The ICC Women’s Qualifier Europe 2019 got off to an exciting start on the opening day with wins for the Netherlands and Scotland. The event is a double qualification and offers the opportunity to achieve both the T20 World Cup qualification for women and the CWC qualification for women for ICC.
Scotland started successfully with a convincing performance against T20I debutants Germany. The Scots opted for the first field and put pressure on early by bowling and fielding in the inner circle. The Germans had to work hard for each run, as they could hardly be in the double-digit powerplay.
The introduction of spin led to the fall of the first wicket as Abtaha Maqsood (2/3 of 4) bowed one point at a time, resulting in pressure that destroyed the odds. Priyanaz Chatterji (3/5 of 4) was the center forward with a thrifty bowling player. Germany really wanted to play through its 20 overs and finished the tournament with 37 for 8.
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ICC Women’s Qualifier Europe 2019 – Scotland vs Netherlands.
Knowing that net play could play a role in this event, Scotland tried to improve their score in power play, with kicker Sarah Bryce (19 * out of 16 balls) crossing the line in the first round. The young German bowler Emma Bargna (2/21 out of 3) was the first player of the German women to take a wicket in a T20I when she made Lorna Jack the fifth ball of the innings and as captain Kathryn Bryce from Scotland was followed by more joy caught shortly thereafter. The Scots remained undeterred as they headed for victory in the sixth game, following the required runs with eight wickets in their hands.
The afternoon game between rival Scotland and the Netherlands promised a fiercely competitive duel. The Scottish captain Kathryn Bryce won the litter again and sent the Netherlands in the bat. Sterre Kalis (24 of 31 balls) and Heather Siegers (25 of 21 balls) started with an opening partnership of 47 before Chatterji (1/25 of 4) made the breakthrough. Denise van Deventer (35 of 33 balls) anchored the innings for the Dutch and built up successive partnerships with the Dutch medal.
The spin was again successful for Scotland as Rachel Scholes (2: 26: 4) prevented the Netherlands from scoring higher. Samantha Haggo (2: 15 of 3) and Katie McGill (2: 9 of 2) played closely for Scotland, and a flood of late wickets limited the Dutch score to 123 for 8 out of their 20 overs.
ICC Women’s Qualifier Europe 2019 – Netherlands vs Germany.
Scotland had made a flying start and used some loose balls in the early overs to score a score of 32 in 4 overs on top of the first wicket. The move to Caroline de Lange (1/18 of 4) marked a turning point in the innings as a series of point balls put pressure on the Scottish batters. Heather Siegers (2/10 of 4) made an important statement to bring the Dutch back under control as the game looked like it was running out.
Becky Glen (23 of 21 balls) battled positively with the middle order as frontiers were hard to beat. A string of foothills saw the Scottish innings falter as Priyanaz Chatterji (26 of 26 balls) did her best to get her team over the line. Scotland needed 13 runs to clinch the final victory, but bowler Heather Siegers kept her nerves, conceding just five runs and scoring two more goals. Scotland ended up with 8 runs behind the overall number.
In tomorrow’s games, the Netherlands play against Germany in the morning and against Scotland in the afternoon. Germany wants to remain competitive, while the Scottish team wants revenge on their Dutch rivals.
