Photo Credit: ICC
Pakistan match-winner Nida Dar dedicated her side’s first ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup win for 13 years to the supporters cheering them on from home following a comfortable eight-wicket victory over West Indies.
Nida claimed four for 10, the best-ever figures by a Pakistan bowler at a World Cup, to run through the West Indies’ batting line-up in Hamilton and restrict them to 89 for seven in a game shortened to 20 overs per side due to rain.
An accomplished chase led by Muneeba Ali’s 37 ensured Pakistan ended their 18-match World Cup-winless streak and left Nida understandably satisfied.
“We really needed this win and the girls were focused,” she said.
“I was only thinking about bowling in good areas. As a senior campaigner, that is my role and I played my role today, so I’m happy.
“As a senior campaigner, we always know we are the role model of the team and we always work on that. I work on pressure situations and that paid off today.”
Nida set the tone for a successful day by taking a key wicket with her very first ball, holding on to a low return catch to dismiss the dangerous Deandra Dottin for 27.
She later lured Shemaine Campbelle down the pitch and had her stumped before rounding off her spell by removing Kycia Knight and Chinelle Henry in successive deliveries.
Each scalp was celebrated in style, which she put down to those she has watched on admiringly at World Cups gone by – and Nida is now relishing being part of those making new memories for Pakistan supporters.
“My favourite player is Shahid Afridi, then Shaheen Shah [Afridi], so I always celebrate like them,” the Player of the Match said.
“The inspiration for us is all the girls who are looking up to us. We desperately needed that win so this one goes to all Pakistanis who are watching and supporting us.”
Captain Bismah Maroof, the sole survivor from Pakistan’s most recent World Cup victory in 2009, was fittingly at the crease when the winning runs were hit and urged her side to build on a momentous day.
“We wanted that win badly,” she said. “We have done well but we haven’t crossed the line – we have talked in the group about how badly we needed a win but we have made mistakes at key moments.
“It was a great effort by the girls – credit to everyone. Now we are looking ahead and we will try and take this momentum forwards.”
West Indies skipper Stafanie Taylor was left to rue another below-par batting display which has dented her side’s semifinal ambitions.
“We were looking at 125, that’s what Hayley [Matthews] and [Deandra] Dottin were talking about,” she said.
“Once I got in, I realised 110/115 would have been a good target but somehow we couldn’t get to there.
“When you look at the way we played against Bangladesh, the spinners choked us a bit and we couldn’t rotate the strike.
“The same thing happened today. All we had to do was rotate the strike and know that we could go big to get ourselves going but we couldn’t turn over the strike.
“Not to take anything away from Pakistan, they bowled well. Nida Dar was fantastic and Anam Amin conceded six in her four overs. They did their homework and played really well.”
