At the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (SICS) on Sunday, all-rounder Aliya Riaz smashed an unbeaten half-century to secure Pakistan's 71-run victory over UAE in the Women's Asia Cup.
With eight points from four games after the victory, Pakistan is now tied with India in the points standings, but due to net run rate, they are in second place.
Pakistan lost Sidra Amin for just two in the fourth over with 14 runs already scored after being forced to bat first. With 41/3 in eight overs, Pakistan is in trouble after captain Bismah Maroof was dismissed for seven runs cheaply and Omaima Sohail was bowled for a golden duck.
In a 36-run stand for the fourth wicket, right-handed Aliya and wicketkeeper Muneeba Ali (43 off 45 balls) batted right-handedly. Before he was bowled out in the fourteenth over, Muneeba hit five fours and a six. Ayesha Naseem only lost a run in the following over.
Nida Dar, the vital cog in Pakistan's 13-run victory over India on Friday, joined Aliya at the middle with the score at 78/5 in 14.2 overs. After that, both all-rounders contributed to a 67-run sixth-wicket stand that lasted just 34 balls and was unbroken.
Seven fours and three enormous sixes were made during the course of their partnership. Pakistan achieved 145/5 in 20 overs because to Aliya's unbeaten 57 off 36 balls, which included five fours and three sixes, and Nida's unbeaten 25 off 17 balls, which had four boundaries.
In response, UAE only managed to score 74/5 in their 20 overs and was never in contention to chase down the total. Khushi Sharma led the team in scoring with an undefeated 19-ball 20 that featured two fours. The wicket-takers included Omaima, Aiman Anwer, Nashra Sandhu, and Sadia Iqbal.
Pakistan will now face Sri Lanka in their last league match on October 11. Both semi-finals will be played on October 13, while the final will be played on October 15.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 145/5 in 20 overs (Aliya Riaz 57 not out, Muneeba Ali 43; Esha Oza 3-22) beat UAE 74/5 in 20 overs (Khushi Sharma 20 not out, Aiman Anwer 1/10, Nashra Sundhu 1/15) by 71 runs