ICC Women’s World Cup: Pakistan end dismal campaign with loss

Team finishes last after 6-wicket defeat against archrivals India in 7th place play-off.

KARACHI:

Pakistan finished last as they ended their campaign at the ICC Women’s World Cup after being thrashed by hosts India by six wickets in the seventh place play-off in Cuttack yesterday.

The national side that was earlier targeting the title ahead of the eight-nation tournament failed to prove their mark, losing all their matches in the competition.

In the group-stage, Pakistan lost heavily to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa before going down against the hosts to finish last in the tournament.

However, the visitors, who had struggled to cross the 100-run mark in their group matches, displayed an improved batting performance against their arch-rivals.

Pakistan managed to play the full 50 overs for the first time in the tournament, accumulating 192 after losing seven wickets. Half-centuries from Nida Dar and Nain Abidi were vital in posting the satisfactory score.

In reply, India captain Mithali Raj smashed an unbeaten century to propel her team to a comfortable win.

Taking home valuable experience: Sana 

Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Sana Mir expressed disappointment over the team’s performance.

“We were optimistic of a good show but unfortunately did not live up to everyone’s hopes,” said Sana. “However, the experience of playing in the tournament will help us in the future. We don’t get many chances of playing against tough sides and we are taking back valuable experience.”

The captain termed batting failure the primary reason for their disappointing World Cup campaign.

“We worked a lot on our batting but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. However, our bowling was impressive as we did well against teams like Australia in that department.”

Pakistan team gives thumbs up to Indian hospitality

The start of the World Cup was marred by protests from right-wing political parties in India amidst cross-border tensions after which Pakistan’s matches had to be shifted to Cuttack from Mumbai. The side was further confined inside the stadium premises due to security threats.

But the team was unperturbed by the inconvenience and insisted they had no complaints against their hosts.

“We thank the ICC and local organisers for making adequate arrangements,” team manager Ayesha Ashar told The Express Tribune. “We enjoyed our stay in India and did not face any difficulty.”

The manager said the team is scheduled to return to Pakistan tomorrow.

Sana Mir



“The experience of playing in the tournament here in India will help us in the future. We don’t get many chances of playing against tough sides and we are taking back valuable experience.” 

Ayesha Ashar



“We enjoyed our stay in India and did not face any difficulty. We received home-like facilities throughout our campaign. The people here are also compassionate and we thank them for their love.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2013.