After losing heavily to India in their first match, Pakistan bounced back with a big win over Nepal, chasing down a modest target of 109 with a 9 wicket victory. Openers Muneeba Ali and Gull Feroza scored a century partnership, leading their team to victory with 8.1 overs to spare.

Pakistan’s bowling. They took early wickets and kept tight control in the middle overs, making it tough for Nepal’s less experienced batsmen.

Nepal Performance

Powerplay: Early trouble for Nepal

Nepal, batting first struggled right from the start. Fatima Sana dismissed Samjhana Khadka in the opening over, and Sadia Iqbal’s double strike in the fifth over left Nepal at 3 wickets down early on.

Middle overs: Struggles continue for Nepal

Nepal found it hard to score runs. The situation worsened with runouts of Rubina Chhetry and Sita Rana Magar, leaving them at 65/5. Pakistan’s spinners kept tight control over the runs.

Death overs: Small recovery

With the fifth wicket down, it seemed Nepal might not reach 100 runs. However, Puja Mahato (25 off 32) and Kabita Joshi (31* off 23) put together a 34-run partnership, bringing Nepal to 108/6. Mahato was run out in the final over, but Nepal managed a respectable total. Sadia Iqbal ended with two wickets.

Pakistan’s Impactful start

Powerplay: Strong start with bat

Pakistan made great use of the fielding restrictions, scoring nearly half of their target runs in the PowerPlay. Gull Feroza began aggressively with a boundary on the first ball, and Muneeba Ali added three boundaries, setting up a strong position for Pakistan.

Middle overs: Easy victory for Pakistan

Feroza and Muneeba continued to score freely against Nepal’s inexperienced bowlers. They chased down the target in just 5.5 more overs. Feroza reached her fifty off 29 balls but was out with four runs needed for victory. Muneeba remained unbeaten, just short of her fifty, but guided Pakistan to a decisive win.

Player of the Match (Gull Feroza):

“It is a memorable day for me and I am very happy that I could help my team win. I wanted to play my natural game. This game has become so aggressive and that is my natural game. The cover drive was my favourite. Want to dedicate this award to my family.”