The India-Pakistan women's T20 World Cup match at Dubai International Cricket Stadium witnessed history as the venue drew up a record-breaking audience. Around 15,935 spectators turned up at the state-of-the-art stadium which was celebrating its 100th T20I match.
This match became the most attended women’s India-Pakistan game, surpassing the previous record set during their T20 World Cup encounter in South Africa last year. The Pakistani fans waved their flags fervently, but when India secured victory, the stadium erupted with chants of Vande Mataram.
The high turnout can be attributed to the UAE's diverse population in which Indians make up the largest number of foreigners, an estimated 38% of the population. The next largest single nationality group is Pakistanis, who amount to an estimated 17% of the people here. The decision to host the Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE has proven successful, with high attendance despite concerns over the heat and last-minute venue changes.
Hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE has turned out to be a smart move, with strong attendance even in the face of concerns about the heat and last-minute venue switches. The passionate crowds in Dubai and Sharjah have significantly contributed to the energy of the tournament, confirming that the ICC made a great decision by bringing the event to this region.
India Women vs Pakistan Women match highlights
After losing the toss, Indiathe Indian bowling unit fired in unison against a clueless Pakistan, restricting the arch-rivals to a lowly 105 for 8. Having conceded 160 against New Zealand in their opener, the Indian bowlers read the pitch well, and more importantly, took the pace off deliveries to make stroke-making all the more difficult.
Seamers Renuka Singh Thakur (1/23) and Arundhati Reddy (3/19) neither erred in line nor in length while off-spinners Deepti Sharma (1/24) and Shreyanka Patil (2/12) got enough grip and bounce to keep the Pakistani batters on hook.
Leg-spinner Asha Sobhana (1/24) went for a few boundaries but got rival skipper Fatima with a big leg-break after the batter was brilliantly snapped by Richa Ghosh behind the stumps. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur's years of experience saved India from blushes as they huffed and puffed to a six wicket win over arch rivals Pakistan. Indian batters made a heavy weather of a paltry 106-run target as it required a 24-ball-29 from their experienced skipper to eke out the crucial win.
