The opening day of the Nordic Women’s T20 Cup 2025 brought contrasting contests in Ishoj and Albertslund, as Germany Women cruised past Finland Women with a clinical all-round display, while Sweden Women overwhelmed Norway Women in a completely one-sided affair.
Match 1: Finland Women vs Germany Women (Ishoj)
Germany Women began their campaign in emphatic fashion, brushing aside Finland Women by eight wickets with more than seven overs to spare.
Batting first, Finland struggled to impose themselves after losing captain Trajilia Mulepati (2 off 8) early to a run-out at 15/1. The innings was then steadied by Divija Unhale (39 off 70) and wicketkeeper Stella Sheridan (27 off 26), who added a fighting 61-run partnership for the second wicket.
Once Sheridan departed, the scoring slowed again, though Haiyen Nguyen (14* off 15) and Rhea Khullar (4* off 5) managed to guide Finland past the 100-run mark. Extras were Finland’s silent ally, contributing 16 runs, including 10 wides.
For Germany, Asmita Kohli (4-0-16-2) was the standout, dismissing both Sheridan and Unhale, while Janet Ronalds (4-1-13-0) applied the squeeze with her economy. Finland closed on 102/3 in 20 overs.
Germany’s chase was brisk and fearless. Although Karthika Vijayaraghavan lbw to Unhale (6 off 12) and Shravya Kolcharam (run out for 2) fell cheaply, Wilhelmina Hornero-Garcia took complete control. Her blistering 52* off 34 balls, peppered with six fours, lit up the contest.
Alongside the composed Ronalds (23* off 25), she stitched together an unbeaten 67-run partnership. Finland’s wayward bowling cost them dearly, with 20 extras (19 wides) undoing any pressure they hoped to build. Germany romped home to 103/2 in just 12.2 overs, sealing an eight-wicket victory with 46 balls to spare.
Match 2: Sweden Women vs Norway Women (Albertslund)
If the first clash was efficient, the second fixture turned into a rout. Sweden Women outclassed Norway Women by a massive 94 runs, showcasing dominance in both departments.
Put into bat, Sweden were rocked early when Ekaterina Bogdanova fell for a duck, but captain Kanchan Rana responded with a captain’s knock. She struck a fluent 78 off 60 balls with eight boundaries, controlling the innings from start to finish. Elsa Thelander (31* off 29) offered solid support, while cameos from Anya Vaidya (17 off 20) and Jayasooriya (15 off 10) added late acceleration.
Extras again inflated the total, with Norway conceding 32 runs, pushing Sweden to a formidable 175/4 in 20 overs. Among the bowlers, Mirab Razwan (4-0-31-2) and Alina Aslam (4-0-19-1) stood out, but others leaked runs heavily.
Norway’s reply was a procession of wickets. Their innings began disastrously with Anushka Gorad (2 off 1) run out, and wickets continued tumbling at regular intervals. None of the top order could settle, with Bijeyata Kumari (2 off 16), Mirab Sajjad (3 off 17), and captain Razwan (0 off 1) all departing cheaply.
Only Ayesha Hasan (12 off 18) and Alina Aslam (11 off 25) reached double figures, while extras were Norway’s top contributor with 35 runs. Sweden’s bowlers shared the spoils: Zara Mohammad (4-0-22-1), Jayasooriya (4-0-10-2), Malyun Yusuf (4-0-11-1) and Kanchan Rana (2-0-12-2) led the charge. Norway limped to 81/9 in 20 overs, falling short by 94 runs.
Day 1 underscored the gap in quality between the sides. Germany displayed balance and professionalism in their clinical win over Finland, while Sweden combined firepower with discipline to dismantle Norway. The pattern of excessive wides—Finland conceding 19, Norway a staggering 61 across two innings—emerged as a theme, highlighting an area all teams will need to tidy up as the tournament progresses.
The Nordic Women’s T20 Cup 2025 is off to a lively start, with Germany and Sweden announcing themselves as early frontrunners.
