ICC Women's T20 World Cup, IND vs PAK: Jemimah-Richa's late blitz hands Pakistan drubbing; fans delighted
ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023: India came up with a spirited performance in its tournament openers, drubbing Pakistan by seven wickets in Cape Town on Sunday. Consequently, Indian fans went crazy all over social media.
FollowIt was expected to be a nail-biting encounter, and it did turn out to be so between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in their Group B game of the 2023 ICC Women's World Cup at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday. The Women in Blue were put under pressure during their chase but refused to give up, and thanks to Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh's late blitz, they got the job done.
Winning the toss, Pakistan opted to bat but lost Javeria Khan (8) early to off-spinner Deepti Sharma in the second over of the PowerPlay (PP), with just ten runs on the board. However, fellow opener Muneeba Ali (12) and Bismah Maroof (68*) added 32 for the second before the latter was sent back by orthodox spinner Radha Yadav in the seventh.
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While the Women in Green were quickly down to 68/4 by the 13th, Maroof and Ayesha Naseem (43*) contributed to a brilliant unbeaten 81-run partnership for the fifth wicket, as they finished on a par total of 149/4, with the former slamming her 11th Twenty20 International (T20I) half-century.
For the Indians, Radha clutched a couple, whereas off-spinner Shafali Verma was economical. In reply, openers Yastika Bhatia (17) and Shafali (33) put on 38 together before the former fell in the sixth over of the PP to orthodox spinner Sadia Iqbal. It was followed by a couple of 20-plus-run stands, as India was left reeling at 93/3 by the 14th.
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Nevertheless, Rodrigues (53*) and Richa (31*) took control of the remainder of the innings and began to bat more aggressively. It was in the 18th when three consecutive fours off medium-pacer Aiman Anwer opened the floodgates. Eventually, Rodrigues also joined the party, and the duo got the job done by seven wickets with an over to spare.
In the process, Rodrigues slammed her 10th T20I 50, while it was the second-highest successful run chase in the women's format in the tournament to date, besides being the best chase for the Women in Blue in the competition. As for Pakistan, orthodox spinner Nashra Sandhu clasped a couple, while she was also the economic one from her side.
