The first quarter-final of the Asian Games 2023 took place on Thursday, September 21, between the Indian women’s cricket team and Malaysia at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou. Unfortunately, the match was interrupted by rain and ended without a result.
The quarter-final clash between the Indian and Malaysian women’s cricket teams in the Asian Games 2023 occurred at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou. Rain interruptions prevented a conclusive result, but the Indian women’s team advanced to the semi-finals. Due to the rain, the match was reduced to 15 overs per inning. The Indian women’s cricket team will now compete in the semi-final match on Sunday.
Shefali Verma’s Record-Breaking Performance
In their innings, the Indian team got off to a strong start. Shefali and Smriti Mandhana opened with a partnership of 57 runs in just 5.2 overs. Smriti Mandhana contributed 27 runs before the match was halted in the sixth over due to rain, leading to a reduction in overs.
Following the interruption, Shefali and Jemima assumed control of the Indian innings, forming an outstanding partnership of 86 runs for the second wicket. Shefali Verma emerged as the top scorer for the Indian team, amassing 67 runs in 39 balls. Her innings included 4 fours and 5 sixes. With this half-century, she became the first female cricketer to achieve this milestone in the Asian Games.
In the same match, she also set a world record as the youngest player to hit 50 T20 International sixes. Jemima finished the match unbeaten, scoring 97 runs from 29 balls. Richa Ghosh played an aggressive inning, contributing 21 runs from 7 balls, helping India reach a total of 173 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 15 overs. Malaysia’s Mas Alissa and Mahira Izzati Ismail each took 1 wicket in their bowling spells.
The Malaysian team had only faced 2 balls when the match was halted once again due to rain. As a result of continuous rain, the umpires made the decision to conclude the match.