Commonwealth Games 2022: India eye maiden cricket victory at CWG in blockbuster match against Pakistan
India Today
India and Pakistan last played a T20I match during the 2018 ICC Women's World T20, with India coming on top. Overall, India's win-loss record against Pakistan is 9-2 in the shortest format of cricket.
India will be aiming for a maiden victory in the women's T20I competition at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) as they take on arch-rivals Pakistan at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Sunday (July 31).
India are in a tight spot with fears of an early exit, having lost their opening match by three wickets against Australia in the tournament's curtain raiser. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur led from the front and hit a half-century to help India post 154/8. Although it was a moderate target, India almost made a game out of it as Renuka Singh Thakur rattled the Australian top-order.
Thakur returned with the figures of 4/18 in her four-overs quota as she bagged the wickets of big guns Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath. However, India lost the plot as Ashleigh Gardner stood strong to script a remarkable escape. Gardner (52*) was ably supported by Grace Harris and Alana King as India debutant Meghna Singh and Radha Yadav leaked runs.
India would look to rectify their mistakes and comeback stronger, especially in bowling department which is missing Pooja Vastrakar, who continues to be in isolation after testing positive for Covid-19. Notably, it was Vastrakar, along with Sneh Rana, who guided India to victory against Pakistan in their league match during the 2022 ODI World Cup. India were in a spot of bother before Vastrakar and Rana saved India's ship from sinking in New Zealand.
India and Pakistan last played a T20I match during the 2018 ICC Women's World T20, with India coming on top after Mithali Raj's fifty. Overall, India's win-loss record against Pakistan is 9-2 in T20Is. In their last five meetings, it was India who defeated Pakistan four times.
Pakistan, on the other hand, also lost their opening match at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Birmingham after going down against Barbados by 15 runs. Pakistan bowlers did well to keep Barbados, who played their first international match and are representing West Indies at CWG, in check, but fifties from Hayley Matthews and Kycia Knight helped Barbados to post 144/4.
In reply, Pakistan's top-order, including captain Bismah Maroof, failed miserably as Matthews's bowling and fielding brilliance made things difficult for Pakistan. Star all-rounder Nida Dar single-handedly fought till the end but lack of support from the other end left her stranded on fifty.
