Women’s WC: England crush Pakistan to keep semi-final hopes alive

CHRISTCHURCH: England’s bowlers Katherine Brunt and Sophie Ecclestone took three wickets each before Danni Wyatt shone with an unbeaten 76 to blunt Pakistan by nine wickets in the 24th match of the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup 2022, here on Thursday.

After putting Pakistan into bat first, England’s bowlers starred and bowled out the green shirts for a paltry 105 in the 42nd over.

England’s right-arm pacer Brunt and slow left-arm orthodox took three wickets each, while the skipper Heather Knight and Kate Cross made one scalp each to bundle out the opposition for a paltry total.

For Pakistan, Sidra Ameen fought hard with her 32 off 77 balls with the help of four boundaries, while Sidra Nawaz also showed resilience as she managed to score 23 before Kross castled her in the 39th over.

The rest of the Pakistan batters failed to contribute significantly and as a result, the side bowled out for a below-par total.

Set to chase a mere 106, England comfortably sealed the victory in the 20th over with a loss of one wicket. Right-handed batter Danni shone with an unbeaten 76 off 68 balls, laced with 11 boundaries. The skipper Knight, on the other hand, remained not out on 24 off 36 balls.

For Pakistan, only Diana Baig managed to make a scalp.

On the other hand, persistent rain washed out the 23rd match of the ongoing Women’s World Cup between South Africa and the West Indies.

With the match ending in no result, the proteas women have qualified for the semi-final of the mega event. Whereas, West Indies moved two points up to claim the third position in the points table.

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