English
English
English
IND vs PAK
Birmingham: India made a dominant start to their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign, defeating Pakistan by 64 runs at Birmingham, powered by a strong batting performance from Smriti Mandhana and a match-winning five-wicket haul from Deepti Sharma.
India posted a competitive total of 171 after a solid top-order effort. Smriti Mandhana led the charge with a fluent 68 off 44 balls, anchoring the innings and ensuring India reached a strong defending score despite Pakistan’s disciplined spells in patches.
Chasing 171, Pakistan showed early intent, finishing the powerplay at 52/1 with Muneeba Ali finding rhythm at the top. However, the innings quickly unraveled as India’s spinners tightened control in the middle overs.
Pakistan struggled to rotate strike and repeatedly found fielders in the deep as pressure mounted.
The turning point came with Deepti Sharma, who produced a match-winning spell of 5 for 10, dismantling Pakistan’s middle order with precision off-spin. She built pressure through consistent dot balls and broke partnerships at regular intervals.
She also effected a crucial run-out of Muneeba Ali for 41 with a sharp direct hit, further derailing Pakistan’s chase. The team eventually collapsed to 79/6 inside 13 overs, never recovering thereafter.
The victory marked Pakistan’s fourth consecutive T20 defeat to India, highlighting the growing gap between the two sides in women’s cricket. India’s strength was further underlined by their strong domestic structure, powered by the Women’s Premier League.
As in previous encounters, the match also carried off-field attention due to political tensions between the two nations. The topic of handshakes and sporting gestures once again surfaced in the build-up, continuing a narrative seen in recent ICC and Asia Cup events.
