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Gujarat Giants registered a thrilling 10-run win over UP Warriorz in a high-scoring encounter of the Women's Premier League (WPL) in Navi Mumbai on Saturday, with Georgia Wareham producing a fine all-round performance to earn the Player of the Match award.
Wareham played a crucial cameo with the bat, scoring 27 off just 10 balls, which included one four and three sixes. She also made an impact with the ball, finishing with figures of 2/30 from her four overs. "Awesome start to the tournament. These tournaments are about momentum. For everyone to chip in with all aspects, it was awesome. It was a pretty flat wicket, so the bowlers did a good job (to get these many wickets). Nice to get a couple of wickets (myself)," Wareham said at the post-match presentation, according to ESPNcricinfo. Wareham also spoke about the key dismissal of Meg Lanning, which came at a crucial juncture of the match. "Pretty certain it was pad-first. Moons (Beth Mooney) thought so too. Meg was a really key wicket at that point," she said. Batting first, Gujarat Giants posted a big total of 207/4. Captain Ashleigh Gardner led from the front with a composed yet aggressive knock of 65 off 41 balls, striking six fours and three sixes. Her innings laid the foundation for Gujarat's strong total on a good batting surface. "It was a fantastic game for everyone who came out and watched. Knew we needed more than 200 (around the 12-over mark). Plenty of learnings with bat and ball. Fielded well and that was probably the difference," Gardner said after the match. Gardner also praised young Anushka Sharma for her calm approach in the middle. She scored 44 off 30 balls, including seven boundaries. "She is such a talent. To spend time out in the middle... she keeps it simple and for a young player, to be brave enough to do that, amazing to be at the other end," she said. Discussing her bowling decisions, Gardner admitted the challenges of managing resources on a flat wicket. "We were searching for overs a bit. I didn't bowl overly well. I can throw the ball to anyone (and have confidence in them because of the several good options we have). As a captain and bowler, it gets difficult to set fields (when Litchfield is going). We had to take lots of wickets, which we did and nice we have a W on the board," she explained. In reply, UP Warriorz fought hard but fell just short, finishing on 197/8. Despite the loss, captain Meg Lanning took several positives from the contest and praised the quality of cricket on display. "It was a great game. Lots of positives, although would've loved to win. The Giants batted extremely well. Did not execute as well as we would have liked. Tough wicket to bowl on," Lanning said. She also spoke about her bowling unit and the experience of having Sophie Ecclestone in the side. "Most of the bowlers can bowl at any point. She is so experienced, knows her game and nice to play with her on the same side. Very good cricket from both sides. It was good for batting. Need to find a way with the ball to restrict as well as we can," Lanning added. (ANI)
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