Captain Sornnarin Tippoch believes Thailand’s final ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 innings is a statement of what to expect in their cricketing future.
Openers Natthakan Chantam (56) and Nattaya Boochatham (44) led the way in a stunning exhibition at the Sydney Showground, their partnership of 93 setting the foundations for a total of 150/3.
Their bid to defend the score and pick up a first-ever Women’s T20 World Cup win was curtailed by the rain but the bad weather didn’t dampen the skipper’s spirits in their tournament closer.
“We just knew we had to put it all out there and try to play our best cricket,” said Tippoch. “It’s a game that we want people to remember us by, not just through press conference and saying we didn’t rock up, we didn’t show up.
“I think this game really put things into perspective of how well we can deal with situations and how well we prepared for the tournament.
“I think there was a bit more riding on this game for us. Just the pure fact that a lot of things were lying on this game to make a statement and prove ourselves. We couldn’t control the rain but I’m really happy how we controlled the innings and built that innings, making a statement of how we can play cricket.”
Thailand’s constant smiling and enjoyment has won them many new fans Down Under, with followers around the world lifted by their optimism on and off the pitch.
That was at its most evident in their final match, with each boundary greeted by a celebration in the dugout as the debutants took The Big Dance to heart. Tippoch added: “It wasn’t instructed or practised in the hotel before we walked up. Just purely impulse.
“We felt really good and the batters were doing their bit. It’s all about playing good cricket when you’re happy and supporting your friends and your teammates.”
Hit-and-miss tournament for Pakistan
For Pakistan, meanwhile, the curtains came down on what has been a mixed Women’s T20 World Cup. Victory over West Indies represented a good start but disappointing defeats to England and South Africa saw them eliminated prior to their final match.
Captain Javeria Khan – who replaced injured Bismah Maroof as skipper – is well aware of the gap to the top teams but believes they know what they need to do to come out firing in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021. “We need to learn that if you’re on top we should stay on top,” she said. “And we need to practise it more, help us stay on top and rectify things where we’re going wrong.
“I think we need to work really hard because this World Cup has proven many things to us, that we have improved as a team a lot and we have shown promise. But real mistakes were happening, we need to understand and realise how it needs to be done.
“We know where we lack. The next World Cup is in a year’s time and we’ll work hard. We’ll play as many matches as we can as a group and we’ll empower girls further to analyse the situation themselves and make good judgments.”
(With ICC inputs)
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