The Pakistan women’s cricket team made history on their memorable tour by clinching a remarkable victory against New Zealand in women’s ODIs for the first time.
At Christchurch’s Hagley Oval, they triumphed over New Zealand in a thrilling super-over match, winning by three runs on Monday.
Aliya Riaz showcased an outstanding performance with the bat, enabling the Green Shirts to set a challenging 12-run target in the super-over.
With stellar defense, they held firm, restricting the New Zealand batsmen to just 8 runs, largely due to Sadia Iqbal’s impressive display that made it tough for the opposition.
Initially, the Green Shirts seemed to struggle, losing wickets steadily. However, a standout partnership between Bismah Maroof and Aliya Riaz, amassing 101 runs, revitalized the visitors’ position in the game.
Riaz fell short of a deserving half-century, departing for 44 runs, courtesy of Jess Kerr’s delivery. On the other hand, Maroof continued to exhibit her prowess, emerging as the top scorer for her side with 68 runs and five boundaries, earning her the Player of the Match accolade.
Fatima Sana and Natalia Pervaiz’s swift contributions towards the end pushed Pakistan closer to the target. Sana made 36 off 33 deliveries, while Natalia posted 26 off 23.
In the final over, Pakistan required eight runs off six balls with just one wicket in hand. Najiha Alvi’s crucial performance in the tail-end partnership prevented a whitewash, aiding the visitors in leveling the game.
New Zealand, batting first, displayed dominance with Amelia Kerr and Maddy Green steering them to a competitive total of 252 runs. Kerr scored 77 off 87 balls with 10 boundaries, complemented by Green’s unbeaten 65 off 69 deliveries. Skipper Sophie Devine (29) and Suzie Bates (24) also contributed significantly to the team’s total.
It’s worth noting that before this series, Pakistan had already made history as the first Asian side to defeat the New Zealand women’s team in a T20I series.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
