Mamatha madiwala

ODI World Cup: Fifties from Shafali Verma and Mamatha Madiwala propelled India A to stun New Zealand by four wickets in the Women’s ODI World Cup warm-up game at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) Ground 2 on Thursday.

Electing to bat first, Isabella Gaze hit an unbeaten 101 to take New Zealand to 273/9 in their 50 overs. With rain interrupting India A’s chase, their target was revised to 224 in 40 overs via the DLS method, and the hosts’ reached the target with just three balls in a nail-biting finish to stun the White Ferns aiming to win an ODI World Cup for the first time after 2000.

The standout player in India A’s chase was Shafali, who was back in action for the first time after being left out of India’s squad for the upcoming World Cup. Shafali played in her swashbuckling style to hit 70 off 49 balls in a knock laced with 11 boundaries and a six.