Yorkshire Women were narrowly beaten by Tasmania in a T20 thriller in Abu Dhabi this morning, falling five runs short of chasing down a 166-target.
Beth Langston impressed with 3-22 from four overs of seam added to a middle order 34 off 21 balls as Australia’s 50-over champions of 2023/24 were pushed all the way in the opening game of the weekend Abu Dhabi Women’s T20 competition.
Sterre Kalis was also a standout contributor with 49 off 41 balls as Yorkshire finished on 161-8.
There were many performances of note for a Yorkshire side led by wicketkeeper-batter Lauren Winfield-Hill at the Tolerance Oval on the Sheikh Zayed International Stadium complex.
The White Rose needed 14 off the last over and six off the last ball against left-arm seamer Julia Cavanough, who was one of three bowlers to strike twice for the Australians.
Yorkshire’s side included three Academy players; Holly Garton, Amelia Love and Elicia Pollard.
Pollard took the new ball alongside Langston and returned eye-catching figures of 0-14 from four overs. She later hit Cavanough for six in the final over before falling off the penultimate ball.
With six needed to win, Garton was unable to connect with the final ball of a match which provided new head coach Rich Pyrah with a host of positives at the start of five game days on tour.
Love claimed the prized scalp of Tasmania captain Elyse Villani stumped by Winfield-Hill, while Garton also claimed a wicket.
Villani was capped 99 times by Australia between 2009 and 2019.
Maddie Ward, more recognised as a wicketkeeper-batter, returned 2-27 from four impressive overs of spin, including opener Tabatha Saville lbw for 76 off 56 balls.
Four of the seven Tasmanian wickets fell lbw.
Tasmania slipped to 13-2 early on before Saville dominated a third-wicket stand of 55 with Villani and added 67 for the fourth with Naomi Stalenburg, who made 34 off 20.
At 153-4 deep in the 17th over, Tasmania were looking at a total of 180 plus.
However, Yorkshire dragged things back superbly, conceding only 12 runs and taking three wickets from the final 19 balls of the innings.
That gave them real impetus heading into their chase against a Tasmania side which included five players who played in their WNCL 50-over final win over Queensland in February of last year. Winfield-Hill was in the Queensland team that day.
Yorkshire were on the back foot having slipped to 54-4 in the ninth over. Openers Winfield-Hill and Ami Campbell fell cheaply, as did Rebecca Duckworth.
Erin Thomas made a bright 20, but the recovery job was led by Dutch international Kalis, who trained with Tasmania the winter before last whilst playing club cricket in the state.
She hit seven fours and a six and shared 63 for the fifth wicket with Langston, who hit a couple of sixes herself.
From 123-6 early in the 17th, Kalis dominated a partnership of 28 with Ria Fackrell, who clubbed her first ball for four but only faced another six deliveries.
Kalis fell in the penultimate over before Pollard, who hoisted Cavanough over long-on for six before falling off the penultimate ball, almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
Yorkshire face a UAE XI tomorrow in their second of three T20 games this weekend (2.30pm UK).
Picture by YCCC. Yorkshire’s Women’s touring squad ahead of this morning’s clash with Tasmania.
