The Pakistan women’s team have secured their first ever T20 international victory over New Zealand with a seven-wicket victory against the White Ferns in Dunedin today.
Batting second on a cold and overcast day in the south, the tourists comfortably overhauled the White Ferns’ 127-6 in the 19th over.
It was a near perfectly paced reply which began with openers Maneeba Ali (23 off 24 balls) and the top-scoring Shawaal Zulfiqar (41 off 42 balls), and was taken to a new level by skipper Nida Dar, who scored 25 off 12 and put Pakistan within sight of victory.
The free-scoring Aliya Riaz, who hit an unbeaten 25 off 12, then ensured her side would reach New Zealand’s modest target with few issues. Appropriately, Aliya hit the winning runs with a six down the ground.
Aliya’s big boundary was her side’s second six of the innings. New Zealand failed to hit one. But it was the way in which Pakistan kept the scoreboard ticking over with singles in the latter part of their innings which really caused the White Ferns problems.
Interestingly, New Zealand elected to bat first after winning the toss (it appeared that Pakistan had the better of the batting conditions on the drying outfield), and while openers Bernadine Bezuidenhaut (13 off 13) and Suzie Bates (28 off 30) made a reasonable start, the White Ferns were soon 59-3, with Fatima Sana taking the first three wickets.
Sophie Devine could manage only 11, with the bulk of New Zealand’s runs scored by Maddy Green, who scored an unbeaten 43 off 28 balls, an entertaining innings in which she hit the ball to all parts of the ground including via a reverse sweep.
New Zealand’s total was never likely to be enough.
Devine was the White Ferns’ best bowler with 2-23.
The next match between the sides is on Tuesday in Dunedin again.
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