Sornnarin Tippoch to lead Thailand at their first World Cup
The offspinner has led Thailand in all their 35 T20Is so far
ESPNcricinfo staff
29-Jan-2020
Chanida Sutthiruang and captain Sornnarin Tippoch smile after clinching Thailand's first trip to the T20 World Cup • Peter Della Penna
Sornnarin Tippoch will lead Thailand's first-ever team at a global tournament, after being named captain of the 15-member squad for the women's T20 World Cup, which starts on February 21 in Australia.
While the core of the squad is largely the same as the one that won the qualification event in Scotland last year, Thipatcha Putthawong and Suwanan Khiaoto, who were part of the 14-member squad for the recent T20 quadrangular series in Patna, India, have been brought in. Khiaoto has yet to make her international debut.
Arriya Yenyuak, the right-arm seamer who was left out of the quadrangular squad, didn't find a place in the squad either, but Phannita Maya has come back after missing the quadrandular.
Under 33-year-old Tippoch, who has led Thailand in all of their 35 T20Is so far, the team produced a record-breaking 17 consecutive wins in the format last year. In 2018, she led the side that notched up a historic four-wicket win over Full Member nation Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup, in Kuala Lumpur.
Other experienced names in Thailand's T20 World Cup squad include Naruemol Chaiwai, Nattaya Boochatham, Suleeporn Laomi, and the 2019 ICC Women's Emerging Cricketer of the Year Chanida Sutthiruang, who have all played every single one of Thailand's T20Is down the years.
Sutthiruang, the 26-year-old right-arm seamer, took 12 wickets at the T20 World Cup qualifier, while Boochatham was the leading wicket-taker in T20Is last year, and Chaiwai was the leading run-scorer in T20Is last year. Wristspinner Laomi, meanwhile, was a key performer in their qualifier campaign, her guile often outsmarting batters.
Thailand's preparation in the lead-up to the world event hasn't been ideal as they finished last in the quadrangular series, which also featured Bangladesh and the India A and B sides. They have ODI-playing nations as contenders in Group B, such as England, Pakistan, South Africa, and West Indies, and will play their tournament-opener against West Indies in Perth on February 22.