Pakistan stumble in ACC Women T20 Asia Cup opener

KARACHI: Pakistan’s women’s cricket team fell short in their opening match of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup, losing to arch-rivals India by seven wickets at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on Friday night.

Chasing a modest 109-run target set by Pakistan, the Indian team cruised to victory with 35 balls remaining. Deepti Sharma spearheaded the Indian bowling attack, claiming three crucial wickets for just 20 runs. Renuka Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, and Shreyanka Patil also chipped in with two wickets apiece.

Pakistan’s batting lineup faltered against India’s bowling prowess. Only Sidra Amin (25 runs), Tuba Hassan (22 runs), and Fatima Sana (22* runs) managed to reach double digits.

Despite the loss, Pakistan captain Nida Dar had a reason to celebrate. She became the first Pakistani woman cricketer to play 150 T20 Internationals, receiving a commemorative signed jersey from head coach Mohammad Wasim before the match. Dar expressed her pride in this achievement and her commitment to leading the team by example.

India’s openers, Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, laid the foundation for victory with an 85-run partnership. While Syeda Aroob Shah managed to dismiss both openers and Nashra Sundhu picked up another wicket, India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues saw their team over the finish line comfortably.

Scores in brief:

India won by seven wickets

Pakistan 108 all out, 19.2 overs, (Sidra Amin 25, Tuba Hassan 22, Fatima Sana 22 not out; Deepti Sharma 3-20, Renuka Singh 2-14.