Coming to the match, India posted a massive total of 358 after Harmanpreet Kaur had won the toss and opted to bowl first. Harleen Doel scored her maiden international century whereas Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, and Jemimah Rodrigues scored half-centuries.

In reply, Hayley Matthews became the first female West Indies player in history to have scored a century against India in ODIs, but could not get enough support from teammates as the visitors got bowled out for 243.

The total of 358 was the joint-highest total by India in history of Women’s ODI cricket, as they have matched the same score against Ireland at Potchefstroom in 2017. This also marks the first time India crossing the 350-run mark in an ODI match at home.

Last week, India set a total of 217 against West Indies at Navi Mumbai. It was also the highest ever score mad in the game since 2016 World Champions in the shortest form of the game.

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Athapaththu hit 15 sixes in 2023 and amassed 470 runs at a strike rate of 130.91 in the Twenty20 format.

Beth Mooney, an Australian wicketkeeper-batter, will be positioned behind the stumps.

Mooney was instrumental in helping Australia win the T20 World Cup and secure the championship. She scored 410 runs at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 120.58 during the ICC event. The Australian got off to a great start in 2023, scoring 46 runs against Pakistan.

With 586 runs at an average of 45, South African batter Laura Wolvaardt finished second in the 2023 T230 World Cup in terms of run scoring. In East London, Wolvaardt began the year with an undefeated 42-run innings against the West Indies. As the Proteas mounted a World Cup push, she continued to be consistent, scoring three straight fifties.

With 700 runs at an average of 63.63 and a strike rate of 132, Caribbean batting all-arounder Hayley Matthews had an incredible year and was the most prolific run scorer in the 20-over format. In 2023, she also grabbed 19 wickets at an economy of 6.84.

In the T20I series, the West Indies captain also gave a great performance against Australia, scoring 99*, 132, and 79 to help her team win handily.

In the T20 format in 2023, England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt amassed 364 runs at a strike rate of 136 and an average of 15.50. In 2023, she demonstrated herself to be among the top female cricket players. She hit 40 runs from 34 balls in the T20 World Cup semi-final match against South Africa, which enabled England advance to the tournament’s championship match.

Amelia Kerr, a bowling all-rounder from New Zealand, was one of the top young players in the 20-over format in 2023, amassing 365 runs at the bat and taking 12 wickets with her leg spin.

Ellyse Perry, Ash Gardner, and Megan Schutt from Australia were also included in the ICC’s best-playing eleven. In 2023, Perry maintained her aggressive approach at bat, scoring 319 runs in 10 innings with a 45.57 average and a 151.18 strike rate.

Over the course of the season, Gardner scored 234 runs at a strike average of 121.24, 110 of which came during the T20 World Cup. However, in the 20-over format, Schutt proved to be too formidable for any batsman, claiming 21 wickets at a pace of 15.57, or just 6.81 runs per over.

With 11 wickets at the end of the T20 World Cup, English spinner Sophie Ecclestone had the most of any player participating. During the 2023 T20 World Cup, Ecclestone performed brilliantly and supported England in numerous ways.

Deepti Sharma was the only India included in the team. The batting-allrounder made 106 runs in the T20Is.

Women’s T20I Team of the Year for 2023: Chamari Athapaththu (C), Beth Mooney (Wk), Laura Wolvaardt, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Ellyse Perry, Ash Gardner, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Megan Schutt.

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In the current Future Tours Programme (FTP) cycle that goes on from 2022-25, the Indian women’s team will play the fewest Test matches among the four sides competing in the longest format.

“This year we have two Tests – one against England and one against Australia – and I hope those games can make a huge impact on women’s cricket and hopefully in the future, we will keep getting more Test matches.

“We have to bring back Test matches in women’s cricket because it’s very important for women’s cricket,” Kaur said on ‘Sky Sports Cricket Podcast’.

India are scheduled to play only a couple of Test matches both at home in the 2023-24 season against England and Australia. Their last Test was in 2021 in Australia.

England will play the most Tests five and Australia and South Africa four and three each.

“As a player, I definitely want more Tests because as a growing kid, we saw more Tests on TV than T20s. Nowadays, it’s a lot of fun playing T20s but Test cricket is something every cricketer wants to play.” The swashbuckling batter said that while the domestic scene is improving in the country, more multi-day matches need to be played.

“Trust me, it has improved a lot. Initially, when I started playing, we hardly got domestic games but for the last couple of years, the domestic level has improved a lot. We are getting more games and some domestic games are live also, people can watch on TV.” The Inter-zonal three-day tournament and the inter-zonal Under-19 two-day tournament in 2017-18 was the last time red-ball events were played on the Indian women’s domestic circuit.

“It is improving day by day, but in my early days we used to play two-and three-day games which we are really missing, and I’m sure after these two Tests hopefully we’ll get two-day matches back.

“The more cricket we get, the more improvement we’ll see in women’s cricket. Hope to see some more talent in the Indian side,” Kaur said.

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Harmanpreet will miss India’s next two matches in the Asian Games as per this punishment.

Harmanpreet was fined 50 per cent of her match fee and three demerit points were added to her disciplinary record for a Level 2 offence after she was found guilty of breaching article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision”.

Harmanpreet was also fined 25 per cent of her match fee for a Level 1 offence after she was found guilty of breaching article 2.7, which relates to “public criticism about an incident occurring in an international match.”

Nigar Sultana Reacts To Harmanpreet Kaur’s Outburst

The first incident occurred in the 34th over of India’s innings when Kaur hit the wickets with her bat in a show of dissent after she was adjudged caught at slip off spinner Nahida Akter. She was clearly unhappy with the decision as she felt the ball had come off her pad and expressed her frustration by smashing the stumps with her bat.

The other incident was during the presentation ceremony when Kaur criticized the umpiring in the match. Harmanpreet heavily criticised the umpires and termed their decision disappointing.

The Bangladesh team didn’t even get a picture clicked while sharing the trophy due to Harmanpreet Kaur’s behaviour. BAN skipper Nigar Sultana recently reacted to the controversial outburst.

“You are right in saying such things happen in sports, and it is not the first time. You are also right in saying that it happened in the heat of the moment. However, had it been restricted to the field of play, honestly speaking, I would not have felt bad about it or felt disappointed. I would have told my players that it was all in the intensity of the moment, and it is better that all of us moved on from it,” Nigar Sultana was quoted as saying by Revsportz.

“But what really disappointed me was that it was not restricted to the field of play. Let me tell you something. For my players too, Harmanpreet is a legend of the game. They too look up to her. And when they came and said to me that how can a legend of her stature do this to us, I felt sad and disappointed. That’s what has pained me the most,” she added.

“The very same umpires officiated in the T20 series, which India won. In fact, that too was a very close series and I feel we should have done better in the second game and won it, but we did not. But that is not the point here. The moot point is the very same umpires officiated in the T20 series as well.”

“There was not a single complaint from India. Is it because they had won the series? As players, you are always taught that the umpires’ decision is final and that we have to respect that. Let me also ask you this – had they won the final ODI, would they have raised the issue of umpiring or was it raised because they did not win the series, and they were disappointed and frustrated with the result?” concluded Sultana.

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“India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been suspended for her team’s next two international matches following two separate breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct during the third match of their ICC Women’s Championship series against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday,” said ICC via their media release.

“Kaur was fined 50 per cent of her match fee and three demerit points were added to her disciplinary record for a Level 2 offence after she was found guilty of breaching article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision”.

“Kaur was also fined 25 per cent of her match fee for a Level 1 offence after she was found guilty of breaching article 2.7, which relates to “public criticism in relation to an incident occurring in an international match.”

“The first incident occurred in the 34th over of India’s innings when Kaur hit the wickets with her bat in a show of dissent after she was adjudged caught at slip off spinner Nahida Akter. The other incident was during the presentation ceremony when Kaur criticized the umpiring in the match.

“Kaur admitted the offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Akhtar Ahmed of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.

“On-field umpires Tanvir Ahmed and Muhammad Kamruzzaman, third umpire Moniruzzamman and fourth umpire Ali Arman leveled the charges.

“Level 2 breaches carry a penalty of between 50 and 100 per cent of a player’s match fee and three or four demerit points while Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

“Kaur’s four demerit points convert to two suspension points. As two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first for the player or player support personnel, Kaur stands suspended from India’s forthcoming matches,” the release further added.

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With the series tied at 1-1, the last game was a must-win and as it turned out, this game too ended in a draw and the two sides shared the trophy. But that is only half the story. The real story was how the India skipper not only lost her temper but also took shots at the officials, organisers, and rivals in an unending harangue.

Harmanpreet evidently was not too pleased by the manned in which she was given out leg-before as India were at a critical stage during the run chase. So incensed was the India captain that she let loose a vocal volley and shattered the stumps with her bat while walking out.

One would have assumed this was the end of it, but no. The skipper wasn’t done.

She let loose during the post-match interview, claiming that the next time India visited Bangladesh, the team would also prepare for the umpiring as much as the opponents.

Was that the end? No!

The ritual photograph was supposed to be next but here too, Harmanpreet just would not put a lid on it. She loudly asked for the umpires too to be brought on for the photograph and had quite a bit to say to rival skipper Nigar Sultana.

Nigar walked off with her side and later said that the environment was not right for the photo session.

This is not the first time that India and Bangladesh have had issues during matches.

A near-fracas during an Under-19 match a few years ago was preceded by some rather unwelcome posters in Bangladesh when the Indian senior team had visited.

Even in Sri Lanka, during the ongoing ACC Emerging Nations Asia Cup, the Bangladesh team had a lot to say during their semi-final against India, and the Indians gave it back in kind during their win, with veteran Bangladeshi player Soumya Sarkar also being given a verbal, which had threatened to escalate.

But the important thing with all of these was that none of them carried on after the match, or the immediate flare-up.

One would have assumed that saner heads would calm Harmanpreet Kaur down after the match, but those seem to be surfeit in the dressing room.

She might have been the aggrieved party, but to carry on unendingly was neither needed nor pretty. Her penalty was light compared to her violation of all codes.

Cricket captains, like all athletes, are ambassadors of the country and they need to draw a line about how far they want to stretch a contentious issue. In this case, there was no line. That is unacceptable.

The post When Harmanpreet Kaur Lost Her Temper And The Plot appeared first on Cricket Country.

This happened after Harmanpreet Kaur’s furious reaction against the umpires and the Bangladesh team sparked a massive controversy.

In anger, she hit the stumps with her bat and exchanged a few angry words with the umpire before walking towards the pavilion. On the way, she showed a thumbs up to the crowd when she reached the boundary ropes.

Under the ICC Code of Conduct, Article 2.2 covers “Abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match,” which makes specific reference to “any action(s) outside the course of normal cricket actions, such as hitting or kicking the wickets.”

Harmanpreet Kaur Expresses Disappointment With ‘Pathetic’ Umpiring

After the ODI series decider between India and Bangladesh ended in a thrilling tie at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Saturday, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur came down heavily on umpiring in the match, calling it “pathetic” while adding that she was “really disappointed” with some decisions.

“They (Bangladesh) batted really well, batted according to the situation. They were taking those singles which were very crucial. In between we leaked a few runs but when we were batting, we controlled the game very well. But as I mentioned earlier, some pathetic umpiring was done and we are really disappointed about some decisions given by the umpires,” said Harmanpreet in the post-match presentation ceremony.

Harmanpreet went on to add that the Indian team will be better prepared to deal with the umpires’ questionable decision-making whenever they are in Bangladesh next time.

“I think a lot of learning for us from the game. Even apart from the cricket, the kind of umpiring that was happening we were very surprised. The next time when we come to Bangladesh we will make sure we have to deal with this type of umpiring and prepare ourselves accordingly.”

(with IANS inputs)

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In India’s chase of 226, Harmanpreet went for a sweep off Nahida Akter in the 34th over. But the Indian skipper missed the delivery and the ball seemingly went to slip off the pads. On Nahida’s appeal, the umpire raised his finger, leaving Harmanpreet furious.

In anger, she hit the stumps with her bat and exchanged a few angry words with the umpire before walking towards the pavilion. On the way, she showed a thumbs up to the crowd when she reached the boundary ropes.

“They (Bangladesh) batted really well, batted according to the situation. They were taking those singles which were very crucial. In between we leaked a few runs but when we were batting, we controlled the game very well. But as I mentioned earlier, some pathetic umpiring was done and we are really disappointed about some decisions given by the umpires,” said Harmanpreet in the post-match show.

Nigar Sultana Slams Harmanpreet Kaur

As per an ESPN CricInfo report, Harmanpreet asked the umpires to join the Bangladesh team for the end-of-series photo, indicating that they were playing on behalf of the hosts. Offended at the comment, Nigar had a word with BCB officials and left the post-match show with the players.

Talking about the incident in the post-match show, Nigar hit back at the Indian skipper over her behaviour and told how her words made the Bangladesh team uncomfortable during the photo session which forced them to leave.

“It is totally her problem. I have nothing to do with it. As a player, she could have shown better manners. I can’t tell you what happened, but it didn’t feel right to be there [for the photograph] with my team. It wasn’t the right environment. That’s why we went back. Cricket is a game of discipline and respect,” she said.

Nigar also addressed the allegations around umpiring and said “The umpires wouldn’t give her out if she wasn’t out. We had umpires from men’s international cricket, so they were good umpires. What are they [India] going to say about the caught or run-out dismissals [of which there were six excluding the Harmanpreet and Meghna wickets]? We have respected their decisions. The umpire’s decision is the final decision, whether I like it or not. Why didn’t we behave in that way [like the India players]?”

(with IANS inputs)

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In India’s chase of 226, Harmanpreet went for a sweep off Nahida Akter in the 34th over. But the Indian skipper missed the delivery and the ball seemingly went to slip off the pads. On Nahida’s appeal, the umpire raised his finger, leaving Harmanpreet furious.

In anger, she hit the stumps with her bat and exchanged a few angry words with the umpire before walking towards the pavilion. On the way, she showed a thumbs up to the crowd when she reached the boundary ropes.

“They (Bangladesh) batted really well, batted according to the situation. They were taking those singles which were very crucial. In between we leaked a few runs but when we were batting, we controlled the game very well. But as I mentioned earlier, some pathetic umpiring was done and we are really disappointed about some decisions given by the umpires,” said Harmanpreet in the post-match presentation ceremony.

Apart from her, Yastika Bhatia also fell to a controversial lbw decision off Sultana Khatun, but with no DRS for the series, she had to walk back for five and expressed displeasure at the decision by the umpire. Amanjot Kaur was also left unhappy over an lbw decision she received against Rabeya Khan.

Harmanpreet went on to add that the Indian team will be better prepared to deal with the umpires’ questionable decision-making whenever they are in Bangladesh next time.

“I think a lot of learning for us from the game. Even apart from the cricket, the kind of umpiring that was happening we were very surprised. The next time when we come to Bangladesh we will make sure we have to deal with this type of umpiring and prepare ourselves accordingly.”

Harmanpreet was in praise of Harleen Deol’s 77 keeping India in the hunt of chasing 226, before a dramatic collapse saw them lose six wickets for just 34 runs and end up being 225 all out in 49.3 overs, with the series shared at 1-1.

“My hand is fine. She (Harleen) looked very promising in the last game, so we promoted her to bat freely and she took the opportunity with both hands. Jemi was really good throughout the innings. She played that crucial inning for us.”

“Good game, lot of learnings, and lastly our High Commission from India is also there and I hope you could have invited him here, but that is also fine. And thank you sir for coming here.”

Harleen, named Player of the Match for notching up her second ODI fifty, stated that she wants to take the confidence from this knock into upcoming games.

“Actually it was a good wicket to bat on. Initially, we were struggling because we didn’t know the conditions that well. We were ahead of the game and we got out and then the game turned.”

“Game plan was the same as last game — our players got settled (in the last game), so Harry di went to bat. Today, we lost early wickets so I came in to bat. A lot of confidence comes in after a good knock. Want to take it forward.”

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