Ayesha Zafar’s Century in Vain as Lahore Defeats Peshawar in Women’s One-Day Tournament Opener

The National Women’s One-Day Tournament kicked off with an enthralling encounter between Peshawar and Lahore, where opener Ayesha Zafar’s remarkable century went in vain as Lahore secured a convincing seven-wicket victory at the Bohranwali Cricket Ground in Faisalabad on Wednesday.

Despite Ayesha Zafar’s exceptional unbeaten knock of 108 runs off 94 balls, Peshawar failed to capitalize on her innings and were bowled out for 166 runs in 32.5 overs. Lahore’s bowling attack, led by Ayesha Bilal (4-33), Anam Amin (3-30), and Noreen Yaqoob (2-40), displayed an impressive performance to restrict Peshawar.

In response, Lahore chased down the target comfortably in 31 overs, with Dua Majid scoring an unbeaten 66 runs and captain Kaynat Hafeez contributing 61 runs to guide their team to victory.

Meanwhile, at the Iqbal Stadium, Karachi secured a six-wicket win over Multan. Multan, batting first, could only manage to score 116 runs before being bowled out in 36.3 overs. In their chase, Karachi reached the target in 23.1 overs, with Omaima Sohail top-scoring with 49 runs.

In another match, Quetta emerged victorious against Rawalpindi at the Jawad Sports Complex Ground. Quetta’s Rameen Shamim starred with both bat and ball, taking four wickets for 16 runs and scoring an unbeaten 27 runs to guide her team to a two-wicket win.

The next round of fixtures will see Quetta take on Peshawar at the Iqbal Stadium, Lahore facing Karachi at the Jawad Club Cricket Ground, and Rawalpindi clashing against Multan at the Bohranwali Cricket Ground. These matches promise to deliver more thrilling cricketing action in the ongoing tournament.

Scores in Brief:

Lahore vs. Peshawar:

• Peshawar: 166 all-out in 32.5 overs (Ayesha Zafar 108*; Ayesha Bilal 4-33)
• Lahore: 169-3 in 31 overs (Dua Majid 66*, Kaynat Hafeez 61)

Karachi vs. Multan:

• Multan: 116 all-out in 36.3 overs (Gull Feroza 44; Syeda Masooma Zahra 2-15)
• Karachi: 117-4 in 23.1 overs (Omaima Sohail 49)

Quetta vs. Rawalpindi:

• Rawalpindi: 80 all-out in 43 overs (Maham Anees 25; Rameen Shamim 4-16)
• Quetta: 84-8 in 36.3 overs (Rameen Shamim 27*)