Skipper Kathryn Bryce steals the show as Scotland stuns Ireland to qualify for their maiden T20 World Cup appearance.
Ireland women’s team led by skipper Laura Delany was all set to face Scotland led by skipper Kathryn Bryce in the 1st semi-final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifiers in Abu Dhabi. Both teams will be battling it out for a spot in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, later this year.
Ireland skipper Laura Delany won the toss and opted to bat first. Ireland got off to a horrible start as they lost half of their side till the 7th over of the innings. Rebecca Stokell joined Leah Paul at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 22-run partnership for the 6th wicket before Abtaha Maqsood picked up the wicket of Rebecca Stokell to provide the 6th breakthrough for Scotland.
Arlene Kelly joined Leah Paul at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 60-run partnership for the 7th wicket to take Ireland past the 100-run mark. Ireland eventually ended up with a total of 110/9 in their quota of overs. Leah Paul (45 off 51 balls), and Arlene Kelly (35 off 27 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Ireland. Skipper Kathryn Bryce (4-0-8-4), Abtaha Maqsood (3-0-17-1), Hannah Rainey (4-0-18-0), and Rachel Slater (3-0-32-3) were the top performers with the ball for Scotland.
Chasing a target of 111, Scotland openers Saskia Horley and Megan McColl got off to a solid start, scoring over six runs an over. Arlene Kelly cleaned up Saskia Horley to provide the 1st breakthrough for Ireland. Skipper Kathryn Bryce joined Megan McColl at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 49-run partnership for the 2nd wicket before Arlene Kelly came back and cleaned up Megan McColl to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side.
Scotland eventually got over the line with eight wickets in hand and 22 balls to spare. Megan McColl (50 off 47 balls), and skipper Kathryn Bryce (35 off 29 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Scotland. Arlene Kelly (4-0-28-2), Ava Canning (3-0-12-0), and skipper Laura Delany (3-0-18-0) were the top performers with the ball for Ireland.
Skipper Kathryn Bryce was awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational all-round performance, returning with exceptional match figures (4-0-8-4) with the ball and scoring an unbeaten (35* off 29 balls) knock with the bat. She played a crucial role in helping her side qualify for their maiden ICC Women’s T20 World Cup appearance. They will now face Sri Lanka led by skipper Chamari Athapaththu in the final on 7th May 2024 (Tuesday) from 9 PM IST.