All-rounder, Shikha Pandey, a former regular feature of the Indian team after repeated overlooks from the Indian selection committee grabbed an opportunity to feature in the Queensland Premier Cricket League to get some game time ahead of the start of the domestic season and spilled her magic and did so in some elite fashion.
In the ongoing Queensland Premier Cricket League, Shikha Pandey registered figures of 6-1-7-2 and struck a 109-ball-112 batting at no. 5 in her side Wynnum-Manly’s 178-run win in the Katherine Raymont Shield in Australia’s first-grade competition.
The 33-year-old’s 112 which consisted of nine fours and a six had come at a strike rate of 102.75 and it was with her century that the side, Wynnum-Manly woman put on a total of 226 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in 50 overs.
Sandgate-Redcliffe, in reply, were bundled down for 48 runs and in the process, Shikha Pandey picked up a couple of wickets and ended her 6-over spell with a maiden over having conceded only seven runs. She bagged the big wicket of Georgia Voll and dismissed Sandgate-Redcliffe and wicketkeeper batter Taylor Stumer.
Shikha last featured for India in the sides tour of Australia last summer and then in an absolute surprise move was dropped from the national squad. The series was her comeback one which is and will be famously remembered for her delivery to Alyssa Healy that had tailed back in a big way.
Shikha then failed to make it to the New Zealand tour and the following India’s Women’s ODI World Cup campaign. Earlier this year, Shikha Pandey led Goa in the Women’s T20 Trophy where she struck 223 runs at a strike rate of 128.9 and took 4 wickets from 6 matches as Goa fell in the pre-quarterfinals. Despite being on a good run, she was overlooked for the Sri Lanka tour and then the following Commonwealth Games which were held in Birmingham.
Shikha Pandey in 5 innings (3 Test matches) bagged 4 wickets and scored 55 runs, and in the 50-over format, she scored 512 runs in 34 innings and bagged 75 wickets in 55 outings with the best figures of 4/18 at an economy rate of 3.99. In the shortest, 20-over format, she scored 207 runs in 27 innings and got to 40 wickets in 51 innings with best figures of 3/14 at an economy rate of 6.47.