Velocity vs Trailblazers - Match 2

That's it from this one-sided contest. Velocity will be disappointed as their performance was not the best in this encounter. Whereas, Trailblazers would look to repeat what they did in this game and book a spot in the final. That will help the Velocity, wouldn't it? Their net run-rate is so low because of this contest, that even a normal win for Supernovas could take the latter into the final. The Women's T20 Challenge moves onto match 3, which will be played between Trailblazers and Supernovas on 7th November, 2020 at Sharjah. That game begins at 6 pm local (1400 GMT). Do join us for that game. Till then, take care and cheers.  

Sophie Ecclestone is the Player Of The Match! She says that they are a great team and she is enjoying her time. On her bowling, she says that as she was getting some purchase from the wicket, so she kept it simple and tried to keep it straighter. On the Women's T20 Challenge, she says that it is nice to learn from the coach and also they get to know the Indian culture as well as the Hindi language from the Indian players.

Smriti Mandhana, victorious Trailblazers skipper, starts by saying that it was exciting to go out there and get a game. She adds that she wanted to field first and have a good look at the wicket in their first game. The bowling plan, she says, was according to the batters and she just asked her bowlers to keep it back of a length. On spinners, she says that she will take a couple of spinners anytime in her playing XI. Further adds that all the bowlers bowling in tandem is good as they keep on learning from each other.  

Deandra Dottin is in for a quick chat! She says that she just wanted to get the runs quickly as cricket is a funny game. Says that she has been talking to her friends and watching Netflix during the lockdown. Tells that she will rest up and prepare for their next game.

The captain of Velocity, Mithali Raj, starts off by saying that when the wicket is good and when your batters are in good form, you would want to bat first. Adds that she would have liked to have a partnership between Shafali Verma and Dani Wyatt but both of them could not do so. Further adds that there was a complete collapse in the middle. Says that this is just a game to forget. Tells that they will recover on Friday but they will also regroup and analyze. Feels that two matches back-to-back without any preparation is tough but they will cheer the girls up.

There is not much you can say about the bowling performance by Velocity as their batters failed and put up a tame score on the board. Leigh Kasperek managed to get a solitary wicket to her name. Earlier after winning the toss, Mithali Raj opted to bat first and to some extent their openers, Danni Wyatt and Shafali Verma justified her decision. But a misjudgement from Verma opened the floodgates and Sophie Ecclestone ran riot in the Velocity camp. Along with the other bowlers, they bundled Velocity out for a small total of just 47 runs. Overall, a comprehensive victory by Trailblazers.

Chasing 48 was never going to put any pressure on Trailblazers and they did that exactly as they chased it down without breaking a sweat. Opening for them, Deandra Dottin looked a bit rusty early on and why not they are playing after a long long time. Smriti Mandhana though departed after scoring just 6 runs but Dottin and Ghosh ensured that they cross the winning line without any drama. In the end, they won.

TRAILBLAZERS BEGIN THEIR CAMPAIGN WITH A THUMPING WIN WITH 73 BALLS TO SPARE! What a way to start your journey in the tournament. The show put on by the bowling department of the Trailblazers makes sure that they win this game with ease. Sophie Ecclestone was the star with the ball and all the other bowlers complimented her well. A thumping victory to start the tournament.

Sushree Dibyadarshini to roll her arm now.

Ekta Bisht comes onto bowl now.

Dayalan Hemalatha is the new batter in.

Trailblazers lose their skipper in this small chase. Richa Ghosh replaces her skipper out in the middle.

Mithali Raj's Velocity meet Smriti Mandhana's Trailblazers in match 2 of the Women's T20 Challenge in Sharjah. It is a day game and a massive challenge even more so for Velocity, given that they are playing a game just a day before, that too, in the evening. So hardly any recovery time. The Trailblazers have some overseas names in England's Sophie Ecclestone, the no. 1-ranked T20I bowler, West Indian all-rounder Deandra Dottin, Bangladesh captain Salma Khatun, Indian fast bowler Jhulan Goswami and also Thailand's batter Nattakan Chantam. The Velocity are fresh from a thrilling win over the champions, Supernovas and would be reasonably confident. It is relatively difficult to talk about the strengths and weaknesses of a team which is yet to play but the Trailblazers look really strong. Should be a cracking match but spare a thought for the players playing in the heat.

Velocity Team Squad -Danni Wyatt,Meghna Singh,Mithali Raj,Shafali Verma,Veda Krishnamurthy,Devika Vaidya,Shikha Pandey,Sune Luus,Sushma Verma,Ekta Bisht,Jahanara Alam,Leigh Kasperek,Manali Dakshini,Mansi Joshi,Murali Anagha,Sushree Dibyadarshini

Trailblazers Team Squad -Nattakan Chantam,Punam Raut,Richa Ghosh,Smriti Mandhana,Dayalan Hemalatha,Deandra Dottin,Deepti Sharma,Harleen Deol,Nuzhat Parween,Jhulan Goswami,Kashvee Gautam,Rajeshwari Gayakwad,Salma Khatun,Simran Bahadur,Sophie Ecclestone