CHATTOGRAM (Agencies): Muneeba Ali’s 49-ball 61, and her 106-run partnership with Bismah Maroof for the second wicket, laid the platform for Pakistan to end the T20I leg of their tour of Bangladesh with a consolation win.
The partnership – Pakistan’s highest for the second wicket in Women’s T20Is – was the sole passage of play where bat dominated ball in a low-scoring third T20I, which ended with Pakistan, defending a total of 132, winning by 31 runs.
Maroof joined Muneeba in the second over of the match, after Pakistan had been sent in, and the pair controlled the innings for the next 14.4 overs, going at just over 7.2 an over. Maroof played second fiddle, scoring 48 off 49 balls with only two fours, while Muneeba took on the bowling, hitting eight fours and striking at over 120.
Pakistan seemed poised for a big finish at 101 for 1 after 16 overs, but the wicket of Muneeba brought Bangladesh into the game: the last four overs brought just 31 runs, with Fariha Trisna picking up 2 for 14 across the 18th and 20th overs and Nahida Akter 1 for 9 across the 17th and 19th.
Bangladesh’s response contained the second-highest partnership of the match: 33 for the second wicket between Shamima Sultana and Sobhana Mostary. It put Bangladesh in a reasonable position at 38 for 1 in the seventh over, but the chase lost all momentum after Nashra Sandhu broke the stand, with the last 14.4 overs only bringing 63 runs for the cost of eight wickets.
Sadia Iqbal and Aliya Riaz picked up two wickets apiece, while Sandhu (3-0-8-1) and Nida Dar (3-1-9-1) led the way in curtailing Bangladesh’s run flow. Shamima (26 off 38) was the only Bangladesh batter to pass 20.
