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Batters Need To Step Up, Including Myself: Deepti Sharma
Follow UsChasing a target of 187 on a good Lucknow surface, UP lost six wickets inside 10 overs
UP Warriorz (UPW) captain Deepti Sharma wants the top-order to take more responsibility after an 81-run defeat against Gujarat Giants (GG) in Lucknow on March 3 (Monday). The Warriorz have won only two of their six fixtures and are currently at the bottom of the points table. Meanwhile, GG have now climbed to the second spot.
Chasing a target of 187 on a good Lucknow surface, UP lost six wickets inside 10 overs. Chinelle Henry (14-ball 28) did put up some fight but it was never going to be enough. The Warriorz got bowled out for 105 - the third-lowest total in the WPL.
“I thought it was chaseable because the pitch was good to bat on. But we lost back-to-back wickets. Top four or five need to take initiative. Same thing happened in the last match. Hope we don't repeat it in the next two matches. We wanted to focus on partnerships. If someone had played till the end, it would've been chased down. Batters need to step up, including myself,” said Deepti.
The Giants almost had a perfect match but skipper Ashleigh Gardner wants her team to keep improving. Beth Mooney remained unbeaten on 96 off 49 and put on 101 runs for the second wicket with Harleen Deol (32-ball 45). They ended up scoring 186 runs, which proved to be more than enough.
“The game was set up brilliantly by Beth Mooney with a fantastic 96. Unfortunately, she did not get her 100. The partnership with Harleen set up the game and allowed D Dot to finish and our bowlers did a fantastic job again. There's always things you can improve on,” said Gardner.
“In the last 5 overs, you have to limit the dot balls, when you are a new batter it is always hard, maybe give Beth more strike. If anything it was the really nitpicky thing but we did a lot of things right today. Those runs are always good as the other team has to go really hard.”
Mooney was named player of the match. The left-handed batter from Australia said the experience of playing so much cricket at the higher level helped her in this knock. “The way we started with the bat, Harleen and I had that big partnership and had good impetus with Ashleigh and Deandra and hopefully more teams will bat first.
“I have faced a lot of their bowlers in international cricket and the WPL, understood what their plans were. The thing about batting first is to sum up the conditions and I thought Harleen did that brilliantly and got us off to a great start.”
