Kuala Lumpur: A dominant India sailed into the final of the women’s Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament with a seven-wicket drubbing of arch-rivals Pakistan in their last round robin match here Saturday.
Electing to bat after winning the toss, Pakistan were restricted to 72 for seven in the allotted 20 overs with with Sena Mir (20) top scoring at the Kinrara Academy Oval.
Left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht (3/14) was the most successful India bowler. The others chipped in with a scalp apiece. Bisht was named player of the match. Chasing a meagre target, India completed the task with as many as 23 balls to spare. Opener Smriti Mandhana top scored (38, 40b, 4×4), while skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (34 n o, 49b, 3×4) complemented her well. India were off to a disastrous start as they lost Mithali Raj and Deepti Sharma with just five runs on the board in the third over, but the low target allowed them the liberty of taking things easy. The duo of Mandhana and Harmanpreet then added 65 runs for the third wicket, a recovery act that powered the team to within striking distance of another victory. Even as Mandhana got out with three runs for win, Harmanpreet was there to guide her side home. Anam Amin (2/10) was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan.
Brief scores: Pakistan 72 (Ekta Bisht 3/14) lost to India 75/3 (Smriti Mandhana 38, Harmanpreet Kaur 34 n o; Anam Amin 2/10) by seven wickets.