Hong Kong who began the tournament so brightly ended it with four consecutive defeats. The bowling was pretty good throughout the tournament with different players stepping up each game. But too many batswomen were out of form and not even able to rotate the strike – putting extra pressure on the two players who were making runs.
While Hong Kong’s tight bowling caused a lot of run-outs, in general Hong Kong’s fielding was not on a par with the other teams taking part. And with four pretty evenly matched sides, it’s the little things that make the difference.
After losing to Thailand on the final day of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers Hong Kong finished bottom of the table at the end of the round robin tournament. Thailand won the championship and booked a place in the global qualifiers for the England 2017 World Cup.
Hong Kong had a shaky start to the match, losing three wickets in the first four overs. Moved to the opener, Keenu Gill scored 11 runs from 14 balls.
Captain Mariko Hill scored 11 off the same number of balls, but her short time in the crease was a major blow for the home team.
Playing for the first time in this tournament, Wing-Ki Lai scored 16, while Yasmin Daswani provided 17 runs coming in at number 7.
Thailand Captain and all-rounder Sornnarin Tippoch (pictured) did most of the damage, with 2/11.
Thailand’s chase was strong from the start despite losing a wicket in the third over. Opener Sirintra Saensakorat smashed a team-high 36 including 4 fours.
Eventual Player of the Tournament Sornnarin Tippoch scored 17 to give Thailand a fifth win out of six games in the tournament.
“I think everyone came off the field saying ‘we’ve tried our best’. We put our hearts out to the very end.” said Hong Kong Captain and Batsman of the Tournament Mariko Hill.
“This was my first tournament in Hong Kong. The support was awesome. It means a lot. I have never gotten Batsman of the Tournament before. Mentally, I was never strong. Getting this award, for my batting especially, really puts confidence to myself,” said Hill.
Match Summary
Hong Kong 83/7 (20 overs)
Thailand 86/3 (18.5 overs)
Thailand won by 7 wickets (with 7 balls remaining)
Scoreboard: www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/1059680.html
Additional reporting and image: HK Cricket Association