Muneeba Ali whacked a lightning yet historical century which was well coupled with Nashra Sandhu's exceptional four-fer as Pakistan bulldozed Ireland by 70 runs in the Women's T20 World Cup match at Newlands on Wednesday (February 16.
Riding on her maiden ton (102 off 68), Muneeba became the first Pakistani women cricketer to crack a century in the T20Is. Not just this, she also became the fifth batter to hit a century in Women's T20 World Cup as there are only four scores higher than Muneeba’s 102 which was decorated with 14 boundaries.
Muneeba's terrifica knock ensured Pakistan post a competitive total of 165/5. In reply, Ireland's innings wobbled in the chase after losing both of their openers inside the Powerplay overs.
Amy Hunter (6) and Gaby Lewis (10) was sent to pavilion in no time which left Ireland in lurch and a mountain to climb. Soon Pakistan struck back and dismissed Ireland's in-form Orla Prendergast for a 21-ball 31 which helped the Bismah Maroof-led side tighten grip on the match.
Pakistan’s spinners had Ireland in all sorts of trouble, with only Elmear Richardson (28 from 17) able to hit her stride. And the win was wrapped up with three and a half overs still remaining.
Nashra Sundhu was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 4/18 from four overs, while Nida Dar followed up a decent effort with the bat with extremely tidy figures of 2/5 from three.
Earlier, an explosive start from Muneeba helped Pakistan reach 45/1 at the end of the Powerplay, after Ireland had won the toss and opted to bowl first in Cape Town. And runs continued to flow for Pakistan as the inning progressed.
It was Muneeba who scored the vast majority of the runs in a 44-run first-wicket stand, before partner Javeria Khan fell in the sixth over, run out by Mary Waldron for 6 from 13 balls.
But neither that dismissal nor the departure of Bismah Maroof for 4 was enough to curb Pakistan’s attacking and risk-taking intent, as Muneeba went past 50, with Nida Dar (33) playing well at the other end. And the 25-year-old’s acceleration continued as she rocketed to her first T20I century.
Finally dismissed for 102 from just 68 balls, Muneeba soaked in the adoration of her teammates and the crowd as she left the field at Newlands. A huge six off the penultimate ball by Ayesha Naseem was followed by a stumping, as Pakistan finished on 165/5.
Pakistan recovered from a hefty seven-wicket defeat at the hands of India few days back and will look to continue their winning momentum in the next match when they face West Indies on February 19.
