The opening day fixtures of the 2025 Women’s Mdina Cup, T20Is series between Belgium and Switzerland, on May 28 witnessed the latter assert their dominance early on.
Hosts Belgium had a winless 7-game T20I record heading into this series and with back-to-back losses on the opening day, the wait for a maiden T20I win continues. On the other hand, debutants Switzerland displayed remarkable prowess, comfortably winning both games by seven wickets and putting early pressure on the home side in the series.
Debutant Switzerland register win on Women’s T20I debut
In the opening T20I, after winning the toss, Belgium Women opted to bat first in an effort to post a competitive score. Opener Smriti Kaneria’s dismissal for just 4 (8) gave Belgium a rocky start. Fellow opener Rosemary Lister’s struggles ended with her dismissal for 5 (21), out hit wicket. The fall of wickets continued as Belgium found themselves at 19/3 in the sixth over with Arussa Illahi departing for a duck.
Meghna Rajan continued her excellent spell, bowling Sruthi Yenamandra (2 off 6) as the next wicket to fall, as Belgium collapsed to 23/4. The middle order struggled to build partnerships, and at 59/5, Shirin Dias (2 off 11) was bowled by Saranya Kotha. Veera Redkar delivered valuable runs, with a patient 41 off 60 balls, including four boundaries, before being dismissed in the final over. Belgium concluded their innings at 99/6 in 20 overs, and Switzerland’s Meghna Rajan led the tally with returns of 3/6 (4), while Samiha Dabholkar, Danashi Medagoda, and Saranya Kotha bagged a wicket each.
Switzerland in reply were off to a promising start before Arussa Illahi bowled Laila Pickard (9 off 15) in the fourth over, but Franziska Kuenburg anchored the innings with a brisk 40 off 31 balls, including four fours and a six. Ananya Srinivasan (3 off 4) remained not out, and Meghna Rajan, who had already excelled with the ball, contributed with the bat, finishing unbeaten on 17 off 17 balls. Switzerland reached the target in just 12.1 overs, finishing at 100/3 to secure a seven-wicket victory. Franziska Kuenburg was named Player of the Match for her match-winning knock.
Meghna Rajan’s unbeaten fifty leads Switzerland to back-to-back wins
In the second T20I, Switzerland won the toss and elected to field, aiming to restrict Belgium to a low total. Belgium started cautiously but lost their first wicket when Rosemary Lister was run out for just 2 (12) in the fifth over, with the score at 18. Smriti Kaneria, the captain, then was joined by Veera Redkar at the crease. The pair built a steady partnership, with Kaneria scoring 34 off 32 balls before being caught by Millie Holmes off Naina Metty Saju’s bowling at 62/2 in the 10th over.
Arussa Illahi was soon dismissed for a duck, caught and bowled by Samiha Dabholkar, leaving Belgium at 74/3 in the 13th over. Veera Redkar led the innings with an unbeaten 39 off 46 balls, while Sruthi Yenamandra added 10 runs before being dismissed in the 18th over. Belgium posted a respectable total of 131/4 in their 20 overs. Extras played a significant role, with 37 wides and four no-balls adding to the total. Naina Metty Saju (1/37) and Samiha Dabholkar (1/18) were the wicket-takers for Switzerland.
Switzerland in reply had a shaky start, losing Laila Pickard for 6 (10) and Franziska Kuenburg for 8 (11), leaving Switzerland at 20/2. By the sixth over, Switzerland was at 33/3 as Millie Holmes was caught off Sruthi Yenamandra’s bowling for 3. Meghna Rajan and Ananya Srinivasan then took charge, forming an unbeaten partnership of 99 runs.
Rajan played a composed innings, scoring an unbeaten 58 off 55 balls, while Srinivasan supported with 28* (34). Switzerland chased the target with three overs to spare, finishing at 132/3 in 17 overs to secure a second consecutive seven-wicket victory. Meghna Rajan was named Player of the Match for her match-winning half-century.
Franziska Kuenburg and Meghna Rajan were named Players of the Match in the first and second games, respectively. Kuenburg’s commanding 40 off 31 in the first game set the tone for Switzerland’s dominance, while Meghna’s clinical 58 off 55 in the second game solidified Switzerland’s position in both the match and the series.
The third and fourth games of the series will be played on May 29, and it will be interesting to see how Belgium approach the upcoming matches. While Belgium cannot win the home series as the scoreline reads 2-0 in Switzerland’s favor, their best possible outcome would be a series draw, which requires them to win both games.
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