Review | CWC22 | M#20- WI v PAK | All-round Pakistan registered their historic WC victory after a long wait of 13 years
Written By: Ritwika Dhar
Date: 23-03-2022
Picture Courtesy: Getty Images
Spin to win is the mantra for PAK, against the Windies
If spin is the biggest strength of Pakistan bowling, then one of the weakest opponents to play spin are the West Indies who were up against them. In a rain-curtailed encounter in Hamilton, Pakistan restricted the attacking Windies batting line-up in just 89-7 in 20 overs. Left-arm orthodox, T20-specialist Anam Amin brought back to the side and she produced a remarkable figure of 4-1-6-0 with an economy of just 1.5. This tight spell of Amin at the powerplay almost dried up the runs. And the other spinners reaped the wickets from the dot-ball pressure created by her.
Nida Dar picked up the wicket of dangerous Dottin in her 1st ball of the spell and ended up picking her career-best ODI figures of 4-10 in her 4 overs. In the last game against Bangladesh who bundled the Windies up in just 140 runs, another collapse in this match was looming over their head. But some valuable contributions from Alleyne and Fletcher's bat ensured Windies to reach a fighting total of 89 on a turning track.
Running between the wicket was the key in Pak’s successful chase
After an eye-opening loss against Bangladesh, a distinctive change in Pakistan’s batting approach had been seen. Young left-hander batter Muneeba Ali who was in a good form last year finally got her place in the playing-XI. It was also going to be her maiden 50-over World Cup appearance. And she made an impact straight away. She took an over to assess the conditions but then showcased a very sensible batting performance. She built an opening partnership of 22 runs with last match’s centurion Sidra Ameen before Afy Fletcher cleaned Ameen up.
She continued stitching another partnership with her skipper Maroof at the other end. Muneeba was dismissed on 37 (43) by Selman after taking her team over the 50 run-mark. But captain ensured no further hiccups and finished off the chase alongside Omaima Sohail. Maroof, who didn't score a single boundary in her 20 off 29, and Sohail who just tonked one ball to the fence still managed to get the job done brilliantly because of their sound running between the wicket. Both of them tapped the ball and just ran without any hesitation not just helped them to chase down that meagre of a total with aplomb but also made the Windies' best fielders fumble. Pakistan chased down the target of 90 with 7 balls to spare.
Barring Australia, every team is on a roller-coaster ride in this WC
This 2022 World Cup is arguably the most thrilling World Cup that ever took place. Except for 6-times champion Australia who have already sealed their place in the knockouts, all other teams have some sort of mathematical chance to go through to the semis. As Pakistan snapped their 18-match losing streak in the 50-over WC, all the teams now have secured at least one victory in this tournament. And this is only the 3rd time that all participating teams have managed to win one game in the World Cup.
As West Indies couldn't able to cut the web spun by Pakistan, they have no choice but to win the last game against South Africa. But given the NRR, India, and England have more realistic chances to secure their berth of the semis if they win the rest of their respective games. Bangladesh and Pakistan too have some chances if they win their remaining games. But the teams who have almost cemented their place in the knockouts and knocked out of the race of it are South Africa and hosts New Zealand respectively.
Brief Scorecard:
West Indies – 89/7 (20) D. Dottin 27 (35), S. Taylor 18 (31); N. Dar 4/10 (4), F. Sana 1/14 (4)
Pakistan – 90/2 (18.5) M. Ali 37 (43), O. Sohail 22 (27); S. Selman 1/15 (3.5), A. Fletcher 1/23 (4)