Australia cruised to a comfortable 9-wicket victory over Pakistan in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, all but securing their spot in the semi-finals. Ashleigh Gardner starred with the ball, taking four wickets to dismiss Pakistan for just 82 runs. The reigning champions then chased down the target in only 11 overs to claim their third consecutive win in the tournament being held in the UAE.
With this win, Australia reaffirmed their position at the top of the Group A points table with a perfect record from three matches. India and New Zealand are closely behind with four points each, while Pakistan’s chances of reaching the top four look slim with one game left against New Zealand.
In their upcoming match, India will face Australia, and even a surprise victory might not be enough for them to advance to the semi-finals. On the other hand, New Zealand are set to play Pakistan and Sri Lanka in their remaining fixtures, making them the favorites to progress alongside Australia from Group A.
Unfortunately for Pakistan, they were without their captain Fatima Sana, who had to return home due to a family tragedy. In her absence, Muneeba Ali led the team, but they were outplayed by Australia in all departments of the game.
Ashleigh Gardner’s all-round performance earned her the Player of the Match award, while Megan Schutt’s wicket made her the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20I history. Alyssa Healy also shone with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 37 runs to become only the second player to reach 1000 runs in the tournament’s history.
The two teams’ playing XIs featured notable changes, with Tayla Vlaeminck replacing Grace Harris for Australia. However, Vlaeminck suffered a shoulder injury early in the match and had to leave the field for medical attention.
Pakistan’s Playing XI included Muneeba Ali, Sidra Amin, Nida Dar, Sadaf Shamas, Aliya Riaz, Iram Javed, Omaima Sohail, Tuba Hassan, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal, and Syeda Aroob Shah.
Australia’s Playing XI comprised Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Wareham, Tahlia McGrath, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Megan Schutt, and Tayla Vlaeminck (subsequently replaced due to injury).
