Shillong, Jan 21: Meghalaya were agonisingly close to their first win in the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy but fell short by a single run against Assam in Nagpur on Saturday.
Assam won the toss and opted to bat first in the Group C match. Meghalaya’s Ajima Sangma shone with the ball, claiming 5/29, while guest players Anita Lodhi (80) and Sejal Raut (55) were heroes with the bat.
Chasing 215 for victory, Raut and Suriti Kumari Ray (30) put on 76 for the second wicket, giving Meghalaya the kind of start they needed. After Ray was out, Lodhi came in and batted all the way from the 18th to the 49th over.
With her dismissal, Meghalaya had just one wicket remaining, required 4 more runs to win and had 11 deliveries available, which made all results a possibility – Meghalaya victory, Assam victory or tie.
One extra and a run for Riticia Nongbet edged Meghalaya two runs closer but the latter fell in the last over, caught and bowled by Assam’s most successful bowler, Urmila Chatterjee (3/44), to leave the team short.
Earlier, Ajima bowled spectacularly well to take a five-for, with the pace bowler doing damage at the top of the order as well as the tail-end. Two Assam players got fifties, Uma Chetry (58), who was dismissed by Nongbet (2/37), and Jintimani Kalita (78), who fell to Debasmita Dutta (2/44).
Meghalaya’s next fixture will see them take on Pondicherry on January 25.
