CricketMcGrath-Harris Guides UP Warriorz To Playoffs With A Clinical Win Over Gujarat Giants |WPL 2023|
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McGrath-Harris Guides UP Warriorz To Playoffs With A Clinical Win Over Gujarat Giants |WPL 2023|

Cricket
20 Mar 2023
Sarvesh
An excited match was on cards between UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants with so much on the stake. For Warriorz, victory meant ticket to the playoffs, for Giants, it was a fight to stay alive in the race of playoffs. A high class batting attack led McGrath-Harris has sent UP Warriorz to the playoffs.

UP Warriorz came on top with three wickets in hand, all credit to clinical batting display from Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris. Chasing 179, Warriorz were in sorts of trouble when they lost 3 for 39, similiar to Giants who were 3 for 50 in the powerplay.

McGrath was hitting fours like almost on her will, while Harris as usual played the crucial knock with finest quality of batting on display. Commentators were so impressed by her batting, that one moment, Rohan Gavaskar even mentioned that there should a league named Harris Shield after her name.

A fitting end to a high scoring match that has its own ebb and flow. Gujarat Giants won the toss and decided to bat first. After Giants started their innings on a flier, Warriorz bowled intelligently in last two overs of the powerplay, picking three key wickets and haulting the momentum.

The equation was simple for Giants, win by big margin to keep their qualification hopes alive. And the duo of Ash Gardner and Hemalatha did the job in the middle overs. Both of them scored half century with a strike rate over 150.

Despite loosing too many runs in the middle overs, Warriorz looked happy to end the innings well, concerning only 12 runs in last two overs and picking key wickets.

Giants had the exact start they needed with the ball, getting out Warriorz captain Healy early on in the innings then dismissing next two batters within the powerplay.

It was class of Tahlia McGrath, she kept hitting boundaries while Harris took her time to settle at the crease. Both together added 79 runs in the next 8 overs before Gardner made swung the match is Giants’ favour by removing McGrath.

Warriorz needed 61 off 36 after McGrath-Harris had their time together on the crease. As one departed, the other took control and played some of finest strokes all around the ground.

Boundaries every over was what Warriorz needed and she did actually the same as long as she was at the crease. She finished with 72 off 41 balls, losing her wicket after putting Warriorz right at the victory door.

Giants needed to defend 7 runs off last over which was too much to ask for at Brabourne Stadium. In the end, Sophie Ecclestone scored the victory runs for UP Warriorz just as she did in the previous match.