Iqra Sahar is Hong Kong’s latest cricket hat trick hero as hosts make Women’s T20I series final
- Sahar follows in footsteps of Kary Chan to help bowl Nepal out for 56 before Natasha Miles and Shanzeen Shahzad seal chase in a mere nine overs
- Win sets up final against Tanzania on Sunday
Iqra Sahar followed in the footsteps of skipper Kary Chan, claiming another hat trick for the home side in the Hong Kong Women’s T20I series to help bowl Nepal out for 56 before Natasha Miles and Shanzeen Shahzad sealed the chase in a mere nine overs.
Hong Kong’s second commanding win in as many days secured their place in Sunday’s final, where they will face Tanzania, who bowled Japan out for 28 to win by 111 runs in the morning game.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Nepal were pegged back early when Maryam Bibi fired in a throw from backward point to find Puja Mahato out of her crease.
Standing back to Sahar, keeper Lemon Cheung noticed Samjhana Khadka batting out of her crease and ran up to the wickets to get her stumped, giving Sahar her first wicket of the day. The right-arm seamer’s next ball was an outswinger, which Kajal Shrestha could only manage to nick through to Cheung.
Sahar did not need any help for her next wicket, sealing her hat trick by bowling Nepalese skipper Indu Barma with a searing yorker to leave the visitors reeling at 5 for four in the third over.
“I was very happy to get my first hat-trick against a good opposition,” said Sahar after winning the Player of the Match Award.
“We played as if we were 12 or 14 people and that’s why we won,” she added.
Rubina Chhetry was the only Nepalese player to offer any meaningful resistance, hitting four boundaries in her 25 before she chopped off-spinner Ruchi Venkatesh onto her stumps. Following Chhetry’s dismissal, Nepal’s last two wickets could only muster another eight runs as they were bowled out with two overs to spare in their quota of twenty overs.
Unsurprisingly, head coach Andy Cottam was full of praise for Sahar, and hailed his side’s all-round improvement.
“Getting wickets with the new ball is her job and she’s done it twice in two days,” he said.
“We were a lot tidier than we were [against Japan]. It makes a big difference when you’re not giving away free runs and extra balls.
“If you look at us from a month ago [to now], our batting has improved, our bowling has improved and our fielding has improved.”
Before Sunday’s final, Hong Kong and Tanzania will square off in a dress rehearsal on Saturday, the final day of group stage action.
