Healy shines as UP Warriorz demolish RCB

Mumbai, March 10: Skipper Alyssa Healy led from the front with a scintillating 47-ball 96 not out as UP Warriorz hammered Royal Challengers Bangalore by 10 wickets in the Women’s Premier League here on Friday.
During her unbeaten knock, Healy smashed 18 fours and a six en route to leading the UP franchise to its second win of the tournament, even as RCB suffered their fourth straight defeat to dent their prospects of advancing further.
Healy’s 96 not out is the highest individual score in the WPL thus far, bettering teammate Tahlia McGrath’s 90 not out. UPW completed the task with as many as 42 balls remaining.
Chasing a modest target of 139, UP Warriorz were off to a brisk start with the opening duo of Healy and Devika Vaidya (36 not out off 31 balls) finding boundaries at will.
This was after UP Warriorz spinners Sophie Ecclestone and Deepti Sharma gave away very little while striking at regular intervals to bowl out RCB, who opted to bat first, for 138 in 19.3 overs. Ellyse Perry top-scored for RCB with a 39-ball 52.
Seasoned English left-arm spinner Ecclestone finished with incredible figures of 4/13 in her full quota of four overs, while Deepti ended with 3/26.
Such was the onslaught by Healy that the Warriorz raced to 55 in six overs, before a strategic timeout was taken.
Healy was dealing in boundaries and initially she was particularly severe on off-spinner Shreyanka Patil, who leaked 24 runs in her first two overs thanks to the flurry of boundaries by the Australian star.
Medium pacer Komal Zanzad gave away 22 runs in her first two overs as the two UP batters meant business, with Devika playing perfect second fiddle to the aggressive Healy while also maintaining a strike rate of over run a ball.
Having conceded just two runs in her opening over, medium pacer Renuka Singh faced Healy’s onslaught when she came on to bowl again, giving away 18 runs as the Australian picked four boundaries on the trot to inch closer to the target. (PTI)