Smriti Mandhana Becomes the Second Women Cricket to Score Centuries in SENA Countries

Indian Women’s Cricket team opener Smriti Mandhana scored a magnificent hundred as the visitors beaten New Zealand Women’s team by nine wickets in the first ODI at Napier.

Meanwhile, Mandhana, the 2018 ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year, started the year the way she left the last. Her 104-ball 105 including nine fours and three sixes provided India with an easy win. Smriti Madhana along with her partner Jemimah Rodrigues (81*) shared a 190-run stand to see the visiting side home.

The opening pair added 53 runs in the first ten overs before Mandhana decided to shift gears. She struck two fours and a massive six off Holly Huddleston in the 11th over to take the attack to the opposition. She soon brought her half-century off just 43 balls. Rodrigues also continued to play her bringing her first ODI fifty in 60 deliveries.

The two kept going, and almost inevitably, Smriti Mandhana scored another century, her fourth in ODIs, off 101 balls. She perished shortly after that, with just three runs required for victory, when she looked to go big off Tahuhu.

However India, after opting to bowl, had New Zealand bowled out for 192, despite Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine putting on 61 for the opening wicket. The Indian spinners took eight wickets between them, with Ekta Bisht (3 for 32) and Poonam Yadav (3 for 42) taking three wickets each, and Deepti Sharma ending with an extremely economical 2 for 27.

Mandhana second cricketer to score centuries in SENA nations

With her fourth ODI ton, Smriti Mandhan became the first Indian woman cricketer and second overall, after Claire Taylor, to have scored hundreds in each of the SENA countries – South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia.

The southpaws first ODI hundred came against Australia in Hobart in 2016, although India lost the match. Her second century (106 not out off 108 balls) – against Windies in Bristol during the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 gave India a brilliant victory. Moreover, her third century against South Africa came last year in February.

So far, Smriti Mandhana has represented India in 45 ODI scoring 1707 runs including four centuries.