DUBAI: India’s bowling attack, led by Arundhati Reddy, dismantled Pakistan’s batting line-up, restricting them to 105-8 in their Women’s T20 World Cup match on Sunday.
Reddy’s stellar performance, taking 3 wickets for 19 runs, left Pakistan struggling throughout their innings after winning the toss and electing to bat first at the Dubai International Stadium.
Pakistan’s Nida Dar provided some resistance with a top score of 28 from 34 balls, but the rest of the team failed to make significant contributions. The awkward bounce on the pitch made batting difficult, and Pakistan was unable to recover after a shaky start.
Renuka Singh gave India an early breakthrough, bowling opener Gull Feroza for a duck in the first over with a beautiful inswinger.
Muneeba Ali briefly steadied Pakistan’s innings with a quick 17, but her attempt to increase the scoring rate led to a stumping by India’s wicketkeeper, Richa Ghosh, off Shreyanka Patil’s bowling.
Pakistan’s captain Fatima Sana struggled to get going and was also dismissed by Ghosh, who produced a stunning catch behind the stumps.
Reddy’s impact was decisive in the middle overs as she dismissed Omaima Sohail for 3 and Aliya Riaz for just 4 before clean bowling Nida Dar in the final over. Shreyanka Patil added to Pakistan’s woes, taking 2 wickets for 12 runs from her four overs.
Pakistan, coming off a victory against Sri Lanka in their opening match, failed to build momentum after losing key wickets at regular intervals.
India, despite losing their opening game to New Zealand, came back strong in this match with a disciplined bowling effort.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 105-8 (Nida Dar 28, Muneeba Ali 17; Arundhati Reddy 3-19, Shreyanka Patil 2-12)
