Pakistan stun West Indies in ICC Women's T20 World Cup opener, win by 8 wickets

Pakistan launched their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign on Wednesday (February 26, 2020) in great style by stunning 2016 winners West Indies in a Group B match at Manuka Oval, Canberra, Australia. Pakistan outplayed West Indies in all the departments to register an east with an eight-wicket victory with 10 balls to spare.

West Indies batted after winning the toss and their woes started from the very first ball. Pakistani pace bowler Diana Baig started on a bright note to send back 2016 Women’s T20 World Cup final star Hayley Matthews for a diamond duck. Hayley was wrapped on the pads for an easy LBW off the first ball of the match.

The top Windies order struggled and it was left to Stafanie Taylor and Shemaine Campbelle to take their team to a decent but not so-imposing score of 124/7 in 20 overs.

Pakistan openers Javeria Khan and Muneeba Ali controlled the chase expertly and put on 57, with captain Bismah Maroof’s unbeaten 38 steering her side to a seventh win at the Women’s T20 World Cup.

Lee-Ann Kirby’s stand-and-deliver approach yielded three quick boundaries as she lofted Aiman Anwar for four over mid-off and then cover in the fourth over.

But she perished on the first ball of the fifth, Diana enticing another heave from the opener who skewed a catch to Muneeba Ali running back at point, departing for 16.

Deandrea Dottin’s troubled stay at the crease ended when she tried to drag Nida Dar from outside off-stump over long-on and could only pick out Iram Javed, departing for one from 10 balls.

Experienced duo Taylor and Campbelle steadied the ship, the captain improving on the disappointing strike rotation last time out before Campbelle cleared the midwicket rope of Dar.

Campbelle - who brought up a century of T20I appearances against Thailand - missed an attempted reverse sweep off Anam Amin and while given not out on-field, Bismah’s referral adjudged her lbw for 43.

All-rounder Chinelle Henry couldn’t settle, dropped on her fourth ball as Anam grassed a return catch, but she departed when trapped lbw for four playing Aiman Anwar across the line.

Taylor put her foot down in the 18th over, carting Aiman’s low full toss over midwicket and just clearing the long-on boundary off Nida before picking out Diana on the cow corner fence for 43 from 47 balls.

Pakistan’s opening pair were cautious at the start of their reply, with thick edges wide of the slip cordon yielding three boundaries inside the first four overs as they reached 28. Henry’s medium pace caused few problems as Javeria cut and then pulled her to the rope and Muneeba got in on the act with a firm drive as the over went for 14 runs.

Taylor turned to spin after the Powerplay but Javeria was well set, picking boundaries off Matthews and then twice from Afy Fletcher. It took the Windies skipper herself to remove Javeria, who misjudged the length of a straight one and departed lbw for a well-made 35.

Muneeba, whose opening partnership of 58 with Javeria was Pakistan’s highest first-wicket stand at the tournament, failed to pick Fletcher’s googly on 25 and could only chip to Anisa Mohammed at midwicket.

Bismah took 24 balls to find her first boundary but continued to use her sweep well to spin and scored heavily behind square, Nida Dar offering composed support with mistakes from Taylor and Nation symptomatic of a disappointing Windies fielding display.

Pakistan were untroubled in the closing stages, Bismah hitting the winning boundary as her partnership of 50 with Bismah paved the way for a memorable Pakistan win.

Scores in brief:

West Indies 124-7, 20 overs (Shemaine Campbelle 43, Stafanie Taylor 43; Diana Baig 2-19)
Pakistan 127-2, 18.2 overs (Bismah Maroof 38 not out, Javeria Khan 35; Stafanie Taylor 1-20)