Tag: Women’s T20 World Cup

CAPE TOWN: West Indian captain Hayley Matthews struck an unbeaten 66 in a crucial run chase and powered her side to beat Ireland and keep their semi-final hopes alive in the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

Set to chase 140, West Indies amassed the total on the second-last delivery of the match at the back of a magnificent knock by their captain Matthews.

West Indies got off to a dismal start to the run chase as the side lost two wickets for a mere 46 runs in the ninth over as Rashada Williams (17) and Shemaine Campbelle (8) perished cheaply.

Following the early setback, Matthews partnered strongly with Chinelle Henry for the third wicket and anchored the run chase as the duo added 74 runs at a quick rate.

The stand appeared solid and West Indies were looking favourites to claim a comfortable victory before Leah Paul dismissed Henry and broke the crucial partnership to bring Ireland back into the game.

Henry scored 34 off 28 deliveries with the help of four boundaries.

Matthews, on the other hand, held his ground firm and made sure to steer her side to glory despite West Indies dealt with another blow in the final over as Shabika Gajnabi was run out for 13.

West Indian captain remained the top-scorer for her side with 66 off just 53 deliveries, laced with eight boundaries and a six.

For Ireland, Laura Delany and Paul could pick up a wicket.

Batting first, Ireland’s batting lineup faltered completely and could only raise 139/9 in their allotted 20 overs Orla Prendergast’s 61.

Ireland too, had a poor start to their innings as their opener Amy Hunter perished for one in the second over.

With the side dented with an early blow, Prendergast and Gaby Lewis anchored the innings with a valiant 90-run partnership for the second wicket before the former perished in the 13th over.

Prendergast top-scored for Ireland with 61 off just 47 balls, hitting six boundaries and a six.

Lewis then put on a brief 25-run partnership for the third wicket with Eimear Richardson but Karishma Ramharack trapped the former in her legs to cease the budding partnership.

Lewis could score 38 off 34, hitting six boundaries.

Meanwhile, her dismissal triggered a frustrating collapse that resulted in Ireland slipping from 116/3 to 137/9 with Richardson also making her way back after scoring 13.

Shamilia Connell led the bowling attack for West Indies with 3/24 while Afy Fletcher and Ramharack bagged two wickets each. Matthews, on the other hand, made one scalp.

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CAPE TOWN: New Zealand opener Suzie Bates struck a magnificent half-century before a disciplined bowling attack led the side to a dominating 71-run victory over Bangladesh in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

After opting to bat first, New Zealand raised a mammoth 189/3 in their allotted 20 overs at the back of a magnificent 81-run knock by Bates.

New Zealand openers Bates and Bernadine Bezuidenhout laid a solid foundation for a massive total as the duo added 77 runs within just nine overs before Shorna Akter provided a much-needed breakthrough by removing the former.

Bezuidenhout scored a quickfire 44 off just 26 deliveries with the help of five boundaries.

Following her dismissal, Bates put on a brief partnership with Amelia Kerr (16) before finally putting on an unbeaten momentum-boosting stand with Maddy Green and carried her bat all the way through.

The duo of Bates and Green added 82 runs for the fourth wicket in just 42 balls. Green struck a brisk 44 not out off a mere 20 balls, hitting seven boundaries, while Bates top-scored fro the side with an unbeaten 81 off 61 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries and a six.

For Bangladesh, Fahima Khatun bagged two wickets while Shorna could make one scalp.

Set to chase 190, Bangladesh’s batting lineup failed and could only accumulate 118/8 in their allotted overs.

Shorna and Murshida Khatun offered a brief fightback with their respective knocks while the rest of the Bangladesh batters seemed clueless against a strong White Fern bowling attack.

Shorna top-scored for the side with 31 off 22 while Shorna could score 30 in 38 deliveries.

Besides them, opening batter Shamima Sultana remained the notable run-getter with an 11-ball 14, while the rest of the batters could not amass double figures.

Eden Carson led the bowling attack for Australia with 3/18 while Hannah Rowe returned with 2/15.

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CAPE TOWN: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Muneeba Ali struck the first-ever century for the nation in Women’s T20Is before Nashra Sandhu led the green shirts to a thumping 70-run victory over Ireland in ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

Set to chase a mammoth 166, the Irish batting lineup failed completely against a strong Pakistan bowling attack and bundled out for a meagre 95 runs in the 17th over.

Top-order batter Orla Prendergast offered a brief fightback with her 31-run knock in just 21 deliveries and top-scored for her side, followed by Eimar Richardson, who could score 28.

Besides them, the rest of the Irish batters seemed clueless against Pakistan’s bowling attack, led by Sandhu, who picked up four wickets for just 18 runs.

Sadia Iqbal and Nida Dar bagged two wickets each for Pakistan, while Fatima Sana could take one.

Put into bat first, Pakistan accumulated 165/5 in their allotted 20 overs at the back of a brilliant century by Muneeba.

Muneeba carried her bat till 19 overs and top-scored for the side with 102 off just 68 deliveries, laced with 14 boundaries.

The left-handed batter stitched a magnificent 101-run partnership with all-rounder Nida Dar, who scored 33 off 28 deliveries with the help of two boundaries and a six before perishing in the final over.

Following their dismissal, Aliya Riaz (3*) and Ayesha Naseem (6) powered Pakistan to finish strongly at 165/5 with the latter falling on the final delivery.

Arlene Kelly led the bowling attack for Ireland with 2/27 while Leah Paul and Laura Delany made one scalp each.

READ: Bowlers, Ghosh star as India thrash West Indies in Women’s T20 WC

GQEBERHA: Meg Lanning played a firm knock of unbeaten 48 to take Australia to a dominant eight-wicket win after Georgia Wareham and Darcie Brown stormed Bangladesh’s batting line in the Group A fixture of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on Tuesday.

Set to chase a paltry total of 108, Opener Alyssa Healy and skipper Lanning led the charge for Australia despite an early setback when Marufa Akter dismissed Beth Mooney in the third over.

Haley scored 37 from 36 balls before she fell prey to Shorna Akter in the 13th over when Australia were still 30 runs behind the target. Lanning, however, remained solid on the pitch and sailed her side through the chase in the 19th over with Ashleigh Gardner (19*) on the other end.

Earlier, Wareham ran through the middle order after quick Darcie Brown unsettled the opening pair inside the first four overs of the Bangladesh innings. 

Bangladesh slumped to 11/2 in 3.1 overs after they opted to bat first as openers Shamima Sultana and Murshida Khatoon were dismissed early by Brown in her first spell.

Skipper Nigar Sultana, however, held the fort for Bangladesh but without any meaningful support from the rest of her teammates. She hit a valiant half-century while Wareham was scalping wickets at the other end.

The leggie found three wickets in the middle to disrupt the batting side despite Sultana’s lone heroics of 57 from 50 balls, laced with seven fours and a maximum. She was dismissed only in the 19th over by Gardner.

Megan Schutt then scalped a wicket in the final over to reduce Bangladesh to 107/7 in the 20 overs.

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PAARL: South Africa women’s team rekindled their home T20 World Cup campaign with a dominant 65-run victory over New Zealand in a Group A fixture on Monday, thanks to an exceptional bowling effort.

Spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba led the charge with three wickets as South Africa bundled out New Zealand for a paltry 67 in the second innings. 

Electing to bat first, the home side scored 132/6 in the 20 overs after Chloe Tryon salvaged with a 34-ball 40 in the middle before Nadine de Klerk made an unbeaten 28 from 26 balls.

South African bowlers, however, dominated the game afterwards and wreaked havoc on New Zealand’s batting line, offering them no width to sneak back into the game.

Mlaba unsettled the White Ferns right from the start, taking a wicket in each of her first two overs as New Zealand slumped to 7/2 inside three overs with both openers Bernadine Bezuidenhout and Suzie Bates back in the hut on a duck. 

Marizanne Kapp then dismissed Georgia Plimmer (7 from 12) in the 4th over before Ayabonga Khaka took the crucial wicket of Amelia Kerr (10 off 12) in the next.

New Zealand never looked in control of the chase as eight of their batters did not even cross the single digit.

Skipper Sophie Divine’s unsettling stay offered no significant help too as she gathered a mere 16 from 26 balls while the rest of the batters failed miserably.

Earlier South Africa were defeated by Sri Lanka in the opening match of the tournament.

READ: Imran Tahir reaches Pakistan as Karachi Kings begin PSL campaign today

CAPE TOWN: Harshitha Samarawickrama and Nilakshi de Silva led the batting charge for Sri Lanka as the side sealed their second consecutive win of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup after a comfortable seven-wicket win over Bangladesh on Sunday.

Set to chase a meagre total of 126, opener Harshitha played a valiant knock of unbeaten 69 while Nilakshi succoured from the other end with 38-ball 41 to take Sri Lanka home with 10 balls to spare.

Bangladesh, however, slumped to 125 for the loss of eight wickets as they lacked firepower in the lower order which could have taken them to a respectable total after they reached 95/4 in 15 overs.

Sobhana Mostary and skipper Nigar Sultana made 29 and 28 respectively to keep Bangladesh afloat in the middle overs before their batting choked.

Spinners led the way for Sri Lanka as skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three wickets while Oshadi Ranasinghe had three for 23 in her four overs. 

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, wobbled a bit in their chase when spinner Marufa Akter demolished the top order and reduced the side to 25 for three inside six overs. She picked three and was the only Bangladesh bowler to etch her name in the wickets section.

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CAPE TOWN: Right-handed Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues struck a gritty half-century in the tricky run chase against arch-rivals Pakistan and steered her side to a thrilling seven-wicket victory in the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup.

Set to chase 151, India amassed 151/3 in the 19th over at the back of a crucial knock by Rodrigues, who scored an unbeaten 53 off just 38 deliveries.

The right-handed batter top-scored for her side with a magnificent knock that featured eight boundaries.

Earlier, opening batter Shafali Verma (33) also laid a solid foundation for the run chase as she put on two vital partnerships before finally falling in the 10th over.

Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur stayed briefly at the crease as she could score 16 before falling victim to Nashra Sandhu.

Following Kaur’s dismissal, Richa Ghosh joined Rodrigues and added an unbeaten 58-run match-winning partnership. Ghosh remained unbeaten with a brisk 31 off just 20 balls including five boundaries.

For Pakistan, Sandhu led the bowling with 2/15 in her four overs while Sadia Iqbal could make one scalp. 

After opting to bat first, the Green Shirts were off to a rather shaky start as experienced opener Javeria Khan (8) fell in the second over as Deepti Sharma provided the first breakthrough for India.

Following the early slump, skipper Bismah stitched a gritty 32-run partnership with young opener Muneeba Ali before Radha Yadav broke the budding partnership by removing the latter for just 12.

Pakistan then found themselves in deep trouble when their in-form all-rounder Nida Dar perished for a duck in the next over before Sidra Ameen departed for a mere 11 after a brief fourth-wicket partnership with Bismah.

Hard-hitting batter Ayesha then turned the tables on the disciplined Indian bowling attack as she struck a quickfire 43 off just 25 deliveries and bolstered Pakistan to a competitive total.

The right-handed batter struck two sixes and as many fours in her unbeaten crucial innings.

Whereas, Bismah too, carried her bat till the end as she scored 68 not out off 55 deliveries with the help of seven boundaries.

Radha led the bowling attack for India with two wickets, while Deepti and Pooja Vastrakar made one scalp each.

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CAPE TOWN: Pakistan have won the toss and elected to bat first against arch-rivals India in the much-awaited clash of the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023.

PLAYING XIs

PAKISTAN: Bismah Maroof (c), Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali, Nida Dar, Ayesha Naseem, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Sidra Amin, Aiman Anwer, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal.

INDIA: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodiguez, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh.

HEAD TO HEAD (WT20Is):

Matches-13, India-10, Pakistan-3

As Pakistan Women’s team kicks off its ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign on Sunday, pacer Fatima Sana has expressed her excitement about leading the Green Shirt’s bowling attack against the arch-rivals India, that too on her World Cup debut. 

“I am very excited to play my first T20I match in the World Cup and lead our bowling attack. Obviously playing against India is a special feeling, but we will take it as a normal game and try to give our best shot in the match. she said in a video shared by the PCB on Saturday.

ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year 2021 Sana has been a mainstay of the national team’s bowling department and will represent Pakistan for the first time in a World Cup.

Bismah Maroof will lead Pakistan in the event for the second time, after captaining the side in the previous edition held in Australia in 2020. She along with opening batter Javeria Khan will be featuring in their eighth edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

A positive outcome in Sunday’s blockbuster clash against India will give Pakistan women’s team perfect momentum for their later matches in Group B and bolster their chances to qualify for the tournament’s semifinal for the very first time.

The World Cup provides veteran all-rounder Nida Dar an opportunity to become the highest wicket-taker in this format in women’s cricket as requires only five more wickets to go past West Indies’ Anisa Mohammad’s tally of 125 wickets.

“I don’t want to take any extra pressure on the record coming my way of becoming the highest wicket-taker in the T20I format. I just love playing this game and I just want to enjoy the moment and give my best for the team.” told Dar to PCB Digital.

Talking about the hype of the India-Pakistan contest, Dar said: “(It) is such that it does not require any Sunday, fans will be there to witness the contest any day provided the two sides are playing against each other. It is all about controlling the nerves, it is also exciting to play such matches as people watch you play.”

Pakistan squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup:

Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Fatima Sana, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Tuba Hassan

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CAPE TOWN: The captains of all 10 teams including Pakistan’s Bismah Maroof participated in the trophy unveiling ceremony of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, scheduled to commence on Friday.

According to the details, the glittering trophy for the mega event was unveiled at the waterfront here, which was attended by all the captains.

Right-handed batter Bismah, who represented Pakistan in the trophy unveiling ceremony will lead the side in the upcoming mega event with the green shirts set to start their campaign against arch-rivals India on Sunday (February 12).

Taking to Twitter, the International Cricket Council (ICC) shared the ‘picture perfect’ of the participating teams’ captains with the trophy.

Picture perfect 😍

Which captain is leading their side to the ICC Women’s #T20WorldCup 2023 title? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/ioUhKngxVP

— ICC (@ICC) February 4, 2023

 

It is pertinent to mention that green shirts will start training for the mega event today in Newlands.

PAKISTAN’s ITINERARY:

February 12: Pakistan vs India
February 15: Pakistan vs Ireland
February 19: Pakistan vs West Indies
February 21: Pakistan vs England

Pakistan’s Squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Fatima Sana, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shams, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Tuba Hassan.

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