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August 25, 2024
Raghvi Bist and Uma Chetry gave India A a glimmer of hope in their chase, but the target proved too challenging. On the final day, Tess Flintoff’s two quick wickets made a crucial difference.
Bist and Chetry put together a solid seventh-wicket partnership of 79 runs, with Chetry playing aggressively. Just as India A began to close in on the target of 289 runs, Flintoff turned the game around. She first had Chetry caught out on a pull shot and then dismissed Bist, removing India A’s key batting threats.
A few overs later, Australia A took their ninth wicket when Mannat Kashyap was out to Maitlan Brown. Despite a last-wicket partnership of 24 runs, Australia A secured victory when captain Charlie Knott took the final wicket, catching Sayali Satghare off a chip shot.
“It was a bit nerve-racking at the start. They put on 60 runs or so without a wicket lost,” Knott said. “But we knew once we got one wicket we would get the rest, so we just had to stick in there. They were going pretty aggressive, so we knew something would come.
“Day one we felt a little bit nervous, not putting in a great performance with the bat, but the bowling group has managed to do an awesome job and also the second innings with the bat, our lower order really fought to get us to a defendable total.”
Australia A’s standout performances included Georgia Voll’s 71 on the opening day and Kate Peterson’s five-wicket haul, which gave them a narrow lead. In the second innings, Maddy Darke scored a brilliant century. Additionally, legspinner Grace Parsons played a key role with 70 runs across two innings at No. 10 and took two wickets during India’s chase.
“We only won by 40-something runs in the end, so without those [runs] we wouldn’t have got over the line,” Knott said.
The highly competitive four-day game concluded India A’s tour, which included three formats and they played better the longer the trip went on. Australia A won the T20s 3-0 and the one-dayers 2-1.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named fast bowler Fatima Sana as the new captain for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, starting in October in the UAE. She replaces Nida Dar, who is 37 years old.
This will be 22-year-old Fatima Sana’s first time captaining Pakistan in T20Is and at an ICC event. She has previously led the team twice in ODIs, including a memorable Super Over victory against New Zealand when she filled in for the injured Dar.
Aside from this captaincy change, the Pakistan squad remains largely the same as the team that toured Sri Lanka for the Women’s T20 Asia Cup. The only adjustment is the inclusion of batter Sadaf Shamas, who replaces wicketkeeper-batter Najiha Alvi. Sadaf was also part of the squad in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023.
The 15-member squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 includes ten players from the 2023 tournament: Aliya Riaz, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sandhu, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Tuba Hassan, Sadaf Shamas, Nida Dar, and Fatima Sana. Sadia Iqbal’s selection depends on her fitness, and uncapped left-arm seamer Tasmia Rubab is also included.
Pakistan has named Najiha Alvi as a traveling reserve, while Rameen Shamim and Umm-e-Hani are the non-traveling reserves.
The Women’s T20 World Cup will start in the UAE on October 3. Pakistan is in Group A with Australia, India, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. The tournament schedule, which was recently moved from Bangladesh, has not yet been updated.
Traveling Reserve: Najiha Alvi (wicketkeeper)
Non-Traveling Reserves: Rameen Shamim, Umm-e-Hani