The 19th edition of the Asian Games is underway in Hangzhou, China. The tournament was originally scheduled to take place last year, but, due to the Covid Pandemic, it was eventually postponed to the year 2023. A total number of 40 different sports will be played in the tournament this year.
Cricket will be making its return to the Asian Games for the first time since 2014. A total number of nine teams will be participating in the tournament, namely Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mongolia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Thailand. Five teams, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Thailand have already qualified for the Quarter-finals as per the ICC Women’s T20I Rankings.
The Women’s cricket commenced with Indonesia facing Mongolia in the first game. Mongolia skipper Tsendsuren Ariuntsetseg won the toss and opted to field first. After being inserted to bat first, the Indonesia openers got off to a flying start. They breached the 100-run mark within the first 10 overs, with a scoring rate of almost 11 runs per over. However, Gansuk Anujin provided the first breakthrough for Mongolia by dismissing the wicket-keeper batter Ni Putu Ayu Nanda Sakarini for a well-made 35, scoring at an impressive strike rate of 112.90.
INDONESIA beat MONGOLIA by 172 RUNS 😲
Ni Luh Dewi scored scored first fifty of the tournament: 62 (48)
ANDRIANI A picked 4 Wickets for just 8 Runs.#CricketTwitter #AsianGames2023 pic.twitter.com/v7yRlWpSh5
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) September 19, 2023
Maria Corazon joined Ni Luh Dewi at the crease and the duo stitched an important 34-run stand for the second wicket. However, they lost a couple of wickets in quick succession as they found themselves at 142/3 in the 14th over of the innings. Post the departure of Andriani, Kisi Kasse joined Maria Corazon at the crease, and the duo stitched a crucial 42-run partnership for the fourth wicket to take Indonesia past the 180-run mark. They eventually ended up with a total of 187/4 in their quota of overs.
Ni Luh Dewi (62 off 48 balls) was the top performer with the bat for Indonesia as she completed her well-deserved half-century while scoring with an impressive strike rate of 129.16. Mendbayaar Enkhzul (1/26), alongside Jargalsaikhan Erdenesuvd (1/31), were the top performers with the ball for Mongolia.
Chasing a mammoth total of 188 on the board, the Mongolia openers succumbed to the scoreboard pressure as they were eventually bundled out for just 15, and that too with 10 overs to spare, courtesy of the poor batting performance from the Mongolia batting unit. None of their batters got into double digits.
Andriani Andriani (3-0-8-4), Rahmawati Pangestuti (3-2-1-2), and Ni Luh Dewi (2-0-4-2) were the top performers with the ball for Indonesia, playing a crucial role in helping their side seal a massive 172-run victory over Mongolia to kickstart their Asian Games 2023 campaign on a flying note.