Pakistan brushed aside by England

Hosts pummel Sana Mir-led side in rain-hit match


Nabil Tahir June 28, 2017
PHOTO COURTESY: ICC

KARACHI: Pakistan Women's cricket team had a match to forget in Leicester on Tuesday when they were thoroughly shellacked in their ICC Women’s World Cup by England in a 107-run (D/L method) defeat, which also saw the hosts amass their highest-ever total in ODI cricket.

After winning the toss, Pakistan captain Sana Mir invited her English counterparts to bat first, a decision that backfired big time as England piled up a massive score of 377 runs for the loss of seven wickets.

Middle-order batter Natalie Sciver was the top scorer as she smashed 14 four and four sixes en route to a 92-ball 137, while skipper Heather Knight scored 106 off 109 balls.

The pick of Pakistan's bowlers was Asmavia Iqbal, who took three wickets for 62 runs in her 10 overs, whereas Kainat Imtaz claimed two scalps for 68 wins; Mir and Nashra Sandhu picked up a wicket apiece for 78 and 82 runs respectively.

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Pakistan's quest to chase down a mammoth target wasn't helped by the venue's overcast conditions, and they lost opener Nahida Khan (3) with just seven runs on the board.

Even the experienced Javeria Khan was unable to handle the pressure and lost her wicket for just 11 runs, followed by Asmavia’s (5) dismissal as the scoreboard showed 67-3.

With opener Ayesha Zafar batting on 56 and Nain Abidi on 23, the match was then interrupted by rain.

At this point, Pakistan's overall score stood at 107-3 in 29.2 overs, but with no further play possible due to rain, D/L method was used to find a winner, resulting in a lop-sided victory for the home side.

Shamsa Hashmi, General Manager of Pakistan Cricket Board (Women Wing), admitted that the team's performance was below par but pointed out that female cricketers don't get the same level of training and facilities as the men do.

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“Neither does this team get the kind of facilities the men’s team get, nor does it get to use the state-of-the-art technologies like other women's teams,” she said. “We have been trying to hold extended camps and bring in better coaches but still we are behind other nations.”

Next up for Pakistan will be India, a team they have never beaten in ODIs, and Hashmi wants that trend bucked. “India is ranked higher than Pakistan and has won their first match against England, which shows how strong they are so the team should prepare themselves for that challenge,” she said.

Meanwhile, skipper Mir credited England's Sciver for her scintillating innings but also felt that bowlers have to shoulder the blame. “Their player Natalie played extremely well," she said. "We got two quick wickets but then she came in and formed a massive partnership with their skipper. Our girls, including me, were under pressure and gave some lose balls, which eventually cost us the game."

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