Natasha Miles-led Hong Kong were up against China, led by skipper Mingyue Zhu, in the 4th match of the Tri-Series at the Mission Road Ground, Mong Kok, Hong Kong. China sealed a thrilling Super Over win against Malaysia earlier in the day, securing their first points in the series.
Skipper Natasha Miles won the toss and opted to bat first. The Hong Kong openers Shanzeen Shahzad and skipper Natasha Miles got their side off to a steady start with a 37-run opening stand. Zhao Yihan provided the first breakthrough for China, as she dismissed Shanzeen Shahzad (19 off 19 balls) in the 8th over of the run chase.
Wicket-keeper batter Yasmin Daswani joined skipper Natasha Miles at the crease, and the duo stitched another crucial 53-run partnership for the 2nd wicket, which also took them closer to the 100-run mark. Wang Huiying broke the stand by sending wicket-keeper batter Yasmin Daswani (28 off 28 balls) back to the pavilion in the 17th over of the innings, providing the 2nd breakthrough for China.
Hong Kong ended up with a competitive total of 119/3 in their quota of 20 overs, anchored by skipper Natasha Miles, with an unbeaten half-century 52* (62 balls), top-scoring with the bat for her side. Wang Huiying (4-0-21-1), Zhao Yihan (4-0-23-1), Ma Ruike (4-0-25-1), and skipper Mingyue Zhu (4-0-22-0) were the top performers with the ball for China.
Chasing a target of 120, the Chinese were pushed on the back foot, as they lost a couple of wickets in the first over of the chase itself. Skipper Mingyue Zhu joined opening batter Jiaping Li at the crease, and the duo led the recovery with a much-needed 46-run stand for the 2nd wicket. Kary Chan cleaned up Jiaping Li (19 off 31 balls) to provide the crucial 3rd breakthrough for Hong Kong in the 12th over of the run chase.
Wang Huiying joined skipper Mingyue Zhu at the crease, and the pair kept them in the hunt with another crucial 40-run partnership for the 4th wicket. Joyleen Kaur stepped up and broke the stand by ending Wang Huiying’s (10 off 13 balls) stay at the crease in the 17th over of the run chase, providing the 4th breakthrough for her side.
Joyleen Kaur returned and landed a hammer blow by dismissing the opposition skipper, Mingyue Zhu (59 off 56 balls) in the 19th over of the chase. She completed a clutch half-century before getting dismissed. China were restricted to 110/8 in their quota of 20 overs, falling just 9 runs short of the target. Iqra Sahar (2-0-3-2), Joyleen Kaur (4-0-25-2), Kary Chan (4-0-11-1) and Ruchitha Venkatesh (4-0-23-0) were the top performers with the ball for Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong skipper Natasha Miles was awarded the Player of the Match for her impressive half-century 52* (62 balls) opening the innings, playing a crucial role in setting up a competitive total. Her knock included five boundaries. Hong Kong secured their 2nd consecutive win of the series; as a result, they claim the top spot with 4 points from a couple of games so far in the series.
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