In a nail-biting encounter, West Indies Women clinched a one-run victory over Pakistan Women in the first T20 International of the five-match series at the National Bank Stadium.
Winning the toss, West Indies Women opted to bat first, posting a total of 122 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs. In response, Pakistan Women fell agonizingly short, managing 121 for 8 in their 20 overs.
Chasing 123 for victory, Pakistan needed 12 runs in the final over but could only muster 10, falling just one run short of the target.
The match began with Pakistan making an immediate impact as Sadia Iqbal dismissed the prolific Hayley Matthews for a duck, caught behind by wicketkeeper Najiha Alvi on the second ball of the match. Diana Baig followed up by trapping Shemaine Campbelle LBW for 2, leaving West Indies reeling at 9 for 2.
Stephanie Taylor (30) and Kyshona Knight (34) steadied the innings with a 55-run partnership for the third wicket. The partnership was broken when Tuba Hassan had Taylor caught by Sidra Amin. Knight continued to anchor the innings before falling to Nida Dar, caught by Fatima Sana.
Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal struck at regular intervals to keep the West Indies batters in check. Late wickets tumbled as Shanell Henry, Afy Fletcher, and Karishma Ramharack were dismissed, with Pakistan restricting the visitors to 122. Fatima Sana was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 24, while Sadia Iqbal claimed 2 for 23.
In their chase, Pakistan’s openers, Gull Feroza (13) and Sidra Amin (23), gave a decent start but were dismissed with the score at 37. Muneeba Ali added 18 before being dismissed, and Ayesha Zafar contributed 7 runs.
The turning point came when Karishma Ramharack took three crucial wickets in a single over, removing Aliya Riaz (12), Fatima Sana (0), and captain Nida Dar (27). Pakistan were left reeling at 85 for 7.
With 12 runs needed in the final over, Najiha Alvi hit a boundary on the fifth ball to keep hopes alive. However, Tuba Hassan was run out on the last ball, sealing a narrow victory for the West Indies.
Karishma Ramharack was the star with the ball for West Indies, taking 4 for 15 in her T20 International career-best performance and earning the Player of the Match award.
The second T20 International of the series will be played on Sunday.
Brief Scores:
West Indies Women: 122 for 9 in 20 overs (Kyshona Knight 34, Stephanie Taylor 30; Fatima Sana 3-24, Sadia Iqbal 2-23)
Pakistan Women: 121 for 8 in 20 overs (Nida Dar 27; Karishma Ramharack 4-15)
Result: West Indies Women won by 1 run.
Leave a Reply