Tuesday, December 12th, in Queenstown, Pakistan suffered injuries to two of their most seasoned players as New Zealand cruised to victory in the opening match of their ODI series.
Diana Baig, a crucial pacer for the Asian side, sustained a finger injury in pre-Tuesday’s match practice. Nida Dar, the captain, was also declared out for the remainder of the match after being struck in the face while delivering.
An impressive performance by New Zealand was overshadowed by the loss of the key tandem. At John Davies Oval, veteran opener Suzie Bates scored her thirteenth ODI century to lead the host side to an easy 131-run victory over Pakistan.
At the head of the Kiwis’ order, Bates amassed 108 runs off 104 deliveries. Bernadine Bezuidenhout (86 runs), Amelia Kerr (83/50 runs), and Sophie Devine (70 runs off 36 balls) all contributed significantly to the hosts’ 365/4 total, which was the second highest in the history of women’s one-day internationals in New Zealand.
Sadaf Shamas replaced Dar in Pakistan’s XI, and despite opener Sidra Ameen’s magnificent century, the visitors were never truly in the chase in response, being dispatched in the final over for 234.
Although Dar still has a remote possibility of making it back in time to participate in the final two matches of the series, Pakistan have already disclosed that Baig’s injury will prevent her from continuing the series.
