CAPE TOWN - Pakistan women cricket team was beaten by India in their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 opener at Newlands in Cape Town on Sunday. Batting first, Pakistan scored 149-4 in 20 overs before India chasing the target in 19 overs, losing 3 wickets. Jemimah Rodrigues smashed 53 runs off 38 balls. Openers Yastika Bhatia and Shafali Verma scored 17 and 33 runs, respectively while skipper Harmanpreet Kaur hit 16. Nashra Sandhu claimed two wickets and Sadia Iqbal took one. Earlier, skipper Bismah Maroof and Ayesha Naseem excelled with bat as Pakistan scored 149-4 in 20 overs. Pakistan were reduced to 43-3 in 7.3 overs, but Bismah rose to the occasion and smashed 68 runs off 55 balls, including 7 fours. Both Bismah and Ayesha stitched an 81-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Ayesha cracked 43 off 25 balls, laced with two sixes and two fours. For India, Radha Yadav bagged two wickets, while Pooja Vastrakar and Deepti Sharma got one wicket each.
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