Since the inception of the Women’s Asia Cup in 2004, the tournament has witnessed some unforgettable moments from record-breaking moments to underdogs rising to the challenge. The tournament has been played on eight editions so far, four in ODI format and the other four in T20. In this article, we go through the top 10 moments of the women’s Asia Cup over the editions.
1) Mamatha Maben’s 6-fer vs Sri Lanka, 2004:
The first edition of the Women’s Asia Cup was played between India & hosts Sri Lanka in a five-match bilateral ODI format. During the fourth ODI after Sri Lanka elected to bat first, the Indian pacer Mamatha Maben scalped a six-fer against the Islanders, it is also her best bowling figure in the ODI format. She ran after the Lankan batting line-up as they were bowled out for 66 with India eventually winning the match by 10 wickets. She finished with astonishing figures of 6 for 10 in 6.3 overs which included three maiden overs. It was the best bowling figure during the inaugural edition of the Women’s Asia Cup. Till date it is the only six-fer by a bowler in the women’s Asia Cup across editions.
2) India won by 193-run vs Pakistan, 2005/06:
During the second edition of the women’s Asia Cup which was hosted by Pakistan, India registered a 193-run victory over the host Pakistan. After electing to bat first, India put up a monumental total of 289 for the loss of two wickets. Indian opener Jaya Sharma scored an unbeaten 138 which was supported by Anjum Chopra’s unbeaten 186. Both the batters were involved in a 223-run stand for the third wicket. Pakistan’s batting was vulnerable as they were bowled out for 96 with Neetu David topping the bowling chart from India scalping three wickets for seven runs. It is India’s second-largest victory margin in the women’s Asia Cup in the ODI format till date.
3) Mithali Raj’s 73* vs Pakistan, 2016:
The 2016 women’s Asia Cup final was played between India & Pakistan, the sixth consecutive Asia Cup final for India. India elected to bat first and lost their first wicket for a score of 24 in the form of Smriti Mandhana. But a collapse occurred when India lost control from 68 for 1 to 89 for 4 scoring less than run a ball. But it was the former Indian skipper Mithali Raj who’s unbeaten 73 off 65 helped India to a total of 121. Her unbeaten 73 included seven boundaries & a six. India went on to clinch their sixth consecutive women’s Asia Cup title after beating Pakistan in the final by 17 runs. Mithali Raj was named the player of the match for her clutch who was also the player of the series after being the leading run scorer in the 2016 edition.
4) 50th match of the Women’s Asia Cup:
The twelfth match of the 2018 edition was the 50th women’s Asia Cup match. The match was played between India & Sri Lanka. India had come into that match after losing to Bangladesh, their first-ever Asia Cup defeat in the competition. However, in the landmark game, India secured a comfortable 7-wicket victory chasing 108 over the Islanders to secure a top spot in the points table in a historic 50th contest.
5) Bangladesh’s maiden Asia Cup title, 2018:
Bangladesh was hosting the seventh edition of the Women’s Asia Cup which was played in the T20 format. They went to play the final against India on their home soil. Bangladesh had beaten India in the group stages handing their first-ever Asia Cup defeat. But they settled up the tournament by upsetting India in the Asia Cup Final. Bangladesh’s decision to bowl first was justified when they restricted India to a total of 112. But Bangladesh knew chasing it down wouldn’t be that easy with the match going into the last over when they required nine off the last over. The Maiden Asia Cup title was Bangladesh’s way when they held their nerves requiring 2 off the last ball & chasing 113 down. Bangladesh clinched their first-ever title winning the match by three wickets. Rumana Ahmed was the player of the match for her contribution of 23 runs with the bat & two wickets with the ball.
6) Jemimah and Deepti’s 128-run partnership vs United Arab Emirates (UAE), 2022:
India had decided to bat first against the UAE in the group stage match of the 2022 Women’s Asia Cup. But the top order failed to provide a start as India were 20 for three with the UAE bowlers taking charge. It was Jemimah Rodrigues & Deepti Sharma to the rescue for the Indian side. They built a 128-run stand for the fourth wicket before Deepti Sharma was dismissed for 64. Jemimah went unbeaten 75 off 45 balls, following Deepti & Jemimah’s India put up a total of 178 later on winning the match by 104 runs. The 128-run between Jemimah & Deepti is the highest partnership for any wicket in women’s Asia Cup in a T20 format till date.
7) Fariha Trishna’s hat-trick vs Malaysia, 2022:
It was during the 2022 edition of the Women’s Asia Cup that a hat-trick occurred for the first ever time in the Women’s Asia Cup. During the Bangladesh versus Malaysia clash, the Bangladesh pacer Fariha Trishna took a hat-trick. Malaysia were chasing a target of 130 & during the sixth over Fariha took three consecutive wickets of the second, third & fourth ball to grab a hat-trick. Her first & third wickets were in the form of rattling the stumps whereas her second wicket was a LBW. She became the first-ever bowler to take a hat-trick in women’s Asia Cup. Bangladesh registered an 89-run victory in that match as Malaysia were bowled out for 41.
8) Thailand’s victory over Pakistan, 2022:
Thailand pulled off a stunning upset against Pakistan during the 2022 Women’s Asia Cup. It was the tenth match of the 2022 women’s Asia Cup between Thailand & Pakistan when Thailand pulled off their biggest win. Pakistan failed to take the toss advantage scoring 116 after electing to bat first. For Thailand chasing 117 was always going to be tricky, Thailand’s opener’s 61 of 51 helped them to secure a 4-wicket victory against Pakistan. Pakistan failed to top the table as they finished second though they played the semi-final. It was a historic win for Thailand as they made it to their first-ever Asia Cup semi-final though they couldn’t proceed to the finals.
9) Renuka Singh’s 3/5(3) vs Sri Lanka, 2022:
Sri Lanka were playing against India in the 2022 women’s Asia Cup final. It was India’s eighth consecutive final in the women’s Asia Cup. The Islanders decided to bat first but tier openers failed to provide a good start. The Islanders had thought of recovering through their middle-order batters, but Indian pacer Renuka Singh Thakur had other plans. Her first victim was Harshita Samaravickrama who nicked the ball with Richa Ghosh behind the stumps which came in the fourth over. Two balls later Hasini Perera received a golden duck. Renuka Singh struck another wicket in the form of Kavish Dilhari with the Lankan side losing their fifth wicket with just 16 on board. The Lankan side was restricted to a score of 65 with India chasing down the target comfortably & winning the match by 8 wickets. Renuka finished with figures of 3 for 5 in three overs which included a maiden over as well. She received Player of the Match award for her spectacular performance.
10) India won their 7th Asia Cup title, 2022:
After beating the Lankan side in the 2022 women’s Asia Cup final, India won their seventh Asia Cup title. Out of the eight editions of the women’s Asia Cup final India had played all the finals. It was only the 2018 edition where they failed to defend their title when Bangladesh handed them a defeat in the final. In the 2022 Asia Cup final, India secured a 8-wicket victory over Islanders chasing a total of 66 to clinch a record-breaking seventh Asia Cup title.