Fatima Sana
Pakistan captain Fatima Sana found herself at the centre of attention during her side’s Women’s Asia Cup clash against India at the Dubai International Stadium on Saturday. Sana did manage to make an impact with the ball, claiming three wickets as Pakistan were bowled out for just 55. But it was her animated celebration after dismissing India opener Shafali Verma that became one of the talking points of the contest. The incident occurred on the third ball of the second over of India's chase. Sana delivered a good-length ball that bounced slightly more than Shafali expected. The young opener attempted to work it towards the leg side but only managed to produce a leading edge. The ball went back towards Sana, who held on comfortably to complete the catch. Sana immediately turned towards Shafali and gestured towards the pavilion, giving the Indian batter a fiery send-off. Shafali, however, showed no reaction to the celebration and simply walked back towards the dressing room. She had made 12 off six deliveries, hitting one four and one boundary before her dismissal. The send-off also drew a sharp observation from commentator Vivek Razdan, who pointed out the contrasting fortunes of the two teams. “Okay, you are showing her the way out. Your entire team just scored 55 runs, and now you're sending Shafali Verma back,” Razdan said on air.
Pakistan batting collapse
Sana's dismissal of Shafali was her third wicket of the innings, as the Pakistan captain tried to lead from the front after her own team's disastrous batting display. Pakistan had initially appeared comfortable after being asked to bat first. Muneeba Ali and Shawaal Zulfiqar put on a confident start, taking the score to 27 without loss in a little over four overs. That progress quickly disappeared once India turned to spin. Youngsters Shree Charani and Prema Rawat dismantled the Pakistan middle order with disciplined spells, while Deepti Sharma also joined the attack as Pakistan lost six wickets for only nine runs. Charani, a 22-year-old left-arm orthodox spinner, finished with outstanding figures of 3/7 from four overs. Rawat, the 24-year-old leg-spinner, claimed 3/9 in her four overs. Shafali also contributed with the ball, picking up one wicket for 10 runs from three overs, while Deepti returned 2/5 from 3.1 overs. Pakistan eventually folded for 55 in 18.1 overs, their lowest-ever total in T20I cricket. India's bowlers were relentless throughout the innings, delivering an astonishing 78 dot balls.
India complete another one-sided win over Pakistan
There was little drama once India began their chase.
Shafali was dismissed for 12, while Smriti Mandhana made nine and Pratika Rawal scored four, with Sana accounting for all three wickets. But Pakistan had no scoreboard pressure to work with after their own collapse, and Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma comfortably guided India home. Harmanpreet remained unbeaten on 18, while Deepti finished not out on 12 as India reached the target in only 8.4 overs to complete a seven-wicket victory. The result also gave Harmanpreet another landmark. She became the first captain in international cricket, men or women, to lead India in 150 T20Is. She fittingly sealed the victory with a six down the ground. India had entered the contest looking for some valuable match practice before the semi-finals, but Pakistan's batting collapse turned the fixture into another one-sided affair. The result extended India's dominance in the T20 Asia Cup, with the Indian women now having seven wins over Pakistan's one in the tournament's history.
