Nashra Sandhu’s Record Six-Fer Powers Pakistan into Asia Cup Semi-Finals

Nashra Sandhu delivered a spell for the ages in Sylhet, becoming the first Pakistan bowler to claim six wickets in a Women’s T20I as her team cruised into the semi-finals of the Women’s Asia Cup with a 72-run victory over Hong Kong, China.

Three wickets in the 13th over as Sandhu dismantles Hong Kong’s batting order! 🎯⚡

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The left-arm spinner’s figures of 6 for 7 from her four overs not only dismantled the Hong Kong chase but also set a new benchmark for Pakistan’s women in the shortest format. Sandhu’s haul eclipsed the previous best of 5 for 12 held by Sana Mir and also surpassed Chamari Athapaththu’s 7 for 5 against Indonesia earlier in the tournament as the best bowling figures of this Asia Cup.

A Chase That Never Got Going

Hong Kong, set 144 for victory, had reached 28 for 2 at the end of the Powerplay. Both openers had fallen cheaply: Mariko Hill departed for her third consecutive duck, while Natasha Miles was dismissed by Sadia Iqbal off her very first delivery.

Sandhu was introduced immediately after the fielding restrictions and struck in her first over to remove Yasmin Daswani, ending a brief resistance with Kary Chan. Two overs later, she struck twice in four balls, dismissing Marina Lamplough and Maryam Bibi to reduce Hong Kong to 40 for 5. Any hope of a recovery had been extinguished.

The carnage continued. Sandhu claimed Shanzeen Shahzad and Alison Sui in quick succession to put herself on a hat-trick, using generous flight to entice the batters before beating the bat. She also slipped in the occasional quicker delivery, one of which accounted for her sixth wicket off the final ball of her spell.

Kary Chan’s Lone Resistance

Chan soldiered on amid the collapse, reaching 30 before Ayesha Zafar cleaned her up in the 16th over. Joyleen Kaur was the last wicket to fall as Hong Kong were bundled out for 71 in 19 overs, falling 72 runs short of their target.

Kaur had earlier been the standout performer for Hong Kong with the ball, finishing with figures of 4 for 19. Her spell restricted Pakistan to 143 for 8 after they had reached 92 for 2 at one stage. Only four Pakistan batters reached double figures, with opener Shawaal Zulfiqar top-scoring with 47 off 35 deliveries. Ayesha Zafar contributed 26.

A Record Night for Sandhu

Sandhu’s six-wicket haul is the second of this tournament after Athapaththu’s extraordinary 7 for 5 against Indonesia. She becomes only the third Pakistan bowler to take a five-wicket haul in Women’s T20Is, following Nida Dar in 2018 and Omaima Sohail in 2022, both of whom achieved the feat against Sri Lanka.

Pakistan will now face Sri Lanka in the second semi-final on September 11, a contest that promises to be a sterner test for the in-form spinner and her teammates.

                                               

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