3 best bowling performances in India-Pakistan women's T20Is ft. Priyanka Roy
Arguably the greatest rivalry in cricketing history, another India-Pakistan clash is about to commence in less than 24 hours from now. The ninth edition of the Women’s Asia Cup is slated to kick off from Friday, July 19, with minnows UAE and Nepal squaring off in the curtain raiser at 2 pm IST.
The massive clash between India and Pakistan will start at 7 pm IST and will be played at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. The Indian women’s team has a significant edge over rivals Pakistan in the head-to-head department in the shortest format of the game.
The Women in Blue have come out triumphant on 11 occasions while the Pakistan women’s team has won just three games. Lesser the over, more the chances for a lesser team to upstage a much fancied side. India will clearly start as the favorites having so many quality players in their ranks.
Pakistan have some experienced campaigners in their ranks as well and will take heart from the fact that they defeated India in their previous Asia Cup encounter at Sylhet. Over the years, there have been some exceptional bowling performances from both sides.
Ahead of the game, let us look at three best bowling performances in an India-Pakistan women’s T20I:
#3 Radha Yadav - 2/21 for India vs Pakistan at Cape Town, 2023
The Women in Blue were given a tough fight by the Pakistan team in the previous T20 World Cup which was staged in the Rainbow nation. It was the Pakistan captain Nida Dar who won the toss and opted to bat. Pakistan lost three early wickets and were reduced to 42/3 inside the seventh over.
It was Radha Yadav who bowled brilliantly in the middle overs and didn't allow the Pakistan batters to get away. Muneeba Ali was her first breakthrough and she kept things right for the remainder of her spell as the other bowlers kept leaking runs. On a day when all bowlers went at over seven runs an over, Radha bagged a couple of wickets for just 21 runs.
She changed her pace and the drift and the turn made the Pakistan batters play out her overs safely. On the back of a splendid 68 from Bismah Maroof and a 43 from Ayesha Nadeem, Pakistan posted a more than competitive score of 149. India were tested during the run-chase but a splendid knock from Jemimah Rodrigues saw them through with an over to spare.
#2 Sana Mir - 4/13 for Pakistan vs India at Guangzhou, 2012
It was the final of the 2012 Asia Cup which saw these two Asian rivals square off in a low-scoring thriller. The match was played at Guangzhou in China and the pitch had so much on offer for the spinners. It was the Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur who won the toss and opted to bat.
The Pakistan skipper Sana Mir spun a web around the Indian batters in the middle overs and went on to bag four Indian wickets, which included the prized scalp of Harmanpreet Kaur. India kept losing wickets at regular intervals and only Punam Raut and Harman got into the 20s. Mir finished with exceptional figures of 4/13 which was instrumental in skittling out the Women in Blue for just 81.
At the halfway stage, Pakistan would have fancied their chances of winning their maiden Asia Cup but everything was put to waste by the Indian bowling attack. Archana Das and Niranjana Nagarjan bagged a couple of wickets each while all other bowlers got into the wickets column. Pakistan crumbled under pressure and was bowled out for 63, handing India a convincing 18-run victory.
#1 Priyanka Roy - 5/16 for India vs Pakistan at Taunton, 2009
Back in 2009, the popularity of women's cricket wasn't anywhere close to what it is today, so many of the new Indian women’s team followers might not have come across this name. Priyanka Roy, the right-arm leg spinner, wreaked havoc in the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2009, finishing with scintillating figures of 5/16.
Pakistan skipper Sana Mir won the toss and opted to bat, surrendering meekly right from the outset. The top order showed absolutely no fight as wickets kept tumbling consistently. Rumeli Dhar started the collapse, bagging three crucial wickets before Priyanka Roy took charge.
The leggie pitched the ball in the right areas and the Pakistan middle and the lower order couldn't quite pick her variations. On the back of her stupendous spell, Pakistan were bowled out for a meagre 75 runs. India did feel the heat for a while but the target was way too less in the end as they chased it down with 14 deliveries to spare.