West Indies squeezes past Pakistan by a razor-thin margin

KARACHI: In the third T20 match between Pakistan and West Indies, the Caribbean team defeated the hosts by a narrow margin of two runs on Tuesday.

Spectators at the National Stadium in Karachi saw their hopes dashed as Pakistan women’s team suffered a third consecutive loss to the West Indies women’s team.

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Despite a commendable effort from the Pakistani team, they fell short of chasing down the target of 133 runs set by West Indies.

Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl first, a choice that cost them dearly in end. Bowler Fatima Sana started the match on a good note as she took two wickets while conceding 22 runs.

However, Nida Dar and Tuba Hassan struggled, each taking a single wicket while yielding 61 runs combined in just eight overs.

Meanwhile, West Indies’ batter Hayley Matthews played scored 68 runs off 49 balls, leading her team to a total of 132 runs at a loss of five wickets in 20 overs.

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In response, Pakistan’s Sidra Ameen did put up a strong front. While she scored 63 runs, it was at a loss of 56 balls, in contrast to the pace set by Matthews. Similarly, Aysha Zafar and Nida Dar also contributed with 19 and 17 runs respectively.

West Indies’ bowling attack tumbled Pakistan batting lineup like a house of cards. Afy Fletcher and Hayley Matthews took two wickets each, while Aaliyah Alleyne claimed one wicket and conceded only 16 runs in her four overs.

In spite of Pakistan’s efforts, they fell short of the target. The hosts managed to score 130 runs for a loss of six wickets in 20 overs conceding the victory to West Indies by three runs.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi expressed his disappointment over the loss. He acknowledged that there is still much work to be done to improve the performance of the women’s team.

Naqvi stated that efforts were “underway” to recruit a foreign coach for the women’s team. He was quick to mention that they would implement similar development measures for women cricketers as for men.

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The chairman also promised to utilise cricket funds for the sport’s development and announced funds to develop a hotel near the Karachi stadium. He also expressed confidence that the National Stadium in Karachi will become one of the best stadiums globally after undergoing development work.

In addition to addressing the women’s team’s performance, Naqvi shared plans for hosting the Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan. He assured that preparations for the event were underway and stated that he was committed to ensuring its success.