Pakistan women’s senior wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali has gone home from the Asian Games in Japan to be with her mother, who’s ill, and will skip the tournament. The team won’t name a replacement due to time and logistical constraints — the knockout cricket tournament ends on September 22 — and Gul Feroza is set to keep wickets and open the innings in her absence.
Feroza did both jobs in Thursday’s opener against Thailand, scoring 16 (13). Munneba’s absence will still be a big blow for Pakistan as, alongside captain Fatima Sana, she’s among the team’s most important players. On pitches that Pakistan will see in Japan, her anchoring abilities could have been match-winning. Feroza did encourage some confidence at the Asia Cup, where she scored
63 in their last league game against the Netherlands.
Pakistan just about beat Thailand
Pakistan scraped past Thailand by three wickets in a low-scoring quarterfinal before Bangladesh advanced to the semifinals without taking the field in the Asian Games women’s cricket competition on Thursday.
Pakistan were set a target of 92 in a rain-affected match reduced to 11 overs per side. Thailand, after being asked to bat, posted 91/4, with wicketkeeper Nannapat Koncharoenkai anchoring the innings with 49 off 38 balls, including seven fours.
Pakistan’s chase was far from convincing as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Shawaal Zulfiqar top-scored with 25, while Fatima Sana contributed 21 to help Pakistan reach the target with three wickets in hand. Thailand’s off-spinners Onnicha Kamchomphu and Sunida Chaturongrattana claimed three and two wickets respectively.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, progressed after their quarterfinal against China was abandoned due to a wet outfield at Karogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Aichi prefecture. The match was called off without a toss, with Bangladesh advancing on the basis of their superior ICC T20I ranking. Bangladesh are 10th, while China are ranked 36th.
Bangladesh will face the winner of India’s quarterfinal against Japan, while Pakistan will meet the Sri Lanka-Malaysia winner in the semifinals on September 20. India are the defending champions.
