What happened
Pakistan beat Hong Kong, China by 72 runs on Monday 7 September to reach the semi-finals of the Women’s Asia Cup, with Nashra Sandhu taking six wickets for seven runs. Pakistan made 143 for 8 after captain Fatima Sana chose to bat, and Hong Kong were bowled out for 71 in the 19th over, according to Gulf News, which placed the match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. It was the final Group A match for both sides.
The match
Shawaal Zulfiqar top-scored with 47 off 35 balls, the International Cricket Council reported, adding 47 with Ayesha Zafar, who made 26. Pakistan were 50 for 2 after six overs and 82 for 3 at halfway, then lost wickets in a cluster to Hong Kong’s Joyleen Kaur, who finished with 4 for 19. Sana’s unbeaten 24 off 24 balls, including a six in the last over, took the total to 143.
Hong Kong’s chase unravelled early. Sana dismissed Mariko Hill with the last ball of the first over and Sadia Iqbal had Miles lbw with her first delivery, leaving Hong Kong 1 for 2. Yasmin Daswani and Kary Chan then added 31, the only real resistance, before Sandhu’s decisive burst. Hong Kong were 40 for 5 when she took the first wickets of her final over, according to the ICC, and Umm-e-Hani took the last wicket.
The record
Sandhu’s 6 for 7 is the best bowling return by a Pakistan player in women’s T20 internationals, beating Omaima Sohail’s 5 for 13 against Sri Lanka in 2022, the ICC said. She is the first Pakistan woman to take six wickets in the format, and it was her first five-wicket haul in T20Is. She was named Player of the Match, Gulf News reported.
What it means
Pakistan became the third confirmed semi-finalist after India and Sri Lanka, with the last place still to be decided between Bangladesh and hosts UAE the next day, the ICC reported. Hong Kong’s tournament ended with the defeat. Gulf News said Pakistan will meet Sri Lanka in the semi-final on Friday.
The win came days after KhabarWire reported a mid-series overhaul that turned an England defeat into a governance crisis for the men’s side.
What remains unclear
Pakistan will play Sri Lanka on Friday, and the remaining semi-final pairing depends on the Bangladesh-UAE result. Team news for the semi-final was not available in the match reports.
