Pakistan registers their first win in the World Cup since 2009 after defeating West Indies. The defending champions, England, are back-on-track in their World Cup campaign as they are one win away from a potential semi-final. Here is all the news from the World Cup’s third week.
Pakistan won after 13 years
The last time Pakistan managed to win a game in the World Cup was way back in 2009. Fast-forward to 2022, they managed to break that 17-matches long streak when they defeated West Indies in a match that was affected by the rain. Hence, it was reduced to 20 overs per side. Bisma Mahroof, the skipper of the Pakistan team and the only member of that 2009-side, was glad to break the streak.
“A sigh of relief firstly, we wanted that win badly,” she said. “We have done well, but we haven’t crossed the line – we have talked in the group about how badly we needed a win. We have spoken about our mistakes in the group, and we would like to take this momentum forward.”
England cruising towards the semi-final
After three consecutive losses against top sides such as Australia, West Indies and South Africa, England was on the verge to go home earlier than expected. But, in their must-win game against India, they put their best foot forward. The performance was all-around, whether it was bowling, batting, or fielding – which has been a cause of worry for them during their initial matches.
They bowled India out for 134, and in response, the captain, Heather Knight, and Natalie Sciver put a show where they scored 65 runs of 13 overs to make sure England were on their way to their first win. “I do not have words to say, we are very happy to have come back from three disappointing games and win today. I am very happy”, the player of the match, Charlotte Dean, said afterwards.
The captain herself was delighted after their first win. “A bit of relief, to be honest”, she said. “A bit scrappy in the end, but getting over the line was important. The mentality of the girls was great; they went out there and were aggressive. The cricketing gods are on our side and are looking after us.”
Later that week, the defending champions threw the hosts out of the tournament and defeated Pakistan on Thursday. Their last match is against Bangladesh, a weaker side on paper which makes England automatically favourites to make it to the semi-finals alongside Australia and South Africa.
For the last spot, the battle is between West Indies and India. West Indies has played all of their game, India’s fate lies in their own hands, the match against South Africa on Sunday is a virtual quarter-final.
Australia charges their way to the semi-finals
Beforehand favourites continue to thrash their opponents and booked a place in the last four. Recently, they defeated South Africa in a match where the Australian captain showed a chasing masterclass.
South Africa put 272 for Australia to achieve, but Meg Lanning has something else on her mind. She scored a magnificent century and was responsible for half of the runs Australia scored. Afterwards, she said that “it was nice to contribute. We speak of the top four batting through and playing those match-winning innings, it was important.”
Photograph: ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2020
