Rain dashes Thailand's hopes after strong batting performance

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Padmaja Srivatsan
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Rain dashes Thailand's hopes after strong batting performance

Nattakan Chantham (L) and Nattaya Boochatham during their 93-run stand in the T20 World Cup. © Getty Images

Rain robbed Thailand of a chance to create history as their match against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in Sydney on Tuesday (March 3) was called off due to persistent rain. Thailand saved their best for their last match as they put on a spirited batting performance, which left Pakistan shell-shocked. Their openers Nattakan Chantham (56) and Nattaya Boochatham (44) put on stand worth 93 runs - the second-highest in this year's T20 World Cup, which enabled Thailand to make 150.

On a slow track, Thailand openers Chantham and Boochatham started confidently and scored 49 runs inside the power play, which was their best. They scored ten boundaries in the phase and Chantham, in particular, targeted Anam Amin and collected 20 runs off her first two overs.

After a sedate start, Boochatham too got going and looked confident, crunching boundaries through off-side. At the halfway stage Thailand reached 70 and the duo of Boochatham and Chantham looked good to carry on. Pakistan skipper Javeria Khan looked a bit clueless and regularly kept changing the bowlers in search of that elusive wicket.

They finally succeeded in breaking the opening stand when Amin dismissed Boochatham, who holed out to long on for 44. That was Amin's 50th wicket in T20Is.

Chantham, though, continued to find the gaps and brought her first T20 World Cup fifty and third overall off 45 balls. A brilliant caught and bowled effort by Diana Baig saw Chantham depart for 56. Nannapat Koncharoenkai's unbeaten 20  and Chanida Sutthiruang's 20 propelled Thailand to 150 for the loss of three wickets - Thailand's highest score in the T20Is.

Brief Scores: Thailand 150/3  in 20 overs (Nattakan Chantham 56, Nattya Boochatham 44; Nida Dar 1/17) vs Pakistan. No result.
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