66 not out, 5/15; Kerala U-23 captain Najla stars in big win over Meghalaya

An all-round performance from captain Najla CMC helped Kerala secure an impressive victory over Meghalaya in the Women’s U-23 One Day Trophy. Batting first, Kerala made 263/7, to which Meghalaya’s reply ended at just 84 runs.

Skipper Najla was instrumental in Kerala’s 179-run victory, scoring an unbeaten 66 runs and taking five wickets for 15 runs.

Deciding to bat first at the CAP Ground in Puducherry, Kerala's openers provided the team with a solid start. Diya Gireesh and Malavika Sabu built a partnership of 70 runs before the latter was run out for 23 runs. Diya continued the momentum and formed a 45-run partnership with Vaishna MP. However, Diya was bowled by M Singh in the 21st over after scoring 60 runs. Vaishna didn’t last long and was dismissed by Inda for 44 runs.

Kerala’s middle order collapsed after that, with the team losing three quick wickets. Ananya K Pradeep, Isabel, and Niya Nazneen came and went, all being dismissed within the span of four overs.

Skipper Najla stood her ground and kept the scoreboard moving with help from Ajanya TP. Together, they added 59 runs to the score before M Singh claimed Ajanya’s wicket. Soorya Sukumar joined the skipper and took Kerala to 263 runs. Soorya scored an unbeaten 20 runs, while Ajanya made 29.

M Singh and Rubi Chetri were the pick of Meghalaya’s bowlers, each claiming two wickets.

Meghalaya's batters were unarmed against a fierce Kerala bowling attack. Soorya struck in the second over to dismiss opener M Lyndgoh for a duck. Suriti and Ankita S tried to contain the damage and defended against Kerala’s bowlers for 20 overs. Their 48-run partnership was the highest for Meghalaya in the game.

The breakthrough came in the 23rd over when a direct throw from Najla dismissed Suriti. She scored 18 runs. Niya claimed Ankita’s wicket in the next over after adding 22 runs.

It was a march of orders for Meghalaya’s batters after that. Najla led the attack by taking five wickets, while Aleena, Niya, and Soorya each took one wicket.

Brief Scores: Kerala 263/7 in 50 overs (Najla CMC 66 not out, Diya Gireesh 60, Vaishna MP 44; Rubi Chetri 2/43, M Singh 2/53) beat Meghalaya 84 all out in 38.4 overs (Ankita S 22, Suriti 18; Najla CMC 5/15)