India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana made Pakistan rue a costly missed opportunity as she produced yet another masterclass in the high-voltage Women's T20 World Cup clash. The elegant left-hander capitalised on a dropped catch and went on to register a record-breaking 34th half-century in T20 Internationals.
Mandhana was on 27 when Aliya Riyaz dropped a straight forward chance to hand the Indian ace a life. The left-hander did not look back and took it as a license to punish India's arch rivals in Birmingham.
Mandhana looked in sublime touch from the outset, finding gaps with ease and displaying her trademark timing through the off side. After surviving the scare, she grew in confidence and anchored India's innings while keeping the scoreboard moving at a healthy rate.
Despite batters struggling at the other end, Mandhana batted with different class, scoring her 5th half-century in T20 World Cups. Mandhana now has the joint most fifties in T20 WCs for India, alongside Harmanpreet Kaur and Mithali Raj.
