Indian Women's Team Defy Insect Invasion to Cruise to Chilly Win Over Pakistani Rivals in Women’s Cricket World Cup
Pace bowler Kranti Goud and spin specialist Sharma claimed three wickets each as the Indian side defeated their opponents by a substantial margin in their World Cup match, starting like recent ones between the countries men’s teams 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 Sana during the coin toss and the squads departed without post-match pleasantries after the contest amid diplomatic strains between the two neighboring nations.
The captains at the recent men’s Asia Cup in the UAE also did not shake hands at games between the two rivals. India has accused Pakistan of being involved in tourist assaults that killed dozens.
Game Overview
Losing the toss, they were dismissed for 247 runs in their allotted overs. The opening pair, Pratika Rawal and the star batter Mandhana, shared 48 runs for the first wicket before the bowler had her leg before wicket for a 23 off 32. She made 31 runs before being bowled by the left-arm spinner Iqbal. The captain scored 19 before edging behind off Diana Baig.
Deol top-scored for the team with 46 runs and Richa Ghosh made a rapid 35* to boost their team to a competitive total.
Jemimah Rodrigues (32), Sharma (25) and Sneh Rana (20) all made useful runs, while Baig took 4/69 for Pakistan and the duo had two wickets each. Play was stopped for a quarter-hour because bugs were troubling the cricketers.
Pakistan Batting
Pakistan were dismissed for 159 in 43 overs. The only half-century of the game in Colombo came from Sidra Amin, who made 81 runs.
The opening wicket was lost in a controversial fashion when the opening batter Muneeba Ali was given out run out. Ali had grounded her bat after getting back, having moved forward to play a shot. The bat was then seen to be lifted when an throw struck the wickets. Sana protested to the fourth umpire that the batter was not running but the decision stood.
Her innings of 106 balls included a six and nine fours. The seamer took 3/20 and Sharma finished with three for 45.
