Ayesha, Fatima Help Pakistan Crush Zimbabwe In T20I Series Opener

Pakistan Women showcased a dominating performance against Zimbabwe Women in the 1st T20I at Karachi. They won the match by 153 runs, courtesy of a power-packed century by Ayesha Zafar in the first innings.

Chasing a massive target of 238 runs, Zimbabwe Women managed only 84 runs before being bowled out cheaply inside 18.2 overs.

Natasha Mtomba showcased some fight by scoring 24, as she remained the highest run-getter for the visitors in the match. Besides her, Adel Zimunu made 18, while Beloved Biza contributed 10, but the rest of the batting lineup struggled badly against Pakistan’s tight bowling.

Captain Fatima led Pakistan’s bowling effort with impressive figures of 3/7 in three overs. Sadia Iqbal and Natalia Pervaiz also picked up two wickets each, while Rameen Shamim claimed one wicket.

After choosing to bat first, the home side posted 237/5 in their 20 overs, which became their highest total in the format. Their previous best was 181/4 against South Africa in 2024.

Pakistan made a quick start as openers Muneeba Ali and the in-form Gull Feroza added 23 runs before captain Nomvelo Sibanda removed Muneeba on the second-last ball of the second over.

After Muneeba’s wicket, Ayesha came to the crease and built a steady partnership with Feroza for the second wicket. Zimbabwe finally got an important breakthrough when Precious Marange dismissed Feroza, who scored 37 runs off 19 balls with the help of eight fours.

Ayesha then added small partnerships with debutant Saira Jabeen and Natalia Pervaiz, before finally getting good support from Aliya Riaz at the other end.

The pair batted confidently against the Zimbabwe bowlers and pushed Pakistan past the 200-run mark with a quick partnership that came in just 35 balls.

Ayesha then batted aggressively towards the end of the innings, making sure to score a superb century that helped Pakistan to post 237 on the board. It eventually proved to be an unreachable target for the visitors, as they were bowled out for just 84 and lost the match by 153 runs.