Indian all-rounder Shikha Pandey smashes a ton in Queensland Premier Cricket league in Australia

Indian all-rounder Shikha Pandey smashed a ton in the ongoing Queensland Premier Cricket league in Australia on Sunday (September 11).

After her omission from the Indian women’s squad, she is now playing for Wynnum Manly, a club in the tournament.

Pandey, a right-arm pacer, played her first game for the club in the second round of Queensland Cricket’s first-grade competition.

Batting at No. 5, the 33-year-old scored 112 runs in 109 deliveries with nine fours and a six at a strike rate of 102.75. With the help of her hundred, the Wynnum Manly women put on a total of 226 runs for nine in 50 overs.

In reply, Sandgate-Redcliffe batters did not last long and their innings was wrapped up for a mere 48 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Pandey picked up a couple of wickets and ended her spell of six overs with a maiden over, conceding just seven runs. She dismissed Sandgate-Redcliffe and Brisbane Heat all-rounder Georgia Voll and wicketkeeper batter Taylor Stumer for ducks.

In the end, Wynnum Manly women won the derby at the venue – Bill Albury Oval, by 178 runs.

Pandey hasn’t played an international game for India since October 2021. Her last international outing was versus Australia at Carrara Oval in the final T20 International game of the three-match series. The famous dismissal of Alyssa Healy by Pandey came in the second game of the series.

She led Goa Women in the Women’s Senior One-Day Trophy in November 2021, while in December 2021, she led India-C Women in the Senior Women's Challenger Trophy (one-dayers). She played rare batting cameos and bowled reasonable spells with the ball in both tournaments.

Pandey was part of the Indian side for the 2017 World Cup in England and the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia. She has 75 wickets in 55 ODI innings at an economy of 3.99 and a few batting cameos in her account. Pandey has picked up 40 wickets at an economy of 6.47 in 51 T20I innings.