West Indies batters shine as Pakistan lose their first tri-series game

West Indies batters took Pakistan bowlers to the cleaners as the latter lost their first game of the Ireland tri-series. With this win, West Indies now have two victories in as many games in the tri-series as they defeated the hosts, Ireland, in the opening game.

Captain Hayley Mathews set the tone as she struck 40 runs off just 20 balls, taking the run rate to 10 an over in the powerplay. After her dismissal off Diana Baig at the end of the fifth over, West Indies' run flow stalled for a bit. The situation was worsened as Deandra Dottin and Qiana Joseph fell in quick succession, without chipping in with any impactful runs.

Pakistan bowlers take the beating

Stafanie Taylor then took it on herself to carry on where her captain left off, joining forces with Jahzara Claxton, who anchored the innings, to stitch a 30-ball 54-run partnership. But that was hardly the end of the Windies' onslaught. 

The batters added 64 runs in the last five overs, thanks in large part to Chinelle Henry and Jannillea Glasgow playing havoc with Pakistan bowlers. Barring Sadia Iqbal, none of the bowlers conceded less than ten runs in the final ten overs.

Glasgow fell in the last over, just eight runs short of what would have been her second T20I half-century.

Pakistan lost their first wicket, Gull Feroza, on the final ball of the first over. Just six balls later, the second opener followed shortly after. By the time the powerplay ended, Pakistan were four wickets down, which also included Saira Jabeen, who got off to a good start, scoring a 19-ball 30.

Fatima Sana’s late-inning cameo in vain

The middle-order, including Rameen Shamim, Aliya Riaz, and Iram Javed, showed some resistance, but their runs came at a speed that couldn't bring the asking rate down. By the time Pakistan captain Fatima Sana came and pulled out her usual late-innings cameo, the required run rate was already skyrocketing. 

Fatima scored 27 runs on 14 balls but fell in the last over, with Pakistan still 29 runs short at that point. The tail could only add a few runs before they ran out of balls as West Indies won by 25 runs.

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