CWG 2022, India vs Pakistan, Top Performances: Sneh Rana's 2-15, Renuka Singh's 1-20 and Smriti Mandhana's 63* are top performances. India Women beat Pakistan Women by 8 wickets in CWG 2022 group game.
Brief Scores: IND-W 102/2 (Mandhana 63*, Tuba Hassan 1-18) beat PAK-W 99 (Muneeba 32, Sneh Rana 2-15, Radha 2-18) by eight wickets
Arch-rivals India women and Pakistan women, after defeats in their respective opening games, locked horns for the fifth game of the Commonwealth Games Women’s Cricket Competition 2022 at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Sunday.
After a brief spell of drizzle, the game was clipped to 18 overs with the powerplay overs reduced to five overs.
Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof, on winning the toss, opted to bat on a track that was under covers for quite some time. India brought back Sneh Rana and Meghna Singh, who has recovered from Covid infection, replacing Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Harleen Deol, whereas Pakistan included Kainat Imtiaz replacing Nida Dar.
Dominating all-round performance from India blew away Pakistan
Deciding to bat first, Pakistan again had a poor start losing opener Iram Javed for back-to-back ducks in the tournament. The skipper, Bismah Maroof joined Muneeba Ali and stitched up a decent but slow fifty-run partnership before India’s spinners took control to cage the opponents.
Pakistan, who suffered three run outs in the innings, collapsed from 50/1 to get bundled out for 99 in their allotted 18 overs.
India’s openers, smelling a good chance to recover their injured net run rate in a small run chase, kicked off in an aggressive manner with Smriti Mandhana notching up a 31-ball fifty. Pakistan with the wicket of Sabbhineni Meghana did delay India’s win but Mandhana, who remained unbeaten on 63* in 42 balls, helped India register their maiden victory of the tournament by eight wickets.
Let’s scan the top three performances from the game between India Women and Pakistan Women at Edgbaston, CWC 2022.
Disciplined Sneh Rana with 2-15 strangulates Pakistan in middle overs
Pakistan, after a poor start, losing their opener Iram Javed on a duck, recovered on the back of a fifty-run stand between captain Maroof and Muneeba Ali. India were required to break the partnership early and right arm off-break bowler, Sneh Rana played a trick.
Few months earlier, Rana was surprised not to find her in the Indian team for the tour to Sri Lanka. Coming to bowl the ninth and her second over, Rana on the third ball of the over, with a tossed-up drifting delivery, hit Maroof on the pads as the umpire showed no hesitation to raise the finger; Maroof went back on 17 off 19 balls.
Two balls later, Muneeba Ali, on 32, chipped a flighted delivery back to the bowler Rana, as India got rid of both the set batters. Rana, who now has four wickets in nine WT20I games, returned figures of 2-15 in her four overs.
Read More: CWG 2022, IND-W vs AUS-W: Gardner's 52* takes Aus home; Renuka's stunning 4-18 goes in vain
Majestic Mandhana destroyed Pakistan with aggressive 63*
With a low score to chase, it was a golden opportunity for India to polish their net run rate which could be vital in deciding the top two teams. Left-hander, Smriti Mandhana, who made an aggressive 24 in 17 balls against Australia in the opening game, began in the same fashion in this game.
After playing out a couple of balls, Mandhana smoked one down the ground over the head of the mid-on fielder for a six before using her feet to grab a boundary straight back over the bowler’s head.
Smriti bagged three more boundaries in the next over of Diana Baig to all parts of the ground, with the one over the backward point fielder being the most splendid. In the very next over, she sliced one over the same fielder to collect her fifth boundary.
Madhana, who scored 62 runs at a strike rate of 101.64 in India’s last series against Sri Lanka, raced away to 44 in 26 deliveries, with more boundaries. With a massive six straight back over the bowler’s head, Smriti Mandhana deposited her 15th WT20I half century in just 31 balls. She becomes the first Indian to score 1000+ women’s T20I runs while chasing, with the closest batter being former captain Mithali Raj with 977 runs.
Mandhana, who has 2,057 WT20I runs in 88 games at a strike rate of 120.36, took India over the line with a glorious boundary. She remained unbeaten on 63 in 42 balls, thanks to eight boundaries and three sixes.
Read More: WI vs Ind, T20Is, 2022: Last-minute experiment in opening slot as India gear up for World T20 2022
Renuka Singh bowled with full control in opening overs
India were excellent in the opening overs against Australia in their opening game due to the splendid and breathtaking spell of 4-18 from Renuka Singh Thakur. They were expecting the same sort of grip from her this time around.
Renuka Singh didn’t scalp that many wickets in the first spell of three overs but kept the Pakistan openers in check drying up the runs. Her maiden over to start the innings saw Iram Javed getting out under pressure in the second over of the game. Thakur kept the batters in check in the powerplay with 0/16 in the first three overs.
Later, coming for the 12th over of the innings, Renuka bowled a slower ball that Ayesha Naseem hoisted in the air as the deep mid-wicket fielder grabbed an easy catch. Renuka ended his spell with 1-20 in four overs including a maiden.
What’s to Come
India will now move forward for their last game of the league stage against Barbados Women on August 3 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. India Women currently top the Group A Points table with one win from two games.
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