Sports
Meet the Women’s Asia Cup teams: Thailand, UAE, Nepal and Malaysia
Eight countries will compete for the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 over ten days in Dambulla. Hosts Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are joined by Thailand, Nepal, UAE and Malaysia, all of whom qualified by topping their respective groups in the ACC Women’s Premier Cup 2024.
Thailand
Thailand are one of the emerging teams to watch in women’s cricket. They beat Pakistan in the previous Asia Cup, in 2022, and made the semi-finals for the first time. They now have a new head coach – Nitish Salekar, who took over from Harshal Pathak in January 2023 – and a new captain in 20-year-old Thipatcha Puthawong , whom they are looking at as a long-term leader.
Their batting mainstay Natthakan Chantham picked up an ACL injury during the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in May and had surgery last month. Naruemol Chaiwai, their regular captain, is also injured. As a result, Thailand’s depth could get tested in this Asia Cup.
hey made their maiden T20 World Cup appearance in 2020, but missed the next two editions, and won’t be part of this year’s event in Bangladesh either. Impressive performances in this Asia Cup could give Thailand confidence with many young players in this squad fast-tracked from their Under-19 setup – Putthawong being the prime example.
Thailand are grouped with Bangladesh, Malaysia and Sri Lanka in Group B.
Key player: Chanida Sutthiruang
Over the past couple of years, Sutthiruang has transformed from a fast bowler who could chip in as a lower-order bat into a reliable allrounder. A knee injury limited her bowling in 2021 but a fully-fit Sutthiruang was the fourth highest wicket taker in the T20 World Cup qualifier in May. In Salekar’s words, she has been “batting as well as she ever has” and is one of the batters to watch in Chantham’s absence.
Thailand squad: Thipatcha Putthawong (capt), Suwanan Khiaoto (wk), Nannapat Kocharoenkai (wk), Nattaya Boochatham, Onnicha Kamchomphu, Rosenan Kanoh, Phannita Maya, Chanida Sutthiruang, Suleeporn Laomi, Kanyakorn Bunthansen, Nannapat Chaihan, Sunida Chaturongrattana, Chayanisa Phengpaen, Koranit Suwanchonrathi, Aphisara Suwanchonrathi
Malaysia
Malaysia finished runners-up to UAE in the ACC Women’s Premier Cup. The players prepared for the Asia Cup with the five-team Malaysia Super Women’s League – a domestic T20 tournament featuring players from Malaysia, Thailand, Bhutan, Nepal, Singapore, Hong Kong, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain – in May.
Malaysia are led by Winifred Duraisingam, who has experience of playing with some of the world’s top players in the Fairbreak Invitational tournament in 2022 and 2023. She is their third-most capped T20I player and only one of two Malaysian batters with over 1000 runs in the format. With 47 wickets, she is also their leading wicket-taker, and finished the Super Women’s League joint third on the bowlers’ charts.
Before the Women’s Premier Cup, Malaysia blanked Kuwait 3-0 at home. They are in Group B along with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Key player: Elsa Hunter
Hunter, 19, has taken giant strides after making her international debut at just 13. She is already Malaysia’s fourth-highest scorer in T20Is and her unbeaten 69 off 53 balls helped them beat Nepal in the semi-final of the Women’s Premier Cup. She was the Player of the Match in the final of the Super Women’s League, where she captained Western Wonder Women to the title. She has also earned a contract with the New South Wales Breakers for Australia’s 2024-25 domestic season, having been in their pathway programme for a few years now.
Malaysia squad: Winifred Duraisingam (capt), Aina Najwa (wk), Elsa Hunter, Mas Elysa, Wan Julia (wk), Ainna Hamizah Hashim, Mahirah Izzati Ismail, Nur Arianna Natsya, Aisya Eleesa, Amalin Sorfina, Dhanusri Muhunan, Irdina Beh Nabil, Nur Aishah, Nur Izzatul Syafiqa, Suabika Manivannan
Nepal
Nepal are making their third appearance in the T20 Asia Cup. They were semi-finalists in the Women’s Premier Cup as well as the T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier in September 2023.
Nepal are led by Indu Barma, who captained Northern Queens in the Malaysian Super Women’s League. Their players were also in action in the Laliput Mayor Women’s Championship where allrounder Sita Rana Magar shone for the winners APF Women. Barma’s strike rate of 176.92 was the best for any batter in the competition.
Nepal are in Group A, along with India, Pakistan and UAE.
Key player: Rubina Chhetry
Chhetry is the most capped Nepal woman with 55 appearances and is second in their list of run-getters and wicket-takers in T20Is. She captained Nepal in 46 matches before stepping down in November 2023. In their Women’s Premier Cup match against Maldives, Chhetry scored an unbeaten 118 in Nepal’s record 227 for 4, becoming their first player to score a century in women’s T20Is.
Nepal squad: Indu Barma (capt), Sita Rana Magar, Rajmati Airee, Rubina Chhetry, Dolly Bhatta, Mamta Chaudhary, Kabita Joshi, Kabita Kunwar, Kritika Marasini, Puja Mahato, Bindu Rawal, Roma Thapa, Sabnam Rai, Samnjana Khadka, Kajal Sreshtha (wk)
United Arab Emirates
UAE head into the competition having lost their promising left-arm fast bowler Mahika Gaur to England. They were Asia Cup newbies in 2022 and were one of the busier teams in the lead-up to this tournament, but their entire Quadrangular T20I series – featuring Netherlands, Scotland and USA – at home was washed out due to flooding in Dubai.
They won the Women’s Premier Cup in February but lost to Sri Lanka in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup Qualifier in May. They have won eight of their 11 matches so far this year. In captain Esha Oza, they have the leading run-getter in women’s T20Is in 2024, and teenage legspinner Vaishnave Mahesh has 16 wickets this year. She could be a handful against the top sides – India, Pakistan and Nepal are also in Group A – in Dambulla.
Key player: Threetha Satish
The wicketkeeper-batter is one of only three UAE players with over 1000 runs in women’s T20Is, and just one of two – Oza being the other – to have a strike rate over 100 among current players. She impressed with her glovework and attitude behind the stumps at the inaugural Under-19 T20 World Cup last year and will look to give UAE fast starts at the top of the order.
UAE squad: Esha Oza (capt), Theertha Satish (wk), Emily Thomas, Samaira Dharnidharka, Kavisha Egodage, Lavanya Keny, Khushi Sharma, Indhuja Nandakumar, Rinitha Rajith, Rishitha Rajith, Vaishnave Mahesh, Suraksha Kotte, Heena Hotchandani, Mehak Thakur, Rithika Rajith
[Cricinfo]
Sports
Koggala Export Processing Zone, marks International Women’s Day 2026, with Volleyball Extravaganza on Friday
The BoI’s Koggala Export Processing Zone (KgEPZ), boasting of a workforce of nearly 11,000, proudly marks its 35th year with vibrant celebrations of sports and unity.
To mark International Women’s Day 2026, the Industrial Relations Department of KgEPZ has organizing its 5th Day and Night Women’s Volleyball Tournament, a signature event dedicated to empowering and encouraging the zone’s female workforce. The tournament will take place from 09.30 AM onwards on Friday (06) at the BOI grounds Koggala.
This year, 10 talented women’s teams representing enterprises within the zone will compete under lights in a spirited display of teamwork, strength and sportsmanship. Adding further excitement to the event will be a special men’s exhibition match between Unichela (Pvt) Ltd and ATG Handcare (Pvt) Ltd. The tournament not only promotes physical well-being but also strengthens camaraderie among employees.
The main sponsor of this year’s event is ATG Handcare (Pvt) Ltd, with past sponsorship support from Star Garment Group, ATG Handcare (Pvt) Ltd and People’s Bank. At last year’s tournament, the Aitken Spence team emerged victorious, setting high expectations for another thrilling encounter this year.
On Saturday, New Zealand had nervously tuned into Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, wondering if they could sneak into the semi-final. Matt Henry was on the way back home from Colombo for the birth of his second child. New Zealand’s build-up to the semi-final was just as uncertain as they waited anxiously for their bowling spearhead to return. On Wednesday, their performance in the semi-final was anything but uncertain as they KO’d South Africa, who were unbeaten until this game, and launched New Zealand into their second men’s T20 World Cup final.
After their attack welcomed Henry back and limited South Africa to 169 for 8 on a slower-than-usual Eden Gardens track, Finn Allen took centerstage and crashed a 33-ball century, the fastest ever in a men’s T20 World Cup, to make a mockery of the chase. Just as Allen was soaking in his sensational century in the middle, Tim Seifert, the other half of New Zealand’s Bash Brothers, pumped his fist in the dugout. New Zealand completed the demolition job with nine wickets and just more than seven overs to spare.
Mitchell Santner handed the new ball to offspin-bowling allrounder Cole McConchie in the second over, and he aced his match-up, taking out the left-handed pair of Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton in the only over he bowled.
De Kock threw the first punch at McConchie when he swiped him over mid-on for four. McConchie then punched back next ball by darting one into the pitch and having de Kock pop a catch to mid-on for 10 off eight balls. It was the third time in five innings that de Kock was dismissed by an offspinner in this competition.
Rickelton, at No.3, had a crack at an offbreak next ball and ended up slicing a cut to short third for a golden duck. Brevis then avoided the hat-trick, but McConchie, the 18th player included in New Zealand’s T20 World Cup squad, had done his job.
With the two left-handers gone and the powerplay done, Santner introduced himself into the attack and conceded just three runs off the seventh over. The New Zealand captain helped offset the damage caused by a 17-run powerplay over from Jimmy Neesham, who had replaced legspinner Ish Sodhi.
Rachin Ravindra then struck in his first over, tossing up one at Aiden Markram’s stumps and having him caught at long-on for 18 off 20 balls. Daryl Mitchell charged in from long-on, dived forward and plucked it inches from the ground. Replays suggested it was touch-and-go, but Nitin Menon, the TV umpire, eventually ruled it as a clean catch.
After dropping Markram on 3 at midwicket, Ravindra enjoyed redemption with the ball.
Against the left-handed David Miller, Ravindra hiked his pace and aimed to hide the ball away from his swinging arc. Ravindra could have had Miller on 3 but Glenn Phillips, believe it or not, dropped a catch in the outfield. Miller added three to his tally before chipping Ravindra to Mitchell at long-off for a regulation catch. Ravindra finished with 2 for 29 in his four overs, extending his own tournament tally to 11. Among spinners, only Varun Chakravarthy, the No.1-ranked T20I bowler, has more wickets than him in this T20 World Cup.
Dewald Brevis flickered briefly for 34 off 27 balls before he was undone by the slowness of the Eden pitch. He jabbed at a drive early and ended up spooning Neesham to Santner at cover. South Africa were 77 for 5 at that point.
Marco Jansen then combined with Tristan Stubbs for a 73-run partnership for the sixth wicket – a new record for South Africa in men’s T20Is. Despite the clatter of wickets, Jansen showed his power and composure. After charging at Ravindra, his former team-mate at Washington Freedom in the MLC, and lofting him for six, Jansen lined Henry up for a no-look six over wide long-on.
He reached his half-century off 27 balls, with a six off Neesham, and finished with his T20I career best of 55 off 30 balls, including two fours and five sixes. Lockie Ferguson snapped the stand in the 19th over when he castled Stubbs for 29 off 24 balls with a nifty legcutter from around the wicket. Henry then closed out the innings with a six-run over, which also included the wickets of Corbin Bosch and Kagiso Rabada. Jansen’s half-century, though, gave South Africa’s attack something to bowl at.
That something soon turned into next to nothing once Allen took off in the chase as the dew set in at Eden Gardens. Allen faced 33 balls and sent 18 of those to or over the boundary. Rabada tried his legcutter, Lungi Ngidi dipped into his slower dipper, Jansen tried to bang it away on a hard length and Bosch offered pace, but nothing worked against Allen.
After reaching his fifty off 19 balls, Allen stormed to his ton off 33 balls. Allen shattered Chris Gayle’s previous T20 World Cup record of a 47-ball hundred against England in 2016.
It was Seifert who had made the early running, contributing 41 of the 62 New Zealand had scored in the first five overs of their chase. In the final over of the powerplay, Allen carted Bosch for a sequence of 6,4,4,4,4 as New Zealand finished with 84 for 0. It was the second-highest powerplay score in this T20 World Cup and the highest powerplay score across all knockout games in the T20 World Cup.
From thereon, it was all about Allen and his brute power. If this was a bat-off for an IPL opening spot at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Allen won it emphatically. South Africa found some respite when Rabada removed Seifert for 58, but Allen finished it off in grand style at Eden Gardens, in the company of Ravindra, another Knight Rider.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 173 for 1 in 12.5 overs (Finn Allen 100*, Tim Seifert 58, Rachin Ravindra 13*; Kagiso Rabada 1-28) beat South Africa 169 for 8 in 20 overs (Aiden Markram 18, Quinton de Kock 10, Marco Jansen 55*, Dewald Brevis 34, Tristan Stubbs 29; Matt Henry 2-34, Cole McConchie 2-09, Lockie Ferguson 1-29, James Neesham 1-42, Rachin Ravindra 2-29) by nine wickets
[Cricinfo]
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first in the first semi-final at Eden Gardens
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (capt), James Neesham, Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, 11 Lockie Ferguson
South Africa: Aiden Markram (capt), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi
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