Holiday Inn Resort Vanuatu National Cricket Team Captain Selina Solman took 4-0 in one over including a hattrick and scored 56 not out form 44 balls as Vanuatu defeated France by 78 runs in Noumea
Vanuatu 123 for 3 (20 overs), Solman 56* (44), Langiatu 37 (61), Wahmowe 2-20 (4), Siwa 1-13 (2) defeated France 45 (12.1 overs), Cagnewa 18 (31), Solman 4-0 including a hattrick (1), G Chilia 2-1 (1.1), by 78 runs, at Stade De Cricket De N'Du (N’Du Cricket Stadium), Noumea, New Caledonia
Less than half a day after achieving a nail-biting victory against Samoa, the Holiday Inn Resort Vanuatu National Cricket Team secured a dominant win over France in their second match of the Pacific-France Women’s Championship in Noumea, New Caledonia, the inaugural international between the two countries.
This victory was made even more special by a historic world record performance from captain Selina Solman, who became the first woman in T20 International history to take a hattrick and score a half-century in the same match.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Vanuatu posted a total of 123 for the loss of only three wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Solman anchored the innings just a day after completing a gruelling 48-hour transit from rural Queensland to Sydney, helping her and two teammates avoid the impact of a tropical cyclone that disrupted their planned flight from Brisbane. More details on their travel saga can be found in yesterday’s report.
Solman was ably supported by Valenta Langiatu, who contributed a steady 37 runs off 61 balls. Their partnership of 74 runs came from 95 balls.
In response, world-ranked 35 team France struggled to build momentum and were bowled out for just 45 runs in 12.1 overs. Fiona Cagnewa was the top scorer with 18 runs off 31 balls.
At 35 for two after six overs, the game was still in the balance when the 31-year-old captain brought herself into the attack. Solman struck with her first delivery, followed by a dot ball, before taking a sensational hattrick: bowled, bowled, and then a caught-and-bowled dismissal. After finishing with a dot, her final figures were an astonishing 4-0 from a single over. The skipper then took herself off to provide experience to young pace bowler Natalia Kakor, who took her first international wicket, finishing with 1-7.
Solman commented on her performance and the historic win stating:
"It’s always amazing to contribute to helping the team win a game. I couldn’t have done it without my team, so I’m very proud of them.
As for the tournaments so far, I’m very happy with where we are right now. We’re taking it slow, one game at a time.
I’d also like to mention that we dedicated yesterday’s game to everyone back home. It was an emotional moment for us, as it was our first international match after the earthquake. It felt like we were playing for everyone, and we were so happy to get the win at the end of the day. I’m very happy and proud of everyone."
According to available records, Solman is the first woman to achieve the rare double of a hattrick and a half-century in a T20 International. She also joins an exclusive list of players in men’s and women’s cricket to have taken four wickets in an over.
Vanuatu’s next match will be on Wednesday against Fiji at 1:30 PM local time. Thursday is currently scheduled as a rest day for Vanuatu, with the final planned for the same time on Friday.
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