Isani Vaghela made the most of a second life to produce a career-best 52 in USA's total of 146 for 6 to lay the platform for an easy victory over Italy which took USA to the top of the table after the first round of the double round-robin event. 

Photo credit: ICC

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
For the second day in a row, a USA Women’s batter notched a career-high score in T20Is as Isani Vaghela scored her first career fifty for USA in a 72-run win over Italy on Friday at the inaugural ICC Women’s Challenge Trophy in Rwanda. Vaghela survived a chance on 23 before going past her previous best of 32 not out to make 52 off 53 balls in USA’s total of 146 for 6 before Italy was bowled out for 74 in 16 overs in reply. 
 
USA won the toss and decided to bat first, making one change from their win over Vanuatu as Nikhar Doshi was brought into the XI in place of Jivana Aras. USA was in an early hole, losing two wickets in their first 13 balls but recovered behind a 91-run partnership between Vaghela and Chetna Pagydyala to put the match well out of reach. 
 
USA lost their first wicket after a sequence in which poor running between Pagydyala and Sainavi Kambalapalli resulted in settling for a long single to deep third man rather than Pagydyala keeping strike. Kambalapalli then charged the next ball from Chaturika Mahamalage and was beaten in flight to be stumped for 5. Doshi entered above Vaghela at No. 3 and lasted five balls before she spooned a gentle return catch to Mahamalage’s left at the start of the third over for 6 to make it 17 for 2. 
 
Vaghela then joined Pagydyala and the pair batted cautiously for the next four overs, reaching 34 for 2 after seven. The pressure began to release in the eighth when a bad misfield at deep third off a would-be single from Vaghela resulted in a boundary. Slow bowler Amaya Rajapaksha then bowled three no balls in three different ways in the ninth over – an overstep, a double-bounced delivery, and a fielding restriction violation – as part of a 10-run over before Pagydyala punched a drive down the ground for four in the 10^th to take USA to 62 for 2 at the halfway point. 
 
Vaeghla was on 23 off 32 balls after 11 overs when she skied Emilia Bartram on a drive to long-off, but the fielder on the rope misjudged the chance and withdrew from attempting a catch thinking the ball would land over the rope. But instead it landed just inside the rope before going over, though without third umpire video replays available the on-field umpires subsequently ruled it a six to move her to 29. 
 
Pagydyala survived a chance at long-on on 35 in the 16^th over off Ilenia Sims that resulted in a boundary. But Pagydyala finally got out for 41 in the following over, missing a heave across the line to Emma Moore to have her off stump knocked back at 108 for 3. After a single by new batter Pooja Ganesh put Vaghela back on strike on 43, she heaved a six cleanly over the rope at wide long-on to move to 49 before a two was punched wide of long-off to bring up her half-century off 51 balls. She only added one more to her score before falling two balls later at the start of the 18^th when she charged Sims and skied a catch to long-off to make it 118 for 4. 
 
Ritu Singh’s horror tour with the bat continued as she lasted just two balls to score 1 for Mahamalage’s third wicket. On a day when Italy’s overall fielding was poor, she managed to pick out Italy’s best fielder when a drive toward extra cover was brilliantly intercepted by Bartram who pulled off a diving catch to her right to make it 120 for 5 as Mahamalage now had four scalps to her name. Gargi Bhogle then fell three balls later at the start of the 19^th for 5 when she mishit a knee high full toss to cover for a simple catch to gift a wicket to medium pacer Pasindi Kanankege at 125 for 6.
 
USA captain Aditi Chudasama provided a strong finishing flourish for USA, hitting three boundaries off the final 11 balls of the innings to boost USA to their final total. Chudasama ended 17 not out off 9 balls while Ganesh ended 5 not out off 5 balls after entering in the 17^th over. 
 
Mahamalage’s 4 for 24 was the second four-wicket haul of her career to lead Italy with the ball. Moore took 1 for 14 off two overs while Kanankege finished with 1 for 21 off two. Kumudu Peddrick was Italy’s most expensive bowler, conceding 0 for 28 off four. Himanshi Daluwatta was the least economical of the eight bowlers used, leaking 12 off her only over. 
 
Maahi Madhavan’s sensational tour with the ball continued in the first over of the chase as she bowled Methnara Rathnayake for a second-ball duck after the right-hander defended down the wrong line of a good length delivery. Madhavan’s true standout moment came two overs later in the field though when she tumbled to her left at midwicket to pull off an athletic catch off the bat of Sims for Suhani Thadani’s first wicket making it 18 for 2. Singh struck in the fourth as left-hander Bartram skied a pull that fell safely into the hands of Pagydyala at mid-on to make it 19 for 3. Madhavan came back into the attack in the fifth over once again and claimed her second wicket as opener Alexia Kontopirakis top edged a heave that swirled to Taranum Chopra at cover for 9 to make it 26 for 4.
 
After a maiden by Singh in the sixth built more pressure, she struck in the eighth as Vaghela claimed a sharp diving catch on the run to her right at long-on to remove Peddrick for 6 to make it 33 for 5. Ganesh’s awareness behind the stumps was on full display in the following over as she effected an unusual stumping to remove Daluwatta for 4. Daluwatta had taken guard outside of her crease with Ganesh standing back to Thadani’s medium pace. After Daluwatta swung and missed at a wider delivery, Ganesh ran forward and took the bails off when Daluwatta never established any part of her body behind the crease while replaying her previous missed shot. The square leg umpire judged that the ball was never dead and gave Daluwatta out to make it 40 for 6. 
 
Moore offered a chance on 9 on the final ball before the 10-over drinks break, but Vaghela followed up her superb running catch a few overs earlier by completely misjudging a lofted drive toward long-on and ran in from the rope only to reach up above her head late and have the ball go off her fingertips and over the rope for six. But USA was able to strike quickly after play resumed from the drinks break as Sadalee Malwatta fell for 2, slapping a toed shot back to Kambalapalli for a gentle return catch taken crouching at knee height to make it 52 for 7. 
 
Moore clobbered her second six, this time a no doubt shot down the ground off Kambalapalli in the 13^th, but survived a chance one ball later on 23 when Doshi opted not to dive for a top edge that swirled in her direction at short fine leg. Kambalapalli struck on the next delivery though to Kanankege, flighting a full delivery to tease a false heave across the line that resulted in the stumps being knocked back for a seven-ball duck to make it 63 for 8. 
 
The match lasted three more overs before USA struck on consecutive deliveries to end play. The penultimate wicket fell when Rajapaksha got into a mixup after hitting a delivery to square leg. Moore ran on contact with Rajapaksha frozen while ball-watching before belatedly setting off. Thadani fielded and lobbed a safe relay to Chopra over the bowler’s stumps to complete a runout as Rajapaksha left for 8. With Moore now back on strike and only the No. 11 Mahamalage left to partner with her, Moore decided to try to hit out but failed immediately as she skied Chopra’s offspin to Pagydyala at long-off where a straightforward catch was taken to end the match and Moore’s innings for a top score of 27. 
 
Madhavan had the best figures of USA’s four bowlers that claimed two wickets apiece, ending with 2 for 8 in two overs. Kambalapalli took 2 for 13 off three overs while Singh was very impressive in finishing with 2 for 14 off four including a maiden. Thadani was the beneficiary of good fielding behind her to end with 2 for 15 off two. Chopra ended with 1 for 4 off two overs while Chudasama was the only bowler to go wicketless, ending with 0 for 17 off three overs. 
 
The result moved USA into sole possession of first place on the tournament points table as they finish the first sequence of round-robin play as the only team with three wins to sit on six points. They also have a sizable net run rate tiebreaker advantage should another team draw level on points as USA’s differential is currently +2.100 owing to three lopsided wins and a narrow one-run loss to Rwanda. Nepal had a chance to keep up with USA on points but suffered a shocking 22-run loss to Vanuatu earlier on Friday, collapsing badly in their chase of a target of 98 to be 75 all out in just 15.3 overs. Nepal was 45 for 3 after eight overs but lost their last seven wickets for just 30 runs and with 27 balls left unused. It was Vanuatu’s first win of the tournament. Rwanda had a bye on Friday and sit on four points alongside Nepal and Italy, but with the best net run rate of the three teams. 
 
USA has a rest day on Saturday before returning to action on Sunday against Nepal.