contributed an impressive 33 from 27 balls, including four boundaries, before she was caught by Amrita Sasidharan off Sejal Vinod at 97/2.
From there, the innings belonged entirely to Hillman-Bermejo, who produced one of the finest knocks seen in women’s associate cricket. Batting with remarkable confidence, she punished every loose delivery and dominated the Switzerland bowling attack with clean strokeplay all around the ground. She first shared a brisk 38-run partnership with Amy Brown-Carrera, who chipped in with 15 from 15 balls, including three boundaries.
Brown-Carrera was dismissed by Danashi Medagoda, but the wicket did little to slow Spain’s momentum. Hillman-Bermejo then found the perfect finishing partner in Uswa Syed, and together they stitched an unbeaten 73-run stand for the fourth wicket. Uswa played a superb supporting role with 23 not out from only 14 deliveries, striking three boundaries at a strike rate above 164, while Hillman-Bermejo remained unbeaten on a sensational 100 from just 46 balls, smashing 19 fours at a staggering strike rate of 217.39. Their late assault lifted Spain Women to a formidable 208/3 in 20 overs, with 10 extras further boosting the total.
Switzerland Women rotated their bowlers throughout the innings but struggled to contain Spain’s aggressive batting display. Sejal Vinod was the most successful bowler, claiming 1 wickets for 17 runs in two overs, dismissing both Katerina Frost and Deepa Chukkapalli-Llinares. Danashi Medagoda picked up the wicket of Amy Brown-Carrera while returning 1 for 38 in four overs. Samiha Konuganti conceded 43 runs in four overs, Meghna Rajan finished with 1 for 45, Naina Metty Saju returned 0 for 30 in three overs, and Vani Dhanuka leaked 35 runs from her three overs. Although the Swiss bowlers continued searching for breakthroughs, Hillman-Bermejo’s extraordinary innings ensured Spain finished with one of their highest totals.
Chasing 209, Switzerland Women suffered an early setback when Laila Pickard was trapped lbw by Mardiya Mohammad for 5, leaving the hosts at 14/1. Captain Amrita Sasidharan attempted to counterattack but added only 7 runs with Meghna Rajan before she was dismissed by Rabia Mushtaq for 9, reducing Switzerland to 21/2. Despite the early blows, Meghna remained composed and launched a magnificent counterattack. She found an able partner in Vani Dhanuka, and together they transformed the contest with a brilliant 99-run partnership for the third wicket. Vani played aggressively for her 38 off 26 balls, striking five boundaries, before she was caught by Velazquez off Katerina Frost at 120/3.
With the required rate climbing, Meghna Rajan continued to keep Switzerland in the hunt. She shared another valuable 64-run stand with Danashi Medagoda, whose quickfire 26 from 19 balls provided fresh momentum. However, Hillman-Bermejo made a crucial impact with the ball by dismissing Medagoda, breaking a partnership that had threatened to take the game away from Spain. Switzerland’s hopes suffered another blow when Melissa Pineaar managed only 2, becoming Hillman-Bermejo’s second wicket. Naina Metty Saju was then dismissed for a duck after being caught by Amy Brown-Carrera off Hillman-Bermejo, leaving the hosts under pressure heading into the final over.
The defining moment arrived when Meghna Rajan, after producing a magnificent 94 off 57 deliveries featuring 11 fours and two sixes, was run out following excellent teamwork between Amelia Jones and Hillman-Bermejo with the score on 193/7. Her dismissal effectively ended Switzerland’s hopes of completing the chase. Sreekumar Divya remained unbeaten on 5, but the hosts finished on 193/7, falling 15 runs short despite an outstanding batting effort. Switzerland also received 14 extras, yet Spain’s disciplined finish proved decisive.
Spain Women’s bowlers contributed collectively despite defending a challenging total. Hillman-Bermejo completed a memorable all-round performance by taking 3 wickets for 41 runs in her four overs, dismissing Danashi Medagoda, Melissa Pineaar and Naina Metty Saju at crucial stages.
Mardiya Mohammad removed Laila Pickard early, while Rabia Mushtaq claimed the important wicket of captain Amrita Sasidharan. Katerina Frost struck to dismiss Vani Dhanuka and finished with 1 for 16 from two overs, while Deepa Chukkapalli-Llinares delivered an economical spell of 4 overs for 22 runs. Uswa Syed and Maria Zamorano bowled supporting spells without taking wickets but helped maintain scoreboard pressure during the middle overs.
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