By Our Reporter
Shillong, Oct 10: In a spirited display of cricketing prowess, Meghalaya’s U-19 women’s team put up a valiant fight but was ultimately defeated by Pondicherry by 131 runs in their BCCI Women’s U-19 One Day Trophy match held in Surat today.
The Meghalaya team, coming off a demoralizing loss in their opening match by ten wickets, showcased marked improvements in various aspects of their game.
The highlight of the match was their performance with the ball, as they successfully bowled out Pondicherry for 228 runs in 43.4 overs. Despite the loss, this spirited bowling effort demonstrated the team’s determination to bounce back.
In reply, Meghalaya’s batting lineup faced a challenging target but displayed resilience. While three batters managed to get starts, the team was eventually dismissed for a total of 97 runs in 33.5 overs during their chase.
Kambesa A Sangma emerged as the all-round success story for Meghalaya. She played a pivotal role by taking 3 wickets for just 32 runs with the ball and contributed significantly to the team’s batting effort by remaining unbeaten at 18 runs after coming in at No. 9.
Meghalaya’s bowling attack showcased its depth as a total of nine bowlers were utilized during the match. Among them, Fennysha Nongrum impressed with figures of 2/31, while Abiezer Kharsyiem claimed 2/36, including the crucial wicket of Pondicherry’s centurion, E Kavisha. Jayshree Singh delivered an economical spell, taking 1/6 in her four overs, and Ankita Sharma contributed with a wicket, securing 1/49.
With the bat, Jayshree and Ankita formed a valuable partnership of 43 runs for the third wicket, with Jayshree scoring 17 and Ankita adding 18 runs.
This partnership provided stability to the innings, albeit at a slower pace, considering the loss of two early wickets within the first five overs. However, apart from the impressive performance by Kambesa, the lower order struggled, leading to the team being bowled out for less than 100 runs.