Left-arm spinner Nashra Sundhu’s maiden six-wicket haul in T20Is helped Pakistan beat Hong Kong by 72 runs in their Group ‘A’ match of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) on Monday evening. The win also confirmed Pakistan’s place in the semi-final of the eight-team tournament.
Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka in the second semi-final, scheduled on Friday, 11 September.
Defending 144, 28-year-old Nashra never allowed the Hong Kong batters to get going as wickets fell at regular intervals. Nashra finished with figures of 4-0-7-6, which were also the best bowling figures by a Pakistan women’s cricketer in T20Is, surpassing Omaima Sohail’s five for 13 in four overs against Sri Lanka in Sylhet, Bangladesh in 2022.
Hong Kong were eventually bowled out for 71 in the 19th over.
Earlier, after opting to bat first, Pakistan scored 143 for eight in their allotted 20 overs. Right-handed batter Shawaal Zulfiqar top-scored with a 35-ball 47, hitting seven fours. Ayesha Zafar (26, 19b, 4x4s) and captain Fatima Sana (24 not out, 24b, 2x6s) were the other notable run-getters with the bat.
For Hong Kong, Joyleen Kaur was the most successful bowler, taking four wickets for 19 runs.
Pakistan finished second in Group ‘A’, earning four points from two wins in three matches.
Scores in brief:
Pakistan Women beat Hong Kong Women by 72 runs
Pakistan 143-8, 20 overs (Shawaal Zulfiqar 47, Ayesha Zafar 26, Fatima Sana 24 not out; Joyleen Kaur 4-19, Iqra Sahar 2-27, Kary Chan 2-33)
Hong Kong 71 all out, 19 overs (Kary Chan 30; Nashra Sundhu 6-7)
Player of the match – Nashra Sundhu (Pakistan)
