Fatima Sana led from the front as her incisive bowling spell rocked England’s top order under overcast conditions. Fatima Sana looked like a women possessed as her initial spell reduced Pakistan to 79/7 in 25 overs before rain intervened and delayed play for quite a few hours. Thereafter, game was reduced to 31 overs a game in which England recovered a tad to get to 133/9 in 31 overs and set a revised score of 113 in 31 overs for Pakistan.
Fatima Sana Inspires Pakistan to rock England in the powerplay
Put into bat first, Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont will open the batting for England while captain Fatima Sana will have ball in hand for Pakistan. Jones clipped Sana away to deep backward square leg for a boundary. Jones got another boundary away as she slapped the ball between extra cover and point for a boundary. Diana Baig had ball in hand from the other end. Baig overstepped and the free hit was slashed away through extra cover for a boundary.
Baig dismissed Beaumont for 4 off 4 balls with a boundary under her name. Baig bowled a good length delivery that pitched wide and then skewed inwards to clip the top of the off stumps. Beaumont had prodded across and shouldered her arms to let the ball go. Heather Knight came out to bat next and got off the mark with a boundary trying to squirt it away to cover point region. Knight again flicked Baig through backward square leg for a boundary.
Fatima Sana continued and she got rid of Jones for 8 off 8 balls with 2 boundaries to her name. Jones bowled a good length delivery pitching outside off-stump. Jones went for a rising drive and jagged in sharply and the lack of movement of the front foot meant that the batter had left a huge gap between the bat and the body. The ball sneaked through and clattered into the stumps. Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt came out to bat next.
Baig continued as Sciver-Brunt whipped away the full delivery slanting it at the middle and leg stump. Sciver-Brunt used her wrists to send the ball scampering through midwicket and mid-on. Knight was given LBW as Knight reviewed and got the decision overturned by the DRS. Sana appealed for LBW again against Knight and reviewed the call as the ball tracking said the impact was outside off-stump. Knight hit Sana for a boundary by walking out of her crease before patting it towards backward point boundary.
Knight opened the face of the bat and played a late dab to the deep third fence. Sana then removed her opposite number for 4 off 10 balls with a boundary to her name. Sana bowled a length delivery from over the wicket pitching outside off-stump nipping back in sharply off the surface. Sciver-Brunt looked to cut but got cramped for room. The ball took the bottom edge of her bat and cannoned into the stumps. Sophia Dunkley came out to bat next. She got off the mark and got to 1000 ODI runs.
Sana then removed Knight for 18 off 17 balls with 4 fours to her name. Sana bowled a good length delivery outside the off-stump that nipped back in. Knight shuffled across and looked to defend but got beaten on the inside edge as he wore it on the front pad. Loud shout for LBW and the finger was raised. Knight chatted with her partner and sent it upstairs in home. There was no bat involved as ball tracking showed three reds and the review was lost. Emma Lamb came out to bat next and got off the mark as well.
First signs of spin was shown as Sadia Iqbal came into the attack next. Sadia bowled a decent over. Sana continued as Dunkley shimmied down the track and drove it to the left of mid-off for a boundary. Sana gave away 4 byes to the batting side. Sadia then removed Lamb for 4 off 5 balls. Sadia Iqbal bowled an arm ball on a fuller length outside off-stump. Lamb hung back and looked to block but got beaten on the inside edge. The ball crashed into the off-stump. Alice Capsey came out to bat next. At the end of first powerplay, England were 54/5 in 10 overs and in real trouble.
Pakistan tightened the screws to drive home the advantage to leave England at 79/7 in 25 overs
Nashra Sandhu came into the attack post the powerplay. She bowled a decent first over. Sadia continued and got rid of Dunkley for 11 off 21 balls with a boundary to her name. Sadia bowled full and on the stumps. Dunkley got down on a knee and looked to paddle sweep it again. She missed and the ball rolled onto her pads in the leg side as they take a single. The appeal was turned down and ball tracking showed three reds and the decision was overturned to OUT via a successful DRS. Charlie Dean came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway.
Sandhu continued and bowled a quiet over. Fatima Sana returned to the attack and bowled another miserly over. Sandhu bowled a maiden over. Capsey slammed Sadia straight down the ground past mid-on for a boundary. Sandhu kept things under check yet again. Rameen Shamim came into the attack next. She should have gotten rid of Capsey but Muneeba Ali dropped a sitter at square leg.
Sandhu continued as Capsey pummelled away towards long-on for a boundary. Shamim continued and kept things tight as England reached 75/6 in 20 overs. Sandhu bowled a maiden over. Shamim followed it up with another maiden over. Sandhu bowled another tight over. Shamim then removed Capsey for 16 off 43 balls with 2 fours to her name.
Shorter than a length from Shamim, Capsey went down on one knee and went for the sweep shot. The ball could spin just enough to eventually evade that swishing blade of hers and pinged the front leg. Three reds on ball tracking as the decision stood and they did not lose the review. Emily Arlott came out to bat next. She got off the mark soon. Sadia bowled a maiden over as England reached 79/7 in 25 overs at the halfway stage of the innings.
Late flourish after a long delay gives England 133/9 in 31 overs.
Omaima Sohail came into the attack after a long delay due to rain. He bowled a decent over while the outside noise is about the batter giving and driving to mid-off for a boundary. Shamim came into the attack next. Dean reverse swept away to the fuller side of good length. He planted a fuller wide of middle and leg stump. Dean planted proper stride and swished it in front of point for a boundary. Sohail continued as the 100 came up for England in 28 overs.
Shamim continued as Dean survived LBW against Shamim. She bowled a good length ball that spun it had hit three pads. Dean had planted a small stride forward before attempting a reverse sweep and ended up picking one of the ball deflects towards square leg. The 100 came up in 28 overs. They need a big finish to get to a good score. Sohail bowled a tight first over.
Shamim continued as Arlott came in. There were never tested by these teams. After knockout game, rain halted proceedings in the end. Shamim continued as Shamim bowled a ball in the pads, The ball beat the pads for a leg bye. Arlott was dropped still no damage was done in the end.
Dean whacked Sohail for another boundary by coming down the track and swatting it away to wide long-on boundary. Arlott was run out as the hosts lost another wicket. She was out for 18 off 23 balls with 2 fours to his name. Glenn came out to bat next. Fatima Sana then dismissed Dean for 33 off 51 balls with 3 fours to her name.
Fatima Sana speared it on the fuller side of good length at the off and middle stump. Dean shuffled to the off-side early and brought out the lap shot but failed to clear Omaima at short fine leg. The fielder stretched her arms upwards to grab it. Linsey Smith came out to bat next and got off the mark. England finished with 133/9 in 31 overs in this rain reduced game.
Fatima Sana was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4/27 in 6 overs. Sadia Iqbal chipped in with 2/16 in 6 overs. Diana Baig got a wicket for 25 runs in 3 overs. Rameen Shamim chipped in with 1/22 in 6 overs. The rest did their job. Since, this was DLS calculated, it meant that Pakistan had a revised target of 113 runs in 31 overs.
What Lies Ahead
Pakistan have bowled splendidly well to skittle England out for 133/9 in 31 overs game due to rain. Now it is up to the batters to chase it down. England have good bowling line-up. This game can go either ways in our view with Pakistan starting this clash as favourites. Let’s see how things go abroad with Sri Lanka as the weather may play its part later on. It has already done in the previous. Let’s see if the rain is the winner today.
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