In an exciting T20 cricket clash during the Czech Republic Women’s T20I Tri-Series at Vinor, Portugal Women secured a comfortable 7-wicket victory against Belgium Women, chasing down their target with six balls to spare.
Belgium Women took to the crease first, but their innings got off to a turbulent start due to sharp opening spells from the Portuguese attack. Nayantara Raghunandan struck early by cleaning up opener Beatrice Pierre for just 2 off 5 balls, breaking the opening pair at 6/1 in the second over. Isabel Walker tightened the screws immediately after, trapping Arussa Ilahi leg-before-wicket for a four-ball duck to leave Belgium reeling at 9/2.
Despite the early double blow, opener Shweta Sinha steadied the ship alongside Payal Kothar. The duo built a crucial 41-run third-wicket partnership to stabilize the innings before Ishreet Cheema made an impact, removing Kothar (6 off 12 balls) caught behind by wicketkeeper Sarah Collyer at 50/3. Captain Alix Brodin then joined Sinha, forming the backbone of Belgium’s total with a fiery 56-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Sinha anchored the side with a well-fought 46 off 42 deliveries (5 fours) before falling to Walker, who finished her impressive spell with figures of 2/15 in 4 overs. Brodin kept up the tempo, smashing 43 off 35 balls with 7 boundaries, before being bowled by Cheema at 136/5.
Cheema added a third wicket by trapping Shabana Ilahi (4 off 2 balls) LBW, finishing with 3/35 in 4 overs. Unbeaten contributions from Irma Vrignaud (6 off 20 balls) and Sruthi Yenamandra (1 off 1 ball), alongside a generous 33 extras, pushed Belgium to 141/6 in their 20 overs. Portugal’s support bowling featured steady efforts from Kiona Sequiera (0/26), Ana Faria (0/18), and Afsheen Ahmed (0/25).
Chasing a target of 142, Portugal Women started their run chase on solid footing. Openers Nayantara Raghunandan and Kiona Sequiera put together a confident 47-run opening partnership to lay down a strong foundation. Belgium struck their first blow in the 8th over when Payal Kothar bowled Sequiera for 22 off 22 balls (2 fours).
Captain Sarah Collyer then joined Raghunandan, taking total control of the match flow. The two produced a match-defining 62-run partnership for the second wicket, keeping the required run rate well under control. Raghunandan played a crucial, Player-of-the-Match-winning knock of 47 off 41 balls (6 fours) before being caught by Brodin off Rithika Rajesh’s bowling at 109/2.
Sanne Gerarda Luijke arrived next and played a lively cameo of 16 off 11 balls to push Portugal closer, before being trapped LBW by Rajesh (135/3). Rajesh was the pick of the Belgian bowlers, taking 2/31 in her 4 overs.
Collyer anchored the pursuit to the end, finishing unbeaten on 46 off 41 balls (4 fours), while Isabel Walker hit a quickfire 5* off 2 balls to wrap up the chase. Portugal reached 145/3 in 19 overs, sealing the win despite disciplined spells from Belgium’s Shweta Sinha (0/18), Arussa Ilahi (0/32), Payal Kothar (1/34), and Attia Diwan Ali (0/30).
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