A rapid half-century gave India an 8-wicket victory over Pakistan in the second T20I game in an ongoing Cricket Championship in Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham on Sunday. Earlier, Sneh Rana’s ferocious spells and India’s tight bowling display helped India dismiss the Pakistan side for 99 in the 18-overs match of the rain-affected Commonwealth Games. After the Indian bowlers, led by off-spinner Sneh Rana (2-15) and left-arm spinner Radha Yadav (2-18), produced a spectacular display to bowl Pakistan women out for only 99, opener Smriti Mandhana made a stupendous knock and played shots that oozed class and joy in equal measures, chasing down the target of 100, which was pursued with 38 balls remaining. Smriti ended the chase in style, hauling pacer Fatima Sanas to long-on for four, keeping India in the hunt for the elimination.
India lost the first match of Indias Group Stage against five-time World T20 champions Australia in a thrilling game. In contrast, Pakistan lost their first Pakistans Group Stage match against Barbados the same day. Chasing a target of 100 was never a problem for the Indian batters, plus an experience that the Indian Women carry to this tournament is immense, though few players are young.
Pakistani Women started their batting innings very well, and till the 8th over, they were in a strong position with a score of 49 runs for a loss of one wicket. Then Sneh Rana took the ball in the 9th over, where she grabbed two wickets for team India. Firstly she got rid of the Pakistani captain with a clean LBW which was given out by the umpire straight away but was reviewed by the batsman, and as the review showed that the ball was hitting the middle of the middle stump. At the same time, she dismissed Ali, and that was when Indian Women took control of the game and started pressuring the Pakistani Women.
But in return, Pakistan tried to fight back and push the pressure on the Indians; they were able to do a bit as they took the score to 78/4 by the end of the 14th over and following that, they started to throw wickets which became an easy job for the Indians, where they wrapped up Pakistan for 99. From there on, the results were fixed, looking at the form of Indian batters.
Smriti Mandhana was the high scorer for the Indian team, with 63 runs of 42 balls, which included eight fours and three sixes; this was her third T20 Fifty. This inning was twice better than the whole Pakistani innings. However, Omaima Sohail was the best bowler of the match for the Pakistanis.
