CANBERRA: Pakistan outplayed 2016 winners West Indies to begin their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign with an eight-wicket victory yesterday.
Sharp new ball bowling from Diana Baig exposed a struggling Windies top order and only when Stafanie Taylor and Shemaine Campbelle were at the crease did they look fluent in posting 124 for seven.
Pakistan openers Javeria Khan and Muneeba Ali controlled the chase expertly and put on 57, with captain Bismah Maroof’s unbeaten 38 steering her side to a seventh win at the Women’s T20 World Cup.
Four teams in Group B are now on two points with England leading the way, followed by Pakistan. The West Indies are third and with two teams coming out of each group are already in danger of not making it into the semifinals. South Africa are fourth.
Pakistan and South Africa have played just one game, while England, who suffered defeat to South Africa in their opener but recovered to demolish Thailand, are in the same position as the West Indies.
England captain Heather Knight smashed the first hundred of the ongoing tournament to fashion their comprehensive 98-run win against Thailand.
Knight smashed 108 not out and forged a 169-run stand with Natalie Sciver to help England overcome a horror start and post 176-2, the highest total in this year’s tournament so far, at Canberra’s Manuka Oval.
England then returned to restrict Thailand to 78-7 and bounce back from Sunday’s loss to South Africa with the biggest victory, in terms of runs, in the tournament’s history.
BRIEF SCORES:
West Indies 124-7 in 20 overs (Shemaine Campbelle 43, Stafanie Taylor 43; Diana Baig 2-19) lost to Pakistan 127-2 in 18.2 overs (Bismah Maroof 38 not out, Javeria Khan 35; Stafanie Taylor 1-20)
England 2 for 176 (Knight 108*, Sciver 59*) beat Thailand 7 for 78 (Chantam 32, Shrubsole 3-21) by 98 runs
TODAY’S FIXTURES
India v New Zealand (7am)
Australia v Bangladesh (11am)