UAE scored 103/8 in 20 overs, where as Pakistan scored 107/0 in 14.1 overs.
So, finally Pakistan beat UAE by 10 wickets.
Riding on Gull Feroza’s consecutive half-centuries, Pakistan solidified their bid for a semifinal spot with a commanding 10-wicket victory over UAE in the final Group A game of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 in Dambulla.
Spinners Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal, and Tuba Hassan each picked up two wickets, restricting UAE to a modest 103 despite opener Theertha Satish’s fighting 40.
Pakistan’s openers took just 14.1 overs to chase down the target, boosting their NRR from +0.497 to 1.158.
Unless Nepal pulls off a massive upset against India later in the evening, Pakistan should advance to the knockouts.
UAE
No wickets but no progress
Power Play: 24/0 [RR: 4, 4s: 4]
Continuing her rich vein of form, UAE skipper Esha Oza began with a first-ball boundary, but the high dot-ball consumption between the openers remained a concern.
Despite finding a boundary almost every over of the powerplay, barring Sadia Iqbal’s two overs, the opening pair also played 25 dot balls.
Pakistan would have been content with no early breakthroughs.
Bowlers come to the party
Middle overs: 54/4 [RR: 6, 4s: 4]
UAE managed to increase their scoring rate to 6 RPO in this phase, but it did not help their cause as they lost wickets at regular intervals.
Nashra Sandhu struck in her very first over, dismissing the UAE skipper who wanted to break free.
In her next over, Sandhu sent back Rinitha Ranjith.
Skipper Nida Dar waited until the 12th over to bowl but struck immediately, trapping Kavisha Egodage LBW.
Leggie Tuba Hassan also produced a wicket right away, denying the UAE opener her half-century by 10 runs.
More wickets for Pakistan
Death overs: 25/4 [RR: 5]
The slog-overs push never materialized, with more wickets falling steadily.
Sadia Iqbal dismissed both set batters in her final two overs to finish with an impressive 2-11.
New batter Samaira Dharnidharka survived a run-out scare but was dismissed the very next ball, giving Tuba her second wicket of the day.
A few singles in the final over propelled UAE’s score into triple digits, but 103 was never going to be enough to challenge Pakistan’s batting.
PAKISTAN
Luck favours Pakistan
Power play: 42/0 [RR: 7, 4s: 6]
Luck favoured the Pakistan openers.
Feroza was dropped on the first ball by ‘keeper Theertha and made UAE pay, using sweeps to good effect and fetching regular boundaries behind square.
Fellow opener Mubeena Ali played a more silent partner in the Powerplay and survived a stumping off Heena Hotchandani, with the TV umpire ruling it not out despite replays showing Mubeena’s feet clearly outside the crease.
Feroza fifty puts Pakistan in the semis, almost
Middle overs: 61/0 [RR: 7.6, 4s: 6]
Feroza’s confidence from her previous fifty showed in her batting as she spared no bowlers.
She notched up her second successive fifty with a four to deep backward point, off 46 balls.
Having lost her wicket in the game against Nepal just as Pakistan neared the finish line, Feroza made amends by staying until the end, scoring an unbeaten 62 off 55 balls.
Mubeena, playing the second fiddle with an unbeaten 37 off 30 balls, hit the winning runs on the first ball of the 15th over to complete the formalities.
Leave a Reply