Indian Women's Team Defy Insect Plague to Sail to Chilly Win Over Pakistan in Women's World Cup
Pace bowler Kranti Goud and spin specialist Deepti Sharma claimed three scalps apiece as India routed their opponents by 88 runs in their World Cup encounter, which began similar to recent fixtures between the men’s national sides without a handshake from the captains and then featured a disputed run-out of a Pakistani opening batter.
The Indian captain, Kaur, did not shake hands with Pakistan’s Fatima Sana during the coin toss and the teams departed without post-match pleasantries after the contest amidst political tensions between the two neighboring nations.
The captains at the recent men’s Asia Cup in the UAE similarly avoided handshakes at games between India and Pakistan. Indian authorities have alleged their neighbor of being involved in attacks on tourists that claimed many lives.
Match Summary
India lost the toss, they were dismissed for 247 in their allotted overs. The opening pair, Rawal and the star batter Smriti Mandhana, shared 48 for the first wicket before Sana had her leg before wicket for a 32-ball 23. Rawal made 31 before she was bowled by spinner Sadia Iqbal. Kaur scored 19 before she was caught behind off Baig.
Deol top-scored for India with 46 runs and Richa Ghosh made a quick-fire 35 not out to lift their team to a respectable score.
Jemimah Rodrigues (32), Deepti (25) and Sneh Rana (20) all made useful runs, while Baig took 4/69 for Pakistan and Iqbal and Sana had two wickets apiece. Play was halted for 15 minutes because insects were bothering the cricketers.
Pakistan Batting
Pakistan were dismissed for 159 runs in 43 overs. Sole fifty of the match in Colombo came from Amin, who made 81 runs.
Pakistan’s first wicket was lost in a controversial fashion when the opener Ali was given out run out. Ali had grounded her bat after returning to her crease, having moved forward to attempt a stroke. The bat was then lifted momentarily when an India throw struck the wickets. Sana protested to the official that the batter was not attempting a run but the decision stood.
Amin’s innings of 106 balls included a six and nine boundaries. Goud took 3/20 and the spinner returned three for 45.
