Left-arm pacer Neha Sharmin Nadeem starred with the ball for the Invincibles, claiming an impressive 3-14 in her four-over spell to lead her side to victory over Fatima Sana’s Conquerors in the sixth round of the National Women’s T20 Tournament 2024-25, held at the National Bank Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
Neha gave the Invincibles a dream start by removing both Conquerors’ openers for golden ducks, and later dismissed Najiha Alvi for a run-a-ball 16, leaving the opposition reeling at 37 for 3.
Despite the early blows, Conquerors’ captain Fatima Sana—currently topping the tournament’s run charts with 252 runs—showed her batting prowess with a fluent 41 off 32 balls, hitting seven boundaries. She built a steady 33-run partnership with Hafsa Khalid (24 off 35 balls, 4 fours), stabilizing the innings.
However, Tania Saeed’s economical 2 for 18 from four overs helped the Invincibles restrict the Conquerors to a modest 107 for 8 in 20 overs.
In reply, the Invincibles chased down the target comfortably in just 15.5 overs, losing only two wickets. After the early loss of Muneeba Ali to Humna Bilal, Ayesha Zafar (47 off 35, 8 fours) and Omaima Sohail (44* off 41, 7 fours) stitched together a match-winning 91-run partnership for the second wicket to seal the victory.
Meanwhile, at the Oval Academy Ground, the Strikers cruised to their second win of the tournament, overpowering the Stars by nine wickets. Chasing a target of 98, the Strikers reached the mark in just 12.4 overs.
Captain Gull Feroza anchored the innings with an unbeaten 37 off 42 balls (3 fours), while player of the match Noreen Yaqoob smashed 28 off 21 balls, including four boundaries and a six, as the duo added 56 for the opening stand. After Noreen’s dismissal by Tuba Hassan, Eyman Fatima’s aggressive 28 not out off just 14 balls (2 fours, 2 sixes) ensured a swift finish.
Earlier, the Stars stumbled after choosing to bat first, losing wickets at regular intervals. They were 26 for 3 and later 55 for 5. Opener Sana Urooj scored 19 off 17 balls with four boundaries, while Tuba Hassan top-scored with a gritty 30 off 25 balls. Brief contributions from Hurraina Sajjad (14*) and Sidra Nawaz (14) helped the Stars to 97 for 7 in their 20 overs.
Strikers’ bowlers were clinical, with Anam Amin and Ayesha Bilal picking up two wickets each. Noreen Yaqoob, Diana Baig, and Rehmat Noreen chipped in with one wicket apiece.
