Bismah vows to bounce back after third-place finish in Women’s Asia Cup

Pakistan captain promises to address team’s shortcomings in tournament after India defeat

KARACHI: Pakistan finished third in the Women’s Asia Cup after losing to India in a must-win encounter and despite not being able to make it to the final, captain Bismah Maroof is proud of her team and has already started looking towards the future.

Pakistan clashed with India in a crucial encounter where the winner would have progressed to the final, but a dismal batting show by Pakistan allowed India to dominate proceedings and claim a seven-wicket win.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh beat India in the final to claim their maiden Women’s Asia Cup, and Bismah is already thinking about the future and has identified the weak areas which Pakistan need to improve upon.

“I am really proud of the way we played the tournament. Our batting was not up to the mark like it was in the previous matches. Our batters, including me, were unable to perform well because had we put up a score of over 120 runs, we would have been able to defend much better,” said Bismah.

“India’s bowlers were good and they completely crushed our batting line-up. Our bowlers did better than out batters; they took some early wickets but then were unable to restrict India as the target was too low,” she added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan women’s chief selector Jalaluddin was content with the team.

“When we lose to India it seems as if it is the end of the world because that is how big that game always is, but we should not forget the achievements of this team and how brilliantly they played the entire tournament,” he said.

Jalauddin also went on to praise the performances of the bowlers, especially Nida Dar, who became the first Pakistani woman to take five wickets in a T20I, which she did against Sri Lanka.

“The girls did well by beating teams by big margins and that cannot go unnoticed. Our batters and bowlers were outstanding, especially Nida, who set a new record and that is an achievement on its own,” he said.