There is officially a traffic jam in the WPL points tale.  A day after RCB qualified for the playoffs, Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Jemimah Rodrigues  led her team over the line in a tense and hard-fought chase to extend Mumbai Indians’ (MI) losing streak to three games in a row. That means all four teams apart from  RCB now have four points each after DC lifted themselves off the bottom to push Gujarat Giants down to fifth.

Chasing 155 on a slow Vadodara track, DC saw Rodrigues walk out needing 71 off 58 balls. The MI bowlers then dried up the boundaries by taking the pace off on a pitch keeping a little low as well and forced Rodrigues and Laura Wolvaardt to mostly trade in singles and doubles. Rodrigues, however, kept finding the boundaries – square and behind square – to bring the equation down to a more comfortable 27 from 18. She placed the ball in the gaps for three more boundaries before Marizanne Kapp  smoked a six to seal victory with an over to spare.

MI were earlier restricted after another slow powerplay with the bat. Once the openers failed again, Nat Sciver Brunt did the heavy lifting once more with an unbeaten 65 after Harmanpreet Kaur fell for 41, as Shree Charani’s 3 for 33 dented MI while they looked to press the pedal. But the total wasn’t enough as almost all DC batters got going and Rodrigues scored her maiden fifty of the season and as WPL captain.

In Windhoek, Sri Lanka strode to 267 for 5, with Vimath Dinsara hitting 95, and Chamika Heenatigala hitting 51. That pair put on a 100-run partnership for the fifth wicket, but there had also been a solid contribution from Kavija Gamage, who made 49. Ireland seamer Oliver Riley who took 2 for 51, dismissing top-scorer Dinsara and also Viran Chamuditha, who had made 192 in the last match.

But Ireland were timid in response. Behind the required rate from early in the piece, they also lost frequent wickets. They were struggling at 66 for 2 in the 19th over, but were soon 96 for 6 in the 27th over, the match essentially having slipped away. They were eventually dismissed for 161 in the 41st over. The right-arm seamers did the damage for Sri Lanka, Rasith Nimsara taking 3 for 29, and Dulnith Sigera claiming 4 for 19.

This victory puts Sri Lanka at the top of Group A, with a Net Run Rate of 3.090 – the best in the tournament so far.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka Under 19s 267 for 5 in 50 overs  (Vimath Dinsara 95, Kavija Gamage 49,  Chamika  Heenatigala 51*; Oliver Riley 2-51) beat Ireland Under 19s  161 in 40.1 overs  (Callum Armstrong 39;  Rasith Nimsara 3-29,  Dulnith Sigera 4-19) by 106 runs

(Cricinfo)

South Africa monstered the Tanzania side over in Windhoek, Muhammed Bulbulia and Jason Rowles hitting hundreds to get South Africa to 397 for 5, before their bowlers blasted Tanzania out for 68.

Tanzania had begun encouragingly, although South Africa were always scoring quickly. They had taken two South Africa wickets inside the first 14 overs, and had South Africa at 93 for 2 at one stage. But then Bulbulia and Rowles came together, to take the game rapidly away from the opposition, with a 201-run partnership that came off 176 balls.

Rowles was the more aggressive of the pair in the end, clobbering five sixes and ten fours in his 125 not out off 101 deliveries. Bulbulia hit one six and ten fours in his run-a-ball 108. Paul James also produced a rollicking finishing knock, crashing five sixes and two fours in his 46 off 18.

Tanzania could not get off the blocks in the chase. South Africa took their first wicket in the second over, and just did not stop striking, the wickets spread between all five bowlers used.

Rowles added to his outstanding performance by claiming two wickets for 14 with his left-arm spin. Bayanda Majola also took two wickets, for six runs.

Brief scores:

South Africa Under-19s 397 for 5 in 50 overs (Jason Rowles 125, Muhammed  Bulbulia 108, Jorich Van Schalkwyk 47, Paul James 46; Simba Mbaki 2-85) beat Tanzania Under-19s 68 in 32.2 overs (Simba Mbaki 17; Bayanda Majola 2-6, Jason Rowles 2-14) by 329 runs

(Cricibfo)