Half-centuries from Grace Harris and Tahlia McGrath during a tense victory over Gujarat Giants have booked UP Warriorz a spot in the Women’s Premier League playoffs.
Fellow Australian Ash Gardner made a 39-ball 60 for the Giants and also took McGrath’s wicket, a catch and a run-out in a fine all-round display, but her efforts could not prevent her franchise being eliminated.
Meg Lanning’s Delhi Capitals then thrashed Mumbai Indians by nine wickets in front of a near-30,000-strong crowd in Navi Mumbai to move top of the ladder, with all three teams in contention for direct entry to Sunday’s final.
The Warriorz chased down the Giants’ 6-178 with three wickets and a ball to spare in Mumbai.
Harris hit 72 off 41 balls, exactly maintaining her competition-topping average, and McGrath 57 off 38, her third 50 in the campaign.
The Australian duo put on 78 in 54 balls for the fourth wicket after Warriorz slipped to 3-39 in the power play, with skipper Alyssa Healy first out for an eight-ball 12.
After McGrath was out, Harris accelerated and looked like winning the match with plenty to spare.
But with eight balls remaining and seven needed, she perished to Kim Garth, caught at long-on a ball after lofting her compatriot for six in the same area.
But England’s Sophie Ecclestone kept cool and paddled the penultimate ball for four to ensure Warriorz progressed.
The Giants were the most Australian of the five franchises, but were hampered by losing captain Beth Mooney to injury after one match.
Besides her, Gardner and Garth, they had Annabel Sutherland and Georgia Wareham in their squad and Rachel Haynes as coach.
The result also spelled the end of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s playoff chances with a match to go, condemning Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Erin Burns and coach Ben Sawyer to an early return to Australia.
“Our batting unit held their nerve and got the job done,” Healy said.
“Grace, Tahlia and Sophie are doing amazing things for the bat for us.”
After opening her tournament with a match-winning 59 not out and a last-ball six to beat the Giants, Harris has fallen late in the innings after getting set and said she wanted to be more of a finisher.
“I’d love to finish a game off and still be out there,” she said.
“[The] last couple of games, I’ve got out at the wrong time, so that’s a key learning for next time.”
But McGrath said she loved batting with her compatriot.
“She makes it look easy,” the ICC T20 player of the year said.
“She commentates on her own batting. She’s just a freak.”
Elsewhere, Mumbai Indians were restricted to 8-109, with Marizane Kapp taking 2-13, Shikha Pandey 2-25 and Australia’s Jess Jonassen 2-25.
Capitals knocked off the runs in nine overs, Lanning made an unbeaten 32 off 22 balls but the Australian was overshadowed by the brutal hitting of Shafali Verma (33 off 15) and Alice Capsey (38 not out off 17).
“It was a great game, hard to fault much,” Lanning said.
“Everybody did a role, to chase it down like that was very special.”
AAP
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