Indian Women's Team Defy Bug Plague to Cruise to Frosty Victory Over Pakistani Rivals in Women’s Cricket World Cup
The seam bowler Kranti Goud and spin specialist Deepti Sharma took three wickets each as the Indian side routed Pakistan by a substantial margin in their World Cup encounter, which began like recent ones between the men’s national sides without a handshake from the captains and then featured a controversial run-out of a Pakistan opener.
The Indian captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, did not shake hands with Pakistan’s Fatima Sana during the toss and the squads departed without greeting each other after the contest amid diplomatic strains between the two neighboring nations.
Skippers at the men’s Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates also did not shake hands at matches between the two rivals. Indian authorities have alleged Pakistan of having involvement in attacks on tourists that killed dozens.
Game Overview
India lost the toss, they were all out for 247 in their allotted overs. The opening pair, Pratika Rawal and the star batter Smriti Mandhana, put on 48 for the opening stand before Sana had her leg before wicket for a 23 off 32. She made 31 before she was bowled by the left-arm spinner Iqbal. Kaur scored 19 before edging behind off Baig.
Harleen Deol top-scored for India with 46 and Richa Ghosh made a quick-fire 35 not out to boost their side to a competitive total.
Jemimah Rodrigues (32), Sharma (25) and Sneh Rana (20) all made useful runs, while Diana took four for 69 for Pakistan and Iqbal and Sana had two wickets apiece. Play was stopped for a quarter-hour because insects were bothering the cricketers.
Pakistan Batting
The Pakistani team were bowled out for 159 in 43 overs. Sole fifty of the match in the venue came from Sidra Amin, who made 81 runs.
Pakistan’s first wicket was lost in a controversial fashion when the opening batter Ali was given out run out. She had placed her bat after returning to her crease, having moved forward to play a shot. The bat was then seen to be lifted when an India throw hit the stumps. The captain argued with the official that the player was not attempting a run but the decision stood.
Amin’s 106-ball innings included a six and nine boundaries. Goud took three wickets for 20 runs and the spinner returned 3/45.
