English skipper Heather Knight carried on from where she had left in the previous game against Thailand as she was on a roll against Pakistan on Friday at Canberra. Knight (62 off 47) with a fluent half-century anchored the English innings and took her side to a respectable total of 158-7 in 20 overs.
Natalie Sciver (36), who has been in the form of her life, showed her class yet again, as she scored a delightful 36 (29). Fran Wilson, too, extended her hand with a useful contribution of 22 (19). Pakistan looked good with the ball as they managed to pick up wickets at regular intervals. Aiman Anwer was the pick of the bowlers as she scalped 3-30 in her four overs. Nida Dar, though went for far too many runs managed to pick up 2-43 in her four. However, some more support from the fielders would have done a world of good to the bowlers. Cognizant of a relatively weak throwing arm of the Pakistani women, the England batters took their chances running quick singles of the fielders standing in the ring.
Heather Knight at Manuka Oval ❤️ A match Made in Heaven!
Her last 5 T20I Innings:
51, 67, 78, 108*, 62#ENGvPAK #T20WorldCup @englandcricket pic.twitter.com/Qn0zjSxz7t
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) February 28, 2020
Chasing 159 off 20 overs at an average of almost eight an over, Pakistan found it to be too hot to handle as they were bundled out for 116 in 19.4 overs, losing the match by 42 runs. Apart from Aliya Riaz (41), none of the Pakistani batters looked in shape as they failed to stand up to the opposition. Conversely, the English bowlers had a good day at the office, as they were able to run through the Pakistani line-up without any jitters. Spearhead Anya Shrubsole and 21-year old leggie Sarah Glenn were the wreckers-in-chief as they picked up three wickets apiece. Katherine Brunt and Sophie Ecclestone proved to be their able allies as the duo sneaked in with two dismissals in their kitty.
ENGLAND WIN BY 42 RUNS against PAKISTAN. #T20WorldCup #ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/W9RXpX4BkC
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) February 28, 2020
Winning two out of three matches, England is ranked number two in the table, while Pakistan with a 1:1 win-lose ratio finds itself at number four position. Group B table is still wide open, with four teams contending for the semi-final place, with Thailand being the only anomaly due to its poor run the World Cup so far.
With a day’s rest, England will play West Indies on Sunday at Sydney, while Pakistan will take on South Africa on the same day at the same venue.
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.