Pakistan Women Cricket team has just trumped a 57-run win over Sri Lanka at the Women’s World Cup in Sydney.Pakistan totalled 161-7 from their 50 overs and then bowled out Sri Lanka for just 104, with medium-pacer Qanita Jalil taking 3-33 from eight overs.
Sri Lanka never recovered from losing their first three wickets with only 28 on the board and although captain Shashikala Siriwardene made 58 from 11 balls, she lacked the support necessary to steer them towards their target. She was eventually run out by Javeria Khan and the game ended when Sana Mir, who had contributed an unbeaten 22 earlier in the game, had Sripali Weerakkody caught to finish with figures of 2-18.
Urooj Mumtaz the captains of Pakistan Womens Cricket team - blog post after the victor in the Girls Aloud Blog
"Can I begin by thanking everybody for their comments and
messages on my last blog. I read all of your words of encouragement and it was
very much appreciated following the disappointment of Saturday’s defeat to
India.I promised to the people of Pakistan ahead of today’s
game against Sri Lanka that we would bounce back and I don’t think anybody could
have expected a better performance than the one we put in today. I said at the
weekend, after our loss against India, that we didn’t play up to our potential
and that we would be fine if we got things right in all three key departments –
batting, bowling and fielding – and that is what we did today.
We have been
waiting for years to beat Sri Lanka and it was the perfect day to win – the
first time a Pakistan side had won in 19 matches against them and the first time
Pakistan has won a match at the ICC Women’s World Cup. To be part of this moment
of history and to captain the side makes me extremely proud. We know we have
taken a vital step towards making it to the Super Six stage now, as Sri Lanka
faces a difficult last match against India, so it is extremely exciting that we
may get a chance to face the likes of Australia and New Zealand next
week.
After registering a decent total against Sri Lanka, which could have
been higher if any of the girls who got good starts had gone onto make a big
score, we knew that we had to take early wickets. I got an excellent response
from all of my bowlers, having made a conscious decision to hold back Ismavia
(Iqbal) from the opening overs, and once we got some early breakthroughs I was
always confident of victory.
There were a few tears coming out of my eyes at
the end and it was a special moment to get this win in front of my parents. My
father has really helped me with my game, while my mother is always very
supportive of what I do.
To celebrate the victory tonight, some of the team
are going to come out for dinner with my parents, while other players will be
with their families, before we gather all together at the hotel for a
celebration later on. We won’t go too crazy though as we know we have another
important group match on Thursday.
We are all really looking forward to
playing against England in our next match and I am excited that the game will be
broadcast live on television. I hope that people at home will tune in to watch
the match so that we can prove to people in Pakistan that women can play
cricket.
Pakistan next play England on Thursday in their final first-round fixture.
A many hearty Congratulations to the Pakistani Womens Cricket Team, may the continue the surge for more victories onwards.
A many hearty Congratulations to the Pakistani Womens Cricket Team, may the continue the surge for more victories onwards.
