In a historic moment today, the Pakistan women’s cricket team achieved a groundbreaking victory in Dunedin, securing their inaugural series win against the New Zealand women’s team at the University of Otago Oval.
After securing a seven-wicket victory in the first game at the same venue, the Girls in Green continued their dominance by outclassing their opponents with a 10-run win in the second game, solidifying a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.
Pakistan restricted the hosts to 127/7 after the latter posted a total of 137/6.
In Pakistan’s innings, Aalia Riaz showcased an impressive performance, scoring 32 off 22 deliveries, including one shot that sailed over the boundary and three well-executed strokes to the fence. Muneeba Ali, the opener, contributed with a score of 35.
In response, New Zealand found themselves at a precarious position of 89/6, courtesy of a stellar display of disciplined bowling by the Pakistani team. Despite the challenging situation, Georgia Pimmer and Hamma Rowe displayed remarkable resilience, launching a valiant comeback to restore the hosts’ advantage.
Their determined partnership, however, fell just short, concluding with New Zealand still 10 runs away from victory. The climax of the match saw Fatima Sana successfully defending 17 runs in the last over, securing a hard-fought triumph for Pakistan.
She secured three wickets, while Sadia Iqbal dismissed two players, guiding Pakistan to its second victory in the series against the Kiwis. The initial win came in the first game on Sunday, where Pakistan triumphed by seven wickets at the same venue.
The home side found themselves at a loss against the formidable Pakistani bowling attack. Despite their relentless efforts, they could only manage to score 127-6 within the allocated overs.
In pursuit of the target of 128 runs, Pakistan adopted a cautious approach and managed to avoid losing early wickets, recognizing that the total they needed to chase wasn’t overly challenging.
A vital innings of 32* from 22 balls 🏏@aliya_riaz37 is the player of the match in the second T20I 🌟#NZWvPAKW | #BackOurGirls pic.twitter.com/D9aUzWDjhv
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 5, 2023
Meanwhile, Aalia Riaz was awarded Player of the Match for her outstanding knock of 32 runs from 22 balls.
