Belgrade, Serbia – In the opening game of the four-match T20I series, Cyprus Women secured a comprehensive 7-wicket victory against Serbia Women at the Lisicji Jarak Cricket Ground on September 14, 2024. Cyprus chased down a modest target of 84 runs with 17 balls to spare, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. Nilmini Liyanage was the star performer, earning the Player of the Match award for her outstanding bowling figures of 2/16 in just 2 overs.
Serbia’s Struggles with the Bat:
Serbia Women, after being put into bat, faced early setbacks and struggled to find momentum throughout their innings. Captain Magdalena Nikolic was run out for 6, while Tamara Trajkovic top-scored with 14 off 26 balls. Serbia’s middle order couldn’t build on the starts, and they finished with 83/6 in their 20 overs. Cyprus’ disciplined bowling, led by Nilmini Liyanage’s 2/16 and Alexandra Taylor’s 1/15, kept the Serbian batters under pressure. Extras played a significant role, contributing 30 runs to Serbia’s total.
Cyprus Women’s Chase:
In reply, Cyprus Women paced their chase carefully, with opener Thanuja Gedarage anchoring the innings with a patient 26 off 47 balls. Although Cyprus lost a couple of wickets mid-way, Alexandra Taylor held her nerve and played an unbeaten knock of 15 off 34 balls to guide Cyprus home. Tamara Trajkovic was the pick of the bowlers for Serbia, taking 2/27 in her 4 overs, but the target was too small to defend as Cyprus wrapped up the chase in 17.1 overs.
Key Performers:
- Cyprus Women:
- Nilmini Liyanage: 2/16 (2 overs)
- Thanuja Gedarage: 26 (47)
- Alexandra Taylor: 15* (34)
- Serbia Women:
- Tamara Trajkovic: 2/27 (4 overs)
- Ana Mesarovic: 9 (6) & 0/23 (4 overs)
- Nadja Nojic: 1/6 (4 overs)
Records and Notable Moments:
- Nadja Nojic became Serbia Women’s leading wicket-taker in WT20Is with 9 wickets, surpassing Sladjana Matijevic’s tally of 8 wickets.
- Magdalena Nikolic broke the record for most T20Is as captain for Serbia Women, leading her team for the 6th time, overtaking Sladjana Matijevic.
Brief Scores:
Serbia Women: 83/6 in 20 overs (Tamara Trajkovic 14, Nilmini Liyanage 2/16, Alexandra Taylor 1/15)
Cyprus Women: 84/3 in 17.1 overs (Thanuja Gedarage 26, Alexandra Taylor 15*, Tamara Trajkovic 2/27)
Result: Cyprus Women won by 7 wickets
With this victory, Cyprus Women lead the 4-match series 1-0, and Serbia will look to bounce back in the next fixture to keep the series alive.
