Dubai, Sep 5 (PTI) Left-arm spinner Shree Charani was the star performer, returning brilliant figures of 3 for 7, with able support from young leg-spinner Prema Rawat, as India dismantled Pakistan for a paltry 55 in 18.1 overs without breaking much sweat in an inconsequential Group A league game of the Women’s Asia Cup here on Saturday.
This was Pakistan’s lowest score in history of T20 Internationals.
Opting to bat, Pakistan did start confidently reaching 27 for no loss in little over four overs with openers Muneeba Ali (13) and Shawaal Zulfiqar (14) facing the seamers with ease but none of the other batters were able to reach double figures in an embarrassing display of ineptitude.
The two wrist spinners Shafali Verma (1/10 in 3 overs) and Prema (3/9 in 4 overs) didn’t try to turn and kept attacking the stumps with relentless accuracy. By the time, Deepti Sharma (2/5 in 3.1 overs) came into bowl, Pakistan women had already thrown in the towel. In 18.1 overs, Indian bowlers delivered an astounding 78 dot balls.
Once, Harmanpreet Kaur, captaining the country for the 150th time in T2Ois, gauged that the pitch is offering turn, she introduced the spinners right away and got due dividends. Suddenly Pakistan lost six wickets for addition of 9 runs to totter at 36 for 6 after end of 10 overs.
Strangled for runs, Muneeba tried to shuffle towards leg stump to make room and was beaten all ends up.
Charani then got into the act as she extracted appreciable turn and bounce at the same time. Gull Feroza (0) tried to hit her against the turn to get caught at short third while Zulfiqar missed a sweep shot to be adjudged plumb in-front.
Ayesha Zafar (2) was strangled and she tried to break the shackles only to lob an easy catch to Harmanpreet at mid-on.
Sadaf Shamas (3) tried to hit her way out on a difficult track and against Rawat, who bowled straight and hit the stumps.
Pakistan’s biggest hope, skipper Fatima Sana (0) got a classical off-break from Deepti Sharma that hit her flush on the pads and could have hit the leg-middle line. She didn’t even ask for a review.
Eyman Fatima (5) and Umm-e Hani (6) were involved in a horrible mix-up leading to the former being run-out at non-striker’s end.
Hani also perished like many of her teammates trying a sweep without even having an iota of idea about the length of the delivery. PTI KHS KHS ATK
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