ISLAMABAD: Karachi and Multan recorded their maiden wins while Lahore grabbed their second consecutive victory on day two of the National Women’s T20 Tournament on Tuesday.

Karachi outclassed Peshawar by 101 runs at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.

After being put in to bat, Karachi women posted a healthy 183 for two off the stipulated overs.

Openers Muneeba Ali (64 off 41 balls) and Javeria Khan (51 off 39) gave Karachi a resounding 93-run start. Yusra Amir (39 not out off 29, four fours and a six) and captain Fatima Sana (15 not out off 11) pushed the total way beyond Peshawar’s reach.

In reply, Peshawar were nowhere near their target and eventually ended at a miserable 82-6 off their 20 overs with skipper Aleena Shah making a 66-ball 44 not out featuring seven fours. Syeda Aroob Shah took two wickets for 14. Muneeba was declared player-of-the-match.

Meanwhile, Multan defeated Quetta by 21 runs at Ayub Park Ground, Rawalpindi.

After electing to field first, Quetta restricted Multan to a 129 for three. Opener Gull Feroza, who is also the captain, struck an unbeaten 75 off 66 balls with the help of nine fours while Gull Rukh made a 37-ball 38 with five fours. Anam Amin claimed two wickets for 24 runs.

Quetta struggled to chase the modest total and eventually ended at 108-9 with only opener Dua Majid (42 off 48, three fours) making a noteworthy contribution. Samina Aftab picked up two wickets for 20 while Gull-e-Uswa, Ayesha Bilal, Asma Shareef and Rehmat Noreen got one wicket apiece and three players were run out.

Captain Sidra Amin made an unbeaten half-century to help Lahore outplay Rawalpindi by 41 runs at the Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad.

After opting to bat first, Lahore totalled a solid 160 for three in their allotted overs.

Opener Sidra struck a fine 60-ball 85 laced with 12 fours and a six. Iram Javed (22 off 20, three fours and a six) and Kaynat Hafeez (22 not out off 13, three fours) were the other notable scorers.

After getting a fine 52-run start from their openers Aima Saleem (25 off 25) and Fajar Naved (16 off 19), Rawalpindi’s chase was derailed as they started losing wickets at regular intervals.

Nashra Sundhu (3-20) and Ghulam Fatima (3-22) were the primary wicket-takers for Lahore while Areesha Noor returned figures of 2-30. Sidra was named player-of-the-match.

Scores in brief:

Karachi beat Peshawar by 101 runs.

KARACHI 183-2 in 20 overs (Muneeba Ali 64, Javeria Khan 51, Yusra Amir 39 not out; Salwa Raheem 1-28, Momina Riasat 1-30); PESHAWAR 82-6 in 20 overs (Aleena Shah 44 not out, Mahnoor Qayyum 12, Momina Riasat 10; Syeda Aroob Shah 2-14)

Multan beat Quetta by 21 runs.

MULTAN 129-3 in 20 overs (Gull Feroza 75 not out, Gull Rukh 38; Anam Amin 2-24); QUETTA 108-9 in 20 overs (Dua Majid 42, Saima Malik 12; Samina Aftab 2-20)

Lahore beat Rawalpindi by 41 runs.

LAHORE 160-3 in 20 overs (Sidra Amin 85 not out, Kaynat Hafeez 22 not out, Iram Javed 22; Aima Saleem 1-7, Waheeda Akhtar 1-26, Aliya Riaz 1-33); RAWALPINDI 119-9 in 20 overs (Aima Saleem 25, Natalia Parvaiz 24, Waheeda Akhtar 19; Nashra Sandhu 3-20, Ghulam Fatima 3-22, Areesha Noor 2-30).

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2024