England women beat green shirts by 29 runs

England Women beat Pakistan Women by 29 runs in the first of the three T20Is at Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

The Pakistan captain scored a 58-ball 60, hitting five fours. Pakistan lost both openers in the first five balls of the run chase as the scorecard read one for two at the end of the first over.

The problems compounded when they lost two wickets in the last three balls of the power play, which left them reeling at 47 for four.

Bismah Maroof, over the course of her 11th T2oI half-century, led the rearguard effort by knitting a 46-run partnership with Umaima Sohail, who hit two fours and a six in her 14-ball 21, while her 60-run stand with wicketkeeper-batter Sidra Nawaz (22 off 24) brought Pakistan closer to victory.

According to the details, she was the last Pakistan wicket as the hosts were bowled out on 125 in 18.4 overs.

England’s Sophie Ecclestone shone with the ball taking three wickets for 21 runs, while the other notable performance came from Freya Davis, who took two wickets at the cost of 18 runs.

Reflecting on her innings and the match, Bismah Maroof said, “I was looking to keep the scoreboard ticking by targeting bad balls and rotating the strike. My target was to stay at the crease till the end. It was a batting-friendly wicket and we missed the trick by not constructing lengthy partnerships.”

She further said, “We are doing well in bits and pieces but we are unable to make the most of the chances that we get. I am backing these girls to bounce back in the next match as this unit has put remarkable performances in the past.”

“This match has given the group the belief that we can chase down targets. There were some lapses in the fielding department today and we will try to cut them in the next two matches.”

All-rounder Nida Dar was the successful bowler for Pakistan with two wickets for 30 runs in four overs.

The second T20I will be played on Thursday, December 19, 2019.