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The women’s mega event, the Asia Cup, is currently underway in Bangladesh. Seven teams are part of the 20-over competition in its round-robin stage. The girls in green i-e the Pakistan women’s cricket team have played four matches till now and it wouldn’t be wrong to say they are thriving with three wins already in their bag.
The green shirts entered the event with not many wins from the previous tournaments, the year 2022 has had held. Critics who are very sceptical of girls playing sports had to say a lot when the team managed only a single win in the ODI World Cup and returned winless from the commonwealth games earlier this year. But this Asia Cup has proved to be such a positive tournament for the girls in green so far. After a massive win against India, the girls are settled in the second position on the points table. Here’s a look at how they reached this position.
Related: Find out more about the upcoming matches in Asia Cup
Pakistan Women v Malaysia Women
The Pakistan women’s cricket team opened its Asia Cup campaign against Malaysia. A bowling brilliance from Omaima Sohail, Tuba Hassan, and Sadia Iqbal restricted the opposition to just 57 runs. Openers Muneeba Ali and Sidra Amin gave Pakistan a flying start and paved the way for the team’s first victory. Bismah Maroof’s army won the game in the 9th over with a loss of just one wicket.
Pakistan W v Bangladesh W: Momentum Gain
Next to come were hosts and defending champions Bangladesh. Winning the toss captain Bismah decided to bowl first and wreak havoc on the Bangladesh batters. The opposition could only aggregate 70 runs in 20 overs courtesy of Diana Baig and Nida Dar, who took two wickets each. Sidra Ameen starred for the green team, scoring 35 runs. The rest of the job was finished by Muneeba and the skipper, and with the loss of just one wicket, the target was achieved in the 13th over. The win gave the team a winning momentum it had been looking for for quite some time.
Girls in Green v Thailand: An Upset
The gained momentum of the team proved to be a little fragile as the girls in green succumbed to a loss against the 13th-ranked Thailand. A batting collapse occurred for the Pakistan women and two unfortunate run-outs kept things in control for the opposition. Sidra Ameen managed to anchor the score for her side and team Thailand was presented with 117 runs to win.
Despite brilliant bowling spells from Nida Dar and Tuba Hassan, the Thailand women stood resilient. Nathakkan Chantham was the hero of the show and scored 61 off 51 balls to take her side home. Team green gave its best but it just wasn’t their day. Celebrations erupted in the Thailand camp as the winning runs were scored. They had all the reasons to celebrate, it was the first time they had defeated Pakistan in a tournament.
Pakistan v India: History made
What happened the next day and in the very next match, that too against rivals India, gave life to Nasser Hussain’s iconic words ‘ Pakistan cricket at its best, one minute down, next minute up.’ The girls in green went from losing to Thailand for the first time to winning from India for the first time in six years.
When the openers lost their wickets early, it was the batting partnership between Bismah and Nida that strengthened the scorecard. The team managed to post 137 runs, their highest so far in Asia Cup. In the second inning, the Pakistan women’s team bowlers made sure that India never stabilizes. Aliya Riaz took three stunning catches in the deep and in the last over the entire Indian playing XI was sent back to the pavilion.
Interesting: The many records of Pakistan women’s team in the Asia Cup
What’s next for the women in green?
Team Pakistan is comfortably sitting in the second position with six points on the points table. They are to play two more matches, UAE on 9th Oct and Sri Lanka on 11th. In the previous editions of the Asia Cup, the first teams on the points table would qualify for the finals. This time, however, the first four teams will qualify for the semi-finals. Bismah and her team need to win at least one more match to consolidate a spot in the semis.
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