The national women’s ‘A’ team finished off their tour of the West Indies with a 100 per cent win record when they defeated their West Indian counterparts by seven wickets in the third and final One-Day at the Coolidge Cricket Ground here on Friday. This was their sixth straight win on the tour and, as such, they completed 3-0 50-over series sweep after winning all three T20s earlier in the tour.
Aliya Riaz’s half-century helped the tourists overhaul the 205-run target in 42.2 overs. She smashed unbeaten 63 off 78 and her knock was studded with eight fours. Her innings included an unbeaten 89-run partnership with captain Sidra Nawaz, who returned undefeated on 28 off 43, hitting two fours.
The impetus for the comfortable run chase was provided by a solid 66-run partnership for the first wicket between Jaweria Rauf and Ayesha Zafar.
Jaweria, who finished the series as the highest run-getter with 137 runs at an average of 68.50, missed out on what would have been her second half-century in three matches by seven runs. The right-handed opener scored 43 off 70 and crunched four fours.
Her alliance with Ayesha, who smashed seven fours in her 36 off 44, came to an end in the 13th over when the latter was dismissed by Sheneta Grimmond.
Jaweria followed her back in the hut in the 26th over after getting dismissed by Karishma Ramharack.
Pakistan rolled out West Indies for 204 with 2.1 overs spare with Aimen Anwar and Saba Nazir taking three wickets each after Sidra’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss. Right-arm medium-fast Aimen provided Pakistan their first breakthrough with the dismissal of Reniece Boyce on the first ball of the fifth over that ended her 31-run opening partnership with Rachel Vincent.
Right-arm pacer Natalia Pervaiz, who came on as the first change, sent Vincent back in the hut in the 10th over as the hosts slipped to 45 for two. However, a 53-run stand between Ziada James and Qiana Joseph, who top-scored with 56-ball 48, which included eight fours, put West Indies back in the innings.
As the partnership started to look threatening, off-spinner Saba Nazir removed James and Joseph in her successive overs (21st and 23rd). She later removed Cherry-Ann Fraser to finish with three four 53 from 10 overs.
But, before her third wicket, Shabika Gajnabi and Grimmond, who scored 40 off 48 and struck seven fours, stitched the highest partnership for the innings, in terms of runs, by adding 57 for the fifth wicket.
That alliance was broken by Aimen as she accounted for Shabika in the 35th over. Her third wicket was Steffie Soogrim that she took in the 37th.
Natalia finished with two wickets, while pacer Maham Tariq and leg-spinner Aroob Shah took one wicket each.
Scores in brief:
Pakistan Women ‘A’ beat West Indies Women ‘A’ by seven wickets
West Indies Women ‘A’ 204 all out, 47.5 overs (Qiana Joseph 48, Sheneta Grimmond 40, Rachel Vincent 22, Shabika Gajnabi 22, Karishma Ramharack 21 not out; Aimen Anwar 3-22, Saba Nazir 3-53, Natalia Pervaiz 2-28)
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p class=”x_MsoNoSpacing”>Pakistan Women ‘A’ 205-3, 42.2 overs (Aliya Riaz 63 not out, Javeria Rauf 43, Ayesha Zafar 36, Sidra Nawaz 28 not out; Sheneta Grimmond 2-24)
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