Image Credit- BCCI
Beth Mooney of the
Gujarat Giants accomplished something that no captain has done yet this season
during the toss of the 13th game of the WPL 2024. She made the decision to bat,
calling on her group to muster courage and optimism in order to try and change
things.
“We are going a bit rogue. We are trying to be nice and brave, nice and
positive, do something a little bit different and see if we can shake things
up.”
Said to be easier
said than done, particularly with the Giants being the only team without a
point following four losses. Mooney and Laura Wolvaardt made the decision to
practise what they preached, and their outstanding opening partnership helped
Royal Challengers Bangalore defeat them by 19 runs.
Mooney’s choice to bat wasn’t totally out of the ordinary, even though it may
have come as a surprise. Early on in the first 11 games played in Bengaluru,
the quick bowlers received help. Additionally, bowling first was an obvious
choice because Dew had already scored runs earlier in the second part of the
game. Delhi turned out to be unique. The Mumbai Indians had sent the Delhi
Capitals into the bat, but they failed in their attempt to chase the target, as
they collapsed chasing 192 for 4.
Wolvaardt and Mooney
had to defeat their powerplay demons before they could set an example for
others to follow. The Giants had made 43 for 3, 29 for 1, 41 for 1, and 41 for
3 in their opening six overs of the season going into this match. They were the
only side in the competition without a century stand, with their highest
opening stand in the WPL being 41. Mooney and Wolvaardt corrected that record
throughout the next 13 overs.
Wolvaardt led by
example. The South African batter is one of the best timers of the cricket ball
when he is in full swing. From the beginning, she exuded a strong sense of
resolve, pushing Sophie Devine through backward point for several runs. Then
there was a clip to the fine leg fence and a whip that raced across the turf
between mid-on and midwicket. Wolvaardt was feeling confident.
On the other side, Mooney got things started with a clean cover-drive off
Renuka Singh. His four innings during the competition had yielded just sixty
runs. Renuka had taken 2 for 14 in their previous Bengaluru encounter with
these two squads. She had already given up 12 in her debut game in Delhi.
Even after the
powerplay concluded, RCB was still on the quest for leather. Wolvaardt crushed
Georgia Wareham with ease, Mooney hit back-to-back fours off Ekta Bisht, Asha
Sobhana was dismissed for 11 in her opening over, and Wolvaardt crunched Ellyse
Perry for three straight fours before reaching her fifty off only 32 balls. In
9.3 overs, the Giants reached their hundred, and Mooney reached her
half-century off of 32 balls.
The Mooney-Wolvaardt
combination was notable for two reasons: firstly, they exploited the left-right
combination to their advantage, as RCB bowled 11 wides during their stand;
secondly, they played risk-free cricket, relying more on timing than power. Together,
they scored 140 runs for the first wicket in 13 overs, hitting 21 fours but no
sixes. According to Wolvaardt, it was a strategy she had prepared for the
match.
Wolvaardt and Mooney had already established the second-highest partnership in
the WPL when she was out for a 45-ball 76. Even though the Giants eventually
lost some of their momentum, Mooney concluded her innings unbeaten at 85 off 51
balls, leading her team to the highest score of the competition at 199 for 5.
Mooney and
Wolvaardt’s positive approach rubbed off on the other Giants players as well.
They looked more switched on than they did in the Bengaluru leg. Giants still
have a long way to go, and they will hope their win against RCB is the first
step of a late comeback in the WPL.