Edgbaston mein ek zabardast match hua jab Birmingham Bears Women ne Durham Women ko Vitality Blast Women’s mein dho daala. Davina Perrin ne apni class dikhayi aur Laura Harris ne 16-ball fifty maar ke sabko hila diya. Durham ki star Suzie Bates ne all-round khel ke dil jeeta, par Bears ki power ke aage woh bhi haari.
Toss aur Scene
Warwickshire, yaani Birmingham Bears Women, ne toss jeeta aur pehle batting chuni Edgbaston ke ground pe, jahaan pehle batting waali team ka average score 144 hai aur 27 T20I matches mein 18 jeete hain. Pitch balanced thi, thodi swing aur spin ke liye help thi. Mausam thoda cloudy tha, 16–18°C, thodi si baarish ka chance, par match full-on hua.
Bears ka Batting: Perrin ki Class, Harris ka Toofan
Bears ki shuruaat thodi slow thi, Durham ke bowlers, Suzie Bates aur Lauren Filer, ne shuru mein pressure banaya. Par Davina Perrin ne apni class dikhayi, gaps mein shots khel ke run banaye aur innings ko sambhala. Usne Sophia Turner ke against back-to-back boundaries maare, par Mady Villiers ke ek shandaar catch ne uski 32-run ki innings khatam ki.
Phir aayi Laura Harris, aur usne toh literal aag laga di! 16 balls mein fifty—Vitality Blast ka ek dum fast knock! Harris ne Durham ke bowlers ko koi mauka nahi diya—Bates ho ya Katie Levick, sabko cover drives aur pulls se dhun diya. Ek X post mein likha, “Laura Harris Edgbaston mein toofan laayi hai! 17-ball fifty aur Durham ke bowlers bebas!” Thodi si exaggeration thi, par 16-ball fifty bhi kamaal thi. Abbey Freeborn aur Emily Arlott ne bhi thodi help ki, aur Bears ne ek bada score khada kiya, Durham ko full pressure mein daal diya.
Durham ka Jawab: Bates ki Ladaai, Par Haar
Bada target chase karna tha, aur Durham ki umeed thi Suzie Bates, jo New Zealand ke liye 10,000 se zyada white-ball runs bana chuki hai. Bates ne shuruaat se hi cover drives aur shots maar ke Bears ke bowlers Issy Wong aur Georgia Davis ko pareshaan kiya. Captain Hollie Armitage ke saath 105-run ki partnership banayi, aur 63 balls mein apna half-century banaya. Par Charis Pavely ki ball pe Freeborn ne usko 72 pe stumped kar diya, aur yeh turning point tha.
Armitage ne bhi 46 runs banaye, par Emily Arlott ne usko point pe catch karaya. Phir Durham ka middle order gir gaya. Mady Villiers ne thodi ladaai ki, par Mia Rogers (11), Bess Heath, aur Phoebe Turner jaldi out ho gaye. Georgia Davis aur Hannah Baker ne spin se Durham ko bandh diya, aur Davis ke direct-hit run-out ne Katherine Fraser ko bhi out kiya. Grace Thompson ne thodi koshish ki, par Durham target se bohot peeche reh gaya. Bates ne balling mein bhi wickets liye, par Harris aur Perrin ke aage unka koi chance nahi tha.
Star Players
- Laura Harris (Bears): 16-ball fifty, Durham ke bowlers ko toh bas maar hi di.
- Davina Perrin (Bears): 32 runs, solid khel ke innings set ki.
- Suzie Bates (Durham): 72 runs aur wickets, par team ko jeeta nahi saki.
- Georgia Davis (Bears): 3/27, Durham ke middle order ko tabah kiya.
- Hollie Armitage (Durham): 46 runs, Bates ke saath achhi partnership, par critical time pe out.
Match ka Asar
Yeh jeet se Birmingham Bears Women ne dikhaya ki woh Vitality Blast Women 2025 mein bade contenders hain. Harris ka toofan aur Perrin ki solidity unki strength hai. Durham ke liye Bates aur Armitage hope dete hain, par unka middle order weak hai. Villiers aur Phoebe Turner ko aage badhna hoga, aur spin trio—Villiers, Levick, aur Fraser—Surrey aur The Blaze jaise teams ke liye threat ban sakte hain. Bears apna yeh form continue karna chahenge.
