Pakistan looking to restrict India to sub-par total with conditions good for batting.
Abyan Amir is reporting live from R. Premadasa Stadium. This story is being updated live over by over; please refresh for the latest updates.
Over 37 — India 164-5
Nashra returns after her breakthrough with another decent over, just four off it as India look to rebuild after losing half their side with 13 overs to go.
Over 36 — India 160-5
Rameen follows Nashra’s breakthrough with a tight over. Just one off it as the Indian batters try to figure out their next move.
Over 35 — India 159-5
Nashra strikes for Pakistan as Rodrigues departs! After an expensive start she has finally found her groove.
India are five down and Pakistan are well and truly in the ascendency at Colombo. If they can clean the Indian tail cheaply it’s game on!
Over 34 — India 154-4
Rameen returns to the attack and has the fourth breakthrough for the Green Shirts! Deol departs after the half-chances finally turn into a dismissal. She completely mistimes it and is caught at long-on by Nashra.
The players walk off as ground staff shows up with a fumigation machine for the bugs, we’ve been told that they’re a local variety — not exactly mosquitos.
Over 33 — India 151-3
Fatima continues to bowl well and builds the pressure on the Indian batters. Deol tries to walk down the pitch and is met with a bouncer.
Over 32 — India 147-3
The run rate in the last five overs has been exactly 6 for the Women in Blue. Nashra bowls a tidy one for six runs.
Over 31 — India 141-3
Captain Fatima is back into the attack as we cross the 30-over mark of the innings. She is greeted with a boundary by Deol thanks to a misfield by Sadaf near the ropes.
Over 30 — India 136-3
Nashra continues to struggle to find her length, as Rodrigues punishes a bad delivery to the boundary. India get six of that over.
Over 29 — India 130-3
Diana returns after delivering a what-if moment in her last over. She bowls another expensive one due to a misfield at third man that results in a boundary. The crowd has now built nicely in the stands open to the public.
Over 28 — India 122-3
The players take drinks in the middle of the 28th over as Nashra half-volley is driven through the covers by Rodrigues.
Here’s something you don’t see every day on a cricket field. We have our second stoppage in play due to mosquitos. Skipper Fatima has taken matters into her own hands by spraying the bugs off. It rained quite heavily (by Karachi standards) in Colombo yesterday. That might have a thing or two to do with the number of mosquitos we have on show today.
Over 27 — India 117-3
Diana had Rodrigues caught behind, but turns out it was a no-ball for overstepping. It only gets worse for the Gilgit-born pacer as her next ball — a 103kph head-high bouncer is hit through square-ish midwicket. An over that could have had India in all sorts of trouble turns ends with a boundary for the new Indian batter.
Over 26 — India 111-3
The Mumbai-born Jemimah Rodrigues is the new batter in for India after their skipper fell to Diana. She gets off the mark with a single off Nashra, who is continuing to flight the ball and keep it full to induce a false stroke.
25 OVER ANALYSIS
The Pakistani bowlers have done well to keep the Indian batters from scoring freely on a good pitch and make regular breakthroughs. The Green Shirts will now be looking to close out the second half of the match by building on the momentum of the first half. Both the Indian captain and vice captain are back in the hutch as both the Pakistani pacers and spinners continue to bowl well after a wayward start in the powerplay.
Over 25 — India 108-3
Pakistan’s in-form pacer Diana returns to the attack and sends the Indian skipper Kaur packing!
Kaur tickles on through to Sidra, who takes a regulation chance. Pakistan have India three down and and are well and truly in the match!
Over 24 — India 103-2
After being hit for two boundaries in her last over, Nashra returns with a better over. Just runs off that one that included a yorker from the left-arm spinner!
Over 23 — India 101-2
The Indian batters have no answer to Sadia’s spin mastery. Even as the runs flow from the other end, they continue to struggle against the wily left-arm spinner. The flood lights are on at the R. Pramedasa as the stands continue to fill up with fans, weather continues to stay overcast but no sign of rain yet. Here’s to not jinxing that!
Over 22 — India 100-2
Both Indian batters hit Nashra for boundaries as India break the shackles. Kaur signals her intent as she hits a boundary through mid-wicket in style.
Over 21 — India 89-2
Sadia continues to keep the Indian batters in check with her guile; no boundaries coming off this end at all as she bowls another cheap over for just 3 runs.
Over 20 — India 86-2
Deol finally breaks the shackles with a boundary off Nashra, India will be looking to get the momentum back after Pakistan restricted them to just singles and doubles over the past few overs.
Over 19 — India 78-2
Sadia continues to turn the screws as the Indian batters struggle to rotate strike and deal with her variations. Just a single off that over.
Over 18 — India 77-2
Left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu is into the attack and starts off with a decent over as just two came of it.
Over 17 — India 75-2
Just three runs came off that Sadia over as the oohs and aahs continue in the middle, the Indian skipper was late on an arm-ball that nearly went through her defences.
Over 16 — India 72-2
Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is off the mark with a boundary off Rameen. Its a game of fine margins and that shot nearly carried to Aliya at cover.
15 OVER ANALYSIS
The match is evenly poised at the 15th over mark. Pakistan have struck twice to remove the Indian openers after putting the pressure on by building the dots since the latter half of the powerplay. India need to build a partnership as the batting conditions look really good. Pakistan will be looking to make further inroads to restrict India to a low total.
Over 15 — India 67-2
The second ranked T20I bowler in the world — Sadia strikes for the Green Shirts! She comes back after being hit to the boundary by opener Rawal to make a mess of her stumps.
Over 14 — India 63/1
Deol hits the first maximum of the Indian innings as she dances down the pitch and hits a flighted delivery over wide-long on. Rameen pulls the over back after that six of the first ball with 5 dots to follow up.
The game hangs in the balance as both sides try to shift the momentum to their side.
Over 13 — India 57/1
Sadia Iqbal is back into the attack after bowling the first over of the innings. She stiches together a decent over with older ball with just two runs coming off it. The Indian openers haven’t hit a boundary in a while.
Over 12 — India 55/1
Rameen follows up on her first over with a decent comeback, just one run coming off that over. She kept it tight as the dots continue to build up. Can we expect a shot in frustration from the Indian batters as they try to break the shackles?
Over 11 — India 54/1
Skipper Fatima continues with her fifth over on the trot and bowls a perfect maiden! The captain is leading from the front by bowling tight lines and lengths and keeping the Indian batters from scoring freely.
Deol survives a scare as the inside edge doesn’t carry to the keeper Sidra Nawaz.
Over 10 — India 54-1
Rameen Shamim is into the attack for Pakistan. She’s been given the new ball, which is not easy to control for a spinner. One drop Harleen Deol welcomes her with a boundary off the very first ball she faces.
Over 9 — India 48-1
Skipper Fatima makes the breakthrough for Pakistan! She sends the Indian vice-captain Mandhana packing with a ball that came in after pitching. Pakistan strike the first blow. The Indian opener walks back to the pavilion after a scratchy 23 of 32 balls.
Over 8 — India 45/0
Mandhana survives an lbw appeal as the review shows that the ball was pitching outside leg, she has finally found her touch after hitting Diana for two boundaries in the over.
Over 7 — India 36/0
There was a stoppage in play due to Fatima feeling a bit of discomfort in her ankle. She had been struck on the knee in the previous series against South Africa but it doesn’t seem anything serious. Fatima ends the over well, just runs off it as the Indian opener Mandhana struggles for runs.
The crowd is slowly building up at the R Pramedasa Stadium, with Indian fans outnumbering the Pakistani ones so far.
Over 6 — India 34/0
Diana follows up a good over by the skipper with a decent one of her own. Just one run came off that over as the Green Shirts put the brakes on a good Indian start in the earlier part of the powerplay. The Pakistani pacers have good their lengths now and are inducing false strokes from the Indian batters.
Over 5 — India 33/0
Skipper Fatima ends a good over to stem the flow of runs. India get just three off her over as the Pakistani pacers are finally finding their lines and lengths.
Over 4 — India 29/0
Diana returns with a better over to the Indian openers, beating them and inducing false strokes in the first five balls, but Mandhana ends it with a boundary to build further on India’s decent start.
Over 3 — India 25/0
Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana is into the attack, and is welcomed with a boundary by the Indian opener Rawal. India are off to a quick start as the pitch seems to be a true surface for batting.
Over 2 — India 20/0
Pakistan’s inform pacer from the first match, Diana Baig, starts off with an expensive over as Indian opener Pratika Rawal hits her for three back-to-back boundaries.
Over 1 — India 8/0
Sadia Iqbal has started the bowling effort for Pakistan. Weather conditions are overcast, and the new ball can move around in the air as a result. India end the over with their first boundary as the in-form Smriti Mandhana gets off the mark in style.
Pakistan have opted to bowl first, with Sadiq Iqbal opening for the Green Shirts as they face India in the cricket field yet again on Sunday, this time in the Women’s World Cup 2025.
While India is hosting this year’s tournament, Pakistan will play all their matches of the 50-over World Cup in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model[1] decided in November after India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.
Fatima Sana is leading the Green Team, while Harmanpreet Kaur is captaining the Women in Blue. The game will begin at 2:30pm PKT at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
As of 2pm (Sri Lanka time), ESPNcricinfo[2] reported that the weather was “dry, although there are dark clouds hovering over the stadium”.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) had said “fans have free entry to all” the World Cup matches being played in Colombo.
As the rivals meet for a fourth consecutive Sunday on the cricket field, tensions from the recent men’s Asia Cup may spill into the ongoing event as well.
Ahead of all the chatter on the issue of handshakes[3] in Asia Cup, Sana made it clear that her side’s focus was solely on cricket.
Earlier this week, a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official said there was “no assurance[4]” that India and Pakistan players would shake hands during their fixtures.
The semi-finals are scheduled for October 29 and 30, before the final takes place on November 2.
References
- ^ hybrid model (www.dawn.com)
- ^ ESPNcricinfo (www.espncricinfo.com)
- ^ handshakes (www.dawn.com)
- ^ no assurance (www.dawn.com)