In a rain-affected match at the ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup, Pakistan’s journey came to an unfortunate end after they fell short by 13 runs against Ireland. The match, which took place at the Johor Cricket Academy Oval in Malaysia, saw Pakistan’s U19 women’s cricket team struggling to chase down Ireland’s total, ultimately ending their hopes of progressing further in the tournament.
The game, which was part of the group stage, had to be adjusted due to rain, with the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method used to set a revised target. Ireland, after winning the toss and choosing to bat first, managed to score 69-5 in 9 overs. The standout player for Ireland was Alice Walsh, who played a brilliant knock of 31 runs off 19 balls. She struck five boundaries before being dismissed by Pakistan’s leg-spinner, Quratulain. Walsh’s opening partner, Freya Sargent, contributed with a quick 11 off 10 balls. Annabel Squires and Abbi Harrison also added valuable runs, with 13* and 10 runs respectively.
For Pakistan, Memoona Khalid showed her bowling skills by taking two wickets in just one over. However, despite her efforts, the target for Pakistan was revised to 73 runs, which they needed to achieve in 9 overs.
Pakistan’s response began with a decent start, as they reached 24 without losing a wicket in just 2.1 overs. But soon, wickets started to fall at regular intervals, and Pakistan was left struggling to stay on track. By the end of their innings, they were restricted to just 59-7, falling short of the target by 13 runs. The team’s captain, Komal Khan, was the top scorer with 12 runs off 12 balls, including a single boundary.
Ireland’s bowling attack, led by Ellie McGee, played a crucial role in restricting Pakistan. McGee was the standout bowler, taking two wickets for 13 runs in her two overs, making it difficult for Pakistan to build partnerships or chase down the target.
With this loss, Pakistan finished in fourth place in Group B and was eliminated from the tournament. They will now face Samoa in the 4th place play-off on Friday, January 24th, at the same venue.
As for the other teams in Group B, Ireland, along with England and the United States of America (USA), advanced to the Super Six stage, keeping their hopes alive for the title. For Pakistan, the result marks a disappointing end to their campaign, but the team’s young talent will look to bounce back in future tournaments.
This defeat serves as a learning experience for the Pakistan U19 women’s team, who showed glimpses of potential throughout the competition. They will take this setback in stride as they aim to develop and come back stronger for the next chance to compete on the world stage.
