Karachi (Sports News): Pakistan women’s team continued to dominate Zimbabwe women in the ongoing white-ball tour as they clinched a 67-run victory in the second T20I taking an unassailable lead in the three-match series here at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Thursday night.
Pakistan – after opting to bat first – posted 170-4 in the allotted 20 overs and then restricted Zimbabwe to 103-8 in 20 overs with the incoming Nashra Sundhu picking up two for 18. The Fatima Sana-led outfit have now won all five white-ball matches on the trot against Zimbabwe including a three-nil win in the ODI series.
The triumph in the second T20I for the hosts was headlined by maiden international half-century for 21-year old Eyman Fatima – playing her fifth game of the shortest format besides the three ODI caps – as she finished unbeaten with 79 off 43 balls hitting 10 fours and four sixes.
Eyman walked in to bat when Pakistan were 46-3 in 7.4 overs and had lost three for 19 in previous 3.1 overs with opener Gull Feroza, first T20I’s centurion Ayesha Zafar and the incoming batter Iram Javed – playing her first game for Pakistan since October 2024 – falling for single-digit scores.
Pakistan reached halfway mark with 60-3 on the board and Eyman changing gears to hit her first four and six on consecutive balls to go from two off nine to 12 off 11. She smashed another six and four to get the 46-run fourth-wicket stand going with opening batter Muneeba Ali (36, 33b, 4x4s).
Muneeba fell to Lindokuhle Mabhero (1-20) on the second ball of the 14th over with 92 runs on the board. Pakistan collected 78 runs off the remaining 40 balls on the back of a fiery stand between Eyman and Natalia with the former contributing a breezy total of 50 runs off 21 balls in this phase.
Eyman brought up her half-century in the 17th over off 32 balls before helping her team finish strong with a six and a four-laden 20th over, which yielded 15 runs. Natalia remained unbeaten for 24 off 19 balls striking three fours. For Zimbabwe, Precious Maranage and Michelle Mavunga also picked up one wicket each.
In turn, Zimbabwe lost six wickets and stitched together 51 runs in the first 50 balls of the chase with spinners Nashra, Tuba and Sadia applying the squeeze following Fatima Sana’s first strike to remove Beloved Biza in the third over.
Zimbabwe never threatened to hunt down the total as they managed to add only 53 more runs to the total in the remaining 11.4 overs with skipper Sibanada (18 not out, 37b) adding 22 and 20 runs with Mabhero (12, 16b, 1x4) and Kudzai Chigora (14 not out, 11b, 3x4s), respectively for the eighth and ninth wickets.
Apart from Nashra’s two wickets, Fatima, Sadia, Tuba, Ayesha and Natalia accounted for one batter each. The third T20I of the series will be played on Friday at the same venue with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 7.30pm PKT.
Scores in brief
Pakistan 170-4, 20 overs (Eyman Fatima 79 not out; Muneeba Ali 36, Natalia Parvaiz 24 not out; Lindokuhle Mabhero 1-20)
Zimbabwe 103-8, 20 overs (Nomvelo Sibanda 18 not out, Kudzai Chigora 14 not out; Nashra Sundhu 2-18)
Player of the match – Eyman Fatima (Pakistan women)
