England pacesetter Isabelle Wong called it “a bit surreal” after scoring the first Women’s Premier League hat-trick to propel the Mumbai Indians into the final with a stunning 72-run win over UP Warriorz on Friday.
Wong returned with incredible numbers of 4-0-15-4 to pool UPW for 110 in their hunt for a rigid 183 run target.
“It’s all a bit surreal, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind for the past few weeks. I’ve worked a bit hard in the gym over the past few years and it was worth it to enjoy it all,” said Wong, 20, after the game.
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“It vibrated under lights. The square allows you to maintain momentum even in the later stages of the innings. We knew if we watched the ball we could make it swing.”
After removing the dangerous Alyssa Healy (11) early and getting rid of an on-song Kiran Navgire (43), Wong Simran cleaned up Sheikh (0) and Sophie Ecclestone (0) to take a wicket each in second, third and the to win fourth deliveries from their third over to create a match-winning spell.
On her hat-trick ball, Wong said, “I was just trying to hit the stumps, Soph prevailed last time, I didn’t want to land in her place.”
When asked how her interaction with Ecclestone was after the sacking, she said: “She said well bowled, she’s a good friend and she’s a good cricketer too. It’s a bit more exciting as you know each other well.” Victorious captain Harmanpreet Kaur said MI has a decent bowling attack so is “confident that anyone can take wickets”.
Commenting on Wong’s hat-trick, Harmanpreet said: “She’s always looking forward to bowling, she’s always been there and very happy. And she (Nat Sciver-Brunt) is someone who can get us through any game, I’m glad she did it today.
“We have some young girls who also want to do well in the field. They have positive energy, they’re willing to get their job done and they listen to us whenever we speak to them.” Nat Sciver-Brunt was named Player of the Match for her stunning 38-ball 72. Interestingly, she was dropped by Ecclestone in the sixth over, by Gayakwads Bowling, when she tried to lift one over the middle.
“It was a lot of fun batting out there and surprised myself with a few shots. I thanked you (to Ecclestone) for dumping me. Normally she would take that, lucky draw.”
