Pakistan captain Fatima Sana hit a fourth consecutive fifty across formats to extend her incredible run.
Fatima Sana hits second consecutive fifty in National T20 Cup
Leading the Conquerors in Pakistan’s National T20 League, Fatima Sana hit a 36-ball 67 batting first against the Strikers before picking up a wicket to help her side register an 18-run win on Thursday, April 2. This was her second consecutive fifty in the tournament after a 33-ball 91 in the previous game against the Challengers. She had also returned figures of 3-33.
Conquerors were given a strong start by opener Komal Khan’s 19-ball 43 against the Strikers. But Rabia Rani triggered a collapse, dismissing all of the top four batters with her left-arm spin as the Conquerors went from 71-1 to 80-5 in 8.4 overs, which brought captain Fatima Sana in the middle.
She resumed from where she had left off last game, racing her way to a 36-ball 67, featuring five fours and as many sixes. The skipper’s 43-run sixth-wicket partnership with Gull Rukh and a 38-run seventh-wicket stand with Anosha Nasir took the team to a fighting 177.
In reply, the Strikers struggled to get going and other than Aliya Riaz’s 29-ball 52 from No.5, no batter was able to score more than 25 runs. They could eventually get to 159-9 in 20 overs to lose by 18 runs. The Conquerors, meanwhile, registered their second consecutive win after their tournament opener was washed out without a ball being bowled.
Notably, Fatima Sana entered the National T20 Cup on the back of a superb tour of South Africa. She had registered scores of 52 and 60 in the last two ODIs of the three-match series, respectively, after a record-breaking T20I series, which saw her aggregate 146 runs - the most by any batter from No.6 or lower across genders in a bilateral three-T20I series.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
