Pakistan scored 190-6 after being sent to bat at Mount Maunganui and Australia topped that total by just under 35 overs; Australia starter Alyssa Healy made 72 of 79 balls
Alyssa Healy made 72 of 79 balls for Australia
Six-time world champions Australia swept Pakistan by seven wickets to remain undefeated after two group matches at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Pakistan scored 190-6 after being sent to bat at Mount Maunganui and Australia topped that total by just under 35 overs.
Australia’s ground chase was set up by starter Alyssa Healy, who made 72 of 79 balls. Ellyse Perry (26 not out) and Beth Mooney (23 not out) were in the crease when the winning runs hit.
For Pakistan, captain Bismah Maroof finished with 78 points, coming within a run of the highest score by a Pakistani player in a Women’s World Cup match. They were her first 50 since she got back from maternity leave and they made sure with her daughter watching her.
Maroof shared a 99-run partnership with Aliya Riaz, a record fifth wicket for Pakistan in one-day internationals. Riaz made 57.
Pakistan got up to bat for the first time in this tournament and was soon down two wickets as Megan Schutt and Ellyse Perry dispatched the starters in back-to-back deliveries.
Schutt forced Nahida Khan to take the lead when Beth Mooney made the catch with Sidra Amin passing the next ball. Captain Meg Lanning this time taking the edge off a Pakistani bat.
Captain Bismah and Omaima Sohail were forced to rebuild and the skipper led from the front, coming off the mark in one perfectly timed move.
Two overs later, Bismah was delighted to see three yellow spots chasing his shot to the limit as a Rachael Haynes dive failed to stop all four.
Pakistan would then find a dry period, a deflection from Schutt, the only run scored for two overs before Omaima hit a boundary.
The over 11 brought the introduction of spin in the form of Alana King, whose three-for-59 turned the game around against England.
It was a shrewd call by captain Lanning as King dismissed Omaima with his sixth pitch, slamming the bat and knocking down the bails to send the Pakistani No.4 back to the bench on 12-for-25.
Pakistan had dropped to 38 for three when Nida Dar came out in the middle and faced Jess Jonassen in her first over with just two fielders out of the ring as Australia looked to force Pakistan into a wild shot.
Nida went for five, giving Amanda-Jade Wellington her first international wicket since 2018 and Bismah once again welcomed a new partner to the crease.
Except this time, Aliya stayed while they built a stable partnership, punishing any bad balls.
Australia were not without opportunities, Schutt and Lanning missing tough catches before a quick burst of rain threatened to disrupt the process.
Pakistan got to the halfway point without losing any other ground, but it was slow. His 50th partnership did not come for another six overs, coming off 107 deliveries.
It was just the fifth stand out of 50 races for any wicket for Pakistan against Australia, with Bismah appearing in four of them.
As the field receded, Bismah and Aliya began to score more freely adding singles and twos to their occasional limit.
Bismah’s fifty was achieved on 96 balls with five fours and his celebration paid tribute to his daughter Fatima, who was watching with her grandmother on the balcony.
Four balls later, the partnership reached 86, the most for Pakistan in a World Cup, followed soon after by Riaz’s fifty, the first in a World Cup.
She would not add to her 53 as she was given a leg before leaving Nicola Carey’s bowling alley, ending the partnership at 99, the joint highest fifth wicket partnership for Pakistan in ODI.
Fatima Sana would be the last ground to go down for Pakistan as King nabbed the promising all-rounder to leave Pakistan at 177 for six.
