BRISBANE: Pakistan registered their first series loss in the ongoing ICC Women’s Championship Cycle as they went down to Australia by 10 wickets in the second fixture of the three-match One-day International series, giving the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead.

Australia chased down a paltry target of 126 runs at the Allan Border Field with openers Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield ensuring they took the team across the finish line with 30 overs to spare.

Litchfield, who had struck an unbeaten half-century in the first one-dayer, repeated the feat again, smashing 67 off 61 balls, with the help of 10 boundaries. Wicket-keeper/batter Mooney, added 57 off 55 from the other end, finding six fours in her knock.

Earlier, after opting to bat first, Pakistan lost opening batter Sidra Amin in the second over with only two runs on the board. Muneeba, who went for naught, in the first match was joined by captain Bismah Maroof and the pair added 41 runs for the second wicket before Muneeba perished for 18 off 41 balls, which included three fours.

Pakistan veteran Nida Dar, who scored a fifty in the first match, showed some resistance again in hope of a middle order fightback, only to run herself out at the non-striker’s end. She scored 24 off 38 balls, which included two fours. Bismah was the other notable contributor with the bat for the visitors, hitting a boundary in her 46-ball knock for 21.

For Australia, player of the match right-arm fast Darcie Brown took three wickets for 32, while Annabel Sutherland and Alana King bagged two scalps apiece.

The third and final ODI will be played at the North Sydney Oval in Sydney on Saturday.

Summarised scores:

PAKISTAN 125 in 43 overs (Nida Dar 24, Bismah Maroof 21; Darcie Brown 3-32, Annabel Sutherland 2-13, Alana King 2-25); AUSTRALIA 129-0 in 19.2 overs (Phoebe Litchfield 67, Beth Mooney 57).

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2023