WPL 2023 : Just to be here has been absolutely amazing : Tara Norris after five-wicket haul

Mumbai : Delhi Capitals’ left-arm fast-bowler Tara Norris said she was delighted and felt absolutely amazing to be playing the Women’s Premier League (WPL) after becoming the first bowler to take a five-wicket haul in the tournament.

On Sunday, Delhi got the result of picking an associate player in the tournament and giving them flexibility to pick five overseas players in their eleven against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Brabourne Stadium.

Tara emerged as the chief architect of Bangalore’s collapse from 89/2 to 96/7. She ended up picking 5/29 in her four overs as Bangalore could make 163/8 in their 20 overs, giving Delhi their first victory of the competition.

“Delighted. I think Meg and Shafali started fantastically with the bat to take a bit of the pressure off the bowlers. But yeah, really happy. I never thought I’d have an opportunity like this in my career so just to be here has been absolutely amazing.

So I’m absolutely delighted,” she said on her Player of her Match performance in the post-match presentation ceremony. Tara took the wickets of Ellyse Perry, Disha Kasat, Richa Ghosh and Kanika Ahuja – on consecutive deliveries in overs 11 and 13 – and Heather Knight in the 18th over to suck the momentum from Bangalore’s chase.

“Probably the first (wicket of Ellyse Perry) was pretty special. Like I said, just to be here has been amazing. So the fact that I got a chance to play and have a bowl has been awesome,” she added.

All-rounder Marizanne Kapp didn’t pick a wicket today with her pace bowling. But she still had an impact in the game, providing finishing touches with her 17-ball 39 not out which got Delhi to cross 200-mark.

“That’s the nice thing about being an allrounder. If you mess up with the ball, you can make up with the bat. I scored 50 runs all World Cup so it was nice to come out and hit the ball cleanly.

Credit to our openers. That makes it so much easier.” “You can come out and play your natural game and just hit the ball. I think the fact that we started so well, having lost our openers one after the other, I was proud of the way we came in and played.

It was my first game playing under Meg. Hopefully I can learn a lot and see how she does things.” Delhi’s next match in the tournament will be against UP Warriorz on Tuesday at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.