England captain Heather Knight felt that the team had a ‘complete performance’ against Pakistan on Thursday at Christchurch as they defeated them by 9 wickets.
The bowlers picked wickets at regular intervals. The veteran Katherine Brunt had a great outing for the first time in this world cup as she took 3 for 17 in 8 overs. Sophie Ecclestone, the world no.1 bowler also took 3 for 18 in 8.3 overs and Knight and Cross took a wicket each resulting in Pakistan getting bundled out for 105 in 41.3 overs.
The English women had a bad start losing in form Tammy Beaumont for 2. But, Danni Wyatt and captain Heather Knight stitched an 87 run partnership taking England to an easy 9 wicket win. Danni Wyatt, who’s had a bad world cup so far got a fabulous 76 in 68 balls scoring 11 boundaries. Knight gave her valuable support in the other end and England cruised to victory thus making their Semi-Final qualification chances stronger.
Speaking on the big win, the captain said, “This was a complete performance. I’m pleased with our performance today. Bowlers exploited the green on the surface. Brunt bowled well and returned to form. She’s put a bit of work into her action and made sure everything is right. It was only time before a player like her rose and came back to form.”
Knight also added that the team had a great start with the ball and she reminded the girls that it’s how they finish that matters more than how they started. She finished off by saying that the game is a huge confidence booster as the team had a ‘complete performance’.
“It is not how you start but how you finish that matters.”
mantra for the success of 🏴England team.#CWC22 #TeamEngland pic.twitter.com/CXexwLVEwe
— Female Cricket #CWC22 (@imfemalecricket) March 24, 2022
Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof other the hand was unhappy with the 2 runouts which led to the rest of the batting unit falling apart. She felt extremely happy with the way her bowlers bowled in the game. She felt it is the batting that needs some work to be done.
England face Bangladesh in their final league match on Sunday at Wellington. If they manage to win the match, they’ll join South Africa and Australia in the Semis. Pakistan will be wrapping up their world cup campaign as they face the hosts New Zealand in their at Christchurch on Saturday.
Follow Female Cricket on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news and updates around Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022
Loves all things female cricket