Warriorz take a giant step

PTI

Bengaluru, March 1

Grace Harris made a smashing fifty that helped UP Warriorz negate a sluggish surface to register a facile six-wicket win over Gujarat Giants in their Women’s Premier League match here today.

Harris (60 not out off 33 balls) and skipper Alyssa Healy (33 off 21 balls) helped Warriorz hunt down 143 in 15.4 overs for their second win in the tournament.

Giants were restricted to 142/5 after left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone (3/20) used a rough deck to her advantage.

Gujarat made a fine start to their innings as Lara Wolvaardt (28 off 26 balls) helped them reach 41 for the loss of skipper Beth Mooney.

But once the powerplay ended, the Giants slipped into a period of hibernation, going without a boundary for 23 balls, and the dismissal of Wolvaardt too did not help their cause.

It required a forceful 52-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Phoebe Litchfield (35 off 26 balls) and Asheligh Gardner (30 off 17 balls) to add a touch of respectability to their total.

Brief scores: Gujarat Giants: 142/5 in 20 overs (Litchfield 35, Gardner 30; Ecclestone 3/20); UP Warriorz: 143/4 in 15.4 overs (Harris 60*, Healy 33; Kanwar 2/23). — PTI

Small tweak & Shafali’s in good mental space

Bengaluru: Big-hitting batter Shafali Verma says she has made minor adjustments to her approach towards the game in the last one year, which is helping her convert good starts into big knocks in the ongoing Women’s Premier League. Verma struck a half-century and stitched a second-wicket stand of 82 runs with Alice Capsey (46) as Delhi Capitals defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by 25 runs here on Thursday night. “Last time in the WPL, I was getting out in the 30s or 40s. Those knocks taught me a lot. I think because of that, now I want to convert a 30 or 40 into a 50,” Verma said. “The main change is a slight adjustment in my mindset.”

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