Day four of the ACC Women’s Premier 2014 saw wins for Hong Kong and Nepal which meant that four teams are now level on four points at the top of the table. Thailand and China are unbeaten after their first two matches, but Hong Kong and Nepal have both now gained their second wins in three matches.
These four teams were the four semi-finalists in the last ACC Women’s Championship so it is perhaps not surprising that they now all have a considerable advantage over Bhutan and Iran who have each lost all three matches, but Bhutan did well to give Nepal a competitive match at Gymkhana.
Bhutan had lost six wickets with only 50 runs on the scoreboard but from that position Nepal had to work extremely hard to complete victory. A partnership of 50 for the seventh wicket exactly doubled the score and Bhutan batted out their 40 overs to finish on 103 for 7.
Nepal were suddenly and unexpectedly in trouble on 37 for 4 as their reply began badly but Mamta Thapa steadied the innings with 20 and Nepal captain Rubina Chhetry saw her side home to victory by five wickets with an unbeaten 31.
Hong Kong’s victory over Iran was much more emphatic as the margin of 159 runs would indicate but the match at Royals produced two outstanding individual performances from Yip Tze Wan and Marina Lamplough.
Hong Kong’s experienced opener made 82 to take her side to a total of 197 for eight even though Iran managed five run outs as they tried hard in the field, and then 14-year-old Marina showed the benefits of bowling full and straight as she took a wicket with her first ball and finished with outstanding figures of 5 for 4 and Iran capitulated for just 38.