NWT20: Eyman Fatima hits fifty as Strikers crush Invincibles

KARACHI: Eyman Fatima’s unbeaten 74-run knock propelled Strikers to a resounding seven-wicket victory over Invincibles in the 14th match of the National Women’s T20 (NWT20) Tournament here at the Oval Academy Ground on Friday.

Put into bat first, the Invincibles registered a formidable total of 143/5 in their allotted 20 overs, courtesy of skipper Muneeba Ali’s half-century.

The Invincibles got off to a flamboyant start to their innings as the opening pair of skipper Muneeba and Ayesha Zafar put together a 72-run partnership.

The opening stand culminated with Ayesha’s dismissal in the 12th over, who scored a run-a-ball 36, laced with four boundaries.

Her dismissal sparked a collapse as the Invincibles began to lose wickets at an alarming rate.

Meanwhile, Muneeba stood her ground firm and kept the scoreboard ticking singlehandedly until falling victim to Anam Amin on the penultimate delivery of the innings.

She remained the top-scorer with a 58-ball 67, laced with four fours and two sixes.

For Strikers, Noreen Yaqoob bagged two wickets for 21 runs in her three overs, while Zunish Abdul Sattar and Anam made one scalp apiece.

Chasing a 144-run target, the Strikers comfortably knocked the winning runs for the loss of just three wickets and 14 balls to spare.

Leading the way for them was middle-order batter Eyman Fatima, who top-scored with an unbeaten 74 off 39 deliveries, studded with 10 fours and two sixes.

For her match-winning knock, Fatima was adjudged the Player of the Match.

Fatima also shared a match-defining 105-run partnership for the third wicket with skipper Gull Feroza, who made a 46-ball 49, featuring five fours.

For Invincibles, Ghulam Fatima, Neha Sharmin Nadeem and Fatima Khan made one scalp apiece.

Despite the five-wicket victory, the Strikers remained fifth in the NWT20 standings with six points in six matches due to their inferior Net Run Rate.