Thailand's ruthless discipline gave another harsh reminder to the USA Women of the gulf between the two sides as Thipatcha Putthawong's 4 for 12 sparked a middle-order collapse of 6 for 6 as USA were eventually bowled out for 54 in a nine-wicket loss. 

Photo credit: Francois Nel/ICC/Getty Images

By Peter Della Penna in Abu Dhabi (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
Thailand Women’s dominance of USA in the brief history of the rivalry between the two sides reached new levels on Wednesday night at Zayed Cricket Stadium as the Asian side bowled out the Americans for 54, their third lowest total in Women’s T20Is, before needing less than 10 overs to chase the target in a nine-wicket thumping of USA to officially eliminate the red, white and blue from contention for a spot in the semifinals at the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in Abu Dhabi. 
 
Thailand vice-captain and left-arm spinner Thipatcha Putthawong was named Player of the Match after finishing with figures of 4 for 12, with each wicket out clean bowled. Two others were also out bowled while Thailand’s bowlers also won two lbw appeals to highlight glaring deficiencies in USA’s batting technique. 
 

The carnage started literally from ball one as Disha Dhingra was out clean bowled for the third time in the tournament attempting to cut a sharp inswinger from Channida Sutthiruang. USA vice-captain Anika Kolan made just 1 off 8 balls, given lbw to Suttiruang. One ball previously, Kolan used her feet to come down the track and attempt to negate Sutthiruang’s inswing, but on this occasion remained rooted to the crease and paid the price as a 50/50 decision both on height and on the probability of it swinging past leg stump went in favor of the Thailand new-ball bowler to make it 6 for 2 in the third. 
 
16-year-old debutant Pooja Ganesh – one of two changes in the USA lineup as Ritu Singh returned with Jivana Aras and Gargi Bhogle sitting out – tried her best to counter-attack, striking three boundaries in her 13. The first was a cut behind point off Sutthiruang to end the third over for her first runs in international cricket before a sweep off Natthaya Boochatham’s offspin in the fourth and a pull off Sutthiruang to end the fifth. But she became the first of Putthawong’s victims in the sixth, playing across the line to an arm ball that skidded into the stumps to make it 22 for 3. 
 
USA captain Sindhu Sriharsha made 10 before she attempted to dab a late cut with the short third region vacant and paid the price as the delivery was too tight to the stumps and rattled off stump to make it 33 for 4. It started a rapid downhill spiral for USA as they proceeded to lose 6 wickets for just 6 runs at the hands of Thailand’s merciless spinners. Singh was sent in next but lasted just one ball as she prodded inside the line to one that turned fractionally to clip off stump and put Putthawong on a hat-trick. 
 
Even the rare loose deliveries from Thailand’s disciplined attack had the magic touch as a half-tracker from Onnicha Kamchomphu was fanned over by Geetika Kodali before caroming off her thigh onto the stumps to dismiss her for 1. Chudasama pushed forward away from her body at a full delivery to begin the next over from Putthawong and was beaten between bat and pad to go for 5 making it 34 for 7. Jessica Willathgamuwa then took on a suicide single to Boochatham at extra cover and a simple relay to Putthawong over the stumps resulted in a five-duck to leave USA 34 for 8 after 10. 
 
Kamchomphu trapped Suhani Thadani playing across the line for 1 in the 11^th over to leave USA 36 for 9, in danger of being bowled out for their lowest ever total in Women’s T20Is. USA’s previous worst showing came against Bangladesh in Scotland at the 2019 Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier when they were bundled out for 46. Isani Vaghela, who had entered at No. 8, and tailender Saanvi Immadi managed to spare USA further humiliation by stretching the innings out until the 19^th over with an 18-run partnership, USA’s best of the innings. The stand finally ended when Immadi sliced Suleeporn Laomi’s legspin to Phannita Maya at backward point for 3, the only caught dismissal completed by Thailand. Vaghela ended unbeaten on 15 off 22. 
 
Aside from Putthawong’s Player of the Match haul of 4 for 12, Kamchomphu returned extraordinarily economical figures of 2 for 4 in four overs. Sutthiruang claimed 2 for 15 bowling an unbroken four straight with the new ball. Laomi finished with 1 for 12 in 2.5 overs and Boochatham went wicketless but was tidy nonetheless with 0 for 11 in three. 
 
The fielding performance for Thailand was marred though by a left knee injury suffered by star opening batter Natthakan Chantham. On the final ball of the 12^th over, a single driven down the ground to mid-on by Immadi for her first run in T20I cricket, Chantham charged in to collect and crumpled to the ground after her left leg became stuck. It only took a few seconds after the Thailand team physio arrived for her to call for a stretcher from the ambulance stationed on site to help cart Chantham off the field and she was unable to take any further part in the match. Thailand captain Naruemol Chaiwai said afterwards during the post-match presentation Chantham’s status for the rest of the tournament is unknown but conceded that the team may have to prepare to go without her for their de facto quarterfinal showdown against Scotland on Friday, a match which will decide who joins Sri Lanka in the semifinals out of Group A.
 
USA held momentary hopes of fighting back for an upset in the field when Kodali bowled Boochatham on the first ball of the chase with a fuller delivery. But three balls later a potential chance on an edge off Nannapat Koncharoenkai went wide of Sriharsha behind the stumps with no slip in place and traveled to the boundary. Koncharoenkai and Chaiwai then knocked off the rest of the runs with relative ease in an unbroken 56-run partnership. Immadi created the only other chance in the field during the seventh over when a teasing fuller delivery outside off was driven by Chaiwai straight to Vaghela positioned perfectly at extra cover for a chance on the drive, but Vaghela was late getting her hands up and it went past her left shoulder to the rope for four. Koncharoenkai struck a pair of boundaries off the first two balls of the 10^th over off Chudasama to clinch the win for Thailand. 
 
Kodali ended with 1 for 13 in two overs. Chudasama returned 0 for 16 in 2.2 overs. Immadi ended with 0 for 10 in two, Ritu Singh 0 for 8 in her only over while Willathgamuwa conceded two singles in her only over. 
 
In the day’s other action in Group A, Sri Lanka clinched a spot in the semifinals with a 67-run win over Uganda. Vishmi Gunaratne scored a career-best 71 not out in Sri Lanka’s total of 154 for 4 before Uganda were bowled out for 87 in reply. 
 
USA has an off day on Thursday before their final match of the tournament is scheduled for 7:30 pm local time on Friday night against Sri Lanka at Tolerance Oval.