Women in Blue once again continued to roar loud in the T20 Asia Cup this year, as they defended their title for the sixth time in as many tournaments (first four Asia Cup tournaments were a 50-overs a side affair). India vs Pakistan on a Sunday afternoon is like a treat to all the cricket lovers across the country.
Winning all the league games, India entered the finals with oodles of confidence to take on Pakistan. Harmanpreet Kaur decided to bat first, early in the day, and thanks to the brilliant batting of Mithali Raj (73 not out off 65 balls), Kaur was not disappointed with her decision. Raj, who turned 34, just yesterday, struck her 10th half century, and led from the front to ensure that her team got to a respectable total. Mithali was aggressive right from the word go, hitting seven boundaries and a maximum in her well-constructed innings. Slow left arm bowler Anam Amin was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, picking up 2-24 in her four overs.
Defending 122 in a final can be slightly tricky, however Harmanpreet Kaur did a fantastic job in managing her troops. It was again the spinning tale narrated by Ekta Bisht, Anuja Patil and Preeti Bose that summed up India's win in the all-important final. Bisht shinned with the ball, accounting for 2-22 in her four overs and received good support from Patil (1-18) and Bose (1-18). It was a nail biting finish as the match went down the wire, with Pakistan felt wanting of 17 runs. Skipper Bismah Maroof top scored with 25 runs.
Mithali Raj (220 runs in 4 innings at an average of 110), who also won the Man of the Match award, finished off as the highest run scorer and with 12 wickets in 6 matches, right arm off-break bowler Sana Mir of Pakistan was the highest wicket-taker.
Winning all the league games, India entered the finals with oodles of confidence to take on Pakistan. Harmanpreet Kaur decided to bat first, early in the day, and thanks to the brilliant batting of Mithali Raj (73 not out off 65 balls), Kaur was not disappointed with her decision. Raj, who turned 34, just yesterday, struck her 10th half century, and led from the front to ensure that her team got to a respectable total. Mithali was aggressive right from the word go, hitting seven boundaries and a maximum in her well-constructed innings. Slow left arm bowler Anam Amin was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, picking up 2-24 in her four overs.
Defending 122 in a final can be slightly tricky, however Harmanpreet Kaur did a fantastic job in managing her troops. It was again the spinning tale narrated by Ekta Bisht, Anuja Patil and Preeti Bose that summed up India's win in the all-important final. Bisht shinned with the ball, accounting for 2-22 in her four overs and received good support from Patil (1-18) and Bose (1-18). It was a nail biting finish as the match went down the wire, with Pakistan felt wanting of 17 runs. Skipper Bismah Maroof top scored with 25 runs.
Mithali Raj (220 runs in 4 innings at an average of 110), who also won the Man of the Match award, finished off as the highest run scorer and with 12 wickets in 6 matches, right arm off-break bowler Sana Mir of Pakistan was the highest wicket-taker.
