“Her maturity is beyond her years and she’s got the work ethic, she’s only gonna get stronger and fitter over time.” Gujarat Giants head coach Michael Klinger on first impression of Shabnam Shakil.
Gujarat Giants led by skipper Beth Mooney somehow managed to keep their qualification hopes hanging on a knife’s edge with an eight-run victory over UP Warriorz.
The Gujarat Giants led by skipper Beth Mooney won the toss and opted to bat first. The openers Laura Wolvaardt and skipper Beth Mooney got them off to a good start with a 60-run opening partnership, surviving past the powerplay phase of the innings. However, Laura Wolvaardt departed in the 8th over of the innings. Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone provided the first breakthrough for UP Warriorz.
The Giants kept losing wickets at regular intervals and eventually ended up with a competitive total of 152/8 in their quota of overs. Skipper Beth Mooney (74 off 52 balls) and Laura Wolvaardt (43 off 30 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Gujarat Giants. Deepti Sharma (4-0-22-2) and Sophie Ecclestone (4-0-38-3) were the top performers with the ball for UP Warriorz.
Chasing a tricky total of 153, UP Warriorz got off to a horrible start, losing their top order inside the powerplay and finding themselves in deep trouble at 16/4 in the fourth over of the run chase. The 16-year-old pacer Shabnam Shakil triggered the collapse. She eventually ended her spell with exceptional match figures (4-0-11-3) in her spell.
“Yeah, to be honest at her age and her skills, we are actually trying to simplify everything for her. All we ask her to do is hit the stumps as often as she can and we don’t wanna make anything more complicated than that. Over the next 12 months as I said, we’ll work with her on developing the slower ball and a couple of different variations that’s gonna make her even better. Shabnam Shakil has got swing, she’s got decent pace as a 16-year-old it’s only gonna get quicker and she’s strong, so there’s a lot of benefits there for her and we’re very lucky to have her in our side.” Gujarat Giants head coach Michael Klinger speaks about giving an opportunity to the 16-year-old exciting pace bowling prospect.
The duo of Deepti Sharma and Poonam Khemnar put on a spirited effort with a 109-run stand for the 6th wicket to take their side closer to the target, but eventually failed to get their side over the line, falling short of the target by eight runs. Deepti Sharma (88 off 60 balls) and Poonam Khemnar (36 off 36 balls) were the top performers with the bat for UP Warriorz.
“I have worked hard on my power-hitting by making small changes. I’ve tried to hit the big shots, with a stable backlift in practice sessions, so I think those small things have helped me in my batting, because of which I’m able to hit those big shots.” Deepti Sharma speaks about working on her power-hitting skills. Her tally of runs included nine boundaries and four maximums. Courtesy of their victory against UP Warriorz, they live to fight for another day in the ongoing 2nd edition of the Women’s Premier League.