WPL 2023 Delhi Capitals v UP Warriorz blog: McGrath’s knock in vain as Lanning and Co win by 42 runs
Recap of match No 5 in WPL 2023, where DC take on UPW.
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TOSS: Alyssa Healy opts to bowl, Shabnim Ismail replaces Grace Harris
First innings: DC 211/4 after 20 overs
Second innings: UPW 169/5 after 20 overs
WPL 2023 is here finally: Of Harry, Harris and happiness at Women’s Premier League being a reality
That will be all for this blog. Two interesting matches coming up. Tomorrow, one between two teams yet to win (GG vs RCB) and the next with two teams yet to lose (MI vs DC)
Player of the match: Jess Jonassen for all-round brilliance.
On Thursday: A cracking match awaits us!
Marizanne Kapp giving herself a tough time for her bowling... for figures of 1/29 on a batting paradise.
Alyssa Healy: Can take some positives too. No regrets in the XI, Ismail bowled well. We are loose in the field and too many runs at the death. If we had kept them to 180 we had a chance.
UPW 169/5 after 20 overs: Tahlia McGrath has played a blinder but barely got any help from the other end. She finishes unbeaten on 90 off 50 balls with 11 fours and four sixes. But DC win by 42 runs.
Arundhati Reddy has been giving it her all in the field and she will finally get a over
UPW 155/5 after 19 overs: Another huge over... but nearly not enough for UP. McGrath starts off with three fours, Simran hits one more to finish it. But DC’s job is done. 4-0-43-3 for Jonassen.
UPW 137/5 after 18 overs: McGrath continues to pepper the boundaries. Superb in that Kapp over. The match is all but over though.
UPW 120/5 after 17 overs: WICKET! Third for Jonassen who has probably sealed her player of the match award. Easy catch for Radha this time at long on. Vaidya c Yadav b Jonassen 23 (21 balls)
UPW 113/4 after 16 overs: Using all her experience to finish a good spell. Terrific from Shikha Pandey today. Used the wide yorker well. Capsey too finishes her spell well. The boundaries have dried up for the most part.
UPW 103/4 after 14 overs: UPW won their first match solely because of an absolute freak innings by Grace Harris. Wonder how they decided after that to go with a batting lineup without her and with Deepti Sharma and Devika Vaidya at No 5 and 6... think don’t think we even need hindsight for that. Just rotating to have 8 runs in that over.
UPW 95/4 after 13 overs: Glorious down the ground six from McGrath off Radha, but again, 11 runs is below par. UP surely can’t think having Deepti and Devika at 5 and 6 is ideal in a T20. Dropping Harris looks even more ridiculous now.
UPW 84/4 after 12 overs: Good over for UP, but despite 12 runs coming off it, it is below par. Vaidya with a nice lofted shot over cover for four and McGrath follows suit too.
UPW 72/4 after 11 overs: Shikha Pandey went for 9 in the first over, 3 runs and a wicket in the next 2 overs.
UPW 71/4 after 10.1 overs: WICKET! Oh, what a cath. Even better than the one from Navgire earlier. This was flat, fast and away from her. Dives forward superbly. End of Deepti’s struggle. Sharma c Yadav b Pandey 12 (20 balls)
UPW 71/3 after 10 overs: Warriorz really need more than a last-ball single from Deepti here if they stand a chance here. Another four for McGrath in that Capsey over.
UPW 63/3 after 9 overs: With Rodrigues, mic’d up, saying the pitch will get easier to bat on and there’s not much for spinners, McGrath takes on Jonassen for six and four. Great call that.
Jonassen continues.
UPW 51/3 after 8 overs: A timeout called. Deepti really can’t afford to be batting at sub-60 strike rate here, despite the wickets. At least run-a-ball is bare minimum. Good over from Capsey.
UPW 46/3 after 7 overs: A desperately needed big over for UP. McGrath needs to play a blinder here if they have any chance. Two fours for her in that Norris over and one for Deepti too.
Norris into the attack after her Five-Tara performance.
UPW 33/3 after 6 overs: Wicket maiden from Kapp. Followed by just 2 runs in Pandey’s over. What a turnaround after 22/0 in 2 overs.
UPW 31/3 after 4.2 overs: WICKET! Wow, RCB-esque from UP this. Terrific from DC. Shweta finding life hard at this level. Edged behind. Sehrawat c Bhatia b Kapp 1 (6 balls)
UPW 31/2 after 3.5 overs: WICKET! Two in one over for Jonassen and Navgire pays the price for going too hard too early. Was all height, no distance. Capsey takes the catch. Navgire c Capsey b Jonassen 2 (2 balls)
UPW 29/1 after 3.3 overs: Four, dot, wicket. Jonassen can do no wrong today it seems. A shortish ball to start but gets Healy out with a flighted one outside off. Healy c Yadav b Jonassen 24 (17 balls)
UPW 25/0 after 3 overs: A much-needed quiet over for DC. Three off Kapp’s second.
UPW 22/0 after 2 overs: Correction, two boundaries for Healy in that over. The other given leg byes. Kapp will continue.
UPW 22/0 after 2 overs: Healy off to a flier! Three boundaries in Shikha Pandey’s over. That dismissal in Australia is but a distant memory on evidence of that. Another pull, one more lofted down the ground.
UPW 9/0 after 1 over: Healy doesn’t miss out on short of length stuff. Two fours off the first two balls, as Kapp errs on length. Better line and length to Shweta as she gets out of the over better.
Healy and Sehrawat in the middle again for UP
DC 211/4 after 20 overs: What a finish. JJ and Lil J. That’s a nice name for this partnership. Brilliant partnership down the order, a six for Jonassen and four for Rodrigues in Sharma’s last over.
DC 195/4 after 19 overs: Both Rodrigues and Jonassen should have been caught and now they are pushing DC past 200. A six and four from Jonassen to start that McGrath over (The six a huge one!) and then Rodrigues finishes with two overs.
DC 176/4 after 18 overs: DROPPED! Oh dear UP. Rodrigues hits one to Gayakwad and again that should be taken. Next ball Jonassen hits a superb shot down the ground for four off Ecclestone. 4-0-41-1. UP haven’t helped themselves.
DC 166/4 after 17 overs: DROPPED! Vaidya has had a poor night on the field. That really should be taken at this level. Jonassen had just hit a super six over extra cover and she should be back in the dug out now.
DC 153/4 after 16 overs: The DC XI would be understandable if they were hard-pressed for bowling options but they have so many ways to bowl out the 20 overs even if they pick another batter. They might still post a winning total here but it feels like an unnecessary gamble.
DC 153/4 after 16 overs: Deepti Sharma does her usual thing of pulling away from her bowling action. Jemimah Rodrigues pulls aside immediately after. We are here for this. A good over by Deepti spoiled by an inside edge for four for Jonassen.
Jonassen is a good batter, rarely gets to bat for Australia. But the Delhi batting depth is going to be tested here. They had space for another batter.
DC 147/4 after 15 overs: Ismail finishes with 4-0-30-1 and solely because she ran into Meg Lanning. Bowled actually quite a terrific spell.
DC 144/4 after 14.2 overs: WICKET! And that is why Healy brought Ismail back. Not good game awareness by Capsey, could have played that over out and feasted later. Capsey c Ecclestone b Ismail 21 (10 balls)
Shabnim Ismail is about to be bowled out.
DC 143/3 after 14 overs: Another big over for DC. Capsey hits a slog sweep for six, as Cross tells us how she is good friends with Ecclestone. Sarvani could have done better in the boundary line, but it is adjudged six. Good rotation by Rodrigues after that.
DC 130/3 after 13 overs: DC continue to go at 10 RPO. A four each for Capsey and Rodrigues in that McGrath over.
DC 120/3 after 12 overs: Capsey gets going with a six. Watch out for this teenager, a special talent.
DC 112/3 after 11.3 overs: WICKET! And that’s a big one. Lanning was looking set for a massive score here. Slightly shorter length from Gayakwad but it straightens a bit, quicker too. A “NO!” from Lanning. She is out playing a square cut, of all shots. What an innings. Lanning b Gayakwad 70 (42 balls)
DC 106/2 after 11 overs: Even Ecclestone can only laugh. This is unreal gap-finding by Lanning. Two more boundaries and she has raced to 64 off 39 balls
DC 96/2 after 10.2 overs: WICKET! And Ecclestone strikes. The ball didn’t sound right off Kapp’s bat and indeed the edge goes to Deepti at long off. She is not missing those. Kapp c Sharma b Ecclestone 16 (12 balls).
DC 96/1 after 10 overs: A misfield for four at the start of the over spoils what was otherwise tidy stuff from Deepti.
Deepti Sharma to bowl to Marizanne Kapp.
DC 87/1 after 9 overs: We are not far away from restart, waiting to see if we lose overs. Shouldn’t, I think
Covers are coming off, as per reports from the stadium.
Rain stops play: Seems strong enough at the moment. This might be a long-ish break.
RAIN STOPS PLAY: ...and it’s raining now. DC: 87/1 (9 overs)
DC 79/1 after 8 overs: Meg flying. A six off Ecclestone, making the most of the field dimensions again. Past long leg and it flies over the ropes. Reaches her half century again,
DC 79/1 after 8 overs: DC sticking with Kapp at No 3 despite an early wicket. Thought might be Jemimah. Finally we have Deepti and Kapp nails a shot through extra cover for four.
DC 71/1 after 7 overs: WICKET! With Grace Harris on mic, Tahlia McGrath takes the first wicket and she chuckles ‘T-Mac can keep her place!’ What a brilliant catch in the deep by Kiran. Verma c Navgire b McGrath 17 (14 balls)
DC 62/0 after 6 overs: Lanning square of the wicket masterclass once again! Incredible batting. Three fours in Gayakwad’s first over. A four for Verma too.
DC 45/0 after 5 overs: It was Shane Watson I think who once said he will not spare a bowler if they are given three overs in the powerplay. Too easy to line up. Precisely what happens. Lanning goes after Ismail big time, a six and two fours. Just backing the pace to do the work.
DC 29/0 after 4 overs: WOW! Massive six from Shafali Verma off Anjali. Into the stands, doesn’t matter where the boundary rope is. 81m.
DC 18/0 after 3 overs: 122.9 kph bouncer from Shabnim Ismail to Meg Lanning. Flies past the helmet. How good. Next ball though, a leading edge from Lanning goes for a straight six. Ah, cricket. Even Lanning has a laugh. Ismail has bowled 12 balls, 10 of those dots, the other two for a four and six.
DC 12/0 after 2 overs: Terrific pull shot by Lanning for a four as Anjali starts from the other end. Kept Shafali Verma quiet though.
DC 4/0 after 1 over: That was as good as you could have hoped for a contest with two of the best in the world. Couple of lovely deliveries shaping away, beating the outside edge. Lanning then opens the face of the bat deftly for a four, should have been fielded better by Sehrawat.
Shabnim Ismail has the new ball, a green pitch and one of the greatest ever batters on strike in Meg Lanning.
Speaking about DC’s opening victory, the Skipper Lanning said, “It was a great start for us. It was good fun to bat with Shafali. She set the tone for the team. Everyone was excellent on the field as well. I also thought Tara was excellent. She bowled on the stumps and was very effective.”
DC captain Lanning on match-winning partnership against RCB – ‘Good fun to bat with Shafali’
Throwback: We will get to see Shikha Pandey vs Alyssa Healy again today.
Team news:
DC XI: Meg Lanning (c), Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Jemimah Rodrigues, Alice Capsey, Jess Jonassen, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Tara Norris
UPW XI: Alyssa Healy (wk/c), Shweta Sehrawat, Kiran Navgire, Tahlia McGrath, Deepti Sharma, Simran Shaikh, Devika Vaidya, Sophie Ecclestone, Shabnim Ismail, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad
Pre-match: “It might not look like but I have been working on my strength. Hopefully I can get there soon,” says Shabnim Ismail on hitting the 130 kph mark. She was terrific at the World Cup, and will be great to watch her in action today on what seems to be a pitch with help for pacers.
Toss: Alyssa Healy wins the toss and she says the grass covering makes her want to bowl first. Shabnim Ismail comes in... hang on, for Grace Harris. Wow.
Pitch report: There has been rain around in Navi Mumbai and the pitch was covered until a while. We are also told this is a fresh pitch. Might be the first match for Shabnim Ismail... indeed so, she is being given the cap.
06.55 pm: Hello and welcome to our live blog of the Women’s Premier League. It’s match No 5 and it’s a clash between two Aussie captains.
It’s an Indian league, sure, but the Australian presence has been unmissable. And tonight we get our first two Aussies going head-to-head. It could have been match No 3 but with Sneh Rana stepping in for Beth Mooney, that didn’t happen. Today, we have the second consecutive national captain vs vice captain clash. After Harmanpreet Kaur vs Smriti Mandhana, it is Meg Lanning vs Alyssa Healy. It’s Delhi Capitals vs UP Warriorz.
Photos / screenshots in the blog courtesy: wplt20.com and JioCinema