Pakistan’s campaign at the Women’s World Cup didn’t start the way they would have hoped. Batting first after winning the toss in Colombo, the side crumbled for just 129 runs in 38.3 overs, leaving Bangladesh a modest target of 130.
The innings never really found its feet. Both openers — Sidra Amin and Omaima Sohail — were sent back for ducks, putting Pakistan on the back foot almost immediately. Muneeba Ali tried to stabilize the innings with some patient batting, but wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals.
What hurt Pakistan most was the absence of a solid middle-order partnership. Bismah Maroof and Nida Dar, usually the backbone of the batting line-up, couldn’t convert their starts into something meaningful.
The innings had a bizarre moment too. Spinner Nashra Sandhu became only the second batter in Women’s World Cup history to be dismissed “hit wicket”, a dismissal that left fans stunned and social media buzzing.
Bangladesh’s bowlers deserve credit. Their disciplined attack never allowed Pakistan to settle. Nahida Akter and Jahanara Alam were particularly impressive, picking up key wickets and squeezing the run rate whenever Pakistan threatened to rebuild.
Now, with just 130 needed, Bangladesh have a golden chance to secure an opening win. But it’s not a done deal — the Colombo pitch has started to slow down, and Pakistan’s spinners will fancy their chances of making life difficult for the Bangladeshi batters.
For Pakistan, the immediate concern will be how fragile their batting looked. The top order’s repeated collapses have been a recurring problem, and unless that’s fixed quickly, their World Cup campaign could unravel faster than expected.
