Chalmers Fifty, Malhotra Four-fer Power Canada U19 Women’s Doubleheader Sweep Again

Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago

Cricket Canada’s U19 Women’s team produced one of the most dominant days of the inaugural tour of Trinidad & Tobago on Thursday, May 21, sweeping a club doubleheader against the Without Limits Cricket Team with comprehensive victories of 8 and 9 wickets. Harper Chalmers struck a brilliant 50 from 32 balls in the afternoon fixture, and Snigdha Malhotra returned career-best figures of 4/20 in the morning game as both Without Limits innings were closed out for modest totals. The wins lift Canada’s tour record to six victories in seven matches played.

Both games followed a similar pattern: Without Limits won the toss and chose to bat in each fixture, posted modest totals against a disciplined Canadian bowling attack, and watched the visitors chase those targets down inside 11 overs in both innings. The morning game was wrapped up in 10.4 overs; the afternoon match in just 10.3. It was, across two fixtures, Canada’s most thorough day with both bat and ball on tour to date.

Game 1  |  Canada U19W won by 8 wickets

Without Limits won the toss and elected to bat, but never recovered from a start that saw them lose four wickets inside the first six overs. Snigdha Malhotra was the central figure, returning 4/20 from her four overs at an economy of 5.0 — her best haul of the tour and the standout bowling performance on a day full of them. She broke through in the second over with the wicket of Joleen Gay (10 off 9), added Kelicia Ramchandar lbw, and then claimed Kelaiah Bhola and Denika Jules across the rest of her spell.

Shreya Vora was every bit as effective at the other end with 3.2-0-7-2 at an economy of just 2.1, including the wicket that closed the innings. Captain Rabbjyot Rajput bowled a tight four-over spell of 1/21 including a maiden and the wicket of Arinella Deonarine, while Vritti Dahiya picked up 1/4 from her single over. Two Canadian run-outs — one engineered by Ramen Rashid, another by Namrit Dhillon — kept the pressure constant. Akeilah Mohammed offered the only sustained resistance with 16 (26), and Without Limits were bowled out for 64 in 15.2 overs.

Canada lost Harper Chalmers (5 off 10) inside the first four overs of the chase but Vritti Dahiya and Khadeeja Fatima rebuilt with a 31-run second-wicket stand. Fatima fell for 12 (16) to Joleen Gay, before Vritti Dahiya (26 not out off 30, three fours) and captain Rabbjyot Rajput (14 not out off 8 with two fours, strike rate 175) finished the chase with 17 balls to spare. Canada reached 65/2 in 10.4 overs to seal the morning fixture by 8 wickets.

Game 1  |  Result

Result: Canada U19W won by 8 wickets

Without Limits: 64 all out (15.2 overs) — Akeilah Mohammed 16 (26), Joleen Gay 10 (9), Pamela Maraj 6 (20)

Canada U19W: 65/2 (10.4 overs) — Vritti Dahiya 26* (30), Rabbjyot Rajput 14* (8), Khadeeja Fatima 12 (16)

Best bowling (Canada): Snigdha Malhotra 4/20 (4), Shreya Vora 2/7 (3.2), Vritti Dahiya 1/4 (1), Rabbjyot Rajput 1/21 (4)

Toss: Without Limits won the toss and elected to bat

 

Game 2  |  Canada U19W won by 9 wickets

The afternoon contest followed a similar arc. Without Limits chose to bat again and lost their first wicket inside four overs when Harper Chalmers had Kelicia Ramchandar (12 off 9) caught by captain Rabbjyot Rajput. Snigdha Malhotra struck next over to remove Arinella Deonarine. Two run-outs in quick succession — Rachel Radhaykission run out by a Rajput-Elyssa Sun combination, and Pamela Maraj run out by Neha Teny — reduced Without Limits to 59/6 inside 11 overs.

Shelly Mohammed offered the only sustained resistance, finishing unbeaten on 41 from 45 balls (four fours), but at the other end wickets continued to fall. Sanjana Rao produced the spell of the innings with figures of 1.1-0-1-2 — two wickets for a single run inside seven balls, including a return catch to dismiss Shanika Laloo and a sharp catch behind by Khadeeja Fatima to remove Akeilah Mohammed. Vritti Dahiya finished with 2/15 from four overs (including the stumping of Shellee Sumrah by back-up keeper Elyssa Sun, and a catch by captain Rajput). Hasini Santhoshkumar and Harper Chalmers also struck. Without Limits closed on 103/9 from their 20 overs.

Canada’s chase was the most accomplished batting display of the tour. Harper Chalmers and Vritti Dahiya put on 101 runs for the opening wicket — Canada’s first international or club century opening stand of the campaign — wrapping up the game with a flourish. Chalmers struck a brilliant 50 from 32 deliveries, with eight fours and a six at a strike rate of 156.3, before falling lbw to Without Limits captain Pamela Maraj after the century stand. Vritti Dahiya was a perfect foil with 34 not out off 28 balls (six fours, strike rate 121.4), and Khadeeja Fatima saw the chase home alongside her at 3 not out. Canada reached 105/1 in 10.3 overs — the second 9-wicket win the program has registered on tour, and a fitting end to a doubleheader sweep.

Game 2  |  Result

Result: Canada U19W won by 9 wickets

Without Limits: 103/9 (20 overs) — Shelly Mohammed 41* (45), Shellee Sumrah 13 (15), Kelicia Ramchandar 12 (9)

Canada U19W: 105/1 (10.3 overs) — Harper Chalmers 50 (32), Vritti Dahiya 34* (28), Khadeeja Fatima 3* (6)

Best bowling (Canada): Sanjana Rao 2/13 (3), Vritti Dahiya 2/15 (4), Hasini Santhoshkumar 1/19 (4), Harper Chalmers 1/9 (2), Snigdha Malhotra 1/20 (3)

Toss: Without Limits won the toss and elected to bat

 

Standout Performances Across the Day

• Harper Chalmers: 50 (32) with 8 fours and a six in Game 2 — her second half-century of the tour after the 97 not out against North Zone on May 18. Also bowled 4 overs across the two fixtures and took 1/9.
• Snigdha Malhotra: 4/20 in Game 1 and a wicket in Game 2 — five wickets on the day, and now the leading wicket-taker of the tour.
• Vritti Dahiya: Unbeaten 26 and 34 with the bat, plus combined bowling figures of 3/19 across the two games. The most consistent all-format performer on tour.
• Shreya Vora: 3.2-0-7-2 at an economy of 2.1 in Game 1 — a fourth straight tour fixture going at or under three runs an over.
• Sanjana: 1.1-0-1-2 in Game 2 — two wickets for one run inside seven deliveries.
• Elyssa Sun: A stumping in Game 2 in her first significant tour outing behind the stumps; gloves rotated as Khadeeja Fatima moved up the order.

Tour Update

Thursday’s doubleheader sweep takes Canada to six wins from seven completed fixtures on tour, with the only loss the Duckworth-Lewis defeat in the rain-affected first T20I on May 16. Eight different bowlers were used across the day, six different batters scored runs, and four run-outs underlined the energy with which Canada has played in the field throughout the tour. Wicketkeeper Khadeeja Fatima continues to feature prominently with the bat at first drop; back-up keeper Elyssa Sun made her tour mark with a stumping in the second game.

Looking Ahead

The squad faces Hibiscus Cricket Club on Friday, May 22 — the final club fixture before the international series resumes on Saturday with two T20Is against Trinidad & Tobago U19. Canada will play those final two T20Is leading 2-1 in the five-match series. A single win in either Saturday fixture would secure the program’s first-ever international series victory.

Six wins in seven. Two opening half-centuries from Harper Chalmers in four days. A captain leading from the front with bat and ball. A bowling attack that has now restricted four opposition sides — Trinidad & Tobago U19, North Zone Cricket Academy, and Without Limits Cricket Team twice — to totals from which they could not recover. The inaugural Canada U19 Women’s tour of Trinidad & Tobago is no longer just a milestone. It is becoming a statement.

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