In a dominating display on all fronts, Argentina beat Chile in the third T20I by 311 runs and won the series 3-0. Batters Veronica Maria Vasquez and Maria Castinerias hit brilliant centuries to lead the team to an impressive total of 333/1. The Chile bowlers just could not control the onslaught of runs, with only captain Camila Vildosola being able to take a wicket. In total, they bowled extras in Argentina’s batting innings.
Argentina dominated in the second innings of the game as well. They showed their bowling prowess by bundling Chile out for just 22 runs. All the batters got out for a duck or 1 run, and their remaining runs were all scored of extras. Bowlers Constanza Soza, with 2 wickets, and Albertina Gallan, with 3 wickets, rattled the Chile lineup with their spells.
The player who has been the most impressive in this series is Argentina’s Maria Castiñeiras. It was a record-breaking series for her as she became the second player to hit back-to-back T20I centuries and the first woman to achieve this feat.
The 23-year-old’s scores in this series read an unbeaten 40 off 16 balls, 105 off 56 balls, and an unbeaten 155 off 77 balls. In the second match, where she scored 105, she played at a strike rate of 187.50, hitting 13 fours and 1 six. She continued to impress in the third match as well, where she scored 155 at a strike rate of 201.30, smashing 26 fours.
This series has been exceptional, not just for Castiñeiras. Argentina, too, has scripted several records. In the first game, they scored a massive total of 427 runs in 20 overs at just the loss of 1 wicket and beat the previous record set by Bahrain. They managed to reach this score without hitting a single six in their innings. The series also saw the record of most runs being conceded in an over. Chile’s Florencia Martinez now holds the record of giving away 52 runs in just one over and bowling 17 no-balls.
This has been an exceptional series for Argentina and would have given them a boost after going winless in the T20 World Cup Americas Region Qualifier. The team will now look to improve their performance and consistently perform well.
Vaishnavi is a passionate author with an unwavering love for cricket, particularly women’s cricket. Her writing reflects her deep admiration for the sport and her dedication to promoting women’s participation in it. When she’s not following the latest cricket matches, Vaishnavi can be found engrossed in books or enjoying movies.