DAMBULLA: Gull Feroza’s belligerent fifty helped Pakistan beat Nepal by nine wickets in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup match here on Sunday and stay in contention for a semi-final berth.
Feroza (57 off 35, 10 fours) was helped copiously by her partner Muneeba Ali (46 not out off 34, eight fours) as Pakistan raced past the target of 109 in just 11.5 overs. They added 105 runs for the opening wicket.
Now, the Nida Dar-led side has two points from as many Group ‘A’ matches, and the win also has boosted their net run rate to +0.40.However, Pakistan, who were beaten by India in their first match, will have to defeat UAE in their last group game to retain the semi-final hopes as Nepal also have two points.
But for this position of relative comfort, Pakistan will have to thank Feroza and her aggressive intent.The right-hand batter was on overdrive from the word go and reached her fifty in just 30 balls, a fierce cut off left-arm spinner KritikaMarasini to deep point taking her past the mark.
In contrast, Muneeba started slowly but found her range when she smashed left-arm spinner Sita Rana Magar for three fours in the sixth over.Once the right-hand-left-hand combination at the pole position got going, Nepal bowlers had nowhere to hide.
Earlier, their Pakistan counterparts were in fine fettle and were led well by veteran left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal, who operated with the new ball to take two wickets for 19 runs.Nepal were limited to a lowly 108 for six.
Kabita Joshi made a 31 off 23 (four fours and a six) towards the end to prop up the Nepal innings which was also marred by three run outs.Earlier, India thrashed UAE by 78 runs.
The Pakistan women’s cricket team will be back in action for the first time after their series defeats against West Indies and England, in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup, which starts here on Friday.
While the opening fixture of the eight-team tournament will feature Nepal and UAE, Pakistan’s first outing in the event will come against archrivals and favourites India a day later. The Nida Dar-led team is drawn in Group ‘A’, along with India, UAE and Nepal. Group ‘B’, meanwhile, consists of Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Given Pakistan’s recent performances, their prospects to lift the trophy are bleak. In their last 14 matches, which included both One-day Internationals and T20Is, Pakistan have tasted victory only once. The disastrous run resulted in yet another change in their coaching setup, with Mohammad Wasim taking over as the team’s third head coach in the last 12 months, while Junaid Khan and Abdur Rehman were appointed as the assistant and spin-bowling coaches, respectively. Add to that the constant tweaking of the women’s selection committee.
Pakistan go into the tournament with as many as six players dropped from that of their squad that toured England, which was their last assignment before the T20 Asia Cup. The 15-member squad underwent an 11-day training camp in Karachi before flying to Sri Lanka, and for Nida, it helped the team prepare well.
“As a captain I am looking forward to give my best,” she said in a statement on Thursday. “We have worked very hard in the camp and tried to overcome all the weaknesses in the team. “Our aim is to play positive and fearless cricket. We intend to remain positive in our approach and showcase our abilities according to the requirements of the conditions here.”
After playing India, Pakistan’s subsequent matches are scheduled against Nepal on July 21 and the UAE on July 23. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, with the final set for July 28.
Pakistan were among the top four teams, losing to Sri Lanka by one run in the semi-final of the last edition of the T20 Asia Cup held in Sylhet, Bangladesh in October 2022.
