POTCHEFSTROOM: Dominant New Zealand handed a thumping 103-run defeat to put an end to Pakistan’s ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup campaign.
Put into bat first, New Zealand raised a mammoth 178/7 in their allotted 20 overs at the back of a resounding half-century from their top-order batter Georgia Plimmer.
Earlier, the White Ferns’ openers laid a solid foundation for a competitive total with a vital 47-run stand for the first wicket.
Anosha Nasir then handed the green shirts their first breakthrough in the fifth over as she removed Emma McLeod, who scored a quickfire 32 off just 18 deliveries.
Following her dismissal, Plimmer partnered with opener Anna Browning and stitched a 35-run partnership for the second wicket before the latter perished after a cautious knock of 31 off 25 balls.
Plimmer, however, stood firm and kept the scoreboard ticking only receiving brief support from Isabella Gaze (21) and carried her bat till the final over as New Zealand lose wickets at regular intervals.
The right-handed batter top-scored for her side with 53 off 38 deliveries and smashed five boundaries.
Anosha led the bowling attack for Pakistan with 3/32, while Mahnoor Aftab bagged two wickets. Rida Aslam and Syeda Aroob Shah, on the other hand, made one scalp each.
Set to chase a massive total of 179, Pakistan’s batting lineup failed completely and could only accumulate 75/7 in their set of overs.
The Green Shirts had a dismal start to their pursuit as half of their side was back in the dugout in just the eighth over with a mere 19 runs on the scoreboard.
Following the slump, Aliza Khan and Areesha Noor attempted to anchor the run chase with a gritty 32-run partnership for the sixth wicket but could not hang on for long as Aliza perished after a fighting 11 in the 17th over.
Areesha remained the top-scorer for her side; scoring 24 off 39 before getting run out in the final over.
For New Zealand, Natasha Codyre bagged two wickets, while Browning and Tash Wakelin struck out a batter each.
Following their thumping defeat against New Zealand, Pakistan ended at the third position in their Super Six points table and thus, failed to qualify for the semi-finals.
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