Thailand crowned champions in the record-breaking Thailand T20 Smash

Beginning on January 12, Thailand hosted the Thailand Smash, a 10-team T20 tournament. It featured Bhutan, China, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, along with Myanmar, Nepal, UAE, and two teams from Thailand. The hosts' primary team were crowned champions, defeating Nepal in the final.

The 10 teams were divided into two groups of five teams each, with every team playing against all the members of their group once. The victorious sides were awarded two points per win. Nepal and Thailand topped groups A and B respectively, both sides remaining unbeaten, to claim eight points. UAE finished second in Group A to set up a semi-final with Thailand, while Indonesia faced off against Nepal, for a spot in the final. Thailand and Nepal continued their undefeated streak to square-off in the final, where the hosts won comfortably.

Batting first, Thailand posted 121-1 on the board, largely on the back of a 69* off 67, by Nattakan Chantam. In replay, Nepal were bowled out for 51, falling 70 runs short. Player-of-the-Match Suleeporn Laomi chipped away at the Nepalese line-up, taking three wickets for just 15 runs. She was ably supported by her skipper, Sornnarin Tippoch, who contributed with a miserly spell of just six runs, claiming two scalps as well. Nepal never really settled in their innings, as only two batters reached double figures. Even they were not able to breach the 20-run barrier though.

While the tournament will be an unforgettable one for Thailand, as they won at home, it also saw many records being broken, to etch it in history.

In the group stages, UAE came up against China and posted a daunting 203 on the board- the sixth highest T20 total. They then continued their dominance, bowling out their opposition for just 14 runs. This total set the record for the lowest T20 total. But the statistics for that match do not end there. China folding for 14 meant UAE won by 189 runs, which set the record for the largest margin of victory in the format.

China then saw their name added in another statistic they would not take pride in. Against Malaysia, they could only score 39 in the first innings, which Malaysia chased down with 45 balls to spare. This led to an aggregate of just 79 runs being scored in the match, the third lowest. Indonesia crept in just behind China- at number five- on the lowest total statistics, when they could only manage 27 runs against Nepal, in the semi-finals, chasing 119.

Some noteworthy bowling displays also stood out during the course of the tournament. Malaysia's Mas Elysa found herself at the top of the chart for the best bowling figures, for her six-wicket haul against China. She finished with figures of 4-1-3-6. Coming in at number three was Zon Lin of Myanmar. She also took six wickets, going for just 10 runs off her allotted overs.

Overall, the tournament saw many memorable moments, in what was a massive effort by the Cricket Association of Thailand (CAT). The event saw teams, who do not usually get a great amount of exposure, represent their countries on the world stage. More tournaments like this will undoubtedly help develop the women's game further, especially those teams that are not fully professional yet.