Pakistan survived a scare in their Asian Games quarterfinal fixture against Thailand, prevailing by three wickets in a truncated contest at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. Chasing 92 in 11 overs, Pakistan dug a hole for themselves, eventually needing 44 to win off the last four overs, before skipper Fatima Sana’s 21-run cameo swung the game in their favour, securing a semifinal berth in the process.
Pakistan had earlier opted to field first after a wet outfield reduced the game to an 11-over affair. Sana emerged the pick of the bowlers too, the first of her two wickets coming in the second over as Pakistan kept things tight in the first half of the innings. Thailand broke free in a 14-run seventh over sent down by Umm-e-Hani, as Nannapat Koncharoenkai picked up consecutive fours.
Phannita Maya meandered along to 15 off 16 and was retired out with two overs to go – a move that worked as skipper Naruemol Chaiwai struck a six and a four off her first two balls. She fell immediately after and Koncharoenkai added another four in the final over before being trapped in front by Sana for 49. But her knock ensured Thailand finished with a competitive score of 91.
Shawaal Zulfiqar got off to a quick start in the chase, picking up three boundaries and a six off the first three overs, by the end of which Pakistan wiped 33 runs off the target. However, Zulfiqar’s dismissal in the fourth stunted their progress as offspinner Onnicha Kamchomphu rocked the chase with a three-wicket haul. Suleeporn Laomi conceded just three runs off her two overs while accounting for Ayesha Zafar and suddenly, the asking rate spiked to 11.
That’s when Sana attacked Kamchomphu for three fours and a six, before Eyman Fatima slammed a six of her own in a 25-run over. Sana’s wicket threw a spanner into Pakistan’s works, and things got further interesting after Eyman’s dismissal in the penultimate over. But Tuba Hassan put the chase to bed with a six and a four, her dismissal proving to be in vain for Thailand, whose valiant fight did not suffice. Pakistan then did it in singles with four runs required off the final over, getting through with two balls to spare.
Brief Scores: Thailand Women 91/4 in 11 overs (Nannapat Koncharoenkai 49, Phannita Maya 15, Naruemol Chaiwai 10; Fatima Sana 2-22) lost to Pakistan Women 92/7 in 10.4 overs (Shawaal Zulfiqar 25, Fatima Sana 21; Onnicha Kamchomphu 3-37, Sunida Chaturongrattana 2-23) by 3 wickets.
Bangladesh qualify for semifinals after washout
Earlier in the day, the first quarterfinal between Bangladesh and Hong Kong, China produced no result due to a wet outfield at the Korogi Sports Park. Despite the washout, Bangladesh qualified for the semifinals by virtue of a higher seeding.
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