KARACHI: Dynamites clinched the Pakistan Cup Women’s Cricket Tourn­ament after Sidra Nawaz’s century and seven wickets between spinners Ghulam Fatima and Nashra Sundhu helped them beat Challengers by 132 runs in the final here at the State Bank Stadium on Sunday. This was Dynamites’ second successive win over Challengers in the one-day tournament final, after beating them in the 2018 edition by 190 runs at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

Batting first, Dynamites managed to score 211-6 in their 45 overs. After losing Khadija Chishti in the 10th over, player of the tournament Sidra Amin was joined by wicket-keeper/batter Sidra Nawaz and the pair added 52 runs for the second wicket.

After the departure of Sidra Amin (38 off 57, four fours), who ended up with a tally of 269 runs in the tournament, Sidra Nawaz kept one end intact and played shots at will. She brought her and the tournament’s first century, returning undefeated on 103 off 112 deliveries, which included 13 boundaries.

For Challengers, spinner Noreen Yaqub took two wickets for 53 in nine overs, finishing the competition with eight wickets.

In turn, Challengers’ batters were never allowed to settle and they kept losing wickets regularly, eventually being bundled out for 79 in 28.5 overs.

Right-handed batter Javeria Khan top-scored with 28 off 53 balls, which included two fours, and was one of the only three players from her side to reach double figures. She scored 161 runs in five matches and stood second on the batting charts after Sidra Amin.

For Dynamites, the spin duo of Fatima and Nashra did the damage. Nashra bagged four wickets for five runs in 4.5 overs, while leg-spinner Fatima grabbed three wickets for five runs in four overs. The latter ended up as the highest wicket-taker with 12 scalps in five outings, while left-arm spinner Nashra stood second on the bowling charts with 11 wickets in as many matches.

Scores in brief:

DYNAMITES 211-6 in 45 overs (Sidra Nawaz 103 not out, Sidra Amin 38; Noreen Yaqub 2-53); CHALLENGERS 79 in 28.5 overs (Javeria Khan 28; Nashra Sundhu 4-5, Ghulam Fatima 3-5).

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2023