West Indies denied Pakistan in a low-scoring contest in Paarl, holding on in the final over to successfully defend 116 in their ICC T20 Women's World Cup win at Boland Park in Paarl on Sunday. Pakistan will feel they should have chased that target, and almost did in a final over that went for 14 runs. But it wasn’t to be, as Pakistan fell three runs shy of West Indies’ score despite the late drama.
The result means that West Indies have won two on the bounce after suffering a run of 15-straight defeats before Friday's game against Ireland. The loss for Pakistan sees them miss a big chance to put pressure on India in the battle for qualification for the knockout stages, as well as guaranteeing England's progress to the semifinals from Group 2. Muneeba Ali Siddiqui was the first wicket to fall in the second innings, dismissed by Hayley Matthews for 5 (11 balls).
The all-round quality of Matthews was on show moments later when she produced a stunning catch to send Sidra Amin back to the dugout for a slow 8 (15). Pakistan struggled to pick up the scoring as the required rate began to rise significantly, with the score at just 40/2 after 10 overs. The game drifted towards the death as Pakistan made a meal of the run chase, with the outstanding Matthews returning the standout figures for her team.
Bismah Maroof (26 from 33) and Nida Dar (27 from 31) were unable to build on the platform they’d set for themselves, and the match went into the final over with Pakistan requiring 18 to win. Aliya Riaz and Fatima Sana Khan almost rescued Pakistan, hitting three boundaries from the first four balls to set up a dramatic conclusion. But Riaz was bowled for 29 from 23 off the penultimate ball of the innings.
The final ball flicked the pads of new batter Omaima Sohail to head for a leg bye as Pakistan missed the opportunity to strengthen their qualification chances. Earlier, a subdued batting performance saw West Indies never really get going, despite a number of batters making starts. Nida Dar finished with the pick of the figures for Pakistan, taking 2/13 in her four overs.
It was Matthews who won the toss and opted to bat first, and her side made a decent start, with the captain once again playing an initial stabilising role at the top of the order. But Pakistan picked up the key wicket when Matthews clipped a catch to Sidra Amin off Fatima Sana Khan for a 21-ball 20, leaving the score at 34/1 at the end of the power play. Without the services of the injured Stafanie Taylor, West Indies turned to Rashada Williams and Shemaine Campbelle alongside Matthews in their top three, and the pair stood up to lift the total to 73 before Williams was caught and bowled by Sadia Iqbal for 30 off 34 balls.
West Indies were unable to truly build on the platform set, with Campbelle falling for 22 (off 26), Chinelle Henry dismissed for 11 (10), Aaliyah Alleyne going for 9 (9) and Shabika Gajnabi the last batter to fall for 13 (15). The total felt insufficient, but the excellence of some of the West Indies bowlers and the lack of attacking intent from Pakistan meant that 116 proved just about enough. International Cricket Council.
