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Women’s Cricket World Cup: India trounce Pakistan to maintain perfect record

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India dispatched a meek Pakistan by 107 runs after a record stand by Pooja Vastrakar and Sneh Rana overcame a mid-innings slump in their Women’s Cricket World Cup clash at Mount Maunganui on Sunday.

The first clash between the Asian rivals since India’s victory in the 2017 World Cup ended with Pakistan all out in the 43rd over for 137 in reply to India’s 244 for seven.

India had prevailed in all 10 previous one-day matches between the two, but Bismah Maroof’s team threatened to pull off an upset when they reduced Mithali Raj’s side to 114-6 in the 34th over.

Opener Smriti Mandhana made 52 but it was counter-attacking knocks from lower-order batters Vastrakar (67) and Rana, who made unbeaten 53, that helped India to a decent total of 244-7.

Vastrakar, the player of the match, belted 67 off 59 deliveries before she was bowled by Fatima Sana at the start of the final over while Rana was unbeaten on 53 off 48.

While it was a comprehensive victory for India, captain Mithali Raj said there was plenty to work on if they were to make the playoffs.

“A very important partnership there between Pooja and Sneh brought us to the total we put on the board, but that is something we would like to address, because when you start playing the tournament, it’s important that your top order scores runs,” she said.

At the top of the order for India, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma contributed 52 and 40 respectively and, along with Vastrakar and Rana, the quartet provided all but 32 of their total.

Pakistan did not help their cause by giving away 11 extras including three in a nine-ball over from Fatima Sana that included two wides and a no ball.

While the required run rate was under five an over, Pakistan fell off the pace from the start and after seven overs had only eight runs on the board.

At the halfway stage, they were 78 for five, compared to India’s 100 for three, and struggling to cope with the spin of Rajeshwari Gayakwad and the superb glovework of 18-year-old Richa Ghosh behind the stumps.

The veteran left-armer Gayakwad took four for 31 off her 10 overs while teenager Ghosh had a hand in five dismissals with four catches and a stumping.

Bismah said Pakistan could not capitalise on the strong start and let India off the hook.

“We gave away easy runs to them, we were sloppy on the field, we didn’t put them under pressure,” she said. “Our batting has to improve, our shot selection wasn’t good, we’ll work on it ahead of the next game.”

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Haris Rauf and Usman Khan have been included in Pakistan’s ODI team for New Zealand.

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The Pakistan team management has directed fast bowler Haris Rauf and wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan to remain in New Zealand and integrate into the ODI squad for the forthcoming series.

Simultaneously, eight players from the T20 squad will return to Pakistan, while five others have been integrated into the ODI team in Napier.

After concluding the T20 series, the Pakistan team and coaching staff journeyed from Wellington to Napier. Rauf and Usman, initially members of the T20 squad, have now been incorporated into the ODI roster.

The ODI team now comprises Salman Ali Agha, Haris Rauf, Khushdil Shah, Irfan Khan Niazi, Abrar Ahmed, Sufiyan Muqeem, Muhammad Ali, and Usman Khan.

Simultaneously, Captain Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, and seven additional ODI players were present in Napier. The eight remaining T20 team members, comprising Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Umair Bin Yousuf, Hassan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Abbas Afridi, Abdul Samad, and Jahandad Khan, will return to Pakistan through Dubai.

The three-match ODI series between Pakistan and New Zealand is scheduled to commence on March 29.

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NZ thrash Pakistan in the last Twenty20 match and hit the target in ten overs.

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Tim Siefert’s scorching undefeated score of 97 helped New Zealand overcome Pakistan handily in the last game of the five-match Twenty20 series.

Additionally, Pakistan’s bowlers were costly in the last Twenty20 match. In two overs, Jahandad Khan scored 43 runs at an economy of 21.5, Shadab Khan scored 33 runs at an economy of 16.5, Muhammad Ali scored 27 runs, and Haris Rauf scored 22 runs. In just two overs, Sufiyan Muqeem claimed two wickets and conceded just six runs, demonstrating exceptional performance.

The Pakistani batting line was unable to score a significant amount in the last Twenty20 International of the five-match series.

At Wellington Regional Stadium, New Zealand won the toss and asked Pakistan to bat first in the sixth Twenty20 International.

As they continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, Pakistan managed to score 128 for nine wickets. In keeping with his recent success, captain Salman Ali Agha scored a half-century before being removed at 51. Mohammad Haris scored 11 and vice captain Shadab Khan scored 28.

None of Pakistan’s batters managed to reach double figures save for these three.

With the ball, James Neesham was outstanding as he recorded his first T20 fifer. Ben Sears and Ish Sodhi shared one wicket each, but Jacob Duffy took two.

Following Pakistan’s defeat in three of the four series games, the visitors made five changes to their starting lineup.

The playing XI now includes Omair Bin Yousuf, Usman Khan, Jahandad Khan, and Sufiyan Muqeem, while Shaheen Afridi, Irfan Khan Niazi, Khushdil Shah, Abbas Afridi, and Abrar Ahmed were dropped.

Even after his contentious return to international cricket, Shadab Khan has managed to get a spot in the fifth consecutive Twenty20 International despite his dismal domestic play. He still serves as the team’s deputy captain for Pakistan.

In the last four games, the all-rounder has scored 30 runs and claimed just one wicket at an economy rate of 10 and an average of 110.

The team’s bowling unit was not playing up to par, according to bowling coach Azhar Mahmood, who also highlighted the difficulties caused by bounce and pace in New Zealand.

He suggested that Haris Rauf’s playing XI would change for the final game and commended him for his bowling performance.

New Zealand leads the five-bout match 3-1 and has already claimed the series.

The Pakistani

Hasan Nawaz, Omair Bin Yousuf, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Abdul Samad, Jahandad Khan, Haris Rauf, Sufyan Moqim, Mohammad Haris (wk), Salman Ali Agha (c), and the following individuals

New Zealand:

Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Mitch Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (c), Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears, Will O’Rourke

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Pakistan and Bangladesh exclude ODIs from their bilateral series.

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The cricket boards of Pakistan and Bangladesh have resolved to eliminate ODIs from their forthcoming bilateral series.

Sources indicate that the two teams, set to compete in May, will not engage in any One Day Internationals. In light of the forthcoming T20 World Cup, the boards have collaboratively decided to substitute ODIs with T20 matches.

According to the initial itinerary, Bangladesh was scheduled to compete in three ODIs and three T20Is in Pakistan. The updated schedule now comprises five T20I matches.

Sources have said that Pakistan would visit Bangladesh outside the planned itinerary to compete in a T20I series, with a three-match T20I series anticipated in July.

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