Marginal win of 7 wickets in the opening match with the close rival
India achieved an impressive record as they beat arch-rivals Pakistan by seven wickets in their opening match of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 at Newlands Cricket Ground on Sunday. Building on the outstanding performances of Bismah Maroof (68-55) and Ayesha Naseem (43-25), Pakistan went on to a competitive 149-4 from 20 overs.
Team India followed the 150 wicket closely, with Shafali Verma and Yastika Bhatia starting from the front as Smriti Mandhana was unavailable due to injury. The opening duo put on a solid performance after 38 overs before Yastika was eliminated by Sadia Iqbal on the final power play. Shafali and Jemimah Rodrigues controlled to reconstruct the innings.But, Pakistan strike back in the tenth over, as Sidra Amin made a big catch near the ropes and sent Verma back to the bench. (Read Also: Eastern Cape Sunrisers are the first-season winner of the SA20 League)
Despite Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah’s try, Nashra Sandhu sacked Kaur in the 14th over, giving Pakistan a solid lead.But Jemimah Rodrigues led India into a running fight, bowling an unbeaten fifty (53 for 38) and leading India across the win line alongside Richa Ghosh (31 for 20) in 19 overs with seven wickets in hand. Previously, Pakistan, who won the toss and chose to strike first, lost the wickets of Javeria Khan to Deepti Sharma in the second over. Bismah Maroof and Muneeba Ali attacked Deepti and helped Pakistan to a score of 39/1 by the end of the power play, their highest result against India in the first six overs of the Women’s T20I.Radha Yadav, however, struck Muneeba’s wicket soon after and Pooja Vastrakar sacked Nida Dar for a duck to put India back on top.
Fit Sidra Amin joined Maroof in the middle and the pair put up a 25 for the fourth wicket before a strange dismissal resulted in Amin being dismissed by Radha. Ayesha Naseem’s call added momentum to Pakistan’s innings as she fended off blocks with several hard shots. Maroof held one end while Ayesha stormed the other, taking Pakistan to 100 runs in the 16th over. Maroof turned 50 shortly thereafter as the duo formed a partnership that pushed India to the back end. The unbeaten 81-runner helped Pakistan to 149/4 at the end of 20 overs. The last five overs conceded 58 runs as Pakistan gave India a clear target.
Inspiring performance for a whole generation of girls: Virat Kohli
Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli has congratulated the Indian women’s cricket team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur. This was regarding their stunning win over Pakistan at the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023. They won an exciting game by a margin of seven wickets. Virat Kohli praised the team for making big jumps and commended the team for paving the way for many girls to take up the sport in the future. “What a victory for our women’s team against Pakistan in a game of pressure and intense pursuit,” wrote Kohli. “The women’s team is making great strides with every tournament we play and will inspire a whole generation of girls to take up the sport and take women’s cricket to the top. More power to you all. God bless you,” he added.
Here is the short score:
Pakistani Women 149-4 in 20 overs (Bismah Maroof 68 not out, Ayesha Naseem 43 not out; Radha Yadav 2/21) lost to India Women 151-3 in 19 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 53 no out, Richa Ghosh 31Not Out; Nashra Sandhu 2/15) of 7 wickets.
