The Blaze ne dikha diya ki woh kyun Women’s T20 Blast 2025 ke table-toppers hain. Chester-le-Street ke Riverside Ground par Durham Women ke 188/5 ke jawab mein, Tammy Beaumont ki shandaar 81 runs ki innings ne sabka dil jeet liya. Lekin thodi der ke liye ruko – kya yeh jeet itni bhi badi thi? Suzie Bates ne toh 77 runs bana ke Durham ko ek mauka diya tha, phir bhi unki team haar gayi. Yeh match ek aur example hai jahan bade players ke dikhaye hue jalwe chhote sapnon ko chur-chur kar dete hain.
Match ka Scene
Durham Women ne pehle batting ki aur ek respectable total khada kiya – 188/5 in 20 overs. Suzie Bates, jo New Zealand ki ek legend hain, ne 58 balls mein 77 runs thoke, jisme 12 fours shamil the. Unke saath Mady Villiers (36 off 24) aur Bess Heath (45 off 27) ne bhi khoob support kiya. Yeh total dekh ke lag raha tha ki Durham ke bowlers ke paas kuch toh chance hai. Lekin Blaze ke samne yeh sapna jaldi hi toot gaya.
Blaze ki chase shuru hui aur pehli hi over mein Marie Kelly out ho gayi. Lekin yahan se Tammy Beaumont ne apna rang dikhaya. 44 balls mein 81 runs, jisme 11 fours aur 3 sixes shamil the – yeh innings ek masterclass thi. Heather Graham ne bhi 34 not out (21 balls) ke saath saath diya aur Blaze ne 19 overs mein 190/3 bana ke match jeet liya. Durham ke bowlers, jaise Phoebe Turner (1-26) aur Lauren Filer (1-33), ne koshish toh ki, lekin Beaumont ke samne unki ek na chali.
Suzie Bates: Durham ka Unsung Hero
Ab thodi baat Durham aur Suzie Bates ki. Bates, jo 37 saal ki hain, ne is season mein Durham ke liye consistently perform kiya hai. Vitality Blast Women 2025 mein unke 153 runs unhe Durham ke top run-scorer banate hain. Aur yeh koi naya cheez nahi hai – Bates ne New Zealand ke liye 300 se zyada matches khele hain, jisme 2009 World Cup final tak team ko le gayi thi. Unki 168 runs ki innings against Pakistan (2009) aaj bhi women’s ODI cricket ke sabse bade scores mein se ek hai.
Lekin Durham ke liye khelna, ek chhoti team jo table ke 7th position par hai, ek alag challenge hai. Bates ke saath Hollie Armitage (captain) aur Mady Villiers jaise players hain, jo kabhi-kabhi chamakte hain, lekin team ka overall performance inconsistent hai. Is match mein bhi, Bates ke 77 runs ke bawajood, Durham ke bowlers run-flow ko rok nahi paye. Yeh dekh ke dil dukh hota hai ki ek player itna mehnat kare, lekin team ka support na mile.
Tammy Beaumont aur The Blaze ka Dabaav
Ab Blaze ki taraf dekhein. Tammy Beaumont, England ki star opener, ne is season mein aag laga rakhi hai. Metro Bank One Day Cup Women’s Division I 2025 mein unke 311 runs (including ek unbeaten 112 vs Hampshire) unhe Blaze ke top batter banate hain. Yeh wahi Beaumont hain jinhone 2024 mein New Zealand ke against 76 not out (Chester-le-Street hi mein) bana ke England ko 9-wicket se jeet dilayi thi.
Blaze ke squad mein depth hai – Kirstie Gordon (captain), Sarah Glenn, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amy Jones – yeh sab international stars hain. Is match mein bhi, jab Beaumont out hui, Heather Graham aur Kathryn Bryce jaise players ne game ko finish kiya. Blaze ka yeh dominance dekh ke lagta hai ki unhe harana almost impossible hai. Lekin yeh bhi sochne wali baat hai – kya itni badi team ke samne chhoti teams ke paas koi chance bachta hai?
Memorable Matches aur Underdog ka Jadoo
Cricket ka itihas underdog stories se bhara hai. Yaad hai 1983 World Cup, jab India ne West Indies ko hara ke trophy jeeti thi? Ya phir 2007 T20 World Cup, jab India ne Pakistan ke against final mein Misbah-ul-Haq ke scoop shot ke bawajood jeet haasil ki? Aise moments humein yaad dilate hain ki badi teams ke samne bhi chhoti teams lad sakti hain.
Durham Women ke liye bhi aisa hi kuch ho sakta tha. Suzie Bates ki innings usi tarah ki thi jaise Rahul Dravid ki 145 vs Sri Lanka (1999 World Cup) – ek akeli ladai jo team ko jeet tak nahi le ja saki. Lekin yeh innings fans ke dil mein jagah banati hain. Bates ki tarah, Durham ke players ko apne chhote moments celebrate karne chahiye – jaise Mady Villiers ka 85 vs Warwickshire, ya Bess Heath ke quick 45 is match mein.
Durham ka Future aur Ek Chhoti Si Umeed
Durham Women ka season ab tak tough raha hai – 1 win, 4 losses in Vitality Blast 2025. Lekin team mein potential hai. Bates ke experience ke saath, young players jaise Phoebe Turner (top wicket-taker with 9 scalps in One Day Cup) aur Lauren Filer (England seamer) team ko aage le ja sakte hain.
Blaze ke against yeh jeet nahi mili, lekin Durham ne dikha diya ki woh lad sakte hain. Agar bowlers thodi aur discipline dikhayein aur batting line-up consistency laye, toh aage chalke surprises ho sakte hain. Sochiye, agar 2005 Ashes mein England ne Australia ko nahi hara hota, toh cricket ka itihas kitna alag hota? Durham ke liye bhi aisa ek pal aane wala hai – bas thodi si mehnat aur thoda sa luck chahiye.
Antim Vichar
Haan, Tammy Beaumont ki 81 runs ne headlines bane, aur Blaze ki jeet ne unhe table ke top par rakha. Lekin Suzie Bates ki 77 runs ka kya? Woh ek chhoti team ke liye ek badi koshish thi, jo shayad stats books mein nahi chamkegi, lekin fans ke dil mein zaroor rahegi. Cricket ka yeh khel aisa hi hai – ek taraf bade stars aur badi jeetein, aur doosri taraf chhote sapne jo har match ke saath toot-te hain aur phir naye sir se shuru hote hain. Agli baar jab Durham khele, kya woh ek bada upset kar payenge? Ya phir Blaze jaise giants unhe phir se chhote dikha denge? Yeh toh waqt hi batayega, lekin abhi ke liye, Durham ke fans ke dil mein bas thodi si udaasi hai.
