New Zealand beat Pakistan by 71 runs to end an otherwise disappointing women’s World Cup campaign in positive fashion on Saturday.
Women’s World Cup: New Zealand beats Pakistan but leaves tournament (ICC Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Pakistan has suffered its sixth defeat at the 2022 Women’s World Cup
- New Zealand will most likely finish sixth in the table
- Bates’ great century led New Zealand to 265 for eight
New Zealand rode Suzie Bates’ 12th ODI hundred to beat Pakistan in their last game of the ICC Women’s World Championship by 71 runs before being eliminated from the tournament on Saturday. Bates scored her 12th ODI century, becoming the first New Zealand batter and fourth overall to reach 5,000 runs in the format.
After Bates’ superb century led New Zealand to 265 for eight, a first five-wicket draw by Hannah Rowe at medium pace helped New Zealand to a comfortable win at Hagley Oval. Bates hit 126 of just 135 deliveries in the White Ferns’ total and that proved too much for Pakistan as Rowe picked up 5/55 to effectively seal the result for New Zealand.
However, the win is unlikely to help the Kiwis reach the semi-finals of the tournament as New Zealand will now require both England and India to record big losses on Sunday to have any chance of sneaking in.
That means the tournament’s hosts will most likely finish sixth overall, while Pakistan will finish in eighth place with a win from their seven games in the tournament.
New Zealand will have to wonder what could have been, especially after the way Bates played as they compiled their fourth World Cup hundred. The New Zealand veteran hit 14 limits during her 135-ball innings as she scored her 5,000th ODI run for her country while pacing New Zealand’s healthy total with a superb batting wicket.
Many of Bates’ colleagues came into the game, but Katey Martin (30 not out), Brooke Holliday (29), Amelia Kerr (24) and Maddy Green (23) couldn’t match their more experienced teammate’s exploits. Nida Dar (3/39) was the choice of the Pakistani bowlers who included two wickets in three deliveries early in her spell that disrupted New Zealand’s highly rated top order.
Dar was also the mainstay of the Pakistani chase, with her entertaining hit of 50 keeping her side at bay with a glimmer of hope of reaching the victory goal. While Dar and skipper Bismah Maroof (38) were together at the archway, there was an outside chance but New Zealand managed to take wickets at crucial stages to dent Pakistan’s prospects.
While it was spinner Frances Mackay (2/29) who did the damage at the front of the Pakistan chase, it was Rowe who sealed the contest by running through her middle order in style. Rowe trailed Maroof to finish an 82-run stand with Dar and then sacked Aliya Riaz for one and took the key wicket from Dar to knock Pakistan from 155/3 to 158/6.
