Series: Americas World Cup Qualifiers Sep 2021
Venue: Reforma Athletic Club, Naucalpan
Format: T20I
Toss: Canada
Result: Canada by 72 runs
Canadian Bats Dominate the Afternoon
In the second of the two matches at the Reforma Athletic Club Canada’s batters had none of the issues with the pitch witnessed in the morning game. On the back of Divya Saxena’s run-a-ball 70 in her debut, the Canadians took full toll of some wayward bowling from Argentina.
Kamna Mirchandani won the toss for Canada and had no thought other than to bat first. It was slow going initially, understandably, given that it was over two years since either team had played international cricket. That was evident with both the slow scoring and the extras given away.
Mariana Martinez bowled with some fire but struggled with her front foot, then a wide. Fellow opener Alison Stocks soon had issues with wides and this allowed the Canadian openers to settle in without great risk.
On debut, Divya Saxena (70*) was unhurried and didn’t score he first run until the 4th over. Achini Perera (28) was a little more adventurous and the pair put on 50 by the 8th over. Perera fell to Tamara Basile 1-19 when the score was 74 but her job was done, getting the team off to a good start. Miryam Khokhar (5) came and went, while Saxena began to accelerate and brought up her fifty in the 18th over. A runout on the last ball saw Canada finish with 134/3, helped by the bonus of 29 extras.
New ball pairing for Canada Saniyah Zia (3-9) and Hiba Shamshad (1-8) were simply too difficult for the Argentinians to get away and the innings continued in that manner for the duration. Hala Azmat (1-8) and her off-breaks were likewise difficult to score from.
Only the skipper, Veronica Vasquez (19), reached double figures but those runs came from 47 deliveries. Hers was the 9th wicket to fall after having opened the batting. Vasquez was dismissed on the last ball of the innings, Argentina finishing with 69/9, falling short by 72 runs in a lopsided result. Divya Saxena (70*, 1-12) was an easy choice for Player of the match.
Scores:
Canada 134/3 (Divya Saxena 70*, Achini Perera 28, Tamara Basile 1-19) 20 overs
Argentina 62/9 (Veronica Vasquez 19, Saniyah Zia 3-9, Hiba Shamshad 1-8, Hala Azmat 1-8) 20 overs
Player of the Match: Divya Saxena