Day 9 Wrap: Rwanda beat West Indies in low-scoring thriller; India win crucial encounter
Ever-improving Rwanda down West Indies
Toss: West Indies won the toss and chose to bat
Result: Rwanda won by four wickets
Rwanda snared their second big scalp of the U19 World Cup as they got the better of West Indies.
Disciplined bowling from Rosine Irera and Henriette Ishimwe frustrated West Indies openers as they were kept to 11/0 in the first four overs. Hereafter, leg-spinners Zurufat Ishimwe (2/20) and Sylvia Usabyimana (4/20) utilised the wicket’s turn by pitching the ball up.
They were aided by some erratic batting aimed at upping the scoring rate, reducing the batting team to 49/5 at the halfway stage. Two West Indies batters were stumped in their pursuit of dominating the spinners.
The introduction of Marie Tumukunde (4/8) in the 11th over further helped the West Indies slide, the team were 58/8 after 12.3 overs. West Indies were eventually bowled out for 70.
In contrast to Rwanda, West Indies backed their pacers during the Powerplay overs. This bore immediate rewards, with Jahzara Claxton (1/16) and Jannillea Glasgow (1/16) reducing the African team to 13/2.
Cynthia Tuyizere (12 from 21) and Gisele Ishimwe (31* from 53) gave the batting team some stability with a partnership of 19, but the West Indies spinners wreaked havoc in the middle overs. Rwanda slipped from a stable 32/2 to 40/6 in a space of 22 balls.
Hereafter, Gisele and Irera (8* from 14) kept their calm and helped Rwanda overhaul the target. Their intentful running was assisted by a few errors on the field by West Indies.
Chopra spins India to big win in important game
Toss: India won the toss and chose to bowl
Result: India won by seven wickets
After a difficult game against Australia yesterday, India came back with a resounding win against Sri Lanka to boost their chances of making the semi-finals.
India got off to a dream start, with Titas Sadhu (1/10) and Mannat Kashyap (2/16) reducing Sri Lanka to 8/2 within the first two overs. The duo bowled probing lengths through the Powerplay overs, restricting Sri Lanka’s scoring options while also inducing mistakes. Kashyap got rid of Dewmi Wijerathne (2 from 10) in the sixth over to ensure that India were in the driving seat at the end of powerplay overs.
It was all Parshavi Chopra (4/5) in the middle overs as the leggie ripped apart Sri Lanka’s middle order to leave them reeling at 44/7. Tight bowling in the death overs meant that Sri Lanka were 59/9 at the end of their innings.
In pursuit, India put their foot on the pedal from the first ball. Shafali Verma (15 from 10) and Richa Ghosh (4 from 2) went for their shots and lost their wickets in the process.
This didn’t alter India’s approach, and they knocked off the runs in 7.2 overs. Soumya Tiwari (28* from 15) was India’s highest scorer, as Wijerathne (3/34) was the only Sri Lanka bowler to make her mark.
Post this result, India sit atop Group 1 of Super Six with a NRR of +2.844.
