Pakistan women survive Thailand scare to make Asian Games semi-finals

Pakistan survived a serious scare to win the quarter-final of the Asian Games Women’s Cricket Competition against Thailand by three wickets at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan on Thursday.

Put in to bat by Pakistan, Thailand posted 91 runs in the designated 11 overs following rain delay before Pakistan went deep and left only two balls to spare as they crossed the finish line.

Fatima Sana’s side had also lost seven wickets in the process and it was the captain’s 21 off 13 after opener Shawal Zulfiqar’s 25 off 14 that kept Pakistan in the game, despite the usually talismanic Fatima losing her wicket before finishing the job.

Thailand had got off to a brisk start, scoring 41 runs in the powerplay on the back of a productive 24 off 22 balls from Nannapat Koncharoenkai. Fatima had drawn first blood with the ball, dismissing Natthakan Chantham for six runs.

Koncharoenkai took the attack to Tuba Hassan and Umm-e-Hani, hitting the latter for 14 runs off the eighth over.

A dropped catch by wicket-keeper Gul Feroza and lapses in the field aided Thailand as they raced to 72 off 9 overs.

Phannita Maya was retired out on a 16-ball-15.

Nauremol Chaiwai smoked Nashra Sandhu for a six and a four before falling to her on the next ball, getting caught by Fatima.

It was the skipper only who finally dismissed Koncharoenkai in the last over of the shortened innings, trapping her lbw on a 38-ball-49, the batter narrowly missing out on a half-century.

Shawal starts strong

Shawal, and fellow opener Gul Feroza, gave Pakistan a strong start to the chase, scoring two boundaries in the first over. She followed it up with a six off Maya’s bowling in the second.

Both Gul and Shawaal were dropped in the third and fourth overs respectively, but the openers kept the scoreboard ticking before Shawal was caught and bowled by Onnicha Kamchomphu, who took a well-judged catch.

Ayesha Zafar came out to bat at one-drop, and was dismissed almost immediately, falling in the next over to Suleeporn Laomi, with Thailand pulling back some control as Pakistan finished the fifth over at 39-2.

Kamchomphu picked up her second wicket as Gul was stumped by keeper Koncharoenkai, with Pakistan finding themselves in a serious wobble at 43-3, which turned into 47-4 as the experienced Aliya Riaz went boundary-and-out in the same over.

Thailand conceded just one run in the seventh over, tightening their grip on the match as Pakistan ominously sunk further.

Fatima, batting at number four, then reeled back momentum by hitting Kamchomphu for three fours and a six in the ninth over, joined by a six off the batting of Eyman Fatima.

The captain fell on the first ball of the following over, and was followed by Eyman in the next as Pakistan again found themselves in some bother at 76-7.

A six and a four off Sunida Chaturongrattana’s bowling by Tuba Hassan took the equation to less than run-a-ball for Pakistan, and following her dismissal to the same bowler, Umm-e-Hani and Eman Naseer took Pakistan over the line in the last over.

Pakistan will take on the winners of tomorrow’s quarter-final clash between Malaysia and Sri Lanka.