Harris, Ecclestone power UP Warriorz to six-wicket victory over Giants

Grace Harris made a powerful fifty that helped UP Warriorz negate a sluggish surface to register a facile sixwicket win over Gujarat Giants in their WPL 2024 match on FridayHarris 60 not out 33 balls 9x4 2x6 and skipper Alyssa Healy 33 21b 7x4 helped Warriorz hunt down 143 in 154 overs for their second win in the tournamentGiants were restricted to 142 for five after leftarm spinner Sophie Ecclestone 320 used a rough deck to her advantageHarris gave finishing touches to her good work with an outstanding inningsThe Australian righthander used her reach and force to telling effect to keep the pressure on the Giants bowlers after Healy gave them a fantastic start in the Power PlayThe diminutive Australian smashed pacer Meghana Singh for three successive fours in the third over as the UP outfit reached 33 in just three overs which they later swelled to 69 for two in the Power Play sectionThe Giants also suffered a major blow when Harleen Deol had to limp off the field after she landed on her knees while trying to stop the ball near the ropesBut the Gujarat side showed some signs of a comeback when they collected the quick wickets of Healy debutante Chamari Athapathuthu and Shewta Sherawat to reduce UP to 90 for 4 in the 11th overAlso ReadMumbai Indians a cricketing tour de forceThey needed 53 more runs to finish the chase at this stage but Harris and Deepti Sharma 17 not out amassed the runs in just 30 balls to propel their side to a WPL 2024 victoryEarlier Gujarat in fact made a fine start to their innings as Lara Wolvaardt 28 26b 4x4 helped them reach 41 in the Power Play for the loss of skipper Beth MooneyWolvaardt smashed Anjali Sarvani for three fours in a row through the offside as the pacer erred in line outside the offstumpBut once the Power Play ended the Giants slipped into a period of hibernation going without a boundary for 23 balls and the dismissal of Wolvaardt too did not help their causeIt required a forceful 52run partnership for the fourth wicket between Phoebe Litchfield 35 26 balls and Asheligh Gardner 30 17 balls to add a touch of respectability to their totalLitchfield who was dropped on 19 by Deepti Sharma off Ecclestone brought her hockey background into her batting using those supple wrists to manoeuvre the ball into the corners behind the wicketkeeperHer reverse scoop off leftarm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad for a boundary was a treat to watchAt the other end Gardner was all about raw power and smart placement Gardener muscled her Australian teammate Harris over midwicket for six as the Giants tried to make up for the lost timeBut the flowering alliance was snapped when Gardners attempt to reversescoop ended in the hands of Athapaththu near short fine legIn the same over Litchfield was run out while trying to steal a quick single as Saima Thakors direct throw beat her to the creaseLitchfields dismissal also ended the Giants hopes of raking in some quick runs in the last couple of oversWith agency inputs