On Saturday, New Zealand thrashed Pakistan by 71 runs at Hagley Oval in Christchurch in their league stage match of the Current ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. It was both teams’ final match in the tournament.
Hannah Rowe took five for 55 to confine Pakistan to 194 for nine as the tournament hosts totalled 266 for eight, with Bates hitting 126.
Bates added nearly half of New Zealand’s total at a packed Hagley Oval on New Zealand’s first day without Covid-enforced outdoor fan limits, becoming only the fourth player in women’s cricket to surpass 5,000 ODI runs.
Pakistan made a strong start to their chase, scoring 39 runs in the opening nine overs. Sidra Ameen and Muneeba Ali were both confident against the short ball, but they were both bowled in consecutive overs, putting Pakistan’s start in jeopardy. Maroof and Onaima Sohail put on 26 for the third wicket, scoring gently to get Pakistan to 83 for 2 in the 19th over, when Sohail was caught low at slip by Satterthwaite. Dar was called to the crease, and her 10th ODI half-century put Pakistan back on track, capping off a strong all-round effort.
Bates also made history by being the first player to hit a hundred in four World Cup tournaments in a row.
The win is unlikely to benefit New Zealand reach the tournament’s semi-finals, as the Zealanders now need both England and India to lose badly on Sunday to have any hope of making it.
As a result, the tournament hosts will most certainly finish sixth in the rankings, while Pakistan will finish eighth, having won only one of their seven matches.
New Zealand beat Pakistan by 71 runs and keep their slim hopes of a #CWC22 semi-final spot alive. pic.twitter.com/9KoKRoxW8h
— ICC (@ICC) March 26, 2022
