Runs were at a premium at the Royal Chiang Mai Golf Club on Friday as Thailand’s women reasserted their superiority over the Dutch in a match reduced to 19 overs a side after overnight rain delayed the start, winning by five wickets in a low-scoring encounter.
Just 147 runs were scored in 37.1 overs as the hosts chased down the Netherlands’ 73 for seven, the winning run coming from the first ball of the final over.
The Dutch got off to a dreadful start after Naruemol Chaiwai won the toss and put them in, Heather Siegers lofting a catch to Onnicha Kamchomphu at mid-off off the second ball of the second over, bowled by Nattaya Boochatham, and Sterre Kalis, in at three, then standing her ground after playing the ball in front of square, Babette covering the full length of the pitch before having to turn around and run back to be run out by a couple of metres.
Kalis and Robine Rijke staged a partial recovery, getting the total up to 35 with Rijke in particular showing some commendable aggression, but then she too was run out, after she had made 17, as the pair attempted a sharpish single to point.
A string of singles and a second boundary by Kalis took the total to 53 before Iris Zwilling was smartly stumped by Nannapat Khoncharoenkai off Suleeporn Laomi’s bowling, and then Kalis departed next ball, attempting a reverse sweep and trapped in front for 17 by Boochatham.
Neither Annemijn Thomson nor Eva Lynch stayed long as the Dutch ran out of overs, both stumped by Khoncharoenkai off Thipatcha Putthawong and Kamchomphu respectively, but Frédérique Overdijk contributed a cameo 12-ball 10 not out to take the score to 73 for seven.
Boochatham finished with the fairly remarkable figures of 3–1–3–2.
Defending such a modest total the Dutch needed everything to go right, and Zwilling, one of the undoubted successes of the series, played her part, starting with a maiden over to Khoncharoenkai.
But Nattaya Chantham was again on song, and she and Khoncharoenkai, helped by outstanding running between the wickets – consistently one of the most significant differences between the sides – eased their way to 43 from ten overs before the Thai keeper struck Lynch’s first ball after drinks down the throat of Heather Siegers at long on and departed for 21.
Chantham, also on 21, edged a sharp catch to Babette de Leede off Silver Siegers’ next over, and then Chanida Sutthiruang fell to a direct hit from Hannah Landheer in the covers, and Thailand were 56 for three.
Positive batting by Laomi and Rosenanee Kanoh took the total to within four runs of their target with two overs remaining, and a couple of wides reduced the deficit to two.
But then Landheer uprooted Laomi’s middle stump, and after Somnarin Tippoch had levelled the scores she secured another consolation wicket, Kanoh holing out to Rijke at wide mid-on, and it was left to Tippoch to hit the winning run off the first ball of the final over.
Steady bowling by Silver Siegers and Lynch in the middle overs had enabled the Dutch to extend proceedings so far, but in truth Thailand had controlled the match from the outset, and they deservedly took a 2-1 lead in the series with one more to play.
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