Women's Under-19 T20 WC: Shafali Verma smokes fifty versus UAE
India women's team skipper Shafali Verma played another fiery knock in her side's clash against the United Arab Emirates in the inaugural ICC Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup. She smoked 78 off just 34 deliveries, a knock studded with 12 boundaries and four sixes. Thanks to her brilliance, India crossed the 100-run mark in just eight overs. Here we look at her stats.
Shafali takes UAE bowlers by storm
UAE won the toss and elected to bowl first at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. The decision didn't turn out to be fruitful as Indian openers Shafali and Shweta Sehrawat added 111 runs in no time. Shafali was the aggressor in the partnership as she found boundaries for fun, completing her fifty off just 26 balls. She eventually fell prey to Indhuja Nandakumar.
Successive explosive knocks for Shafali
Notably, Shafali smashed a match-winning 16-ball 45 in India's opener against hosts South Africa. During her stay, she accumulated 26 runs in a single over which was bowled by pacer Nthabiseng Nini. The dasher, hence, now owns 123 runs in two games at a phenomenal strike rate of 246. Notably, she also picked up a couple of wickets in the opener.
A look at Shafali's T20I numbers
Currently the sixth-ranked batter in Women's T20Is, Shafali has been nothing but sensational in the format. She made her WT20I debut against South Africa in 2019. She has since clubbed 1,231 runs across 51 matches for India Women. She averages 24.62 and strikes at a healthy rate of 134.53. The dasher has struck five half-centuries, with a personal best of 73 versus West Indies.
How did India's innings pan out?
Meanwhile, besides Shafali, her opening partner Shweta Sehrawat also smashed a brilliant fifty. She recorded an unbeaten 49-ball 74, a knock laced with 10 boundaries. Wicket-keeper and number-three batter Richa Ghosh contributed with a 29-ball 49 (5 fours, 2 sixes). As a result, the Indian side posted 219/3 in their allotted 20 overs, the highest team score in the tournament so far.
