With a 58-ball 54 and figures of 5-33, Nattaya Boochatham as good as single-handedly helped Thailand beat Zimbabwe by 22 runs in the second unofficial Women’s ODI at Harare Sports Club to level the four-match series 1-1.
Chasing 230, Mary-Anne Musonda (50 in 88 balls) and Josephine Nkomo (38 in 71) put on an 83-run stand for the fourth wicket, but both struggled throughout their stay. As a result, Zimbabwe finished on 207/9.
Ashley Ndiraya (31 in 26) got Zimbabwe off to a rollicking start, but none of her teammates managed to take advantage of that blitz. While Boochatham was the architect of the Thai win, Sornnarin Tippoch (10-1-22-1) and Onnicha Kamchomphu (8-3-25-1) were as impressive, bowling tightly to keep pushing the asking rate up.
Opting to bat, Thailand suffered an early setback after Suleeporn Laomi fell for an eight-ball duck in the fourth over, off Nkomo. Boochatham and Wongpaka Liengprasert (51) steadied the ship, adding 92 for the second wicket before Chiedza Dhururu stumped Boochatham off Nomvelo Sibanda (2-38). Thailand were 98/2 after 20.3 overs.
Thai middle-order batters had to carry the momentum going after the foundation laid by Boochatham. They did not disappoint. Natthakan Chantham (42), Chanida Sutthiruang (25) and Naruemol Chaiwai (28) all chipped in with handy contributions to take their side to 186/5 in 40.2 overs.
Nkomo returned in the 41st over to bring Zimbabwe back in the contest. She took three of the last four wickets to bag 5-35. It helped Zimbabwe to restrict Thailand to 229/9, but it was still not enough to win the match.
The two sides will again meet on 22 August for the third unofficial ODI, at the same venue.
Brief Scores:
Thailand Women 229/9 in 50 overs (Nattaya Boochatham 54; Josephine Nkomo 5-35) beat Zimbabwe Women 207/9 in 50 overs (Mary-Anne Musonda 50; Nattaya Boochatham 5-33) by 22 runs. Player of the Match: Nattaya Boochatham.