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October 11, 2024
Pakistan’s T20 captain, Fatima Sana, is returning home to Karachi from the T20 World Cup in the UAE following the unexpected death of her father from a stroke. In her absence, vice-captain Muneeba Ali will step up to lead the team in their upcoming match against Australia on Friday. Muneeba will continue to lead if Fatima is unable to return before their final group match against New Zealand on Monday, October 14.
Fatima, who recently took over the captaincy from Nida Dar, made history as the youngest captain to lead Pakistan in a T20 World Cup at just 22 years old. She had a brief preparation period, with only a three-match home series against South Africa to adapt to her new role. During that series, she excelled, finishing as the top scorer for both teams with a total of 101 runs. Her impressive performance included an unbeaten 37 runs off 24 balls in the opening match, another unbeaten 37 off 23 balls to help secure a win, and a quick 21 runs off 17 balls in the final game, although Pakistan ultimately lost the series 1-2.
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In Sharjah, Fatima Sana had an impressive debut as Pakistan’s T20 World Cup captain. She was named Player of the Match after scoring a crucial 30 runs off 20 balls in her team’s total of 116 against Sri Lanka. She also excelled with the ball, taking 2 wickets for just 10 runs in 2.5 overs, including the important wicket of Chamari Athapaththu, which helped secure a 31-run victory.
Although she had to bat lower in the order against India and couldn’t make a significant impact with the bat, she played a key role in slowing down India’s chase. In the 16th over, she took two wickets, leaving India needing 26 runs from the last four overs on a challenging pitch.
At one point, Pakistan held second place in Group A after New Zealand lost heavily to Australia. However, they slipped to third after India secured an 82-run win over Sri Lanka, improving their net run rate. With Fatima’s absence now a potential setback, Pakistan must win both of their remaining group matches to keep their hopes alive for a place in the semifinals.
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In the opening Test against Pakistan in Multan, England became the first team in over 27 years to surpass 800 runs in a Test match, finishing their innings with an impressive total of 823 for 7 declared. Harry Brook made history by scoring 317 runs off 322 balls, becoming the sixth English player to achieve a triple century. His innings was the second fastest triple hundred in Test history, and he looked poised to challenge Brian Lara’s record of 400 runs before he was dismissed.
Joe Root was also on track for a triple century during the post-lunch session but was dismissed leg-before-wicket by Agha Salman for 262 runs. Together, Brook and Root formed a remarkable partnership, putting on 454 runs that dominated the early stages of the match. England’s declaration gave them a substantial first-innings lead of 267 runs, leaving Pakistan in a difficult position.
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After resuming at 658 for 3 post-lunch, Harry Brook quickly seized the initiative by hitting a couple of boundaries off Saim Ayub. The 25-year-old reached his 250 runs, putting him almost level with Joe Root. This marked only the third time in Test history that two batters scored over 250 runs in the same innings. Their remarkable 454-run partnership is now the fourth highest in Test history.
Just when both players appeared ready to accelerate towards their triple centuries, Agha Salman bowled a delivery that kept low, trapping Root lbw. Jamie Smith then announced his arrival with a boundary on just his second ball, as England continued to press forward. Brook followed up by hitting Salman for a six and a boundary in the same over, then charging down the pitch to smash another six off Naseem Shah, moving into the 290s.
Brook eventually reached 300 runs, needing just 310 balls—making it the second-fastest triple century in Test history, behind only Virender Sehwag’s 2008 innings against South Africa. However, as Pakistan took a few quick wickets, Brook’s chances of closing in on Brian Lara’s record diminished, leading to England’s declaration at 823 for 7.
Brief Scores:
England 823/7 declared (Harry Brook 317, Joe Root 262) lead Pakistan 556 by 267 runs.
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