Recent Match Report – NZ Women vs PAK Women 26th Match 2021/22

Pakistan gave away 32 in the last two overs to undo some of their good work at the end

New Zealand 265 for 8 (Bates 126, Martin 30*, Dar 3-39) vs Pakistan

This was Bates’ second score over 50 in the tournament after she also hit an unbeaten 79 against Bangladesh and perhaps her most celebrated knock yet. When she was dismissed in the 43rd over, she walked off to a standing ovation from the spectators amid speculation that Bates, who will turn 35 later this year, may retire from the game in the coming months.

Bates started strongly and attacked anything full. She took Diana Baig for three boundaries in her first two overs before a decisive moment in the innings that could have prematurely ended Bates’ time in the middle. In the fifth over, Bates was given out lbw as she missed the flick. With a second to spare on the DRS timer, she reviewed the decision and ball-tracking showed the delivery was going on to miss legstump. Bates was on 17 at the time and survived.

At the other end, Sophie Devine sent Anam Amin over midwicket for the first six of the innings before she was bowled as she tried to flick Amin away. The opening stand was broken with 31 runs on the board. Amin’s early success was overshadowed in her fifth over, when Bates took three boundaries off her, showing off the pull and the drive to long-on. Those shots were the signature of this innings. The vast majority of Bates’ runs – 90 – would come on the legside, and all of her first 50 runs came in that region. She brought up her half-century off 54 balls with a sweep off Nashra Sandhu.

Amelia Kerr was a junior partner in a second-wicket stand that reached 68 before she holed out to deep mid-wicket off Dar. Pakistan struck twice in that Dar over, when, two balls later, Amy Sattherthwaite chipped a chance straight to cover. New Zealand were 100 for 3 after 19 overs and Pakistan took the opportunity to put the brakes on.

They conceded just 40 runs in the next 10 overs and gave away only two boundaries and Maddy Green found it particularly difficult to get going. She scored 18 runs off 40 balls when her fourth-wicket stand with Bates reached fifty. It should have ended one run later but Green was dropped by Sidra Nawaz off Fatima Sana. Pakistan did not have to wait too long to dismiss her. In the next over, Green was beaten by a Dar delivery that spun back in and bowled her.

Bates’ century came up three balls later with a pull behind square and she found an attacking partner in Brooke Halliday, who used her feet well to take on the spinners. New Zealand entered the final 10 overs on 197 for 4, and in a good position to push for a total over 260. But, in the 43rd over, Bates was bowled, in the 46th Halliday followed and in the 47th there were twin run-outs. New Zealand lost 4 for 20 before Martin took it on herself to up the ante. New Zealand scored 32 in their last two overs to undo some of Pakistan’s good work at the end.