We have seen a lot of impressive bowling performances in the inaugural WPL season so far. Despite the high-scoring games, whenever the pitch has had something to offer for the bowlers, their performances have been top-notch. It all started off when Tara Norris, a player from an associated nation (USA), picked up the first-ever 5-wicket haul in the WPL in just the 2nd game of the inaugural season against RCB.
Marizanne Kapp’s Wickets – Final Contact
On a fresh pitch, the Gujarat Giants skipper Sneh Rana won the toss and opted to put the runs on the board. A fresh pitch meant that there would be some help for the seamers. The South African all-rounder Marizane Kamp was given the first over by the DC skipper Meg Lanning to try and exploit the conditions on offer for the pacers. She immediately found success as she got rid of S Meghana with a yorker-length ball on off and a little bit of swing knocking her off stump back. In her very next over, she got another breakthrough in the form of Laura Wolvaardt, bowling it a lot fuller, and the ball nipped back in sharply and knocked back the top of the leg stump.
She struck twice in two balls, the ball-shaped sharply back in from outside off to ping Gardner on the back leg to send her back. With Kamp looking in ominous rhythm, skipper Lanning gave her a third over on the trot, inside the powerplay. There were no halts to the “Kapp Express” that night as she stuck to her immaculate lines and lengths to pick up her fourth scalp. Breaching the defence of Sushma Verma from a good length, with a ball nipping back in, she picked up her fifer in just the 7th over of the inning, leaving the Giants in deep waters.
Tara Norris Wickets – Final Contact
RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana won the toss and chose to field first against DC in a batter’s paradise. They piled up a huge total (223) on the board. Tara Norris comes on to bowl in the 11th over of the chase and strikes in her very first over, picking up the big wicket of Ellyse Perry with a ball that caught the inside edge and went onto the stumps. A maiden WPL wicket to remember for Norris With the required rate picking up, the batter trying to clear the ropes to a short delivery down leg ends up giving a straightforward catch to backward square leg, giving Norris her 2nd wicket in the over.
Richa Gosh perished in a similar fashion, trying to up the ante, getting too close to the pitch of the ball, and ending up not getting the required timing on the ball to clear the ropes. Caught on the long line, to give Tara Norris her third victim. On the very next ball, she got rid of Kanika Ahuja, a very soft dismissal to a delivery short and wide that was there to be punished. Kanika ended up slicing it straight to the short third to give her the fourth scalp of the match.
Conclusion
With a slower ball that was marginally short, Knight looked to smash it to the boundary but didn’t get her elevation right due to the lack of pace. Lanning holds on to an easy catch, allowing Tara Norris to complete her fifer, making her the first woman to pick up a five-wicket haul in the WPL. Despite the batters having all the fun and having a good time in the inaugural edition of the WPL, the bowlers too are making their presence felt, with some excellent spells throughout the season.